Too Scandalous to Wed is the second book in the trilogy by Ms. Benedict.  It features Henrietta (Henry) Ashby and Sebastian, Viscount Ravenswood.  Henrietta has been in love with Sebastian for years.  Her youthful adoration has turn into full-blown love. Sebastian has vowed never to marry but Henrietta will do what she can to change his mind.  She has seduction on her mind and goes to a courtesan for advice to rein in her man.  It is a battle of wills as Henrietta makes her advances and Sebastian tries to stay out of her way.

Henrietta’s character undergoes many changes during this story.  She starts off as an innocent girl but ends up disillusioned as she finds her hero is not what she expected.  Henry was quite likable at the start and middle of the story but by the end, she was very tiresome with her constant rant against Sebastian as he failed to live up to the “hero” status. Sebastian is a man with positive as well as negative points.  This reader did enjoy how he was written as we knew who and what he stood for.  Finding himself embroiled in a scandal with Henrietta, he does the honorable thing albeit with prodding from others.  His feelings for her are genuine and the reader does believe that he can change for the better.  As a couple there was something that just didn’t click with this reader.  The chemistry didn’t feel right between them and even the erotic scenes didn’t help. Too Scandalous to Wed was a very hard book to review.  There were portions of it which was very good and parts that was just so-so.  Ultimately, the lead couple didn’t win this reader’s heart or imagination.

Reviewed by Susan Tam for The Road to Romance

July 23, 2007