An all-female detective agency righting wrongs at the end of the nineteenth century; infiltrating a scandalous upper class world straight out of Bridgerton and using their wit and bravery to unmask a villain.
When Marigold Bloom finds her family business in trouble a chance encounter with the devastatingly handsome and extremely bad-tempered Oliver Lockhart leads her to the Aviary - a secret agency of women who specialise in blackmailing troublesome men.
Soon, Mari is the agency's newest recruit, sent to investigate the mysterious return of Oliver's long lost sister. Forced to masquerade as a newly engaged couple, it is up to Mari and Oliver to determine if there is an imposter in their midst. But what happens when the line between truth and fiction starts to blur? And what do you do when a pretend romance starts to feel all too real?
What did I think?
A Season for Scandal is the second book in The Agency for Scandal series but it can be read as a standalone as it has its own contained storyline. I haven't read the first book but I enjoyed A Season for Scandal so much that I now want to read the first book in the series.
This is the story of Marigold Bloom who runs her family florist. After being unceremoniously dumped by her odious fiancé, the future looks very bleak for both Mari and her florist. Luckily, fate intervenes and throws her into the path of Oliver Lockhart, who not only provides the swoony Mr. Darcy style love interest but also introduces Mari to a secret detective agency: the Aviary.
The characters are beautifully drawn and so vibrant (thanks mainly to Mari's colourful taste in clothing) that they virtually pop off the page. I loved the idea of the Aviary and how they go about their mysterious and secretive business - this is what girl power looks like in Victorian England.
Entertaining, vibrant and an absolute joy to read, A Season for Scandal may be a YA novel but it is perfectly suitable for adults to read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I do hope Laura Wood has plans to make this a long running series as I am well and truly hooked.
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