Thomas Jellicoe returns home a broken man. His career as a spy in India is in tatters because he revealed his true identity to save the woman he loved, a woman he believed to be dead. His surprise at finding her safely employed as the governess to his nieces and nephews is nothing short of miraculous and he will stop at nothing to win her again. Catriona Rowen fled India, accused of murdering her aunt and uncle. She changed her identity, hid away her precious memories of India and the man she loved, to protect herself from the real killer. Thomas' return has lured the killer to the Jellicoe family and straight to Cat. Can Thomas protect the woman he loves this time from a killer who has nothing left to lose?

SCANDAL IN THE NIGHT is the third in the Reckless Brides novels by Elizabeth Essex. I've been a huge fan of this series since the very first. Essex delivers the perfect amount of historical detail and fascinating characters to make each story unique, thrilling, and downright sensual. Essex deftly balances the sexual tension between Thomas and Cat with a plot that navigates between the past and the present. This was a source of frustration for me at first but I appreciated it more at the end of the story. Here's why. The flashbacks reveal how Cat first met Thomas in India. In India, she knew him as Tanvir Singh, horse trader and Sikh. The flashbacks build their initial romance and set up the conflict which is their lack of trust in each other. Cat doesn't trust Tanvir with her secrets and Thomas can't reveal his true identity to Cat. As we know they survive their time in India because they do meet again, it deflates some of the tension that could have been built when Thomas believed Cat to be dead. On the other hand, the present day plot for me wasn't nearly as tense and filled with conflict as their time in India. This back and forth story-telling drew me out of the present day story at first but as the flashbacks became the main source of conflict and tension, it was the present day that I didn't want to go back to.

I still love this story. I love Essex's writing and her ability to create characters who are both flawed and compelling. I love the details of British colonialism that she captured. It simply took me longer to lose myself in this story because of the non-linear timeline.

SCANDAL IN THE NIGHT delivers a fast-paced adventure, filled with sexual tension in the beautiful setting of India. Cat and Thomas' romance unfolds over time and continents with the perfect balance of sensuality and tenderness. Like all of Essex's work, the romance is built upon more than lust and need. Her romances restore my belief in romance itself.

Book Summary

When the Reckless Brides set their sights on England's eligible bachelors, nothing can stop them. But when they are strangers in a strange land, anything can happen...

THE SPY WHO LOVED HER

Assuming a false identity as a prim and proper governess, the bold and beautiful Cat Rowan thinks she has finally escaped the wild misadventures of her past—and the wickedly handsome spy who seduced her in India. Imagine her surprise when her employer introduces his brother: the very same cad who destroyed her heart!

THE ONE WHO GOT AWAY

The Honorable Thomas Jellicoe cannot believe his eyes when he sees his beloved Cat—the British beauty who nearly jeopardized his mission in India. Disguised as a horse trader from the bazaars of the Punjab, the British spy risked his life for one night of passion in her arms. But here and now—breaking all rules of decorum—one heated kiss ignites a flurry of gunfire. For their enemies have followed them home. And love is the greatest danger of all...

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