Not Quite a Scandal by Bliss Bennet

Bliss Bennet

Author

Not Quite a Scandal

An inheritance lost. A betrothal threatened. A scandal brewing… Outspoken Bathsheba Honeychurch knows how difficult it is for an unmarried woman, even a Quaker, to successfully champion political change. Her solution? Wed best friend Ash Griffin and begin remaking the world. But the arrival of Ash’s worldly cousin with unthinkable news puts Sheba’s dreams for the future suddenly at risk… The death of Noel Griffin’s grandfather exposes an appalling betrayal: Noel is not the heir to the Silliman earldom, despite what the late earl raised him to believe. Still, the only honorable course is to accept his widowed grandmother’s bitter charge: find the true heir, disentangle him from his religious community, and tutor him in the responsibilities and privileges of a title Noel assumed would be his. He certainly won’t allow a presumptuous, irritating Quakeress to keep him from his duty—no matter how fascinating he finds her… When scandal threatens both their reputations, can Sheba and Noel look beyond past dreams and imagine a new world—together?

Semi Finalist

Plot/Idea: 9 out of 10

Originality: 10 out of 10

Prose: 10 out of 10

Character/Execution: 10 out of 10

Overall: 9.75 out of 10

Assessment:

Plot/Idea: Not Quite A Scandal is a regency romance about outspoken Quaker Bathsheba Honeychurch, the assumed future Earl of Silliman, Noel Griffin, and the actual Earl of Silliman, Ash Griffin. The news that her intended, Ash, is going to be the Earl throws her–and everyone else's–plans into tumult. Everything must be reevaluated, for good or ill.

Prose: Bennet's prose is lush and readable, breathing life into cliches with clever wordplay ("fluttering and twittering as if he’d been a fox set on stealing every precious egg from her henhouse rather than the deliverer of bounties far beyond her imagining").

Originality: While there are many regency romances, there are very few that juggle politics, Quakerism, abolitionists, and the slave trade with inheritance issues and rags-to-riches (or would-be Earl to commoner) romance. Like all great romance novels, the hero and heroine ultimately bridge what seem to be insurmountable obstacles and earn their HEA. And while fans of the genre know they can expect a happy ending, Bennet manages to keep the suspense going regardless.

Character/Execution: The hero and heroine are charming. Sheba's goodness shines throughout the book, even when she's rude or tactless; she truly wants to help the less fortunate, regardless of cost or difficulty. And the onerous spot the hero is in showcases his honor and makes him root-able (not always easy with regency aristocrats...or would-be aristocrats). All in all, a delightful book.

Date Submitted: April 01, 2024

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