A SCANDAL TO REMEMBER

Author: Linda Needham ISBN: 0060514124 9/2004 HISTORICAL Publisher: AVON

The exiled Princess Caroline has quite the dilemma. In the middle of an elegant ball given in her honor, she is stalked into a moonlit hedge-maze by a toweringly handsome man who then spirits her off to his so-called gentleman's club. Then he informs her that not only is her life in danger from an unknown assassin, but that he's there to protect her, whether she approves or not! A spy for the Foreign Office, Andrew Chase, the dashing earl of Wexford, detests playing nanny to arrogant royals. But the brazen and beautiful Princess Caroline takes his breath away, and the more he learns about this remarkable lady, the more she enchants him. Yet to save her life, Drew must reveal a shocking secret that could send Caroline's world spinning out of control ... and risk losing his lady's love forever.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I had very high expectations in reading this book since I loved one of Needham’s other books, THE BRIDE BED. Well, I wasn’t actually disappointed, but I will say A SCANDAL TO REMEMBER doesn’t quite reach the same standards.

That’s not to say SCANDAL is not a worthwhile read, because I think it’s good. I may just have had my standards set too high and that keep me from truly enjoying SCANDAL. I realize this is a second book in a series (and I haven’t read the first one), but I don’t feel I missed out on too much by not reading the first one. SCANDAL can stand-alone.

I didn’t feel quite the emotional attachment to the hero and heroine here as I did in some of Needham’s earlier works, and that may have been the biggest flaw. I like to feel connected in some way to the characters, and I just felt like I was watching the story evolve rather than finding myself immersed in the tale. I will continue to pick up Ms. Needham’s books to read from time to time, and chalk this one up as not her best work.

Kendra Patterson