Scandal Takes the Stage

“‘Then shall I ever be your slave, if only to prove the authenticity of my affections. For, madam, you hold my soul in your palms, and if you are its captor, then I welcome my imprisonment.’”

If I could give this book ten stars I would. I absolutely loved it!!!

Maggie Delamere is a successful playwright, one you disdains noblemen. Years ago she paid very dearly for her trust in a nobleman, and never will that happen again. Especially not with wickedly charming Cameron, Viscount Marwo

“‘Then shall I ever be your slave, if only to prove the authenticity of my affections. For, madam, you hold my soul in your palms, and if you are its captor, then I welcome my imprisonment.’”

If I could give this book ten stars I would. I absolutely loved it!!!

Maggie Delamere is a successful playwright, one you disdains noblemen. Years ago she paid very dearly for her trust in a nobleman, and never will that happen again. Especially not with wickedly charming Cameron, Viscount Marwood, with his reputation as a rake.

Cameron loves the theatre, and he especially loves the plays by Maggie Delamere. And he can’t deny the pull her work and she herself has on him. But Maggie is immune to his charms, and no matter how hard he tries to get close to her, she rebuffs him at every turn.

Secretly Maggie has been suffering from writer’s block, and after a ultimatum to produce the next play, the only person she can turn to is the one man she has been trying to avoid. And so Cameron is given the opportunity to come to Maggie’s rescue, but can he convince her to give what they can have a chance, or has the hurt from Maggie’s past made her unable to put her trust in another nobleman?

Maggie has lost so much when she placed her trust in the wrong man, and her success and hard work just made me admire her even more. The loss she suffered was heartbreaking, and I could understand her disillusionment when it came to men of the peer. What I loved most about Maggie was her ability to see that there was more to Cameron than what he portrayed to everyone else.

Could she tell that every word she spoke set him higher and higher aflame? His true self, the one that longed for love and did, in fact, dream, had been buried by his role as the reprobate heir. But with her compassion and clear-sightedness she wore away at his veneer. The polished surface gave way to the rough rock beneath.

There is nothing better than having a rake and a scoundrel for a hero. Especially one that has hidden debts, that are slowly revealed as the story progresses. And Cameron was a wonderfully sexy hero. I just loved him. At first he comes across as a man who only lives for shallow pleasure and pursuits. But secretly he yearns for love, for that what makes life worthwhile. And he refuses to marry for anything less. I loved that after the first time he asked Maggie for dinner, and even though she refused him, there was no one else for him. And the fact that he admired her work, and supported her in every way he could, just made me love him even more.

“Without you,” he continued, “my life was like an empty stage. Hollow, silent. Devoid of meaning. But when you came onto the scene, everything changed. It became full of pageantry and light and life. I was enacting the role of the rake, but the most important part I could ever play is that of your lover and friend. And it wouldn’t be an act, Maggie,” he said with utter sincerity. “Every word from my lips would be true. As I would be true to you. Eternally.”

I love a historical romance where one of the main characters is not from the nobility, and where it goes against society’s rules to be together. There’s something deeply romantic about a romance that could damage their reputation and their standing, and that they still pursue it despite what it might cost them. I just loved the romance in this book. Maggie and Cameron was great as a couple. Their romance was sexy, sweet and just wonderful.

This is my second HR book of the year that I’ve read that starred around the stage, and coincidentally one that I loved just as much. I never knew how interesting and how much work the theatre was. I found the storyline about it very captivating and wonderfully written.

While I enjoyed this first book in this series, I can honestly say it didn’t blow me away. BUT this book….this book was fantastic. Everything a HR should be. I loved every second of it. Highly recommended.

”He felt her presence beside him. She was small, but it was as though she was a much bigger person, more will and self, that had been concentrated into a red-hot coal of a woman. If he tried to clasp her close in his hands, he would surely be scorched. But he wanted that heat, that fire and burn. Everything else seemed cold in comparison.”

”He felt her presence beside him. She was small, but it was as though she was a much bigger person, more will and self, that had been concentrated into a red-hot coal of a woman. If he tried to clasp her close in his hands, he would surely be scorched. But he wanted that heat, that fire and burn. Everything else seemed cold in comparison.”