DO YOU WANT TO START A SCANDAL is book 5 in Tessa Dare's Spindle Cove series. All Charlotte Highwood wants is to be a spinster, free of society's demands, and to tour the Continent with her friend Delia Parkhurst. The only thing Charlotte's mother wants is for her to marry a peer. Having a mother like Mrs. Bennet from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE skews Charlotte's view of men and marriage. Charlotte approaches Piers Brandon, the Marquess of Granville privately, at a house party, to reassure him that she has no plans to pursue him. As a secret agent acting for the royal family, Piers has bigger worries than keeping away marriageable young women and their mercenary mamas. While neither party is looking for romance, both walk away from the meeting a little befuddled, unexpectedly attracted, and very definitely charmed.

Despite an inauspicious beginning of getting caught in a compromising position, being thrown together winds up being the best thing to happen to Charlotte and Piers. That first meeting between Charlotte and Piers and the witty dialogue -- both aloud and internal -- is enchanting and had me in love with the story from that moment on. Piers is a fascinating and complex hero. Tessa dare does a phenomenal job of slowly pulling back his layers and explaining why Piers is the way he is. While I find Piers to be sexy, charming, and honorable, he is also a man haunted by his mother's death when he was a child. I love how overpowering Piers' feelings are for Charlotte. In spite of how inconvenient his feelings are in his line of work, as well as the fact that he thinks he can never be what Charlotte needs, he fights to keep her connected to him. Tessa Dare makes Charlotte a clever and imaginative character who will deliver unexpected fanciful little monologues, without appearing obnoxious.

DO YOU WANT TO START A SCANDAL is a book that delivers laughter and longing in equal measure, with romantic exchanges that will make you shiver. Little Edmund Parkhurst and his dark suspicions and vehement declarations about Piers inject a bit of humor at odd moments to break up the tension. Piers' valet and secret partner in spying, Ridley, intrigues me and I hope to read more about him in the future. This book has made me a Tessa Dare fan, and I can't wait for her next book!