Print Length: 489 pages
Publisher: Emily Honeyfield (June 17, 2020)
From Goodreads.com: Susanna always thought that her life would be a straight pathway to happiness, but her plans went askew when her husband spread rumors of a scandalous affair with another man. Ηumiliated and ostracised by society, Susanna has to pick up her pieces and move on. When she ends up encountering a handsome and brooding Duke at a picnic, Susanna decides to defy the nasty gossip, even though she knows she is playing with fire. Will Susanna manage to break free of society's norms and follow her passionate heart?
Reginald's world turns upside down, when he finds out his wife's baby isn't his own. But, just before his life is about to fall apart, the unpredictable faith brings the dashing Susanna right in front of his eyes. This fiery divorcee brings some colour back to his life and, surprisingly enough, irresistible desire and passion. Soon, the sparks inside him cannot be denied and he has to take action. But is Reginald ready to let go of the pain that has swallowed him? When everything shows she is the one for him, can he let go of his tormented past and start all over again?
When false lies about the sinful couple threaten to ruin their reputation, they are all alone against a most cruel society. And as if that was not enough, Reginald has to fight with Susanna's conscience to get her to stay. Both betrayed and hurt, will they dare to give love a second chance? Or will their love be lost in time?
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My Rating: 2 stars out of 5
I was intrigued by the premise of this novel. What could be more interesting than two broken people healing each other?
Unfortunately for this novel? A lot of other things.
It started off strongly enough, giving us a glimpse into the personal lives of Reginald and Susanna just as their worlds fell apart. It allowed us to see the betrayal of his wife as she admitted her secret truth to him, and the cruelty of Susanna's husband in the way he not only treated her, but also the way he allowed others (including the servants) to undermine her and mistreat her as well. The supporting cast (Reginald's friend Thomas and Susanna's friend Lucy) were also entertaining, and I even enjoyed watching our two main characters meet for the first time.
And then they began their affair and the entire book fell apart.
For one, I found it a bit hard to believe that Reginald would be so trusting of Susanna from the start. Yes, he saw her from a distance the night her husband announced he was divorcing her, but he didn't know her. Yet somehow, he just never believed the rumors about her and was willing to trust her explicitly despite his own wife's infidelity. It seemed like a case of "instant love" for him which after him being alone for three years made it seem like he was more interested in having her in his bed whenever he wanted than any true feelings on his part. But I suppose I could have overlooked that had it not been for the continuous repetition from Susanna. Time and time again she thinks to herself how she needs to leave him, but she just can't walk away. In fact, an actual passage from the story reads "The best thing to do would be to walk away, but Susanna couldn't. She just couldn't".
Over and over we have that same phrase repeated to us until to be perfectly honest I was wishing she would just walk away already. Not to mention the horribly predictable story-line of our lovers being caught in the act by none other than Susanna's ex-husband. I'm still not certain what purpose that served. Yes, they got him to admit the truth, but it was nothing more than they had suspected all along.
Overall, while this one just wasn't for me, I am sure there are others who will enjoy it. I might give this author another chance down the road.
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A Scandalous Match Against All Odds is available from Amazon.com
(for free if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited)
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