Scandal of the Year - Laura Lee Guhrke

Book Title/Author:Scandal of the Year by Laura Lee Guhrke
Publisher/Year Published: January 25th 2011 by Harper Collins
Where I got it: I received a review copy from netGalley
Rating: 4/5 stars
Challenges: A to Z Male Name: A, A to Z Female Name: J, A to Z Book Title: S

Summary: via Laura Lee Guhrke's website

From their very first meeting, Julia knew that Aidan Carr, the oh-so-proper Duke of Trathen, had a bit of the devil in him, a devil who secretly yearned for what he could not have, a devil who harbored a desire for her. So when she needed to be caught in a compromising situation, Aidan was the answer to her prayers.

Aidan is supposed to be looking for a bride, yet his scandalous liaison with Julia is all he can think about. Hot, erotic memories of kissing her skin, falling into her bed, pulling her naked body on top of his own continue to torment and tempt him. What is it about this brazen seductress that he finds so hard to resist? And how can he stop himself from falling into her bed a second time?


The second book in the Abandoned at the Altar series, Scandal of the Year lets us follow the tale of my two favorite people from the first book, Julia and Aiden. I didn't really like the first book all that much, but was still excited to read this. The two characters were already interesting and I was curious on how they would be developed further.

I read this book in a day, yet I needed the extra days to really digest everything. It was engaging to see how the story unfolded. It wasn't in a linear fashion, but instead we were told the relevant facts in the beginning (in the summary even) and then as we watched the characters develop and grow, we were shown things that happened prior providing an interesting juxtaposition between past and present. Outside of that, the story was just interesting!

I really enjoyed where Guhrke took these characters. She didn't change who they were in the first book as so often happens when secondary characters get books of their own, but just expanded what we already knew. The growth and arc Julia and Aiden experienced individually and as a couple worked. It wasn't too little or too much. It just worked.

I really think that if I had to sum up the book in a sentence, it would be "It just worked."

Though you may notice that it only has for stars. I can hear, "But wait! If it just worked, why only four stars?" There were some moments that I thought were a little long during the flashbacks. Also, the last book was summarized in thought about 4 times (as well as at least one other previous Gurhke book) and this just rubbed me the wrong way. It was a little too strange for me to hear one character summarize another book in dialogue with the person who supposedly lived it.

But overall it still 'just worked.'