Sunday

Review: A Scandalous Secret by Ava Stone


A Scandalous Secret
A Scandalous Secret Novella (Audio) (Scandalous #2.5)

Review:


Okay, we have another great Ava Stone Book!!! This is also an audio I got and it’s the book before Olivia (Livvy) and Alex, the Duke of Kelfeild’s romance in  A Scandalous Pursuit~

Yes, I realized I’m reading the whole series backwards but it works and and can be read as standalones. LOL

In this installment we have Chester (Chet) Peyton, the Marquess of Astwick get a second chance at love with his first love and lost, Lady Hannah.  From what I saw of him from Livvie and Cordy’s book is that his mother the Grand Duchess is always pestering him, so it was really great to see how he came to be married and get out of his mother’s grasp. Not that his mother is a burden and mean lady because she really is funny and makes the story more interesting and fun but it’s just good to see that he won’t be troubled by her anymore. for the most part about marriage.

And here you have Lady Hannah Campbell, she’s the sister of James MacFadyn, the Earl of Carteret, which we see here and there in the series because well, all or most of the heroes are all friends. Hannah has just returned from the Continent a widowed and has brought her two sons back with her to stay with her brother and his family. She’s just getting ready to settle into life back in London when Caroline make her acquaintance.

Of course we know Caroline very well at this point and we know she’s always matchmaking, so therefore she decides to meddle in Chet’s life. She was appointed the person to find him a wife by the Grand Duchess his own mother so she takes it upon herself to do a lot of poking into the past to help him. And yes, there was the newly returned and widowed Lady Hannah!

From what we learned about Chet and Hannah’s past, from the own mouth of Caroline’s husband, Viscount Staveley, Hannah had always been a part of the men’s group. Chet has always been good to her when they were kids so it wasn’t anything unexpected but when Hannah ran off to Scotland and got married then moved to the Continent things turned south for Chet and James.

Caroline took that information and blackmailed Chet in a way to tell her all! From what we found, Chet had proposed marriage due a an very scandalous compromise James had found them in but without warning Hannah was packed off and married to a neighbor who enlisted in the army. Therefore, Chet never knew what really happened between them.

Of course, later Caroline dragged Hannah with her to Chet’s place to have them reconciliate and talk about what happened. And wow were things messed up for these two love birds!!! There’s misunderstandings, fraud, meddling from dead siblings, secrets and heartbreaks!!! It was just very…..touching.

One thing though. I wish it was just longer! Yes this is a novella and only at 49 pages I felt like everything was forgiven really quick. Though with all the meddlings from people it worked just fine with its fast pace and rush-i-ness, I still felt like I wanted more depth into the characters, most especially into Lady Hannah because she is just recent a widow and have two sons to care for. Chet on the other hand, we saw bits and pieces of him and know the reasons behind his rush to marry Hannah but I do wish he would have just….. I don’t know. This was his second chance at love and he took it so I guess he had the right to want everything in a flash.

Overall I super enjoyed it and Stevie Zimmerman did a fabulous narrating and voicing the characters.

Rating: 4/5
 
 

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