This is what I'd call a gentle read. There was no big drama and over-the-topness about it, and the pace was soft, a bit dragging at time I'll admit because I wanted things to move along quicker, but it was just right for these protagonists and to allow the reader to see how they fall in love and end up being perfect for each other. Especially Isaac - very heroic in a quiet, dignified way, which totally endeared me to him.
I would've wanted to see more at the end, but all in all, it was a very satisfactory read with that perfect happy sigh in the last chapters.

I had realised quite early on just how far the scandal went, but nonetheless the denouement was well executed. As was mentioned, what happened before marriage was a well known secret to all, but well hidden. And birth dates were commonly fudged or babies arrived rather premature. But this was more.
I liked reading about Cumbria and a Northern port with the society that was part of it. The divisions between trade wealth and inherited wealth, had to be less as there were so few land owners per town in that part of England.
But the reminder of just how expensive books were, and that lending libraries were so rare was, once again, a shock - as a person who reads a book every day!
More books set outside London and Bath please.

I received an ARC from Mills and Boon and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A tremendously enjoyable read, with not only a tender romance at its heart, but also a sharp eyed look at the double standards of the time. The characterisation was brilliant, especially of the vile Mrs Pearson and her daughter.

Thank you to Mills and Boon and to Sadie King for the opportunity to review Spinster With A Scandalous Past. A interest regency romance premise featuring a spinster with a scandalous secret past. Nice to see a regency set against a different area, away from the London ton season. A nice cast of character, but I found some of them a likable but little dull and felt the romance was a little dry. Nice read, but it won't be a memorable one for me.

Louisa was sent away by her mother to her aunts, where she meets Sir Isaac. I was drawn into their world from the start and loved the build-up to the secret. Her new friends mother is one of those characters you love to hate.

It was very entertaining and enjoyable reading

4 stars

The writing is good. The story is clean for those to whom that matters. I personally prefer a bit more passion. .It looks like it's the start of a series of two books. I realised that there may be a homage to Cassandra Austen as she like the heroine's aunt inherited a legacy from a fiance. The heroine, Louisa, has a scandalous past that's she's keen to keep hidden. Our hero, Sir Isaac is a widower who two years ago lost his wife and son. His heir, his younger brother (and I think possibly the hero of the next book) is keen to get him back into social life with the end result of making him happy again and possibly another marriage. Isaac is very grumpy with Louisa but once he realises that she wants to be friends and doesn't have any other agenda he relaxes a bit. The aunt has a friend in the village and Louisa acts as chaperone to her daughter. Charlotte seems Ok but her mother is a gossip and a schemer and things go wrong. Sadie looks like a new author and I will look out for more of her work. I thought the hero on the cover looked a bit staid and middle aged but it's probably a better fir with the character of our hero.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Spinster with a scandalous past is a historical romance novel by Sadie King.
I really enjoyed this romance novel. It was easy to read and had a good cast of characters. The book was short enough to read in a day. An enjoyable novel that I highly recommend.
❤️ Thank you to netgalley and Mills and Boon for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC from Mills and Boon and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A beautifully written historical romance set in Cumbria. Both the h/H are well crafted and sensitively fleshed out. I loved it.

This is a lovely book, outside the London marriage market and down on the coast. Louise is staying with her aunt and we get caught up in her new friend’s machinations to marry a title and the lengths her and her mother will go to, to ensure that she succeeds. Issac is widowed and quiet and taciturn and it takes time to unlock this and for the real natures of the characters to be discovered. A gentle and loving romance.