Scandalous (Banning Sisters trilogy, #1)

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Scandalous (Banning Sisters #1)

3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 · rating details · 905 ratings · 69 reviews

England, 1810: When Lady Gabriella Banning receives word that her half-brother, the Earl of Wickham, has died on his tea plantation in Ceylon, she faces the reality that she and her younger sisters, Claire and Elizabeth, are suddenly penniless. The family's riches will pass to the next male heir -- a distant cousin -- and the Banning sisters are doomed unless Gabby thinks...more

Paperback, 368 pages

Published March 1st 2001 by Pocket Books (first published 2001)

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Jan 13, 2013 Fiary rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*3,5
novel Karen Robards pertama yg kubaca.
Gabriella Banning mendapat informasi bahwa Earl of Wickham, kakaknya yang bermukim di Srilanka tewas terbunuh. Demi bisa memberi kesempatan kepada adik2nya, Claire untuk mendapat season pertamanya di London dan Beth untuk keluar dari suasana desa yang terkungkung, juga agar hak waris tidak segera beralih kepada Thomas, sepupunya, maka Gabriella Banning (Gaby) tetap menganggap Earl of Wickham masih hidup.

Saat Gaby, Claire & Beth datang ke London , Gab...more

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Aug 28, 2011 Lisa Jo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, keepers, physical-collection

Gabriella Banning has been faced with the most unappealing dilemma. She just received word that her half-brother Marcus, the Earl of Wickham has been killed. The Earldom will pass to their cousin Thomas who will surely push Gabby and her two sisters out onto the streets and of course, Gabby’s sister Claire will not have her debut season. Taking a huge risk, Gabby rushes her sisters off to London pretending her half-brother is still alive and well. She figures all she has to do is achieve an adva...more Gabriella Banning has been faced with the most unappealing dilemma. She just received word that her half-brother Marcus, the Earl of Wickham has been killed. The Earldom will pass to their cousin Thomas who will surely push Gabby and her two sisters out onto the streets and of course, Gabby’s sister Claire will not have her debut season. Taking a huge risk, Gabby rushes her sisters off to London pretending her half-brother is still alive and well. She figures all she has to do is achieve an advantageous marriage for her sister and when the truth about the Earl is finally revealed, it will no longer matter if her sister is spoken for.

What she doesn’t expect is for her half-brother to welcome her when they arrive in London. Even though she only saw her half-brother once many years ago, Gabby is suspicious immediately and knows this man pretending to be her half-brother certainly cannot be him! But this impostor has his own agenda. He plans to play the role of the Earl while he determines which person really killed his friend Marcus and why. Gabby and “Marcus” confront each other about their individual schemes and agree to remain silent about their treachery. Now that they know the truth about one another, they can’t seem to keep their hands off each other. Worried about the uproar they would cause if the truth is revealed, the real scandal is how close these two ‘siblings’ have become...

Okay...I try to be fairly mature and dignified about my reviews, but I have to get it out... “SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!” Ok, my squee of delight is over...but I had to do it. Simply because I LOVED this novel! What a true and utter delight Scandalous is! It is the perfect historical romance with a tender and touching story about two individuals that are so perfect for one another yet can’t seem to realize it.

Gabby was splendid! She was innocent and scared at the beginning of this novel, but her love for her sister forces her to face issues and make decisions that display true courage. The deceit this charade requires is a difficult pill to swallow for a naive young lady like Gabby, but when worst comes to worst, she sticks out her chin and overcomes the worst dilemmas. It was adorable and amusing to read. Still, her insecurities were always prominent in her mind and the inner struggles she faced believing she was unlovable were delicate moments that any woman can relate to. She was a martyr for her sisters, but not in a flamboyant or outrageous way. Her actions were often unnoticed and no matter what the consequences, she always kept the smile on her face. She was everything a heroine ought to be.

And of course there is “Marcus.” He came onto the pages as a cad, a ruthless libertine, but Gabby is an easy distraction. There were parts is this novel that made me constantly change my opinion about him. Some parts were charming, other parts revealed slight rakish behavior, but I feel that is what made the ending all that more amazing. He is certainly conflicted by the feelings he has for Gabby, but also wants to find Marcus’ killer. His journey is not an easy one. While the book was nearly perfect on all accounts, I would have loved to hear the story from his perspective just a little bit more. Maybe Robards didn’t do that because his identity was kept a secret for most of the book, but there were plenty of times I wished to know what he was thinking!

I have read a few novel by Robards, but never one that I have enjoyed as much as this. The description in the first few chapters was overwhelming and it really worried me, but the novel easily picked up after the first forty pages or so. There was hardly a time that I wanted to put the novel down, it was just that fascinating! What appealed to me the most were the characters. While Robards can hook you into whatever world she creates, it was her characters in this case that wouldn’t let go. You will care about them, appreciate their struggles and remember then long after the book has concluded. I don’t believe I’ve ever wanted a couple to have a happily ever after more than I did with these two characters. It was beautifully written, it was compelling, it was nearly perfect. A definite keeper for this reader!

Overall Rating: 5/5
Heat Level: 4/5

Lisa @ Once Upon A Chapter(less)

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Apr 21, 2011 Shelly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook-version, romance-historical, regency-victorian-era, set-in-england

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. For my first book ever by Karen Robards, I think I started off with a good one! It's defintely different from any other regency romance in style and the premise, but once it got to the part where Gabriella makes her personal bargain with the devil, to pretend Marcus, her absent brother, is not really dead, and decides to take things as far as she can, I was hooked, and instantly adored Gabriella! It's exactly what I would have done! This story is a great example of making best lemonade out of le...more For my first book ever by Karen Robards, I think I started off with a good one! It's defintely different from any other regency romance in style and the premise, but once it got to the part where Gabriella makes her personal bargain with the devil, to pretend Marcus, her absent brother, is not really dead, and decides to take things as far as she can, I was hooked, and instantly adored Gabriella! It's exactly what I would have done! This story is a great example of making best lemonade out of lemons, and devil be damned. Everyone thinks of Gabriella in a slight way, she's a woman, she's disadvantaged because of her lack of fortune, disabled because of her leg, pitied because of the awful way her father treated her, but she doesn't really view herself as less than. She's got guts and spunk, but not too much that makes her obnoxious.

The premise of the story, Marcus is murdered, and his friend, later to be revealed as Nick, takes over as Marcus to try and 'smoke' the killer out, only to realize that Marcus' sisters come to London at the same time, pretending the same rouse so that Gabriella can help get her sister Katherine married off hopefully before anyone finds out the real Marcus is dead, and they are homeless. Meanwhile, Nick-pretending-to-be-Marcus and Gabriella are falling in love, only everyone thinks they are brother and sister!! Scandalous to be sure! I really like Nick throughout, although it was hard for me to love him, until the very end. It's a difficult character-type to pull off, and I think it was done fairly well. To have a hero assume the identity of a dead man and parade around London, while trying to show a romance between the hero and heroine, without giving away too many details as to why he's parading around as the dead man until the end to make it a cliffhanger and mini mystery, I don't think much could be improved upon in this case. It's to be commended for taking such a tangle-ridden hero and making him seem a sane person without confusing the readers or making him look like a fool.

Things I didn't like:

- Jim, the stable groom, or whatever he was. The only other person who knew about the secret besides Gabriella, Nick and his valet. Yes, he seemed a fatherly sort to her, but he still was her servant, not her equal. He was too opininated, and kept beating a dead horse, we got it, he didn't like Nick. And the fact that Gabby had to ask him several times to do things, when if he truly was her servant, should not have happened. If they were closer, that relationship wasn't really show to hold up the way he talked to her.

- The sisters. I can't really say I'm excited to read about Claire or Beth at all, particularly Beth. Yes, Claire is this outstanding beauty but she's as timid as they come, and for a girl of 19, to be at odds so often with Beth, seems very immature. And Beth seems especially inconsiderate to me. There's a scene where Gabby walks in and sees Beth laying casually across Marcus/Nick's bed, and tells her, even if he is her brother, her posture and decorum should be more refined, and Beth basically ignores her, blows her off. Later on in that same scene, she practically calls Gabby lame (as in disabled) and Claire points out how hurtful that is to Gabby, her response is to basically say, well, it's true. I will read/listen to the books, but I may not love the sisters. Hopefully they will get better.

Things I loved:

- Gabriella! She's a girl after my own heart!

- The gruff Aunt Augusta, I hope she's in the rest of the series! It would be neat to see her find a companion too!

- The unusual premise (at least unusual to me) I love different plot lines, which is hard to do in Regency.

- That Nick got Gabriella to dance!!! Who doesn't love to be danced and romanced by a sexy man, even if he is supposed to be your brother?

I would definitely read this again (I actually listened to the audio), and the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because of the sisters, and it was a little on the light side, would have loved a little more depth, but still highly enjoyable and highly recommended.
(less)

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Apr 18, 2010 Nisha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: frenemies, friends-to-lovers, historicalromance, bluestocking-independent-spinster, super-large-family-series

Scandalous is indeed scandalous as the name suggests.

When Gabby decides to pretend that her half-brother had not died in Ceylon, leaving her and her 2 unmarried sisters destitute, she does not imagine a darkly attractive man to stand in as his impostor. Less did she expect that she would be loosening her morals for a taste of his pleasure. Posing as Wickham, Nick is searching for the man behind the murder of the real Wickham, but after teaming up to perpetuate the charade and spending time in G...more

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Mar 14, 2013 ɑƨħŵɑɡ rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: historical romance fans

Shelves: rrrc2013, romance, 2013-reads, hot-devlish-good-hero, fantastic-couples

Beautiful

Simply, this renewed my love for historical period dramas. My hands kept itching to go look up any new ones xD.

This story is about Gabriella Banning story. When she learns of the death of her half-brother, Earl of Wickham, she realizes that she and her younger sisters Claire and Beth are left with nothing. She has to do something about it. So, she keeps the news to herself and goes on to prepare Claire's "debut" party so that she marries to the best of men. But this is only short-lived,...more

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Jun 14, 2011 Amanda Ryan rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was my first read by Karen Robards. Scandalous is the first in a trilogy about The Banning Sisters, three girls who all share the same father but different mothers. The first installation is about Gabriella, the eldest. She’s a take-charge kind of woman, filling the shoes of their parental figures (dad is dead, may the heathen rest in peace; mom(s) are deceased as well) and taking care of her younger siblings. She commits herself to securing a coming-out for her next oldest sister, Claire,...more This was my first read by Karen Robards. Scandalous is the first in a trilogy about The Banning Sisters, three girls who all share the same father but different mothers. The first installation is about Gabriella, the eldest. She’s a take-charge kind of woman, filling the shoes of their parental figures (dad is dead, may the heathen rest in peace; mom(s) are deceased as well) and taking care of her younger siblings. She commits herself to securing a coming-out for her next oldest sister, Claire, and writes to her half-brother, Marcus, the Earl of Wickham, for his permission to take the family to London. Marcus receives the letter and agrees, but he’s suddenly shot dead on his tea plantation in Ceylon. Gabriella’s servant returns to her with news of their brother’s untimely demise as well as his letter of agreement, and Gabriella is faced with a dilemma – if she announces the news of her brother’s death the earldom will pass to their stuffy, cruel cousin; but if she hides the news she can take her sisters to London and secure a future for Claire. Gabriella decides to take a gamble, and they pack up their things and set off to London. Gabby keeps the secret of Marcus’s death between herself and her servant. You can only imagine her shock and mortification upon arriving in London to find the Earl of Wickham in residence. You know, because HE’S DEAD. “Marcus” is, in fact, an imposter and he senses upon first meeting his “sisters” that Gabby knows that something is amiss. What Gabby doesn’t know, though, is that pseudo-Marcus is on the hunt for Real-Marcus’s killer, and he assumed the Earl’s identity in hopes of luring the murderer out into the open.

The great thing about Gabby is she has a hell of a temper. And Pseudo-Marcus, hereon referred to as “PM” is a bit of a pompous ass. The banter between the two is funny. Objects fly, including bullets. Of course PM and Gabby fall for each other, but they have to tread carefully because everyone around them sees them as brother and sister. And we all know how “Flowers in the Attic” THAT is.

Scandalous was a fun read. It wasn’t one that will stick with me, but I did have a good time reading it. Robards has a conversation-like writing style with her descriptions. I liked that the three Banning sisters were each their own woman, all three encompassing completely different personalities. The most recent release of Robards’ was Shameless, the story of the youngest Banning sister, Elizabeth. I’ll probably pick it up some time in the future, but I’m in no rush to do so. Mandi over at Smexy Books recently reviewed it.

What I loved about this book: Gabby is feisty. She throws things. She shoots people. It’s fantastic.

What I didn’t like: The virgin premise gets a bit old for me, and this case was no exception. It was well played, however.

Rating: C+(less)

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Jan 01, 2012 Nyra rated it 4 of 5 stars

Hola mis queridos lectores! Espero que estén pasándolo bien en estas fiestas y San Nicolás o el Niño Jesús les hayan dejado muchos regalos debajo del árbol, ya estamos a solo horas de que el año finalice, este año ha sido muy gratificante. En mi caso he pasado el tiempo en alegría con mis sobrinos, extrañando a los seres queridos que ya no están y compartiendo con los que afortunadamente aun están con nosotros. Desde este lugar les hago llegar mis mejores deseos para este nuevo año 2012. Esta e...more

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Dec 16, 2012 Sari rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance

Satu doang yg kurang dari buku ini, covernya bikin ilfil, gw lebih milih gambar pemandangan d, biar ga ngerusak imajinasi membayangkan Gabby kya cw nakal begitu X(.

Suka sama buku ini, Gabby bukan tipe yg gambang ditindas oleh Marcus AKA Nick. Suka sama perang mulut mereka, tarik ulur mereka, skenario matinya Marcus, cuma penasaran ma endingnya gimana mrk akhirnya bisa nikah ya, kan pasti masyarakat sekitar masih inget muka Nick waktu jd Marcus, agak membingungkan. Lumayan menyenangkan utk perken...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Oky Septya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance

Wow, seruuu~ haha, uda lama ga nemu yg plotnya oke begini. I enjoyed it. Nick keren. Dan saya penasaran mampus sebenernya siapa si Nick ini. Trus juga si Gabby ini orangnya cool. Saya suka karakternya. Saya juga suka karakter Nick, they are perfect for each other.

Jebakan-jebakan cinta dari Nick buat Gabby juga oke. Si Gabby rupanya polos abis yaa.. dan endingnya lumayan lah.. ada kejutan disana dan sempet bikin saya ga percaya, I was like.. "No Way!! Ga mungkin, yg bener aja. Gimana bisa?"

Ga sab...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Mahareni Maldini rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-from-read-me, historical-romance

4,5 deh.

Awalnya ogah-ogahan membaca buku ini, soalnya banyak narasinya daripada percakapannya. Bahkan ada beberapa ucapan tokoh-tokohnya yg dijabarkan dalam bentuk narasi. Adeeeh...padahal kan lebih asik kalo pake dialog langsung.

Tapiiiii...makin ke belakang ternyata makin seruuuuu. Mana si Wickham palsu tu bikin sukaaaaaa. Apalagi pelaku penembakan Marcus ternyata adalah 'dia'...sungguh tak kudugaaaaa.

Bai de wey...pas si Barnet manggil si Wickham palsu dengan sebutan Kapten, kirain dia itu kapt...more

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May 09, 2011 PNR rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: disabled-scarred-heroine

Another playaway "read." I'm enjoying the format as a change from my nearly a book a day reading habit, so some of my review may be colored by the novelty. This was a fun, light story. I liked the heroine, who was slightly disabled at a young age; it fit into my preference for protagonists who are not conventionally attractive. It was decently steamy as well, the sex being not gratuitous, but hot enough that I wasn't disappointed. If the others were available from the library, I'd certainly give...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Felita rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, adult

Komen :

#kurang sreg dg karakter Marcus saat dia maksa Gaby pertama kali ngaku gara2 Gaby tau dia bukan Marcus. untungnya Gaby ngasih dia tembakan pistol secara ga sengaja. bagus.

#kurang sreg jg pas Marcus ngegoda Gaby ke tempat tidur pertama kali.hmphh...

#suka dg kepedulian Claire, adik Gaby tiap ada orang yg mengomentari kaki Gaby yg pincang, Claire yg cantik selalu membela sang kakak.

#konfliknya menurutku kurang yahud. biasa aja.tp ga diduga ternyata si penjahatnya orang itu.....

kasi 3 bintang...more

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Apr 22, 2010 Lori rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, april-2010, read-in-2010

I really liked this one. However, I wondered about a couple things: first, with all the barging in her sisters do without knocking, how is it that nobody ever found out about Nick and Gabby? Especially after she awoke from a nightmare with a scream? I kept expecting a sister to barge in on their first lovemaking. And I must read the followup, so that I can see how the other girls are possibly accepted after the scandal at the end. Speaking of the end... I loved it. I wondered at the easy accepta...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Wiwi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Udah jarang dapat feel tiap baca novel genre historical romance gini. Tapi novel ini cukup memuaskan "dahaga" akan novel genre tsb #lebay.com

Well...soal adegan kipas2 ya pas lah ya porsinya. Not too much, enough. Lebih ke arah karakter yang pas dan kuat, chemistry nya juga oke. Jalan cerita juga gak ngebosenin. recommended.

But honestly, lagi-lagi cover dr GPU agak kurang menarik. Padahal byk yg beli buku karena cover nya :P saya juga sempat ragu, bagus gak ya novel ini, tapi berkat review di GR...more

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Mar 06, 2013 MountainKat rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-challenge-books, books-read-in-2013, audio

*3.5 Stars, leaning towards 4*

Nice story and I liked the characters too, although I wasn't sure how they were going to get to the HEA. And even if it was a teeny bit contrived, I was OK with it. It felt a little dated, more than it should for being published in 2001, but I think it was more style than anything. I am interested in what happens to the other sisters now too!

I listened to the audio of this book and enjoyed it quite a bit. I thought the narrator, Justine Eyre, did a very good job and...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Felicia rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: audible-purchase-2012, audiobook, 2-5-wine-glasses, 2013-read, 2013-tbr-tipping

Listened for fun (Audible)
Overall Rating: 2.50
Story Rating: 2.50
Character Rating: 2.50

Audio Rating: 4.50 (not part of the overall rating)

First Thought When Finished: I really loved the leading lady but I couldn't fall in love with the hero *sigh*

Speed Date Review

First Date: Oh Gabby you are very brave or very stupid--either way I think you and I could totally hang out with a glass of wine! We could stir up some trouble in the name of making our siblings lives better! You go girl!

Second Date: Oh...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Yulia Anggraini rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, karen-robards, yulia-punya, 2013

ceritax jauh dari harapanq...agak down juga pas tiba bagian yang menghancurkan harapan dan asumsiq tentang ceritax...rasax diri ini tertipu habis2an... ;p
alhasil terpaksa berhenti sebentar cz udah terlanjur kesal...mengapa oh mengapa ceritax tidak sesuai bayanganq.... ><
klo dipaksa melanjutkan saat sedang emosi,ni cerita bakal aq nilai jelek... ;p

dari sinopx aq berasumsi dan berharap klo kedok marcus palsu tidak akan terbongkar secepat itu...n gabby pun tutup mulut ttg penipuan yg dilakuka...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Sharon (A Book Barbie) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

(Review originally posted here at Fictionally Inclined.)

I ran across Scandalous at our university used book sale a few months ago, read the summary, and was thoroughly intrigued. After all, you get the "pose as my girlfriend/boyfriend/fiancée" storyline all the time, but how often do the love interests pose as SIBLINGS? To my recollection, I've never read another book where that happened. But if you have a good one where they did, pretty please leave a comment, because I would love to read it. A...more

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Mar 23, 2012 PurplyCookie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1st-in-a-series, book-series, e-book, romance-novel

When Lady Gabriella Banning receives word that her half-brother, the Earl of Wickham, has died on his tea plantation in Ceylon, she faces the reality that she and her younger sisters, Claire and Elizabeth, are suddenly penniless. The family's riches will pass to the next male heir--a distant cousin--and the Banning sisters are doomed unless Gabby thinks fast.

The story begins wonderfully. I love the three sisters--Gabby, Claire, Beth. And Claire, although being the most beautiful of the three, i...more

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Oct 27, 2011 Mandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Orphaned Lady Gabriella is left penniless with two younger sisters in her care. Hoping for funding, she writes to her estranged half-brother, who resides across the world and is now the heir to the estate. The day after he writes a letter of approval to Gabby and his lawyer, he is murdered. In desperation to provide a future for her sisters, Gabby pretends her brother isn’t dead and takes her sisters to London for the season in hopes of marrying off her beautiful sister, Claire, before everyone...more

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Jun 05, 2011 Maria rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

Although not as full of suspense as Irresistible, I enjoyed the characters in this book even more. They were no-nonsense, down-to-earth people, for the most part, the plot was fantastic, even if a bit Hollywood dramatic at the end, and the dialogue was, if not indicative of the appropriate history, at least not too disruptive to the imaginative process. Definitely a re-read for the future, when I will read the books in the proper order.

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Jan 06, 2013 Venus rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, adult

akhirnya selesai... gaya penulisannya dan penceritaannya sedikit lain daripada buku kebanyakan... tidak banyak dialog dan lebih banyak narasi. cukup memuaskan walaupun akhirnya yah... masalah terselesaikan begitu saja... keberuntungan karena keberuntunga apaan sih tapi cukup menarik kk... aku rekomendasikan untuk dibaca. dan ada kata-kata yang sangat aku sukai kadang niat baik tidak selalu menghasilkan kebaikan.........

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Feb 24, 2011 Me Lin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: american-british-historical, z-robards-karen, 3-stars

I was pleasantly kept in suspence on how the whole problem of Marcus/Nick and Gabby’s love was going to work out. The author gave away just enough to let you know it might be possible for them to live happily ever after, but she didn’t give it all away until the end. Of course why Marcus/Nick couldn’t have just explained to Gabby what he was doing still bugs me a little, but it would have just made the charade harder to continue, I suppose.

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Jul 07, 2012 Janet Horton rated it 5 of 5 stars

You can't go wrong with a Karen Robards book. She manages to make you laugh and continues to add twists to her books so that you probably will not guess who the bad guy is until you get all the way to the end. Great suspense! Well, there is no doubt about it, it was definitely a different story line. Some of it was nonsensical but you just didn't want to stop reading.

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Jan 14, 2011 Christine rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

Maybe 2.5 stars. I just felt like I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. I wanted to see the fact that they were pretending to be brother and sister mattering more (especially since the title was Scandalous). I also felt like there were quite a few very boring passages, including an entire chapter leading up to a kiss I was past caring about by the time it came.

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Mar 13, 2013 Dawn Wells rated it 3 of 5 stars

Exactly what it should be a quick fun read. A sexy historical read with some great characters. And some not so great but the villain lost in the end. As with any good romance the hero and heroine end up together. The next two books in this trilogy are about the sisters of the heroine. Looking forward to seeing the skills this author uses to make them as exciting.

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Mar 18, 2012 Vex rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, import

Romance, in historical setting, Regency period in England. The author tried for a steamier Jane Austen, but completely missed the sense of the period. The characters and dialogues are contemporary, with only some decorative Regency touches. There's no way a Regency lady would behave like that! But the plot was interesting and got me hooked.

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Feb 04, 2012 Santana rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liked this book...it was kind of slow at first and i found myself not really interested, but i kept reading and i would say it was a good read...I liked the ending and it had it's moments but other then that i have to just give it a 3/5...i still liked it but tho and read the rest of the sisters books ;)

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Mar 17, 2013 KarenF rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, kindle, romance

3.5*. I did like a lot of it but would have liked to get more of the hero's POV and backstory. I have to say "the hero" because he don't even learn his real name until nearly the end of the book. Both he & Gabby were likeable, although Gabby is the more sympathetic if only because you know her so much better. They were fun together and even though there are some dark situation the book is thankfully short on angst. I liked the sisters as well and will read their stories in the future.

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Aug 15, 2011 Tina rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The first half of the book left me a little bored. I felt like the author's descriptive writing was a little over the top and the first half of the book was spent describing everything but the kitchen sink. The rest of the book was more my style. Once we got over the monotonous parts I enjoyed the story.

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About Karen Robards

Karen was born on 24 August 1954 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. She has been writing since she was a teenager. She sold her first short story, when was very young, and was published in the December 1973 Reader's Digest, but she cannot sold her first romance novel until 1981, when she was 24. After it, she dropped out of law school to pursue her writing career. Today, a regular on the New York Times...more

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title link	preview: Scandalous
avg rating	preview: Scandalous Goodreads rating: 3.78 (905 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/728452.Scandalous?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347372792l/728452.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/728452.Scandalous?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Scandalous by Karen Robards[/url]

Scandalous (Banning Sisters #1)

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