A Regency Mystery Romance.The war is over for the nation but not for the new Duke of Ormond. With death and debt stalking his every waking moment, caught between blackmailers and his brother’s deepest secret, Alexander’s dreams lie in tatters, but he never surrendered on the battlefields of the Peninsular and he’s not about to admit defeat now. Even if that means marrying a woman he has never … has never laid eyes on before.
With her father’s warnings still fresh in her mind and her imperfections obvious to any who know her, Elizabeth’s options for freedom are diminishing with every trembling step. Available suitors are few and far between. Marriage to a debt-ridden, aging fortune hunter will not be easy but with no other alternatives and destitution threatening she cannot escape her fate.
Falling in love hadn’t been a possibility Alexander ever considered, but one glance at his beautiful bride’s tear filled onyx eyes has his blood surging through his veins, his heart pounding in his chest and he can no longer hide his emotions behind a facade of polite indifference.
Elizabeth hadn’t expected him to be handsome. She hadn’t expected him to greet her with a sparkling sapphire gaze. She hadn’t expected gentle fingertips on her skin or her heart to break at the tender words on his lips.
With Ormond and the family jewels at stake, Alexander’s resolve to defeat his enemies is soon put to the test as mystery, intrigue and scandal threaten his and Elizabeth’s blossoming affections. There is clearly another plan. There had always been another plan. A plan of greed and vengeance devised to ruin Ormond and its descendants for all time.
Silence of Scandal is a light-hearted, easy read suitable for age 16 and upwards. (Contains some swearing and sensual love scenes)
Silence of Scandal is written in British English.
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My reading pile for the past 5 years consisted mainly of historical romance bestsellers; names such as Mary Jo Putney, Eloisa James, Amanda Quick and many others.
After reading Jackie’s novel, I don’t have any doubt that she deserves to be among those authors who hit the top 10 on a regular basis.
The flow of the story is impeccable, with surprises after every corner.
The characters have very distinct personalities and are developed enough to make you want to read the following books in the series not only the one in your hands. We get to enter in their heads, up to the point where they materialize as real people not only as fictional characters.
I’ve always enjoyed reading historical romances and this was no different. I’m not big on spoilers, so I’ll just say that it opened my eyes and reminded me of how different life is for us now a days…[For one, we marry people we know and love, not for title or fortune -most of us, anyway :)] I felt the story was well developed and the characters believable for that era. The touch of mystery added depth to the story. I’m not much of flashbacks in a story, but in this case I it was necessary and it worked within the plot. All in all, I felt Jackie Williams did a great job in bringing the story to life. Very enjoyable read.
Well I thoroughly enjoyed this tale. Pure ease-to-read escapism. When I was young I loved Barbara Cartland books, the tiny beautiful heroin the tall and dashing lord. The sweet romance of them filled me with romantic dreams. Just recently I decided to re-read one and was surprised at how naive and simple it was. While reading this book I kept thinking its like Barbara Cartland only for adults if you like a bit of pure escapism in a dreamy romance novel then this the book or you! I really enjoyed it.
A must read
This was a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed immensely. I was hooked from the first page. The characters and scenes were intriguing and complex. I liked the growing sexual chemistry between Alexander and Elizabeth, it was captivating. The author did a remarkable job bringing the two together beautifully.
This is a well- written, historical romance that is full of secrets, lies, and suspense. The story will keep you glued to the page. Hence, five stars must read book.
Silence of Scandal is based on a rather common plot–a forced marriage–but Elizabeth is a delight. Alexander is fraught with problems, the worst of which is financial, but Elizabeth has her own problem dealing with the marriage. I won’t spoil things for the reader, but this story is not to be missed.
The author shows great flexibility of vocabulary and very good characterization. I did have some trouble with the dialect though.
In true Williams style, this is a fast, easy read with unique characters that you so want to root for (and others you can’t wait to see get their comeuppance). This is so much more than another run-of-the-mill regency, though the manners, the constricts of society, and the family jewels are all present and accounted for. I can’t wait to see the romance between Alexander’s sister-in-law and his best friend progress in later stories.