Holly‘s review of Last Night’s Scandal
After surviving the perils of Egypt, Peregrine Dalmay, Earl of Lisle is back in London, facing the most dire threat of all: his irrational family….and Miss Olivia Wingate-Carsington. A descendent of notorious—but very aristocratic—swindlers, the delectable redhead has the ability to completely unhinge him, and a long history of dragging him into her scandalous schemes.
Olivia may be Society’s darling, but she’s aware a respectable future looms menacingly. And so when Lisle is forced to go on a family mission, she sees this as the perfect chance for one last adventure—even if it is with the one man in the world she can’t wrap around her finger: but really, she only wants to help…
Which is why Lisle and Olivia find themselves in a gloomy Scottish castle inhabited by spiteful ghosts and craven murderers…and a shocking secret: the greatest peril of all may be burning within their own stubborn hearts.
Although I love a good hero as much as – sometimes more – the next girl, it’s really the heroines who make or break stories for me. The most delicious hero in the world doesn’t mean crap if he’s with a TSTL heroine. Not only do I hate the heroine, but I start to question the hero..what’s wrong with him that he’s with this awful girl? What does he see in her? Why doesn’t he take her over his knee, give her the spanking she so rightly deserves, then find a woman who actually deserves him?
Olivia Winsgate-Carsington is a complete hoyden. She incites duels, makes bets, calls men out and breaks engagements like they’re hard-boiled eggs. She gets away with it, however, because her family is very, very rich, very, very titled and because, despite her antics – or perhaps in spite of them – society loves her. But she knows it’s only a matter of time before she’s forced to settle down and become respectable.
She isn’t ready just yet, however. So when she hears that Lisle needs to visit a haunted castle in Scotland, she sees it as the perfect opportunity for another adventure.
Lilse has spent the last 10 years in Egypt, deciphering hieroglyphics and uncovering artifacts. He loves it there and detests cold, wet England. But his father has him over a barrel – either he goes to even colder, wetter Scotland and overseas the restoration of a crumbling, haunted castle there, or his father will cut him off without a farthing.
He’s more than prepared to tell his father to go to the devil, but then Olivia steps in and manipulates everyone, forcing his hand. He’s always loved Olivia like a sister, but it’s been 5 years since he’s seen her, and those 5 years were extremely kind to her. Now his feelings are less than brotherly, and she’s tempting him like crazy. But he wants peace in his life, and he knows Olivia will never give him that.
Trapped in a dank castle, filled with ghosts and problems, the two have to work together to get the castle restored. But their biggest battle is overcoming their attraction and keeping their hearts safe from one another.
This book started out well enough. The letters exchanged between Olivia and Lilse were hilarious. Olivia’s capitals and underlines had me laughing out loud. Here’s an example from the first letter. This is how the book opens:
My Lord,You must burn this Letter after reading it. Should it fall into the Wrong Hands, I shall be once again Exiled to the COUNTRY, to one of my Carsington step-uncles’ Domiciles, where I shall most certainly be placed in ISOLATION. I don’t mind Ruralizing in Small Doses, but to be LOCKED IN and forbidden any Social Intercourse of any Kind (for fear of my forming Unsuitable Acquaintances or Leading Innocents Astray) is intolerable, and will surely lead me to Desperate Acts.
While hilarious, I should have read the warning signs and quit while I was ahead. But I trusted Chase to deliver an amazing, strong heroine and continued on. I’m pretty sorry for it now.
Olivia is the type who acts first, thinks later. Or, more accurately: acts first, thinks never. She constantly rushes off and does things without thinking the about consequences or how it will effect other people. For example, going to Scotland. She decides that’s what she wants to do, and hang what Lisle wants. So she finds a way to manipulate him into going. When he – very rightly – gets angry with her over it, she pitches a fit, storms out and heads to Scotland anyway. All in the dead of night. All while being furious with him, for being so mean to her.
She manipulated Him. She forced him to do something he didn’t want to do, for no other reason than because she wanted it, and then had the gall to be angry with him for getting angry at her?
This is how it continues throughout the book. She does stupid and ridiculous things, without thinking about what the consequences will be, then gets angry at him for it. She literally stomps her feet and says, “I HATE YOU” then storms off every time he calls her on her behavior.
“I hate you!” She cried. “You’re despicable!” She kicked him in the shins.
So mature, don’t you think? Especially since she’s what? 22?
There is no give in her. She never, not once, admits she was wrong. About anything.
**MILD SPOILER** Late in the book she decides to catch the “ghosts” who have been plaguing the castle and sits outside watching for them. They arrive and she chases them halfway back to the village. In the dead of night, in the middle of a rain storm, in Scotland in Nov. Then has to trudge home. But the time she arrives she’s half frozen to death. **END SPOILER**
And she blames Lisle.
“Why did you make me so angry? You know what happens when I lose my temper.”
She sneaks off in the middle of the night, to confront men who are breaking and entering and acting like ghosts, got drenched in a downpour and almost died. But it’s his fault because he made her angry. Glad we cleared that up.
You see, no give. There was no growth on her part, no willingness to admit she was wrong or that she should temper her behavior. I can appreciate what Chase was trying to do, but it lost something in the execution. Mostly because Olivia didn’t mature, or grow, or even once admit she was wrong.
I liked Lisle, He was the strong, steady sort. He took his responsibilities serious, but he also had a strong sense of adventure. In the end, however, I just wondered what he saw in Olivia, and why he was so attracted to her. Physical beauty means nothing to me if the person’s personality/actions are ugly. Though Olivia wasn’t a malicious girl, she was very selfish. I had a hard time thinking of Lisle in a good light after seeing some of the stunts Olivia pulled, and how willing he was to let her get away with them.
As always Chase’s writing is fabulous. She really excels at dialogue and creating beautiful imagery with her words. I kept reading right up until the end, hoping Olivia would be redeemed, or show some type of growth. Unfortunately that didn’t happen. Even Chase’s beautiful writing isn’t enough for me to recommend this book.
2 out of 5
The Series:
This book is available from Avon. You can buy it here