Book: Your Scandalous Ways by Loretta Chase

Published January 2008|Published by Harper Collins|239 pages|Purchased for my Nook

Series? Yes, Fallen Women #1

Genre: Adult/Historical Romance

Check it out at: Goodreads|Barnes And Noble|Amazon|Loretta Chase’s Website

Goodreads.com Summary: James Cordier is all blue blood and entirely dangerous. He’s a master of disguise, a brilliant thief, a first-class lover–all for King and Country–and, by gad, he’s “so” weary of it. His last mission is to “acquire” a packet of incriminating letters from one notorious woman. Then he can return to London and meet sweet-natured heiresses–not adventuresses and fallen women.

Francesca Bonnard has weathered heartbreak, scorn, and scandal. She’s independent, happy, and “definitely” fallen; and she’s learned that “gentlemen” are more trouble than they’re worth. She can also see that her wildly attractive new neighbor is bad news.

But as bad as James is, there are others far worse also searching for Francesca’s letters. And suddenly nothing is simple–especially the nearly incendiary chemistry between the two most jaded, sinful souls in Europe. And just as suddenly, risking everything may be worth the prize.

I am slowly becoming a fan of Loretta Chase.  Your Scandalous ways was so fun to read!

I have to say, Francesca was hilarious, and she was a lot more witty than I expected.  I LOVED Francesca and James together, and they really are well-matched.  I thought Venice was a great setting for the book, and it made it seem fun and exotic- and you got a great sense of what Venice was like during the 1800’s.  Plus, I loved the random historical references throughout the novel.  She does a great job at weaving in history and Italian.

What’s interesting about Francesca and James is that were okay on their own, but great when they were together.  Seriously, it’s a shame that they couldn’t be together in every single scene.

I wasn’t expecting so much action, and there’s a lot more going on than just romance.  There’s quite a bit of intrigue, and quite a bit of adventure.  I was pleasantly surprised that a lot of the characters were fun to read and all had their own personalities.  Like, I love that Francesca becomes a well-paid courtesan in Venice after getting divorced.  And she completely owns that, which is also pretty cool.  And James as a spy sent to get letters from Francesca but getting distracted by her beauty?  Certainly interesting, but also very predictable.

Final thoughts: I’m just annoyed that it took me so long to read it, because it really was fun to read.  I definitely need to read more Loretta Chase, and more romance in general.  Your Scandalous Ways gets 5 stars- I couldn’t help but love it.