Ten Kisses to Scandal

Arthur: This was some Meet-Cute. Iris: Sorry? Arthur: It’s how two characters meet in a movie. Say a man and a woman both need something to sleep in and both go to the same men’s pajama department. The man says to the salesman, “I just need bottoms,” and the woman says, “I just need a top.” They look at each other and that’s the ‘meet cute’. ~Arthur and Iris from the movie, The Holiday I’ve read hundreds of ‘meet cutes’ over my years of reading romance novels. Never, in all those years, has a ‘meet cute’ involved a young lady stepping in horse dung. I don’t think this is much of a spoiler since it happens in the very beginning of this novel. As far as ‘meet cutes’ go, this one tops my favorites list. It’s imaginative and fun, which is a great way to start off this fantastic love story. Briar Bourne is the youngest of the Bourne sisters and believes she has the most to prove as a matchmaker in The Bourne Matrimonial Agency. Her first match is a disaster, which leads her to leave her home in the early morning where she bumps into the Earl of Edgemont, Nicholas Blacklowe. ‘Meet cute’ ensues, but they don’t really get to know each other until months later. I love how Lorret set up this love story! Briar needs to know how men and women relate, learn how to read body language and other telling cues. Nicholas is just the man to teach her, but being the rake he is, he wants something delicious in return. Each kiss is surrounded by a huge development in their blossoming relationship. Their banter is hilarious at times, while sweet and complicated at others. Lorret brings in an amazing array of secondary characters, mainly Nicholas’ cousins, Temperance and Daniel. Temperance is the no nonsense best friend of Briar as well. She brings in another sassy element that compliments her relationships with both Nicholas and Briar. While Daniel is a bit more sedate because of his depressed state after being jilted, he comes to life again slowly as he interacts with Briar and his family. While this isn’t my first Lorret read, it is the first in this series. I can’t wait to go back and read Jacinda and Crispin’s story, How to Forget a Duke, and I’m anxiously awaiting Ainsley and Reed’s story, The Rouge to Ruin. I received Ten Kisses to Scandal for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

If you love wonderfully written Regency romance, you are in for a treat! I absolutely adored this delightful story and could not help myself from laughing at times as I turned the pages! Briar Bourne is the youngest of three sisters, who have coddled and protected her after their father left them and their mother grieved herself to death. Going to live with their doting uncle, who has opened up a matchmaking agency, Briar wants to prove that she can work and be successful just like her siblings. Briar was such a fun character! She is twenty but being so protected, very naive. But in spite of that, she is a smart, a little outspoken and has a luminous personality. She is determined to show her mettle and help find a match for her best friends Temperance and her brother Daniel. Nicholas, the Earl of Edgemont, is their cousin and wants to help Daniel, who has been very depressed due to a broken engagement. Known as a rake, he is very caring and will do anything for his family. As Briar and Nicholas meet, he knows she is off limits to him but cannot help be drawn to her. A bargain is struck between the two for him to teach her how to read body language and the intricacies that go on between men and women. But the cost will be a kiss for every lesson he teaches her. He refuses to fall in love though. Vivienne Lorret has created a tale with amazing indepth characters, who come to life when added to her wonderful storytelling! This will be a book added to my read again shelf! Cannot wait for the next story in this series!! Well done! I read this through Edelweiss

Briar Bourne is the youngest of the three sisters, tired of being the ‘trained monkey’ of the bunch, serving tea and scones and handling the filing. With an addiction to Austen’s Emma and an imagination that is as engaging as it is wildly romantic, she’s determined to make her mark for the agency and gain an elusive, if well known, client to add to their rolls. She’s hopeful and optimistic, if a bit unworldly, but none of that is going to stop her from accomplishing her mission, and her habit of jumping first before considering consequences could prove to be a downfall to the agency and her reputation. Fortunately, her heart is in the right place, always, and she’s truly very invested in seeing everyone finds their ‘happily ever after’. Nicholas, Lord Edgemont is a dedicated and confirmed rake, with zero intentions of ever changing or making another foray into marriage after his first ended with him horribly damaged and hurt. He is, however, determined to see his younger cousins, Daniel and Temperance married and happy as well. While Briar would not normally take on a rake with no redeemable qualities, she’s learned that Edgemont is kind and loyal to his family, and fortunately his cousin is also Briar’s best friend. While Nicholas is averse to any and all mentions of debutantes and marriage, he’s intrigued by the boldness and temperament of Briar, and he’s drawn to protect and shield her, amused by her antics, rather than do what comes naturally to a rake. When Briar puts it together, that Nicholas is her best friend’s cousin, a fortunate circumstance as she’s been ‘hired’ for the princely sum of fifty pounds to find him a wife, unbeknownst to Nicholas and from some rather shady (and self-serving) woman. But, intrigued by Briar, he’s amused by her unworldliness and makes a deal to ‘teach’ her how to best discover innate clues to thoughts in her proposed matches for the sum of a kiss. One new insight for one new kiss – the only rules- no falling in love. Of course, that’s not going to happen as slowly but surely Briar’s own nature works as a balm to Nicholas’ and the wall he built around his heart, and soon her presence becomes as dear to him as air, despite his stubborn determination to ignore all of the signs, signals and changes in his own behavior. Briar makes him want to be worthy of her: and when he shares his biggest regret and how he hurt Daniel, treating him as someone incapable of making decisions – a situation Briar rails against daily with her own sister’s determination to shelter her and her feeling ‘set aside’ from the real business of the matchmaking, she’s hurt and angry – and it will take monumental effort on Nicholas’ part to get her to listen and to understand. These two are perfectly suited as Nicholas truly enjoys Briar – her imagination, questions and joy for life – she brightens every room she enters and gives him a view of the word as she grabs it by the handles and dives in. From deciding to stay away and forget her, to discovering that he craves her in every way possible, and can’t help but see just how she works her magic on everyone she meets. And she’ll work that magic on readers as well – bright, funny, sweet and with just enough angst and confusion thrown in for good measure, this is a series, and a story, that is unlike other historicals out there, and sure to be a favorite of many. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.