The Scoundrel and the Socialite

A Steamy Regency Historical Romance (The Somerton Scandals)

By: Ava Devlin

Narrated by: Naomi Rose-Mock

A skilled socialite

Gloriana Blakely has finally gone too far. To the distress of her parents, this exquisitely beautiful debutante refuses to settle for anything less than the life - and the husband - she deserves. As punishment for her latest defiance, she is banished to her cousin's estate in Yorkshire for the autumn, where Society is barren and her childhood nemesis is close at hand.

A seductive scoundrel

Rakish and handsome, Lord Alex Somers has finally completed his studies at Oxford, prolonged by a healthy amount of philandering and mischief. Unfortunately, he is now faced with the dire task of having to actually do something with his life. He returns to his family estate to ponder his future, only to discover a beautiful guest has arrived, and taken it upon herself to throw a lavish country party in his honor!

Secrets, spies, and seductions

Alex and Gloriana can't seem to avoid butting heads, with the tension between them increasing by the day. As the festivities begin, the two find themselves unwittingly pulled into a dangerous dance among the distinguished and powerful guests within the walls of Somerton. A deadly game of cat and mouse is overshadowed only by the building desire between the unlikely pair, as the scandalous secret weaves a web of seduction around them both.

©2019 Shannon Bennett dba Ava Devlin (P)2021 Shannon Bennett dba Ava Devlin

Phenomenal read. Compelling story with great characters. Easy 5 stars across the board

I thought I couldn’t like the series more after the first book in the series. But Ms. Ava Devlin was IN HER BAG writing this book. The characters and story are even more intricate and fleshed out. I didn’t even think that was possible after how good the first book was. The relationships, character traits and character development are so natural and in tune it felt like I was completely immersed, like I was a fly on the wall in watching Alex and Gloriana fall in love in real life. The humor, conversations and internal dialogs were all phenomenally thought out and executed. Such an easy to consume book. I recommend it to anyone that likes any form of steamy novel but also for those that just like a great story with compelling characters and great engaging dialog.

this was an enjoyable story

Gloriana Blakely has turned down one too many suitors for her parents’ liking and now they’ve sent her off to spend some time with her cousin in remote Yorkshire. She’s decidedly less than thrilled at being banished from society and being forced to share the estate with her girlhood nemesis who is now her cousin’s sister-in-law.

Alex Somers has at last finished his Oxford degree, in much more time than it should have taken him, but now he must make a decision about what to do with his life. With nowhere else to go, he returns to his brother’s estate in Yorkshire to figure out his next move, only to discover that a lovely guest has entrenched herself in the family library and taken up his cause by planning an elaborate country house party to celebrate the completion of his studies.

Alex and Gloriana disagree at every turn, building a decidedly less than unfriendly tension between them. They find themselves thrown together at every turn, especially when they uncover a potentially treasonous plot unfolding during the party, and the two are brought together by a secret they’ve accidentally overheard, even as their mutual attraction begins to blossom into something more.

I was unsure about this one because I really couldn't stand Gloriana as a supporting character in the previous book and for a while at the beginning of this story, it seemed she still hadn’t matured. Thankfully, though she is still rather whimsical, this Gloriana at least demonstrates some growth and development. In fact, she and Alex both had some growing up to do and they seemed to be a good influence on each other as both demonstrated a good amount of development between the beginning and end of the book. I loved the house party setting here and I thought the tension between the two MCs was well-drawn. The mystery/spy element was a bit thin, but I think this twist sets the rest of the series up to be quite interesting, especially as secondary characters begin pairing off, and I’ll look forward to continuing.

Treat yourself and enjoy!!!

Book 2 of the series...I so enjoyed book 1 and this was a great follow up; as I enjoyed it also. A strong heroine who is not at all shy and a rake hell who I just had to laugh at along the way. This book was so entertaining and the characters were just wonderful and the storyline itself was strong and well rounded. With Ms. Devlin's witty/steamy/intriguing writing she is quickly becoming a favorite. Treat yourself and enjoy!!!

I was gifted this audible/book as an ARC and this is my voluntary and honest review.