Pursued by the Rake
Series: Season of Scandal #1
Author: Mary Lancaster
Published July 9th 2020 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

Goodreads Synopsis
Four innocent young ladies-in-waiting to the Princess of Wales spend the night sheltering from a wild party in her residence – only to discover in the morning that Her Highness was never there. And the news is already out.

The ladies flee the scene to fight as best they can for their lost reputations. And to confront the man who tricked them.

If her reputation is false, is his?

Hazel is ruined. With no money, no near family, and the stagecoach to her old governess’s home vanishing into the distance, she is forced to accept the help of the one man she never wished to set eyes on again.

To Hazel, the handsome and respected diplomat, Sir Joseph Sayle, is an infamous rake who took advantage of the princess she served. She hates his arrogance as much as his inexplicable effect on her senses. Under normal circumstances, she would never have dreamed of setting foot in his curricle, least of all when he was, by his own admission, “not entirely sober” after a night’s carousing.

However, the journey in his relaxed company is unexpectedly fun, and when they reach their destination and are threatened by a parcel of eccentric children with a pistol, he enters the adventure with enthusiasm.

It seems Sir Joe is much more than the man Hazel thought him. Amusing, kind, and passionate, he and his elegant pursuit provide exciting distractions to her woes.

But flirting with him is a dangerous game, and by the time they face the trickster responsible for her ruin, her heart is already lost.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

When she turns up to start her latest shift as one of the Princess of Wales' ladie-in-waiting, Hazel discover a bevy of guests, drinking and eating, and the Princess nowhere to be seen. She and three other ladies hide in the Princess' sitting room, thinking their charge to be in her bedroom, and when they realise they've been left alone, unchaperoned, at a veritable orgy, they know they need to quickly get home, or at least to somewhere respectably, to save their reputations. Hazel plans to travel to Essex to the home of her old governess, but misses the stagecoach, and comes upon none other than Sir Joseph Sayle, one of the Princess' flames, and notorious rake. Even with his reputation, though, Hazel does trust him, and they travel together, first to Essex, where they meet the Sprigg children, and save a would-be highwayman. But, they have the wicked Lord Barden on their trail, and Hazel's previous interactions with him have led him to have a vendetta against Hazel, and will do everything he can to make her his, and ruin her in the eyes of the ton. Will they be able to stop him, and overcome their own growing attraction?

This book started fast, and stayed a really quick read throughout. Hazel is the natural born granddaughter of the late Duke of York, so has connections, but not the wealth to back it up. She loves being in Princess Caroline's employ, and cares extremely for her charge, especially with how her marriage to the Prince Regent is imploding. Apart from the interactions with the Prince's man, Lord Barden, her work has been perfect, and she can't envision how anything would go wrong. I really liked her personality, and the way she adapted to the various situations she found herself in throughout the book. Because of Joe's past dalliances with the Princess, Hazel wants to hate him, but he breaks down all her defences, and shows himself to be honourable, even through a bit of a rake in the past.

The flirting and chemistry between Hazel and Joe is everything you could ask for, and there were scenes - such as in Essex with the children - that was just perfect! I loved how they overcame everything that was thrown at them, and they were definitely made for each other. I'm looking forward to the next book, Abandoned to the Prodigal, about another one of the ladies-in-waiting, Lady Juliet.

Dates Read:
July 21, 2020

Rating
4 Stars