"A refreshing Regency romance"

The Earl of Haverly, Dennis Hawthorne asks his nephew Greydon Brakenridge, the Duke of Wycliffe to come to his remote estate in Hampshire during the London season. Needing an excuse to flee the females of the Ton including his mother, Grey leaves for Haverly Manor. However, he fails to rid himself of all his troubles as an entourage accompanies him.

Grey's uncle has accumulated bad debts, but refuses to allow his nephew to pay it off. Instead he asks Grey to come up with a plan to help him with his financial crisis. Grey starts by raising the rents on the tenants including the Miss Grenville's Academy. The schoolmistress Emma Grenville argues with Grey that tripling her rent will shut down the school, but he believes that is no loss as these finishing schools are marriage brokers. Still Grey cannot ignore how pretty Emma is when she makes a bet with him on whether she could persuade him that females deserve a formal education. When they placed the bet, neither one expected her at the center of a school for scandal debacle nor for love to grow between them.

A MATTER OF SCANDAL is a refreshing Regency romance that completes Suzanne Enoch's gregarious 'With This Ring' series. The story line centers on the war of the sexes as Grey and Emma clash over female education as much as their love for one another. Through her shrewd characters, Ms. Enoch provides a perceptive perusal of the options facing aristocratic women in the early nineteenth century England inside a strong romance that will delight sub-genre fans.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted July 16, 2001

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Summary

School for Scandal

Miss Emma Grenville, who is no silly debutante, has had her fill of thick-headed noblemen who believe women exist solely to satisfy men. And her arrogant new landlord, the Duke of Wycliffe, is the worst of the lot! The too attractive cad wants to triple the rent on Emma's finishing school for young ladies to help get his uncle's estate out of dept. Well, Greydon Brakenridge clearly needs educating -- about women. And Emma's just the one to enlighten him!The sinfully handsome duke has never met a woman he couldn't outwit and seduce. And now that he's tricked Emma into a wager, he has the stubborn headmistress right where her wants her -- and hopefully, soon in his bed. But the confirmed bachelor underestimates the intelligent and surprisingly sensual Miss Grenville. For she may be leading Greydon to a place neither dreamed they'd ever go -- to the altar.