Ripe for Scandal
Book 2, The League of Second Sons
K.I.S.S. Award!
4-Stars (RT Book Reviews) “With her witty dialogue and tender moments, Carr draws readers into her marriage of convenience plotline that delves into what happens when the couple falls in love and then struggles to build a strong marriage against the odds. It’s a lesson all can savor.” No one would ever suspect Lady Boudicea "Beau" Vaughn, a well-bred, young heiress, of secretly harboring unladylike desires. The object of her affection: Gareth Sandison, a notorious rake and her brother's best friend. Beau knows her brother would never approve, yet one glance into Gareth's smoldering eyes stirs a longing deep inside her. The second son of an Earl, Gareth has always known the lovely Lady Beau is above his station. But when she is kidnapped, Gareth sees a chance to prove his worth and plans a daring rescue. Soon he and Beau are on the run. Yet Beau's abductors are not the only threat-passion pursues the pair at every turn. Long nights fuel forbidden fantasies, and with danger closing in, Gareth and Beau will finally give in to the ultimate temptation... Read the first 3 chapters... |
I'm lucky enough to have a good girlfriend who's also a professional illustrator. Jess not only did my header for me, but she did portraits of all my heroes. This is Gareth, my charmer. He's always had a thing for his best friend's little sister, but everyone knows sisters are sacrosanct ... everyone but those sisters!
Fun fact: Gareth's original name was Banastre, but Beau and Ban was too many "B's", so he got renamed. But in my head, he'll always be Ban. |
Praise for Ripe for Scandal
"An exciting tale of sensuous romance, seduction, and misunderstandings ... An appealing mix of fun and danger, I was soon caught up in Ripe for Scandal ... Isobel Carr is an author I will watch for in the future."
--RomRevToday |
"An enjoyable Georgian romance ... With an intelligent marriage of (in) convenience plot, the second League of Second Sons is a fabulous tale."
--Genre Go Round Reviews |
"I really connected with both Beau and Gareth. And I enjoyed their happily ever after. Beau is a strong and sassy heroine who believes in going after what she wants, and Gareth complements her so well. I like the idea of the League of Second Sons, and will be checking out future stories in the series."
--Romance Novel News |
"Overall, a splendid novel. The story line was perfect, the characters were fantastic and the passion was sizzling. I was entertained from beginning to end, hardly knowing what to expect in the next chapter. Isobel Carr has certainly left her mark on the historical romance genre with this fabulous series...I look forward to her future works!"
--The Romance Reviews |
"True to its name, this second installment for The League of Second Sons series is full of scandal, family entanglement, romance with steamy scenes, and suspense. Ms. Carr has outdone herself!"
--Under The Covers Book Blog |
"[Ripe for Scandal] has witty, delightful dialogue, a gutsy (even ruthless) heroine, a unconventionally attractive hero with something to prove, intriguing villains with believable motivations, and REALLY well written sex ... Isobel Carr is a talented author with a unique voice, and I am really looking forward to her next book."
--Joanne Renaud Reviews |
A bit of fun ...
As you can see, in the original cover concept, Beau had much less hair, and she appeared to be a very modest kind of girl given that her bodice nearly reached her collarbones (ok, that naked thigh is anything but modest...but still). As always, the amazing art department at Grand Central quickly made her into a true Georgian seductress!
A bit of background ...
Did you you know that marriage and divorce laws in England and Scotland are totally different? I bet you did, even if you never really thought about it. There's a reason that people run to Gretna Green (the first town in on the Scottish side of the Great North Road). That reason is Hardwicke's Marriage Act (implemented in 1754). People's ability to simply declare themselves married, and be legally considered such, vanished with the Marriage Act (as did things like proxy marriage and non-consensual marriage/marriage under duress).
But another major difference is Scottish divorce law, which was always different ... in Scotland, women could sue for divorce, male adultery was grounds for them to do so, and they had the equivalent of public defenders so that this privilege was not limited to the rich. And to top it all off, if she was granted her divorce, the law viewed it as if the man had died and she got everything to which she would have been entitled as a widow! For more information on this deliciously exploitable difference in the law, I highly recommend Leah Leneman's Alienated Affections: The Scottish Experience of Divorce and Separation 1684-1830. Which was invaluable to me as I plotted the twists and turns of Ripe for Scandal. |
Five Fun FactsIn the 18th century, Newfoundlands like the one in RIPE FOR SCANDAL were all of the black and white variety that came to be known as “Landseer” (named for the famous artist who so often painted them).
I knew my city-boy hero was going to end up on an estate that was a working farm, which meant I’d need at least one farm animal to “star” in the book. When I found a heritage breed pig that was black and white just like the dog, I couldn’t resist using it. Enter Frederick, the Gloucestershire Old Spot. I love playing with themes for names (can’t resist doing so in fact), so my hero and his brother are both named after Arthurian knights. The heroine of RIPE FOR SCANDAL is named after the legendary queen of Iceni whose curse is often blamed for the mysterious disappearance of Rome’s 9th Legion Hispana. I have a *thing* for Silver Foxes (John Slattery, Anderson Cooper, Richard Gere). This is obvious once you read a description of Gareth, LOL! |
About Newfoundlands
Ripe for Scandal features a stray, shipwrecked Newfoundland, Gulliver. Like Pen in Ripe for Pleasure, he's a hero in his own right, but he's not quite as ready to be the family pet as she was. I based his personality on the wonderful Newfies I’ve known. Ashley (she came with the name) who we often called Mrs. Pedecaris. Ss in "you are a great deal of trouble" (if you don’t get the joke, you need to watch The Wind and the Lion immediately!). There’s also a little of the beloved Newfie of my childhood, Hanuman, thrown in. He liked to "answer the door" by jumping up on it and opening his mouth over the small window so the new arrival was greeted by gullet and teeth. Snd there’s a little of the "must save all swimmers" instincts of another Newf I knew new but heard many a tale of, my godmother's mother's dog, Gladstone.
The oldest picture of a Newfoundland in England is portrait of Sir Humphrey Style by Robert Walker, 1625. The breed was named by George Cartwright, who appropriately applied the name of the dog's native island to his dog in 1775. During the Georgian era, they tended to be lighter boned than those of today, though the one depicted with the Duchess of York in 1807 appears quite large and sturdy (perhaps she was very small?). All the images I’ve ever seen from the era show the black and white variety that came to be called “Landseer” in the late Victorian age (after the painter who popularized the breed, Edwin Landseer, 1824).
The AKC site gives their history thusly: "There is much uncertainty about the origin of the Newfoundland. Some say that his ancestors are the white Great Pyrenees, dogs brought to the coast of Newfoundland by the Basque fishermen; others that he descended from a "French hound" (probably the Boarhound); but all agree that he originated in Newfoundland and that his ancestors were undoubtedly brought there by fishermen from the European continent. Many old prints of Newfoundlands show apparent evidence of a Husky ancestor, while other traits can be traced to other breeds. At any rate, a dog evolved which was particularly suited to the island of his origin."
Whatever their ancestry, they were indispensible to fisherman as helpmeets. They pulled in the nets and were famous then as now for their natural instinct to rescue humans from the water (my godmother’s mother’s Newf, Gladstone, had to be locked in a room with no widows when people wanted to swim, or he’d “rescue” them from the pool). They were also used as carting dogs (as most large breeds were) and as sled dogs (as in Call of the Wild).
One of the most famous Newfs in England was Lord Byron’s Boatswain. When he died, the poet had a monument built to him and wrote this inscription for it:
One of the most famous Newfs in England was Lord Byron’s Boatswain. When he died, the poet had a monument built to him and wrote this inscription for it:
Near this spot
Are deposited the Remains Of one Who possessed Beauty Without Vanity, Strength without Insolence, Courage without Ferocity, And all the Virtues of Man Without his Vices. The Price, which would be unmeaning flattery If inscribed over Human Ashes, Is but a just tribute to the Memory of “Boatswain,” a Dog Who was born at Newfoundland, May, 1803, And died in Newstead Abbey, Nov. 18, 1808. When some proud son of man returns to earth, Unknown by glory, but upheld by birth, The sculptor’s art exhausts the pomp of woe, And stories urns record that rests below. When all is done, upon the tomb is seen, Not what he was, but what he should have been. But the poor dog, in life the firmest friend, The first to welcome, foremost to defend, Whose honest heart is still his master’s own, Who labors, fights, lives, breathes for him alone, Unhonored falls, unnoticed all his worth, Denied in heaven the soul he held on earth – While man, vain insect! hopes to be forgiven, And claims himself a sole exclusive heaven. Oh man! thou feeble tenant of an hour, Debased by slavery, or corrupt by power – Who knows thee well must quit thee with disgust, Degraded mass of animated dust! Thy love is lust, thy friendship all a cheat, Thy smiles hypocrisy, thy words deceit! By nature vile, ennoble but by name, Each kindred brute might bid thee blush for shame. Ye, who perchance behold this simple urn, Pass on – it honors none you wish to mourn. To mark a friend’s remains these stones arise; I never knew but one – and here he lies. |
Another very famous Newf was Lewis’s Newfoundland Seaman. Seaman accompanied Lewis and Clark on their famous expedition to the Pacific. He is first mentioned in Lewis’s journals on September 11, 1803: “I made my dog take as many [squirrels] each day as I had occasion for. They were fat and I thought them when fried a pleasant food. They swim very light on the water and make pretty good speed. My dog was of the Newfoundland breed, very active, strong and docile. He would take the squirrels in the water, kill them, and swimming bring them in his mouth to the boat.”
In literature we have Pilot, Rochester’s dog in Jane Eyre, and of course Nana in Peter Pan (curse you Disney for misrepresenting her as a St. Bernard!). Nan was inspired by Barrie’s own Newfoundland, Porthos.
In literature we have Pilot, Rochester’s dog in Jane Eyre, and of course Nana in Peter Pan (curse you Disney for misrepresenting her as a St. Bernard!). Nan was inspired by Barrie’s own Newfoundland, Porthos.