Jane Dunn (1)

A beautiful story, impossible to put down. A Scandalous Match blends the social and political history of Regency England with a riveting and thought-provoking romance between a member of parliament and an actress.

There are plenty of characters in this book who delight and entertain. I couldn't help but adore Lord Latimer and Mr Locke as they both appeared very genuine in their friendship and admiration for Angelica.

The theatre scenes were riotous and I could almost hear and feel the responses of the audience to Angelia's portrayal of Ophelia's death.

The slow burn enemies to friendship to lovers romance between Angelica and Ivor Asprey was fun to watch and a very charming read. Despite his protests to her suitability for his nephew he couldn't help but come to her aid whenever she was in trouble. He is kind and has a social conscience. Child labour reform is at the heart of his parliamentary endeavours and he is careful with his reputation to prevent opposition from latching on to anything scandalous that might derail his efforts. He didn't anticipate an emotional attachment to Angelica to put a spanner in the works.

There is a nice amount of humour in the story as Ivor's daughter, Elinor also develops a fondness for Angelica and is determined to play matchmaker. She is a lovely and endearing child and I couldn't help but want this trio to become a little family.

I enjoyed every minute of this book. It has depth, emotional charge, suspense and drama in addition to being a sparkling romance.… (meer)

Since the death of his wife, Ivor Asprey has devoted himself to good causes and the education of his beloved daughter. However, when he is asked to head off an affair between his impetuous nephew and an actress he is compelled to act. His nephew is heir to a Dukedom and the actress someone of obviously low morals. He finds himself entranced by Angelica and his daughter loves her so he is faced with upholding his morals or following his heart, wherever that might lead.

This is the third in a series of regency romances by Dunn and maintains the standards of the others. They are light as gossamer, have very little substance but are thoroughly enjoyable. For a little light reading that can be finished in a couple of hours this book is perfect!… (meer)

As a long-time fan of Elizabeth I, I read this book with great interest. It tackles the character of Elizabeth and Mary in the context of their relationship which was physically remote - contrary to Hollywood and TV, they never actually met. The author explains that this led to them magnifying the threat posed by the other on the basis of the reports of third parties, who often had axes to grind.

The book gave further insight into Elizabeth's tricky, vacillating character, the reasons behind it and the radical nature of her decision not to marry at a time when a queen was seen as having the perceived weaknesses of women in general and needing the steadying presence of a husband to whom her council would then defer. Also it showed how Mary's fatal flaws were partly down to her upbringing in a pampered luxurious French court where she was kept away from any responsibility and never developed feelings of loyalty for her remote Scottish kingdom. She totally lacked the serious commitment which Elizabeth had to her role as ruler and her responsibility to her people. She also seems to have had possible medical problems, which might have included bipolar disorder: whatever the explanation, she was prone to emotional collapses but also to a kind of adrenalin junkie high when danger and excitement offered itself. This fatally led her into plotting against Elizabeth's life when she was deprived of more physical types of risk taking.

The only reason I am withholding the full 5 star rating for this book is that in places there were irritating typing mistakes, and also the author had a tendency to restate the same facts and sometimes to dart around in the timeline - I was then brought out of the narrative with an "Oh, this is before the events I just read about" reaction, having to then mentally shuffle the events into order. But otherwise an enjoyable and informative 4 star read.… (meer)