To start the review I thought I’d give you a sample of some of the chapter titles from this book:
- “In Which the Dowager Marchioness Absolutely, Positively, and Categorically Does Not Pine Over a Scoundrel”
- “In Which Montford Betrays a Friend’s Confidence to His Wife, Who Betrays Her Husband’s Confidence to a Friend, Who Does Not Take the News Well at All”
- “In Which Our Hero Licks His Wounds, with the Help of Our Heroine”
- “In Which the Bad French Melodrama Rears Its Ugly Head Yet Again, for Which the Author Apologizes in Advance” (my personal favourite)
The chapter titles alone deserve 5 stars. I will obviously always love any book that involves a marchioness pining over a scoundrel and bad French melodrama.
The Virtuous Scoundrel is the second book in the Regency Romp series (you can read my review of the first book here), and my favourite book I’ve read in a while. Although I really enjoyed the first book, I loved this sequel. Maggie Fenton really has a knack for writing fun and exciting Regency novels. Her characters are so loveable, and she really nails the ridiculousness of the era. So much swooning and people yelling Serrah! whilst declaring duels. My favourite things basically.
We were introduced to our main characters in the first book; Katherine, the recently widowed Marchioness with a reputation for being cold and intimidating, and Sebastian Sherbrook, the single most handsome man in London (it must be true, it was in the Times). As we guessed in the first book, the pair of them are madly in love with each other and have been for years. However, Katherine was married to Sebastian’s uncle, who Sebastian hated more than anything. This has lead to a tension between the two of them that they’ve both been too scared/awkward/stubborn to address. I loved, loved, loved both characters, and was desperately rooting for them to finally get together. There are so many great scenes between them, some of which are funny, and some that are sad. I loved that both of them had untrue reputations and that they were only truly themselves around the other.
If you’re looking for a funny, sweet romantic novel to read, I can’t recommend Virtuous Scoundrel enough. Although, I have a bittersweet relationship with Regency romances; I love them when I read them, then once I’ve finished them I’m depressed that it’s unlikely that anyone will declare their love for me in a high society ball whilst I’m wearing a fabulous ballgown. Serrah!
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