TEN KISSES TO SCANDAL – Vivienne Lorret
Misadventures in Matchmaking , Book 2 of 3
Avon Books
ISBN: 978-0-06-268550-6
January 2019
Historical Romance

London, 1825

This series is about three sisters who lost their mother to a broken heart when their father abandoned them and started a new family. Since then they have lived with their kindly but far from rich Uncle Ernest, Viscount Eggleston. To make a living, the sisters started the Bourne Matrimonial Agency, using his name. The first book, HOW TO FORGET A DUKE, told the tale of Jacinda, the middle sister. The eldest, Ainsley, has yet to have her story told, but these two will have parts in this, Briar's adventures. In fact, TEN KISSES TO SCANDAL is character rich.

As the youngest, Briar Bourne is tired of being thought too young to be a real matchmaker; she's determined to do more than serve tea to her sisters' clients. Recently come to Town for the Season, she's heard of a bachelor lord, a handsome rake, for whom she plans to make a match. That would establish her reputation and bring in more clients. To this end, she sneaks out of the house early one morning and tries to hail a hackney cab. She ends up outside a coffee house popular with men and gets mixed up in a tangle. Briar is no meek miss, and she commandeers a cab that belongs to one handsome gentleman. This leads to quite an adventure indeed.

The hackney's owner, Nicholas, the Earl of Edgemont, finds Miss Bourne intriguing. He may be a bit of a rake, but he respects her innocence and naivety and he certainly has no interest in marriage . . .

As I mentioned above, TEN KISSES TO SCANDAL has a large cast of characters and many are fully developed with parts to play. This means it is not a quick read one can skip through. But soldier on for an entertaining experience. The scenes between Briar and Nicholas are especially fun.

Jane Bowers