The Duchess Society: Book 2
Publication Date: January 6, 2022
In this enemies-to-lovers Regency romance by award-winning author Tracy Sumner, a bold lady and a ruthless duke realize they need to agree to an ardent alliance to get what they want.
He knew at first sight.
She knew at first kiss.
Helena Astley, Lady Hell to the ton, has plans. To control her father’s shipping business, to live her way, by her rules. Her plan is going remarkably well until one ill-advised kiss invites the duke she doesn’t want but cannot resist into her life.
Hardnosed Roan Darlington, Duke of Leighton, cares little for society or finding a duchess. The only person ever to challenge him is the incorrigible, infuriating Helena Astley. The one woman he’s never been able to forget. When they’re caught in a ruinous situation, Roan offers her an alternative. A sham engagement she can break off after Christmas.
As they discover a world of forbidden pleasure, Helena must decide if she can relinquish a heart she vowed to withhold from the only man powerful enough to seize it.
And Roan must decide if falling madly, passionately in love is worth the risk.
I’ve been enjoying The Duchess Society books by Tracy Sumner, so I was excited to dive into The Scandalous Vixen, and it didn’t disappoint. It is part of the series, but it does stand-alone pretty well. But as with most series, it’s more enjoyable if you’ve read the previous books in order to understand the secondary characters a little better.
The Scandalous Vixen follows Roan and Helena. Roan had a pretty significant part in The Brazen Bluestocking, and Helena had a short introduction. These two have been on each other’s radar for ten years, but a misunderstanding has put them at odds for all these years. Now they keep getting thrown together, and the sparks are there, but Helena really wants to ignore them as she has no place in society. As a duke who really couldn’t care less what society thinks, Roan is willing to see where this attraction will take them.
The chemistry between Roan and Helena jumped off the pages, and the slow burn romance worked for me. I enjoyed the verbal play between the two and was cheering them on as they searched for their happily ever after. I’m always a sucker for a romance between characters of different stations, in this case, a duke and a rich but common woman. There’s that Cinderella-esque feeling to the story that just draws me in. And that difference in stations is also the central conflict threatening to tear them apart.
I found The Scandalous Vixen to be a page-turner. I liked both main characters and couldn’t wait to see how they achieved their happily ever after. I highly recommend this book and series to historical romance fans.
Award-winning author Tracy Sumner’s storytelling career began when she picked up a historical romance on a college beach trip, and she fondly blames LaVyrle Spencer for her obsession with the genre. She’s a recipient of the National Reader’s Choice, and her novels have been translated into Dutch, German, Portuguese and Spanish. She lived in New York, Paris and Taipei before finding her way back to the Lowcountry of South Carolina.
When not writing sizzling love stories about feisty heroines and their temperamental-but-entirely-lovable heroes, Tracy enjoys reading, snowboarding, college football (Go Tigers!), yoga, and travel. She loves to hear from romance readers!
