Scandal Wears Satin by Loretta Chase

Historical Romance

Loretta Chase is one of my favorite romance writers so when I saw Scandal Wears Satin on Edelweiss I requested a review copy.  Of course I had to start reading immediately and had trouble putting it down.  This is the second book about the children of Catherine DeLucey (one of those Dreadful DeLucey’s) and Edward Noirot (a seducer and swindler of the first order).  As I found out in the first book, Silk is For Seduction; their daughters are not following in the family footsteps.  Instead they are attempting to make their living honestly as dressmakers to the ton.

Here is Goodread's take on Scandal Wears Satin:

A blue-eyed innocent on the outside and a shark on the inside, dressmaker Sophy Noirot could sell sand to Bedouins. Selling Maison Noirot's beautiful designs to aristocratic ladies is a little harder, especially since a recent family scandal has made an enemy of one of society's fashion leaders. Turning scandal to the shop's advantage requires every iota of Sophy's manipulative skills, leaving her little patience for big, reckless rakes like the Earl of Longmore. The gorgeous lummox can't keep more than one idea in his head at a time, and his idea is taking off all of Sophy's clothes.

But when Longmore's sister, Noirot's wealthiest, favorite customer, runs away, Sophy can't let him bumble after her on his own. In hot pursuit with the one man who tempts her beyond reason, she finds desire has never slipped on so smoothly.

Characters:  Building wonderful characters is one of Loretta Chases' strength.  Sophy and Longmore are wonderful.  Sophy is smart, versatile, and loyal.  Longmore is smarter than he looks and smart enough to go after Sophy.

Laugh Factor:  Like previous books there is a great deal of humor in the book.  Even when things look bleak the dialog between Longmore and Sophy adds a light touch to the story.

Plot:  There are a lot of twist and turns to the book.  Sophy is trying to keep the shop going and her mind is always working.  At times I didn't know what she was up to so there were plenty of surprises throughout the story.  Longmore even managed a few of his own.

Tension:  That was there through out the book.  Just as it looked liked things were going to calm down a new situation raised the tension to a higher level.

Writing:  The story was skillfully woven. I did not see a scene that could have been cut.  Everything that needed to be in the story was there with nothing extra to distract from the story.

Clothing:  In this series the clothes are another character. The descriptions of the various dresses made me glad I live today.  Just seeing what was required to get into and out of the various outfits left me exhausted.

I think that Scandal Wears Silk will go on my favorites self right beside Lord Perfect and Mr. Impossible both by Loretta Chase.

 Avon published Scandal Wears Silk by Loretta Chase in 2012.