A Scot in the Dark
Series: Scandal & Scoundrel #2
Author: Sarah MacLean
Published August 30th 2016 by Piatkus

Goodreads Synopsis
Lonesome Lily Turned Scandalous Siren
Miss Lillian Hargrove has lived much of her life alone in a gilded cage, longing for love and companionship. When an artist offers her pretty promises and begs her to pose for a scandalous portrait, Lily doesn't hesitate...until the lying libertine leaves her in disgrace. With the painting now public, Lily has no choice but to turn to the one man who might save her from ruin.

Highland Devil turned Halfhearted Duke
The Duke of Warnick loathes all things English, none more so than the aristocracy. It does not matter that the imposing Scotsman has inherited one of the most venerable dukedoms in Britain—he wants nothing to do with it, especially when he discovers that the unwanted title comes with a troublesome ward, one who is far too old and far too beautiful to be his problem.

Tartan Comes to Town
Warnick arrives in London with a single goal: get the chit married and see her become someone else's problem, then return to a normal, quiet life in Scotland. It's the perfect plan, until Lily declares she'll only marry for love...and the Scot finds that there is one thing in England he likes far too much...
Goodreads

Review
As soon as I finished The Rogue Not Taken, I knew I needed to start the sequel, this time following Alex, the Duke of Warnick, who we met as one of King's best friends last time around. When Alex inherited the Warnick dukedom, a complete surprise seeing as he was 19th in line, he wasn't expecting to inherit an adult ward. Happy to let his solicitor take control of the majority of the estate running, he's happy to stay in Scotland at his ancestral home, except for when business brings him to London. The ward, Miss Lillian Hargrove, has living a sort of half life since her father died when she was young. The daughter of a steward, one of the late dukes took her into his care, and promised to look after her into marriageable age. When disaster hit the dukedom, the succession of dukes left her alone, and being higher than a servant, but not good enough to be treated with respect, it's been a lonely existence. The only person to ever treat her as special, or important, was the renowned artist and actor, Derek Hawkins, and he convinced her to become his muse and sit for a a nude portrait that would be kept 'secret'. Of course, when Hawkins realised he could profit from the work, he announces it will be displayed for all to see, and Lily soon becomes a social pariah and a laughing stock. Alex must head to London to deal with the fallout, and find a husband for Lily before the portrait is revealed, and her reputation completely destroyed.

It's safe to say that the chemistry between Lily and Alex was undeniable, and that their first meeting left a lot to be desired. Lily didn't want duke number 19 to turn up and get involved with her business, she just wanted to be given the portion set aside for her dowry, so she could flee London, and hide from the scandal. Alex argues that hiding will do nothing but prolong the agony, but Lily being Mrs ... will help soften the blow. I loved all of the interactions between the two of them, especially when it was more than obvious that Alex was completely jealous at the attention Lily was getting. When the Talbot sisters started appearing in the book, it just improved everything, especially with Lady Sesily's own issues with Hawkins, and her affection for Lily. The fact that this book was published when there was a spate of hackings and celeb nudes being released made this such a topical story, though placed in a Regency setting. I loved the conclusion to both Lily's story, and her and Alex's romance, and can't wait to see them again - hopefully - in the final book, The Day of the Duchess.

Dates Read:
July 9, 2020

Rating
4 Stars