Last Night’s Scandal by Loretta Chase

Last Nights ScandalNarrated by Kate Reading

When offered the choice of reviewing this or Not Quite a Lady, I immediately made grabby hands in the direction of Last Night’s Scandal because I’m a fan of the childhood-friends-who-meet-again-after-a-long-separation-and-think – “wow, you’re really hot now you’re all grown up!” – trope.  That is, in essence, the plot of the book, but this IS Loretta Chase, so it’s expertly done, with plenty of her trademark deadpan humour and quick-fire banter, as well as a subtle exploration of the inner lives and motivations of her protagonists.

We first met Olivia Wingate and Peregrine Dalmay, Earl of Lisle, in Lord Perfect, when Olivia’s hare-brained scheme to go on a treasure hunt – with Lisle in tow because he was too much of a gentleman to let her go on her own – was the impetus for the road-trip romance between her mother, Bathsheba Wingate, and Benedict Carsington, who is Lisle’s uncle. Olivia was vivacious, clever and impulsive at the age of nine, and Lisle, at thirteen, was already showing signs of becoming the level-headed, steadfast young man he is at twenty-four.

Lisle’s parents are so wrapped up in themselves and their frequent bouts of histrionics that it’s easy to see why he is someone who prefers facts and reason over the life of the imagination.  Even though he is his father’s heir, they have never really taken all that much notice of him, and he actually regards the Carsingtons as being more family to him than his own ever was.  For a number of years now, he has lived mostly in Egypt with Rupert and Daphne Carsington (Mr Impossible), working alongside them on various archaeological expeditions and endeavours.  He returns to England after an absence of five years, fully intending his visit to be a short one, but is blindsided by his parents, who want him to go to Scotland in order to restore one of their many properties –  Gorewood Castle – which is in danger of falling into ruin.  At first, he refuses, intent on returning to Egypt as soon as possible, but when his father threatens to cut him off financially if he doesn’t do as he is told, Lisle has no choice but to go.

Olivia hasn’t changed all that much – in essence – over the last decade.  She is still full of life and full of mischief, but is chafing at the restrictions imposed upon a marriageable young woman and lives very close to the edge of respectability, having been engaged a number of times and jilted all her fiancés.  One thing that has changed, though – and which hits Lisle like the proverbial ton of bricks – is that she’s grown into a stunningly lovely young woman, and he finds it incredibly difficult to deal with the sudden and unwanted stirrings of physical attraction for the girl who has been and still is his best friend.

Lisle’s effect on Olivia is similar. Tall, handsome and sun-kissed, he takes her breath away, but she knows nothing can come of it.  Over the years they’ve known each other, she is the only person who has ever truly understood him, and even though she loves him dearly, she wants him to be happy and believes his love for Egypt will always trump anything he can find at home.

Seizing a chance to have what might well turn out to be a last adventure before she has to get married and settle down, Olivia concocts a plan which sees her and two elderly chaperones setting off for Scotland in spite of Lisle’s insistence on going alone. The journey is long and not without complications, not least of which is the trouble Lisle and Olivia have keeping their hands off each other.  Arrived at the castle, Lisle decides to distract himself by drawing up plans of the place while Olivia handles the domestic issues, but in spite of his efforts to limit the amount of contact between them, they are drawn to each other like moths to flame.

As I said at the outset, I always enjoy this sort of story, and this is a good example of the trope.  The dialogue is superb, the sexual tension is explosive and Ms Chase has very skilfully ‘aged’ her protagonists so that they are completely recognisable as the Olivia and Lisle we met in the earlier book; but there are a couple of things about the story which didn’t quite work for me.  Firstly, even though the couple try to ignore their mutual attraction, things get physical between them quite early, considering that Lisle wants to get back to Egypt as soon as he can and Olivia wants him to be happy and doesn’t want to tie him down.  And secondly, that, really, is the only area of conflict in the book; he doesn’t want to stay in England, she doesn’t want him to stay and be miserable – and I couldn’t help wondering “why don’t you just get married and go to Egypt together?” – that would solve the problem!  And when the conflict is resolved, it happens “poof!” – just like that, and I’m afraid I couldn’t quite buy it.

Kate Reading narrates once again and delivers another impressive performance, clearly differentiating between the various characters, and performing narrative and dialogue at a good pace.  She captures Olivia’s vibrancy and impulsiveness very well, and I especially enjoyed the way she portrays Lisle, his pragmatism and steadiness evident in her voice, but underlaid with sarcasm, wit, and – sometimes – an “I’m-gritting-my-teeth-or-I’ll-explode” sort of temper. The two dowagers who accompany the couple to Scotland are a hoot, and Ms Reading does a great job with them, a couple of old busybodies who thoroughly relish a bit of salacious and ribald gossip.  The only negative thing I can find to say about her performance is that her Scottish accents are a little wobbly, but as none of the Scottish characters appears for very long or has extended speeches, it’s not a problem.  Even with the reservations I’ve expressed about the story, I’m recommending Last Night’s Scandal because it’s still a great listen.  Kate Reading has an incredible affinity for Loretta Chase’s words, her comic timing is exceptional and she delivers every line with absolute perfection, bringing out the humour and, most importantly, the depth of the affection between the central characters.

Caz


Narration: A

Book Content: B

Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence Rating: None

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: NYLA

Last Night's Scandal was provided to AudioGals by NYLA for a review.

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4 thoughts on “Last Night’s Scandal by Loretta Chase

  1. I was a little disappointed in Last Night’s Scandal, but Kate Reading is magic, so I’m going to give it a try.
    Thanks for the review!

    1. I confess I haven’t read the book, which might have helped with the enjoyment factor; I knew Kate Reading would be great (which she was) which definitely helped to cover since of the cracks in the story. But a below par Chase is still miles ahead of about 80% of all the other HR out there!

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