23 March 2015

It Started With a Scandal - Tour & Review


It Started With a Scandal - Pennyroyal Green #10
by Julie Anne Long





Coming 31st March.

Lord Philippe Lavay once took to the high seas armed with charm as lethal as his sword and a stone-cold conviction: he’ll restore his family’s fortune and honor, no matter the cost. Victory is at last within reach--when a brutal attack snatches it from his grasp and lands him in Pennyroyal Green.

An afternoon of bliss brings a cascade of consequences for Elise Fountain. Shunned by her family and ousted from a job she loves, survival means a plummet down the social ladder to a position no woman has yet been able to keep: housekeeper to a frighteningly formidable prince.

The bold and gentle Elise sees past his battered body into Philippe’s barricaded heart...and her innate sensuality ignites his blood. Now a man who thought he could never love and a woman who thought she would never again trust must fight an incendiary passion that could be the ruin of them both.


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Author Spotlight:




USA Today bestselling author JULIE ANNE LONG originally set out to be a rock star when she grew up (and she has the guitars and fringed clothing stuffed in the back of her closet to prove it), but writing was always her first love. Since hanging up her guitar for the computer keyboard, her books frequently top reader and critic polls and have been nominated for numerous awards, including the Rita, Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice, and The Quills, and reviewers have been known to use words like “dazzling,” “brilliant,” and “impossible to put down” when describing them. Julie lives in Northern California.



I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review!


What I say: It Started With a Scandal is part of Julie Anne Long's Pennyroyal Green historical fiction series but it works as a standalone. The story focuses on Elise Fountain and Lord Philippe Lavay as they battle against the past, social standing and their own demons.

Elise is in a desolate situation at the start of the book and so she takes the only job she can find. The job of working for the severe and bitter Lavay. Lavay has gone from being a rich entitled French sailor and prince, to being injured and stuck in Pennyroyal Green. Most importantly for him, he is away from his beloved former home in France.


My favourite element of the book was the banter between Elise and Lavay. Every time they argued, bickered and sniped at each other, I found myself laughing and swooning in equal parts. Their flirting was sweet, hot and also really funny.

I'm not sure what I expected but Elise wasn't simpering nor was she immoral. She was a clever combination of sassy and vulnerable, yet sweet and determined. I loved Lavay's gruff charm and how shocked he was by his instant and intense attraction to Elise.

There is a fun cast of supporting characters. I loved Jack, who was super sweet and James and Ramsey's dedication. I would have appreciated a longer ending (but that's because I'm greedy) and to have seen more of Elise's parents and Philippe's sister.

4 Stars in my Sky!


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