Scandal Wears Satin (The Dressmakers, #2)

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Scandal Wears Satin (The Dressmakers #2)

3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 · rating details · 1,305 ratings · 200 reviews

From the Journals of Sophia Noirot: A dress is a weapon. It must dazzle his eye, raise his temperature . . . and empty his purse.

A blue-eyed innocent on the outside and a shark on the inside, dressmaker Sophy Noirot could sell sand to Bedouins. Selling Maison Noirot's beautiful designs to aristocratic ladies is a little harder, especially since a recent family scandal has...more

ebook, 384 pages

Published June 26th 2012 by Avon

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Jul 24, 2012 Dija rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Devoted fans of Loretta Chase

Recommended to Dija by: Silk is for Seduction

Shelves: june-2012, read-in-2012, buddy-slash-group-read, could-have-been-sooo-much-better, hr, great-disappointment, meh, my-reviews, waste-of-anticipation-energy, wtf-abkjkad, everyone-loved-but-dija

So, so disappointing. One of the biggest let-downs of the year and my expectations weren't even that high.

There are three three main characters in Scandal Wears Satin: Harry, Sophy, and Clara.

1. Harry was a chauvinistic pig and an asshole, had the intelligence of a donkey and the tact and subtlety of an elephant, was more or less always hard, and did nothing but lust after Sophy.

2. Sophy had the personality of an immature child, believing herself to be so much more than she really was. While s

...more

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Jun 10, 2012 Jill rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance-european

"...One needs to be able to dress without help, if necessary."

"You must be deuced flexible," he said.

Wrong thing to say.

She went quiet and his mind starting painting pictures. Just in case he wasn't heated enough already.

For Sophy Noirot and her two sisters, their dressmaking establishment Maison Noirot, is not just a business but a passion. Three years ago they arrived from Paris with little more than their dressmaking talents. Now having secured Lady Clara, the Earl of Longmore's sister as the...more

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Jul 03, 2012 Laura the Highland Hussy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Read my review on Demon Lover's Books and More

This is my first Loretta Chase novel, and while I can definitely say it won’t be my last, I will also add that I was slightly disappointed. I think I expected more from her. I almost didn’t finish it twice. At one point, my ARC expired (I was about halfway through, and finally getting into it!) and I had to get the book myself just to find out what happened!

Lady Clara is compromised by Lord Adderley, a bankrupt jerk who took advantage of Lady Clara...more Read my review on Demon Lover's Books and More

This is my first Loretta Chase novel, and while I can definitely say it won’t be my last, I will also add that I was slightly disappointed. I think I expected more from her. I almost didn’t finish it twice. At one point, my ARC expired (I was about halfway through, and finally getting into it!) and I had to get the book myself just to find out what happened!

Lady Clara is compromised by Lord Adderley, a bankrupt jerk who took advantage of Lady Clara on purpose because he needs her dowry. Lady Clara is the bestand most important customer of Sophy and her sisters’ dress shop Maison Noirot. She runs off, and Sophy devises a way to bring her back. Longmore is under the impression he is saving Clara, but Sophy is the brain behind the operation. They are led on a merry chase but eventually find and bring Clara back. Sophy of course has a grand plan that she is hatching to keep Clara from marrying Adderley, and it works, but I wanted more interaction between Sophy and Longmore, and less focus on Clara’s problems. I think it could have been wrapped up sooner so that Sophy’s ending didn’t feel so rushed.

I liked Sophy, I think it’s hard not to, but I also felt she became rather tedious at the end with all of her plots, and schemes and circular logic. I wanted just one straightforward conversation between her and Longmore, if I could have had that, I would’ve chocked up the rest to her vivacious and charming personality. Unfortunately I felt like her charm wore off towards the end.

I don’t mind a hero who isn’t smarter than the heroine. That being said, I feel like Longmore was given this reputation of being nothing more than a prettyboy, a lover of women, and he doesn’t like to think too hard, yet I’m not sure he was as stupid as we were supposed to think. He is constantly saying how thinking hurts his brainbox, and Sophy is saying how he should just leave the thinking and plotting to her, the author tells us he’s not a thinker, yet he is I’d say above average intelligence (i.e. a normal guy).

I didn’t like his treatment of Sophy all the time. Most of the time it was fine, but even when he figured she was a virgin, he talked himself into seducing her anyway, because she wasn’t a lady. She’s a dressmaker. Towards the end, his jealousy drove me nuts because of how he treated Sophy. But that being said, Sophy would never really explain anything to him, so it was hard for him to know that she really did know what she was doing.

Also, it started with trying to figure out what to do about their rival dressmaker, yet I never felt that was resolved. My guess is that it will be in the next book, but I would have preferred a hint at that, rather than it just being left as is.

On the whole, I was extremely impressed with Ms. Chase’s writing, I mean wow! Is she good! But the plot was too convoluted and the beginning was slightly confusing. I think if you’ve read Silk Is For Seduction, you won’t be confused and you may enjoy it more.

***Thank you to Avon and Edelweiss for the review copy

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Jun 26, 2012 Jess the Romanceaholic rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, favorite-heroines, auto-buy, arc-review-held, favorite-heroes, edelweiss, 2012-read, affair-turned-to-love, steam-level-steamy, reformed-rake, child-or-children-play-a-big-part

This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.

Expected Release Date: June 26, 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Imprint: Avon
Author’s Website: lorettachase.com
My Source for This Book: Edelweiss
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 2, Dressmakers Series
Series Best Read In Order: Works well as a standalone
Steam Level: Steamy

Oh but how I adore the way Loretta Chase manages to give us deliciously sensible and pragmatic yet beautiful and enchanting heroines and the delightfully befudd...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Carol *Young at Heart Oldie* rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star-books

I’m a huge Loretta Chase fan. Her books are always a delicious combination of sexy heroes, strong but feminine heroines, fun plots and rib-tickling humour. I loved Silk is for Seduction, the first book in her Dressmakers series, and so I had high expectations of the second book, Scandal Wears Satin.

There’s one thing certain, if you’re feeling miserable when you start reading this book, you’re sure to have a big grin on your face by the time you get to the end. It is everything I have come to exp...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Layla rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-historical, 2012-release, part-of-a-series, author-loretta-chase, 2012-july, favorite-books, rating-4-stars, reviewed, buddy-read

My rating: 4/5 stars
First line: "The trollops knew how to throw a party.”
Favourite quote: "He played her gently and slowly at first. She felt like a violin, and the feelings were music. Then, when he had every string of her being vibrating, the music grew more intense.”
Song of choice: All This and Heaven Too by Florence and the Machine

I always knew that Loretta Chase was considered royalty in the historical romances land but now I found out the reason. I haven’t read many books by her, actually...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Catherine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, fiction-vixen-reviews, first-reads-arcs-won-a-copy

*Joint review posted at Fiction Vixen*

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Jul 20, 2012 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, keepers

Loretta Chase does it again! This time Sophie Noirot has hero, the Earl of Longmore tied up in knots as he tries to keep up with her while trying to find his sister Clara who has bolted from London to avoid marrying a fortune hunter. Sophie does cartwheels around him due to her amazing ability with disguises and flair for drama, whether in the shop or with a pen. In other words - he is a lost man. Her beauty and intellect had him from their first meeting. Is she a strong heroine? You bet! Despit...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Melanie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have to start this review with telling you of my first, and probably the only, encounter with Ms. Loretta Chase. It happened last year at RT’s here in Chicago, and it went something like this:

Me, as I was handing her ‘Not Quite a Lady’ [one of my favorite books by her]: “I…if…may…it’s my……” and at that moment my throat just gave out, my eyes filled with tears and I just gave up on talking and shoved the book at her, which she took and gifted me with the most gentlest of smiles and noticing th...more

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Dec 11, 2012 CoffeeTimeRomance andMore rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical

Sophy Noirot’s brilliant blue eyes hide a keen mind that sees straight to the core of everyone she meets. She and her sisters are the trendiest dressmakers in all of London, and Sophy’s job is to keep them ten steps ahead of the competition. Using her talent for disguise, Sophy eases in and out of society’s events. She gathers tidbits of intrigue for the scandal sheets and spins her stories to the advantage of the Noirot sisters and their shop.

Lord Harry Longmore is the antithesis of everything...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Dorothea rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

The very best thing about this book is that it has MORE CLARA! She was introduced as (sort of) the 'other woman' in Silk Is for Seduction and now it's clear that her story is (in addition to the dressmaking shop) the thing that will tie these two books and the third together. And what delights me is that Clara's story is, so far, not even romance: it's the story of a young woman who's always been encouraged to define herself in terms of the man she's supposed to marry or her ability to attract t...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Barbara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, romance

I didn't like this one quite as well as I liked the first, but that's okay. I don't regret reading it at all.
This book is light and bubbly and frothy in the best possible way. The plot borders on comic opera, but that's okay, we are in the hands of a master.
The main characters--Lord Longmore(Harry), Sophia Noirot and Harry's sister Clara were all introduce in the first book of this series (Silk is for Seduction). One does not absolutely need to have read the earlier book for this one to make sen...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Christy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3 stars
I liked this better than the first in the series but still can't really warm to the dressmaker theme. The urgent necessity to keep their shop open seems a bit ludicrous now that the oldest sister is married to a wealthy duke. If you accept that premise, the story is entertaining, largely driven by the force if the heroine's charm and personality. She's gorgeous, of course, but it's her inventiveness, charm and ability to slip into disguise that carry this book.
Harry, the hero, seems to...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Jayne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

(from my book blog)

A NEW CHASE! A NEW CHASE! SING PRAISE TO THE HEAVENS, THERE IS A NEW CHASE!

Not only that, it is a continuation of her fabulously fabulous dressmaker series, which began last year with Silk is for Seduction. Are you ready for dress porn? Are you ready to read about sleeve puffs and chemises and luxurious materials and colors and the mechanics of dressmaking? ME TOO.

Well, okay, one thing I should tell you is that since this book doesn’t star Marcelline, the design queen of Lond...more (from my book blog)

A NEW CHASE! A NEW CHASE! SING PRAISE TO THE HEAVENS, THERE IS A NEW CHASE!

Not only that, it is a continuation of her fabulously fabulous dressmaker series, which began last year with Silk is for Seduction. Are you ready for dress porn? Are you ready to read about sleeve puffs and chemises and luxurious materials and colors and the mechanics of dressmaking? ME TOO.

Well, okay, one thing I should tell you is that since this book doesn’t star Marcelline, the design queen of London’s most faaaabulous dress shop, Maison Noirot, we’re not going to get as much dress porn. Yeah, I’m sad too. And there’s a cute kid, but he’s not as great as Marcelline’s daughter, and not as prominently featured. So there’s all of that!

But, if we’re going to talk about old Chases, it must be said that Harry, the Earl of Longmore, definitely resembles everybody’s all-time favorite brawler, RUPERT CARSINGTON. I know, I was delighted.

However, in the midst of being delighted, I was a bit less-than-delighted to realize that much of the plot and many of the characters seemed a bit - and it pains me to say this about La Chase - recycled. I’m sorry. I have to be honest.

Sophy Noirot is the scheming sister of the Noirot trio, and if you read and enjoyed Last Night’s Scandal, you might find echoes of Olivia Wingate-Carsington. Sophy and Olivia are distantly related, as a matter of fact, but that’s not quite a great reason to have so many similarities between the two. Like Olivia, Sophy is a skilled deceiver and an unparalleled trickster, and she’s always Up to No Good.

So of course Sophy Noirot and the rakish Earl of Longmore (I have to admit the schemer-brawler pairing was a new one for me) have to get together to save one thing or another and help the Earl’s sister, the recently-spurned Clara, ditch her grody fiancee and save the shop and whatever else needs saving in this particular novel.

To repeat a tired simile (and repetition seems to be the theme of this review), Loretta Chase is a lot like pizza - even when she’s not great, she’s still pretty damn good. This is not her best work. It’s not as good as Silk is for Seduction. But it’s fun! There’s enough wonderful dress descriptions to keep you from side-eyeing too hard. It’s not exactly a sturdy, filling romance, but it’s a perfect beach read (or at least it’s what a hastily-researched magazine blurb would call “a perfect beach read”). Worth it, but it’s because Loretta Chase always is.(less)

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May 16, 2012 Lisarenee rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Please Note: I read the ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this book, therefore, there may be some discrepancies between what I quote and the final version. Assume any and all errors are mine because they probably are.

The Common Cause:
"If I were less of a catch," she went on, "and if it hadn't happened so publicly, with all those people seeing me half undressed, there would be an easier way out."
"You weren't half undressed," Sophy said. "Your bodice was a little disarranged, that was all."
"Not th...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Desiree rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sort of disappointed. I was wildly excited about this book because I'd read another Loretta Chase book that I adored (Lord of Scoundrels). I settled in with high hopes, and then -- as ashamed as I am to admit it -- I actually fell sleep reading. I never do that. I get sleepy and I put a book down for the night, but I don't ever conk out while reading. Even worse, I ended up restarting from the very first page again, because I -forgot- what happened in the first chapters after I picked it back up...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Sasha Martinez added it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2012, romance-novels

After Silver Nights , I direly needed a romance novel that made me feel as though all was right in the world, and no evil Russian general-prince-assholes were getting in the way [too obligingly and tenaciously] of my Happily Ever After.

Anyway. This is the second book in Chase’s Dressmakers series, whose first book I don’t much care about—as evidenced by the fact that I cannot, for the life of me, recall what happened in that other one. I almost didn’t buy Scandal Wears Satin because of my rememb...more

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Jun 26, 2012 R.E. Butler rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Give as an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Love the cover!

This was my first book by Loretta Chase. Historical romance is not my usual genre but the premise of the book and the cool cover made me take a chance, plus LC comes SOOO highly recommended. As it turns out, the book was well worth reading and I'm so glad I took a chance on it. I absolutely adored the book. Sophy was a fantastic mix of innocent virgin and seductress, and her ability to make herself into new characters with costumes...more

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Jun 15, 2012 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, edelweiss, romance

Scandal Wears Satin was a cute, quick read. I've never read anything from this author, including the previous book in the series and I think that made me feel like I was missing something.

I don't know why but I couldn't get interested in the plot. It wasn't a bad plot at all but I didn't ever get immersed in it.

The main characters, Sophy and Longmore, had great sexual tension and the sex scenes were pretty hot. If a historical romance author can write a great sex scene, that's at least half the...more

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Sep 01, 2012 Allison rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-in-2012, format-ebook, historical-romance, series-dressmakers

Loretta Chase is one of my auto-buy authors but this wasn't one of my favorites, simply because the "dressmaker bags an aristocrat" storyline was difficult to buy the first time around (although I did love Silk Is For Seduction); twice just seems past the suspension of disbelief. I did appreciate that she addressed the problems that relationship from the first book created in terms of their business, but it still seems unlikely that the sisters will be able to continue their business with twice...more

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Aug 07, 2012 PoligirlReads rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was just an okay read. The previous book in the series was much better. I think the primary problem was that the characters weren't that interesting. We hear that Longmore is a lunkhead (which he is), and that Sophia is a crafty mastermind...but that's about it. And you can only read about a guy being repeatedly called various iterations of dumb before boredom sets in. He isn't even endearingly dumb, either. Just a dolt. That's not appealing. There's no real growth on the part of either cha...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Dottie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Absolutely delightful!! Taken from review at RomanceJunkies.com:

Sophy Noirot and her two sisters, Marcelline and Leonie, are faced with the possible ruin of their business, a dressmaking shop named Maison Noirot. Three years ago, they had left France with a sick child, a few coins and plenty of talent. After Marcelline, the oldest, had won money at the gaming tables, they had their start. Opening their own dress shop, their original designs had managed to shut down their competition, Downeys. Bu...more Absolutely delightful!! Taken from review at RomanceJunkies.com:

Sophy Noirot and her two sisters, Marcelline and Leonie, are faced with the possible ruin of their business, a dressmaking shop named Maison Noirot. Three years ago, they had left France with a sick child, a few coins and plenty of talent. After Marcelline, the oldest, had won money at the gaming tables, they had their start. Opening their own dress shop, their original designs had managed to shut down their competition, Downeys. But then Marcelline had fallen in love and married the Duke of Clevedon. However, the duke had been close to the Longmere family and everyone had expected that one day he would marry Clara Longmere, even though there was no formal arrangement. His marriage to Marcelline, a shopkeeper, threw the beau monde into an uproar. It had also made an enemy of one of society’s most powerful women, the Earl of Longmere’s mother, who had been thrilled that her daughter had been close to scoring a duke and devastated when he married someone else. Shortly afterwards, customers began deserting Maison Noirot in droves and Sophy had no idea how to repair the damage. Although she is a master salesperson, she is having trouble turning around the effects of the scandal. The three sisters were even being equated with the three witches of MacBeth. Sophy is attracted to the Earl of Longmere, but she sees him as a scandalous rake. He is handsome, but does not seem to be the smartest of men. She figures one day she will marry a respectable man who will not stand in the way of her business, unlike Longmere who is constantly in one’s way, aside from the fact that his mother is trying to destroy the business.

Henry, the Earl of Longmere, is fascinated with Sophy, even though his mother would like nothing better than to run her and her sisters out of England completely. Everything about her intrigues him. He is aware that she secretly writes for the Fox Morning Spectacle newspaper, often attending social events, whether she is invited or not; a virtual master of disguise. As for Longmere, he is a handsome brute of a man, but thinking is his least favorite thing to do and thinking about more than one thing at a time is something he tries to avoid. So he is easily sidetracked, especially when Sophy is in the room. At social events, he has noticed that she has to fend the men off, despite the fact that he considers her his property.

Longmere and the Duke of Clevedon grew up together and are like brothers. Even though everyone had thought that Clara and the duke would marry, Clara had been fine with letting him go after he fell in love with Marcelline. As far as Clara is concerned, she is happy to be out of it, but Longmere’s mother is another matter. She even holds it against her daughter, Clara, who almost daily sends for Longmere, asking him to intervene. The fact that Longmere and Clara attended Clevedon’s wedding, essentially giving their blessing to the union, had caused an all-out war in the Longmere household. That Clara is Maison Noirot’s best customer does not help the situation. But now Clara is becoming involved with Lord Adderley, a man who needs money and is charmed with her dowry, not her.

Coming up with a plan to find out what their competition is up to, Sophy enlists Longmere’s aid. To her surprise, Longmere carries out his part brilliantly. In the past, Downeys has stolen the exclusive designs of Maison Noirot. So Sophy needs to find out what they are up to this time. But at a ball later, Sophy finds that she has another problem. While disguised as a servant and getting her story for the Fox Morning Spectacle, she witnesses Clara being ruined in front of many of those attending. Lord Adderley had given Clara too much to drink and persuaded her to join him out on the balcony. This was a ploy he had planned well in advance and it forces an engagement between them while putting off his debtors for a while. Later, Clara realizes what Adderley did and that he does not really love her. Seeing no way out, she runs off and it is left up to Longmere and Sophy to find her and bring her home. Not only does Sophy want to help Clara, but she also sees this as a problem for her business. Clara is her best customer and if she marries the worthless Adderley, not only will she be miserable, but she will not have the funds to frequent their shop. As well as being an excellent customer, she shows off Marcelline’s designs to great effect, increasing the clientele of the shop. However, Clara does not want to return to town, knowing she will be forced to go through with the wedding. But Sophy promises to stop the wedding. Using her playacting talents and master of disguise ability, can she come up with a plan to prevent Lord Adderley from obtaining his golden goose, Clara, and save Maison Noirot? Will the attraction between Sophy and Longmere develop into something more, or will his mother ruin it as she is trying to ruin Maison Noirot?

An enticing read, SCANDAL WEARS SATIN, the second book in award-winning author Loretta Chase’s DRESSMAKER series, is a witty, intriguing historical romance that I hated to see end. Sophy and Longmere is a wonderful match and I enjoyed watching their interaction. Combining humor, deceit, scandal, captivating characters, passion, clever banter, fashions, romance and love, Ms. Chase has penned a delectable tale that readers will find nearly impossible to put down. Although this story is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone. However, I advise not passing up the chance to read the first book in this amazing series, SILK IS FOR SEDUCTION. I am an avid fan of Ms. Chase’s work. In fact, her name is on my list of ‘must read’ authors. As I eagerly await the release of her next book in this exciting series, be sure to get your own copy of SCANDAL WEARS SATIN. I highly recommend it!

Dottie, RomanceJunkies.com

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Jul 21, 2012 Jessi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, 2012-challenge, appealing-characteristic-story, historical, part-of-a-series, romance

This is the second of the Noirot sisters' books. Moving beyond the disbelief that a dressmaker could marry a nobleman, it's a fun story.
Sophy Noirot makes extra money by reporting what the nobility wore to fancy parties (mostly she's talking up the creations from her own shop.) But they've got an issue; the girl who is their most prominent customer has just been caught in a scandal. Their shop is going to suffer. So she goes otu searching for the girl... with the girl's brother, the Earl of Long...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Tam B. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I did enjoy this book. A very determined seamstress with a thriving business has set out to save her best client from the doom of a disastrous (and penniless) marriage so that she can keep being her best client.

It helps that her sister is well married to a Duke and his best friend (the best client's brother) staggers in to lend a hand of sorts. I did like our hero. He didn't try to be more than he could. He fully admitted intellect wasn't his strong point but he wasn't thick headed either.

I like...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Dabney rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Can a beautiful, conniving, brilliant French dressmaker find true love with a gorgeous, straight-forward, not so bright English Earl? In Ms. Chase’s latest, Scandal Wears Satin, the second in her Dressmakers series, the answer is a resounding and yet unbelievable yes. The novel, written with Ms. Chase’s usual verve and humor, tells the story of Sophy Noirot and Harry, the Earl of Longmore. It's a steamy, exceedingly enjoyable read. It reads like a fairy tale written for grown-ups: Whimsical, unp...more Can a beautiful, conniving, brilliant French dressmaker find true love with a gorgeous, straight-forward, not so bright English Earl? In Ms. Chase’s latest, Scandal Wears Satin, the second in her Dressmakers series, the answer is a resounding and yet unbelievable yes. The novel, written with Ms. Chase’s usual verve and humor, tells the story of Sophy Noirot and Harry, the Earl of Longmore. It's a steamy, exceedingly enjoyable read. It reads like a fairy tale written for grown-ups: Whimsical, unpredictable, and fantastical. In the proverbial real world, there’s no way these two lovers would find their happy ending, but in this giddy novel they do. Readers willing to suspend disbelief will enjoy this book tremendously; those who like their fiction grounded in gritty reality will not.

The two were introduced in the first novel in the series, Silk for Seduction. In that book, Harry’s best friend, the Duke of Clevedon, marries Sophy’s sister, Marcelline, rather than Harry’s younger sister Clara. Their wedding causes all sorts of trouble for the Noirot sisters and their dress shop, Maison Noirot. For starters, Clara’s mother now loathes the Noirots with a snooty passion. Furthermore, the ton, shocked by a modiste stealing one of their own, shuns Maison Noirot. The shop is on the verge of collapse and Sophy and her younger sister Leonie, unwilling to live off their brother-in-law’s largesse, are terrified. They have one — and only one — customer from the upper echelons of society: Lady Clara, Harry’s sister. Clara, quite content to not be married to Clevedon, has become friends with the Noirot sisters and, despite her mother’s ire, continues to frequent their shop.

When Clara is very publically compromised by the worthless — in more ways than one — Lord Adderly and is forced to become engaged to the cad, Harry is ready to kill the man. Sophy, however, persuades him to calm down. She assures him, despite having no idea how she will accomplish this, that she and her sisters will “un-ruin” Clara and save her from marriage to the mendacious Lord Adderly. But when Clara’s mother insists the wedding will take place in a matter of weeks, Clara runs away, and it is up to Harry, accompanied by Sophy, to fetch her back.

Sophy is a wonderful heroine. She’s smart and capable — she never stops thinking, analyzing each and every situation and character she encounters. She’s an actress of extraordinary talents — she continually dons new personas and outfits, and with each change, she becomes whoever she needs to be at that moment. It’s great fun to watch Sophy bamboozle pretty much everyone and even greater fun to watch her unable to do the same to Harry. Harry may not be as smart as Sophy but he views the world very clearly, and no matter what scheme Sophy is running, Harry always sees the Sophy behind the act. This ability of Harry’s makes him — along with his overt sensuality — irresistible to Sophie.

This is a partial review. Please go to All About Romance for the full piece.
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Nov 03, 2012 Mavh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The marriage of Marcelline, eldest of the three Noirot sister, is driving customers away from Maison Noirot, their dressmaking business. One client stands between them and financial ruin: Lady Clara. But she has been compromised and will soon lose control of her dowry to a fortune hunter. With Maison Noirot at risk, Sophy, the middle sister, sets out to stop the marriage. In this, she is joined by Lady Clara’s brother, Lord Harry Longmore.

In Sophy’s opinion, Lord Longmore is a spoiled aristocra...more

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Oct 21, 2012 Jean rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lpl, historical-romance, romance, england

I have to say that is was a very light and entertaining read. Nothing deep. Some tension but very flippant. There is a bit of commentary about how defenseless a woman is especially due to her station in life. It doesn't come off as didactic and nicely woven into the story.

The hero, Harry, is not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer but not the dullest either. It almost makes for a change for the general characterization of the alpha male hero though Harry does have alpha male tendencies. Th...more

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Jun 30, 2012 Dawn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chase-loretta

What a wonderful story! Loretta Chase never disappoints. I loved both the hero, Lord Harry Longmore, and the heroine, Sophia Noirot.

Harry's sister, Clara, gets conned into a forced marriage. He needs Sophy's help to fix it. During all the machinations, they fall in love. They don't really think much about it because it is such an impossible match. She is only a partner in her sisters' dressmaking business. He is an aristocrat. But, of course, love finds a way.

I especially liked the honesty of bo...more

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Apr 27, 2012 Stacy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance-england

I didn't read the first on in the series, I just couldn't fathom a duke marrying a dressmaker. Still can't. It'm not saying it couldn't have happened, but the liklihood is slight. And then for the couple to be eventually accepted...not so much. THe whole premise to this series is a little far fetched for me.

The story itself is well written, but the hero...a little unlikable. Everyone around him are always referring to him as less than intelligent...he even does it to himself. It's a little off p...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Shari rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

What fun! Loretta Chase first introduced us to the idea of a lunkhead hero in "Mr. Impossible," and she gives us another one here. It can take a while to adjust to a hero who isn't the brightest bulb on the tree, but it's charming and enjoyable fun once you do. As with all Chase novels, this is a well-plotted love story with well-developed characters and much to chuckle and sigh over. As others have noted, the idea that dressmakers in 1800s England could rather easily marry dukes and earls is a...more

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About Loretta Chase

I attended New England public schools. We diagrammed sentences. We were drilled in spelling and grammar. This brutal process proved useful in later life. It turned out that everything they taught me in school--including the evil word problems in math--was useful in later life. Too bad I forgot most of it.

My career at Clark University was not short. After earning a B.A. in only twice the usual time...more

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Books by Loretta Chase

Silk Is For Seduction (The Dressmakers, #1)

Mr. Impossible (Carsington Brothers, #2)

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Trivia About Scandal Wears Satin

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Quotes from Scandal Wears Satin

“Just listen,” she said. “You can’t kill him in cold blood.”
“Whyever not?”
Ye gods grant me patience. “Because he’ll be dead,” she said as patiently as she could, “and Lady Clara’s reputation will be stained forever. Do not, I pray you, do anything, Lord Longmore. Leave this to us.”
“Us.”
“My sisters and me.”
“What do you propose? Dressing him to death? Tying him up and making him listen to fashion descriptions?” — 8 people liked it

“Go away,” he said. “Do you know you’ve almost no clothes on?”
“Never mind. I need—”
“Never mind? Listen to me, Miss Innocence. There are many things a man can ‘never mind.’ A nearly naked woman isn’t one of them.” — 6 people liked it

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Scandal Wears Satin (The Dressmakers #2)

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