Love in the Time of Scandal
4.5 stars

When a good friend extolls the virtues of Benedict Lennox, Lord Atherton, Penelope Weston feels compelled to warn her that the handsome and charming viscount has some very serious flaws indeed. Benedict is not impressed with Penelope's interference, but his attempt to confront her soon leads to scandal. Soon the two find themselves wed against their will. Can their attraction for one another overcome their differences or is their marriage doomed from the start?

Series note: The reasons for Penelope and Atherton's animosity are established in the previous book. Therefore, it is recommended that the books be read in order.

As a fan of love/hate relationships, I am often disappointed when the romance does not live up to the potential established in earlier books. This is not one of those instances as Penelope and Benedict's chemistry is off the charts. This may be due to the fact that their interactions in the previous installment were minor and there was little indication of their attraction. Consequently, their encounters here are much more potent and intense.

Following the events of book #2, Benedict's character left much to be desired, but Linden manages to redeem him quite successfully. It is always entertaining when a reserved and stoic hero meets his match in the hellion heroine, and Penelope is nothing if not wild and passionate. It was wonderful watching them working together to make the best of their situation without any unnecessary angst.

All in all, this is the best book in the series so far and I look forward to Olivia and Jamie's book next. It will be interesting to see how the mystery surrounding her plays out. ( )

Not as good as the first two in the series. The characters were a bit foolish, and there wasn't as much character growth. I probably liked the characters more than I expected to, heroines who are spitfires who always seem to be spouting off and then regretting not acting more wisely (but still not learning from the experience) aren't really my favorite. Or the 'enemies to lovers' trope for that matter, so that may have been part of why I wasn't especially drawn in by their budding relationship. But they weren't awful and thankfully the enemies part didn't drag on and on. It was still entertaining, just not as much my cup of tea. ( )

I was so happy to find out that ‘Love in the Time of Scandal’ featured Abigail’s sister and Sebastian’s best friend from ‘It Takes a Scandal’. If you’ve not read that one, please get it. Your reading experience of this tale will be doubled. I promise!

You see, when we met Benedict Lennox, the hero of this tale in the story of his best friend, he was courting that friend’s girl, and he lost her. And in this tale, he’s now courting another young lady, but Abigail’s sister, Penelope is once more meddling in his love life.

I have to say that I adored both characters only because they were flawed. Neither was perfect and both were so very human.

Benedict, on the surface, has everything. His good looks and charm are obvious, and a future hair of an Earldom is a plus, yet this man has had a very tough upbringing. His childhood is just heartbreaking to read about. It has been a ‘mill stone’ around his neck for a long time and the only way to get rid of that would be for him to wed an heiress, preferably a biddable one.

Penelope Weston is young, bold and outspoken and she’s close to being labeled a spinster very soon. She’s feeling a bit lonely this season as her best friend and her sister have just gotten hitched, so now she’s wilting away in ballrooms, hoping she might meet someone special too.

Never in a million years would these two wish to become each other’s significant other, yet they’re both drawn by circumstances into each other’s orbit once more.
And while to some Penelope may have come off as shrewish and too outspoken and judgmental, I gave her a benefit of the doubt her character deserved. Trust me, if you stick with her, she’ll surprise you and you’ll love her in the end.

As for our hero, Benedict, I can say the same. He was stubborn and austere at times, yet once you get inside of his head, you’ll know why he’s like that and you’ll start to like him and in the end you’ll love him as much as his Penelope does.

I just adored this story! Everything within it is perfect. It made me cry, laugh and sigh. Pace, plot, dialogue and most of all romance mixed with such sensuality that you may fog your reading glasses. It’s not only that this book is a must read, it’s this whole series that you must buy!

Melanie for b2b

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher ( )

I waverec between three and four stars for this, mostly because I thought the whole bit on the yacht was just a bit too OTT. However, I liked the relationship between Penelope and Ben a whole hell of a lot, so I rounded up.

I now really, really want Olivia and Jamie's book so I can see Clary get his comeuppance. ( )

http://www.thebookvixen.com/2015/07/book-review-giveaway-scandalous-series.html ( )