Scandal Wears Satin (The Dressmakers #2)

While I enjoyed the first book in the series that featured the eldest Noirot sister Marcelline and the Duke of Clevedon, I enjoyed this story more. It was easier to read and get into since the language while was historically authentic didn’t sound contrived as it at times did in the first novel. Sophie and Harry were irreverent and funny, and their banter was sharp and refreshing.

Yes, the story did continue with Maison Noirot and all things clothes but this time another side of the dressmaker’s life was shown. Sophie is the master of disguise and subterfuge, and the way she navigates and straddles the thin line between a servant and a noble is absolute marvel. I loved her intelligence and what she pulled off in the end. Harry was not the typical MC either. He was at times a bit slow on the uptake but never pretended to be more than what he was and was always sincere. What I really liked about him was how once he fell for Sophie, he never wavered in his affections or ever thought her less due to class difference. I loved how Lady Warford’s issue have been resolved.

This was witty, well written historical romance with wonderful cast of characters, the glitter and aplomb of nobility and simple joy of falling in love and following where your heart leads. I enjoyed it a lot.

P.S. Can’t wait to see how they deal with Dowdy!

Rereading just as good as the first time.
Loretta Chase writes her characters with just the right amount of zest and the reader is invited to discover the characters without being dragged through a laid bare recounting of them, a habit which is thoroughly uninteresting in authors.
I much prefer being shown not told, and this book had lots of naughty funny elements.
A carefully crafted masterpiece of froth fiction .

I am a Loretta Chase fan but this book is a big disappointment. I do like her writing style and she does great dialogue but this whole plot was weak and silly. The hero is portrayed as big and stupid, always ready for a brawl. The heroine delights in being more intelligent than the hero can ever be (according to her). She is able to twist him and most other males into doing her bidding and for the life of me, I don’t understand why. There is the obligatory chase through the night after the hero’s runaway sister (I HATE that!), the hero and heroine forced to stop at an inn, and of course, the always break-into-the -villain’s-house scene. PLEASE! Must we have all of this old schtick in one book? I just found this whole thing to be long and boring. The only character that I really liked was Fenwick, the street urchin.

Sexual situations may offend some readers

I very much enjoy Chases characters, particularly the women. This was a pretty good plot, too. However, I think its a little pathetic to resort to British spellings and versions of words to give herself the appearance of an English writer. There are any number of excellent American authors who write Regency and other period romance set in Great Britain, as well other countries. Of course, perhaps she feels the need to give herself more authority since she doesnt seem clear on inherited titles. I also find her writing a bit florid at times, which, I understand, is saying something, given the genre. I have to say that I dont find the descriptions of the dresses to be particularly attractive. I guess late-Recency (or maybe supposed to be early-Victorian) styles do not appeal to me. I cant quite figure out what period the gowns are supposed to be because they dont seem to represent either Regency or Victorian styles. Maybe shes taken descriptions right from La Belle Assemblee for those dates, but I cant quite picture them. Just another bit of what makes this series weird for me and why I dont like this author as well as others.

Second in the series about the charming and slightly conniving dressmakers that want to sweep the Ton but end up catching noblemen instead. The series is on the cusp between the Regency and early Victorian which is captured by the fashions of the time.

Chase has done her research as she writes of fashion terms that I have had to Google. Not my favorite fashion era. Too much sleeve.

Still a three star, but the banter and the chemistry are much better between the H and h. Shes another little schemer, but a schemer only when it comes to furthering the sisters business and rescuing the Hs little sister from a scandal. Shes attracted to the big lummox of a hero but doesnt know what to do with him.

The hero reflecting on the heroine…
“evil dressmaker by day and Tom Foxes premier spy by night.”

Not a game changer but a nice way to spend some time reading.

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