Title: Summer of Scandal Series: Dare to Defy #2
Author: Syrie James
Published: September 11, 2018
Genre(s): Romance: Historical
Page Count: 416
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:Madeleine Atherton is no typical American heiress, sent to England to marry an English lord. A brilliant college graduate who secretly dreams of becoming a published author, she wants to marry for love. After receiving a proposal from a future duke, Madeleine flees the London Season for Cornwall to seek her sister’s advice, never expecting her decision to be complicated by a charming, handsome earl she’s certain she dislikes—even though his every touch sets her blood on fire.
Charles Grayson, the Earl of Saunders, has secrets and ambitions of his own. Although under pressure from his mother and gravely ill father to marry his cousin, Charles cannot find the words to propose. But this fascinating American visitor does not figure into his plans, either.
Thrown together unexpectedly at Trevelyan Manor, Madeleine and Charles struggle to rise above their intense attraction. But as things heat up between them over a summer that becomes increasingly scandalous, Madeleine and Charles will both be forced to make a difficult choice. Can two dreamers dare to defy convention and find their own happily ever after?
There is slow-burn romance, and then there’s no-burn romance. Guess which one Summer of Scandal is? In this second installment in a series about American heiresses taking Victorian England by storm, Syrie James tells a solid story that nevertheless promises to be…pretty forgettable. Honestly, this is a perfectly fine romance, but a slow, plodding pace in combination with mediocre characterization resulted in a story that was lacking in pizazz and/or warmth.
Maddie Atherton has a dowry of a million dollars and a marriage proposal from a future duke. But she’s determined to marry only for love, like her older sister. (See Runaway Heiress). Maddie travels to Cornwall to get her sister’s advice, but due to a storm and some other issues, ends up spending most of the summer visiting Trevelyan Manor and bumping into Charles, Earl of Saunders. The attraction between them is instant, but both are cautious to just jump into bed without thinking through the consequences. Plus, both of them have “understandings” with other eligible matches.
In writing the paragraph above, I’ve discovered that the major “problem” with this novel is that there’s not much of a conflict. And what conflict there is, I didn’t believe in. James doesn’t give readers a plausible reason why Maddie and Charles can’t be together. There’s some nonsense about “duty” and blah blah blah, but honestly? There are no obstacles. Both are upper-class, neither are actually engaged, and both are supported by, if not their parents, then at least by their siblings. Halfway into A Summer of Scandal, and you have to stop and think: why is this taking so long?
And take a long time it does. Summer of Scandal is actually a regular-length romance novel, but it felt much longer. There’s just a lot of the protagonists sitting around and spending time with each other, without acting on their potential feelings. Neither is there angst, which is maybe what would be typical in a “forbidden love” storyline. So, really there’s just a void where two people think maybe they love each other but for ~reasons~ don’t feel comfortable on pursuing those feelings. That might be realistic, but is it interesting enough to read 400 pages of? Nope.
I guess I was supposed to be interested by the fact that the main characters were both “unconventional” in that they liked to pursue declassé passions: writing novels for Maddie and inventing useful gadgets for Charles. Instead I just felt like the sections of the book depicting their hobbies were just filler and nonessential to the overarching will-they-won’t-they of the main plotline. In my opinion.
My favorite part of the book, however, was the friendship Maddie forms with Sophie, who’s Charles’ cousin and potentially his fiancée. The two women form a close bond and come to be very close friends—which is of course complicated by the fact that they’re in love with the same man. I have to say that I really appreciate books that focus on female friendships, and I was so glad James spent the time developing that aspect of the story.
Aside from that one thing? It’s a pretty by-the-book romance. Eventually Charles kisses Maddie and their passion explodes like fireworks (or what have you). They can’t keep away from each other no matter how hard they try, and finally they admit their feelings. Then there is a Misunderstanding and Charles has to run and fix it before Maddie is lost to him forever. They get married, etc. Nothing more exciting than that, I promise.
Overall? Summer of Scandal was nothing to write home about. It’s a simple story that’s lacking in emotional oomph. There was a lack of urgency in the author’s storytelling, and the characters failed to capture my attention. This book is well-written, but otherwise far from excellent.
