Scandalous Ladies of London: Book 2
Publication Date: March 26, 2024
The thrilling second book in New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s amazing new high concept series, The Scandalous Ladies of London, which chronicles the lives of a group of affluent ladies reigning over glittering, Regency-era London, vying for position in the hierarchy of the ton. They are the young wives, widows, and daughters of London’s wealthiest families. The drama is big, the money runs deep, and the shade is real. Life is different in the ton.
“I liked my husband well enough … but I like him even better dead.”
It’s been a year since her wretched cad of a husband died and Valencia, the Dowager Duchess of Dedham, is finally her own woman. Flitting from party to party, freedom is sweet and life should be perfect. Until the new duke surfaces.
Nothing like the haughty noblemen who populate the ton, Rhain, the newly minted Duke of Dedham, is a big brawny Welshman with an accent that makes Valencia’s knees go weak as he boldly moves into her home with his six wild unwed sisters. The rude and humorless usurper thinks her vain and spoiled. But with a pittance to her name, Valencia needs his support to remain in London and enjoy all the pleasures her new position as a merry widow has to offer.
So a bargain is struck. Valencia will usher his sisters into Good Society and see them happily betrothed. In return, he’ll give her the financial security and independence she craves. But the more time they spend beneath the same roof, the more she realizes it’s not safety she wants but the dangerously seductive Rhain. Valencia has vowed never to risk marriage again. And yet how can she resist the tempting man when he might be the greatest adventure of her life?
After observing all the proper rules of mourning, the widowed Duchess of Dedham is eager to rejoin society. However, she didn’t count on the new Duke of Dedham to arrive on her doorstep accompanied by his large family.
Author Sophie Jordan takes readers on a spicy Regency jaunt in The Duchess, an installment in the The Scandalous Ladies of London series.
Each chapter starts with a witty comment from Valencia. With the arrival of Rhain, the heir, Valencia must assume the title of Dowager Duchess and move to the dower house in the remote countryside. Meanwhile, Rhain wants to tie up loose ends so he can return to his uncomplicated life in Wales.
A chance encounter before a formal introduction creates a bit of awkwardness. Add in Rhain’s entourage of six unmarried sisters and his mother for even more drama. However, the connection between the two main characters is strong.
Just as Valencia settles into a new routine, helping to introduce the young women to the ton, a threat from the past emerges. The author uses flashback chapters to fill readers in on the details.
The Duchess takes a feisty woman and puts her on a collision course with a man determined to have her, no matter what.
Sophie Jordan grew up in the Texas hill country, where she wove fantasies of dragons, warriors, and princesses. A former high school English teacher, she’s the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of more than fifty novels. She now lives in Houston with her family. When she’s not writing, she spends her time overloading on caffeine (lattes preferred), talking plotlines with anyone who will listen (including her kids), and streaming anything that has a happily ever after.
