Julia Yardley's divorce made the headlines. It seemed everyone held their collective breath waiting to see if the baroness would admit to adultery and, better yet, give lots of delicious details. As distasteful as it was to proper society, this was the stuff scandals were made of and would be the talk of the town for ages. While most women in her station would be shamed by admitting their indiscretion so publicly, Julia knew this was her only way out of a troubled twelve year marriage. She had successfully hidden her turmoil and protected herself by mastering the art of escape from this marriage prison and the abuse it represented but, when finally cornered, she staged an illicit moment with Aidan Carr and arranged for its discovery. Her escape came at a cost to both her and those she truly regretted involving in this scandal.

Aidan is equally conflicted after two failed engagements. He wasn't actually looking for love (that would be an added bonus) but it seemed he just wasn't interested in any of the available ladies presented to him -- with the exception of one, Julia, and now the two of them were publicly scorned. Over the span of many years, Julia and Aidan had crossed paths and each time their mutual attraction increased. Neither truly recognized this attraction for what it was or could be -- love. A quick desperate decision to take drastic steps to save herself seemingly doomed any prospects for a relationship with Aidan. As fate once again forced them to spend time together, they had to come to grips with a deepening attraction. One acting out of pure fear and the other pride -- could they conquer these fears, overcome the doubts, and finally acknowledge their love?

SCANDAL OF THE YEAR is an amazing, wonderful historical romance with a gutsy female lead who truly won't conform to the role proper-society designed and demands. Julia, way ahead of her time and peers, wins your heart immediately. Guhrke weaves an intriguing tale spanning several years and introduces us to an extraordinary cast of characters--reminding me why I am such a big fan of this genre.

Book Summary

Being jilted. It’s awful for a guy.

Especially if you’re a duke, and your fiancée left you for that other duke, the one who came back from Egypt just before your wedding. Humiliating, right?

But what if you managed to recover, got engaged to another girl, and then got jilted again, this time because of a notorious woman, a lot of champagne, and a moment of utter stupidity? Well, that’s beyond humiliating. That’s a scandal.

Ah, but what if you manage to put the scandal behind you and begin searching for a new bride, only to have the notorious woman who ruined everything reenter your life? What if she’s as enticing as before? What if just being near her threatens to ruin your marriage prospects and your reputation all over again? For Aidan Carr, Duke of Trathen, the unluckiest man in England when it comes to matrimony, another scandal is the worst thing he can imagine. It might also be the best thing that ever happened to him.

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