Four years ago, Lady Cecelia Campbell fell head over heels in love with Lord Rupert Marlowe, the young Earl of Stanhope. Everybody knew they would marry and live happily ever after.But then Rupert did the unthinkable. He enlisted as an officer in the army and left England for a post in South Africa. Cecelia was left alone in England, loving, yearning, and worrying about him from a distance. Now … a distance.
Now Rupert has returned. He is ready to take up his seat in the House of Lords, to assume the administration of the Stanhope estate from his mother, Lady Katya, and most importantly of all, to finally marry Cecelia.
Cece isn’t the same woman Rupert left behind, however. She has grown and flourished and become a woman of strength and opinion. And she’s not going to sit back and let Rupert get away with leaving her for so long.
But when Cece takes a stand and declares her independence in a very public way, the scandal her defiance causes blows every expectation for her future happiness with Rupert to smithereens. It also gains her an exclusive invitation to join the elite group of politically-minded women known as the May Flowers. But the May Flowers are a group of shocking, defiant, sometimes wicked women. They are a bundle of scandals waiting to happen.
Can Rupert convince the new, more powerful Cecelia to forgive him for abandoning her, and can he woo her all over again? Will the scandal of their break-up tear them apart forever, or will it make their love stronger…and hotter?
PLEASE BE ADVISED: Steam level – very spicy!
THE MAY FLOWERS series is a continuation of THE SILVER FOXES OF WESTMINSTER series, involving the younger generation. It consists of:
A LADY’S FIRST SCANDAL
IT’S ONLY A SCANDAL IF YOU’RE CAUGHT
THE SCANDAL OF A PERFECT KISS
THE EARL’S SCANDALOUS BARGAIN
THE ROAD TO SCANDAL IS PAVED WITH WICKED INTENTIONS
WHEN LADY INNOCENCE MET DR. SCANDAL
more
Bless his heart, Rupert is a bit clueless when it comes to woman and what they want and need. He really does try though. I like how Rupert had to learn to understand Cece. Cece does not come off as strong in the beginning but as the story progresses you can see her personality come out. Sometimes we all need a little scandal in our lives. We come out stronger and better for it. There is a shocker scene near the end that teared me up – get out the tissues. The writing flows well and kept me engaged. What can I say, I loved it!
Merry, please say there is a book with Fergus and Lady Tavistock?
I received a complimentary copy from the author and Booksprout.
When Lord Rupert Marlowe, the Earl of Stanhope, first met Lady Cecelia Campbell, the daughter of his mother’s new husband, their connection was instant and the entire family knew they belonged together. But then Rupert took an officer’s army commission and left to fight in South Africa, leaving Cece behind to worry for him without ever consulting her on the decision.
Four years later Rupert has finally returned ready to take on his responsibilities as an earl, claim his seat in the House of Lords, and marry the love of his life. But Cece has changed and truly come into her own as a woman in the time he’s been gone. She has her own thoughts and strong opinions and, though she loves Rupert, she won’t settle for anything less than full respect and a true partnership.
When Cece joins a radical ladies’ political group and takes a public stand against Rupert’s high-handed assumptions, scandal ensues. Rupert must figure out how to earn Cece’s forgiveness and make her fall in love with him all over again. She’s shown her strength and independence, but he hopes to show her how strong they can be together.
Bless his heart but Rupert was utterly clueless. His attempts at being loving and reassuring just came off as arrogant and callous. This sort of trope doesn’t typically work for me with the characters making each other jealous and dancing around one another but it did here. I think because it was obvious to everyone, including the main characters themselves, that they truly loved each other and would work it out and be together. Cece was strong and courageous without being a shrew and her interactions with Rupert were a very accurate depiction of how real relationships truly are: even after you find the person you know you belong with, you still have to work to make your relationship a success. There was also some good quality villainy and the most charming secondary characters. I’m so looking forward to more of this new series and it’s off to a great start.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Admid political turmoil concerning Irish independence, Rufus returns after several years in the army. Practically ignoring Cece, his intended, she decides to go her own path and declare independence. The more Rufus discovers the woman she’s become, the more he adores her. If he can just keep his mouth shut from saying the wrong thing.
This book was a good read and I learned a bit about Irish home rule. I just wish the language wasn’t so course. When you are seducing the woman you love why do need to speak like that?
I would read it again
Merry is a perfect name for this author, she leads the reader on a merry paths to the end.
Lots of back story, so it’s got me thirsty for the next book. But doesn’t give away too much. Loved the history lesson and the way woman then could have paved they way for us today.
Excellent writing
This book was fantastic! I devoured this one in less than 24 hrs! It was such a unique story to have a young couple who have already fallen in love and committed themselves to each other, come to discover that as people grow and evolve it takes work to keep that love going! And to top it off, this was a fabulously steamy read! I highly recommend this one!
This wonderfully written storyline and characters that were written with such great detail and depth made this book a very enjoyable read! I was so engrossed in this story that I read this book in one sitting!
A Lady’s First Scandal by Merry Farmer is another great read. There are some up and downs with some interesting characters. Lady Cecelia Campbell “Cece” is an independent strong woman who knows her own mind, she is a far different young woman than who Lord Rupert left behind when he went away as an officer in the army. Now they have come back together he is ready to merry Cecelia but is she? That is just one question to be answered but there is just so much more to this great story. I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book. Can’t wait for more of The May Flower series.
Another enjoyable Merry Farmer – I can always count on her books to be light and leave me smiling!
Nice storyline and plot. Characters are well described and they develop nicely through the story.
A Lady’s First Scandal
Merry Farmer
Rupert has returned from war and his friends have came with him. He is a proud man and thinks everyone should be swooning when he tells his story.
Cece is waiting for Rupert to come out, she is standing with his mother and sisters and her father. A group of ladies are also waiting. When Rupert come out with his friends he spots his family and Cece.
His behaviour is not one that she expected, she wanted him to hug her in a warm welcome. He holds his self in check. Things go cold on her behalf, he is wondering why.
She joins a group of ladies in political views called the May Flowers.
She stands up to Rupert when he drags her in front of a ball to announce he is going to wed her. She says No and tells him off and mentions his moustache saying it looks like a hedgehog trying to climb up his nose.
Later she goes to a rally and speaks out for the Irish people.
“History tells us more and I encourage you to read more about this issue “
I truly enjoyed reading this book.
I will tell you that there is adult situations and not everyone will like this, but the book is great.
My disclaimer…
I was given a copy of this book for my honest review.
Any book or novels I leave reviews on are not dependent on the book/novel review author’s opinion. No one influenced my voluntary review for any of the books or novels I read, they are my own opinions
Cece led Rupert on quite the merry chase after he dissed her when he came home from war. Their journey through the deliverance of women to the freedom of the Irish only led them closer. Great characters and a fun read. She
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I liked that when Rupert came back to Cece she had grown into a strong independent woman and they were able to find their way to being together through that. I will be reading the next book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The first book in The May Flowers series and I know I want to read the next book. This is, Lady Cecelia Campbell and Lord Rupert Marlowe, the Earl of Stanhope’s second chance to get their happy ending. It is also the start of the May Flowers women’s group, and the believe’s that the Irish where not really a civilized group of people and that they where below notice by the English. I hope as this series goes on that the male villain and his sister who I think is just as guilty as the brother of the crimes committed against others, get what they deserve. I will just have to keep reading this series to see if that happens. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is going to be a great series!
From the start, I could not believe Rupert he had no idea how he can across totally clueless. Cecelia after waiting so long is heartsick their reunion was nothing like she expected. Just reading the first chapter and you know there are going to be some glorious challenges in this piece. The author has done a great job of showing both pov. Great characters and some very well-written scene that you will love made this book hard to put down. This was an excellent story I highly recommend the book. I did receive a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.
“Everyone knows that a woman’s place is in the domestic sphere”….”Women are feeble. Their constitutions cannot handle the strain of conflict. It damages their reproductive capacity”…..with this being men’s attitude in that era, it’s no wonder women started fighting back and demanded to have rights!
After four years, all Lord Rupert Marlowe wanted was to come home from South Africa, leave the army behind and marry his beloved Lady Cecelia Campbell. He doesn’t get the welcome he was expecting, though! Cece has changed and isn’t scared of voicing her opinions and has even joined the group of politically minded women, the May Flowers. I kind of felt sorry for Rupert because no matter what he said or tried, Cece would end up being upset with him….poor men, they often times have no clue! lol
Amidst political upheaval and women fighting to have rights, this story centers around Rupert and Cece who are trying to find their way through it all and even though there is a deep passion between them, there has to be some give and take on each side. A very interesting story that I enjoyed reading and of course, it’s always fun to learn more about the history of those times.
I received an ARC of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Farmer has written a wonderful love story that revolves around Cece and Rupert and it is written in such a way that it draws you in and keeps you interested in what will happen next. In the story there is a large amount of friendly banter not only between the two main characters but others mentioned the story. Rupert’s sister, Bianca adds to the liveliness of the story along with others. The sexual encounters between Rupert and Cece are tastefully written and add to the story. There is a HEA but there is a lot happening in this book which makes it a great read and one that I would highly recommend.