A Touch of Scandal picks up immediately where Jennifer Haymore’s earlier novel, A Hint of Wicked (reviewed on MyShelf June 2009) ends. Although it’s not necessary to read the first novel to enjoy the second, I would highly recommend it. Both books contain many of the same extremely interesting, well-developed characters in one large continuing story contained within the two novels.

When Garrett, Duke of Carlton, tracks down the criminal who lured his innocent young sister into a sham marriage, he can almost taste the sweetness of revenge. Yet Kate, a beautiful woman who works as a servant in his enemy’s household, catch’s Garrett’s attention and won’t let it go. Soon he discovers that Kate is actually the scoundrel’s younger sister. Unfortunately for Garrett, he learns this information after he has compromised Kate’s virtue.

So while Garrett feels his loyalty pulled between his growing love for Kate and his seething hatred for her brother, Kate feels her loyalty pulled between her love for her brother and her love for Garrett. Combine that with the young wife’s conflicted feelings and the villainous brother’s hatred of everybody, plus a little problem with divergent social classes among the lovers, and you’ve got an intricate piece of storytelling that cleverly parallels the dilemma from A Hint of Wicked.

Luckily, Jennifer Haymore deftly handles this challenge. In addition, she weaves the recent past into the present and provides hints about the future. Blending mystery, vengeance, romance, and passion, A Touch of Scandal will touch readers with its scandal, but more importantly will touch their hearts with its characters worth caring about.