Today, it’s my turn on the #blogtour for Jane Dunn’s new historical romance, A Scandalous Match #histfic

Here’s the blurb

‘Angelica had always known her lack of high birth, fortune or influence debarred her from being presented as an eligible young woman worthy of marriage. To cap it all, being an actress assured she was utterly beyond the pale of respectability.’

Nightly at the Covent Garden Theatre in London, an enchanting actress is wowing the crowds with her affecting portrayal of Ophelia. Preyed on by rakes and opportunistic young bucks, feted by dukes and earls, even the Prince Regent himself, Angelica Leigh is a sensation.

But in Regency England, beauty and talent are not enough to be considered marriage material, so when the eminently eligible Lord Charles Latimer sets his heart on Angelica, his uncle is sent to intervene.

As a highly respected, hard-working and wealthy lawmaker, The Honourable Ivor Asprey, is himself seen as desirable husband material, but widowed with an eleven-year-old daughter Elinor, he has forsaken all thoughts of romance. Lord Latimer’s mother, the Duchess of Arlington, despairs of her son, despite being reassured by Ivor that his infatuation with the actress will pass. But there is something about Angelica Leigh that demands attention, and even the austere and upstanding Mr Asprey isn’t immune to her charms.

Sunday Times bestselling author Jane Dunn brings the Regency period irresistibly to life. Perfect for fans of Jane Austen. Janice Hadlow, Gill Hornby, and anyone with a Bridgerton-shaped hole in their lives.

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/scandalousmatchsocial

My Review

A Scandalous Match returns us to Jane Dunn’s wonderful reimagining of Regency England. Our heroine this time is Angelica, our hero Ivor. Both of them are very different characters. The chemistry between them takes some time to develop, but when it does, it is quite explosive.

A Scandalous Match contains all the elements of a Regency romance we would expect, including the stubborn heroine and equally stubborn hero, their failure to speak plainly, and the reach of society that endeavours to keep them apart. But, as with Jane’s previous books, there is the fascinating element of ‘other’ in there as well. The servants aren’t faceless and nameless. The conventions of the times are laid bare, and the peripheral characters also ‘buck’ against the trends we might expect. It all adds a delicious quantity to the books, which I adore, from the ‘cant’ of the servants to the slightly risqué relationship of Angelica’s mother and her ‘keeper.’ I also adore how the obsession with horses is constantly explored, just as in today’s day and age, we might brag about our high-end cars.

Another thrilling and enthralling read. Readers of Regency Romance, and romance in general, will delight in travelling to Jane’s Regency England.

Find my review for The Marriage Season, An Unsuitable Heiress and A Lady’s Fortune.

Meet the author

Jane Dunn is an historian and biographer and the author of seven acclaimed biographies, including Daphne du Maurier and her Sisters and the Sunday Times and NYT bestseller, Elizabeth & Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens. She comes to Boldwood with her first fiction outing – a trilogy of novels set in the Regency period, the first of which is to be published in January 2023. She lives in Berkshire with her husband, the linguist Nicholas Ostler.

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