Some Like It Scandalous audiobook

4.5 stars - Historical Romance

I really loved this book - Daisy and Theo are such an amazing couple and I LOVED their banter.Daisy Swan has never been considered pretty, unlike her gorgeous mother and sister, but she is smart and believes in herself. She has also hated Theodore Prescott the Third since she was 13 years old and he gave her the nickname Ugly Duck Daisy, on that day she decided three things, she will never marry, she will find a way to cut ties with society and she will hate Theo until the day she dies.12 years later at 25 Daisy is still not pretty, but she is in college and hopes to get a degree in chemistry, be declared a spinster and start a cosmetics company. Her plans are progressing nicely until her mother demands that she marry and not just anyone - Theo the Worst (as Daisy likes to call him) - her mother explains that her father is up to something that is sure to cause a huge scandal and Daisy needs to be married to protect herself. NO - Daisy refuses to even consider the idea and needs to get away - she runs outside and enters the park.Up the street, Theo has been called into his father's library, his latest scandal is the final straw for Prescott the Second. He demands that Theo marry Daisy or he will cut him off - NO! He refuses and also ends up in the park - only to find Daisy - they exchange words and when it begins to rain they take shelter in a gazebo - she asks what they will do, she thinks they should get engaged to shut up their parents and then find a way out - he refuses to even consider the idea. That is until he learns that his father has suspended his club membership. Theo decides that he has had enough, he wants to be his own man and will need Daisy to help. They agree to pretend to be agreeable and form a truce to reach their common goal of not marrying each other.Their first outing together is an eye opener for Theo, he never really considered what his cruel words years ago did to Daisy. He apologizes, but she still doesn't like him. But when he learns of her dream to start her own company, he offers to help - Theo knows women and has a gift with words, together, they will be successful. Reluctantly, Daisy agrees to a partnership and begins to respect Theo and Lord Forgive her, even like him. Somewhere between bickering and kissing, they fall in love and just when it looks like they might actually marry, her father's scandal breaks and everything begins to unravel - can Theo forgive her lies by omission? Or will they bend to their parents wishes once more?What a great book! It is well written (I had an uncorrected arc, that did have some little errors, but I am assuming those will be corrected by publication), the story is unique and fast paced - the banter between them is priceless, there are laugh out loud moments, steamy love scenes, moments of triumph and moments of devastation, but through it all, even when they hated each other, Theo and Daisy stuck together and earned their HEA. This is the second book in the series, but it can absolutely be read as a stand alone, I loved it and am happy to recommend it!!*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an uncorrected eARC that was provided to me by the publisher*

This second installment in Maya Rodale's Gilded Age girls club takes us back to Manhattan in the late 1800s, where Daisy Swan wants nothing more than to live out her life as a spinster, selling her very own complexion cream. Her mother, though, has other ideas. Not only does she want Daisy to marry, she wants it to be with the pretty playboy who made her teenage years miserable. Theo is the one who dubbed her Ugly Duck Daisy and he's never done anything since to raise her opinion of him. In fact, he is best known for being ornamental and vapid, and is no more interested in marrying her than she is interested in marrying him.Their parents aren't interested in what they want, so they launch a fake engagement to get them off their backs. The first half of the book focuses on their begrudging pact; the second half shows them falling for each other, despite their best intentions. I enjoyed the book, even if I didn't love-LOVE it the way I did the first book in the series. I liked that Daisy's brand of feminism still managed to celebrate a feminine pursuit (like cosmetics/being pretty.) Feminism is about the freedom to be who you want, even if what you want is to be a princess.What kept it from being 100% for me was Theo in the first half. He was pretty self-involved and was oblivious to the way his behavior over the years affected Daisy. Of course, his arc has him seeing his mistakes and evolving into a better version of himself. But it was hard to root for him as a love interest in the early chapters.The book does give a satisfying ending--and, for sure, I'll keep reading in the series.

This was a very enjoyable read and the characters were likeable. A bit of a change from the normal romances related to Gilded Age that I've read. Nice reading.

My Rating: 4.5 Stars When they were children, Theodore Prescott the Third, of one of the richest families in Manhattan, called Daisy Swan a horrible name. It was so bad, in fact, that she has never forgotten it - nor forgiven him. Theo has recently experienced an incredible scandal and the only way to save face is to marry someone with respect. The best woman for this, encouraged by both families, is none other than Daisy. Her family is facing scandal, but most are unaware of that fact. How can the two of them work this out? It is more than clear that they still hate each other all these years later. However, Daisy has taken on a huge endeavor, and it seems that Theo is just the man that can help her with it. She has developed a product for women. Daisy is a brilliant scientist, but not very creative when it comes to marketing, so Theo is sure with his ideas, he can get her business off the ground. Theo and Daisy come to an agreement. They will pretend to be in love and engaged to quiet their families. This will obviously further her business, while at the same time helping Theo overcome his scandal. It doesn't take them very long to realize that there is indeed a thin line between love and hate and that, just maybe, they might be attracted to one another. Are they indeed suited to be a couple slated to find true love?When attraction and a few sizzling kisses are getting in the way, Daisy maintains that she does not actually want to marry. At some point, obviously, she begins to rethink her decision. At the very least, she would like to finish getting her degree. As a woman in the 1890s, this is rather unusual, but yet it is something that Daisy excels at. Getting married might put that goal in jeopardy. Just like the first book in the series, A Duchess by Design, the rights of women are explored. I definitely enjoyed watching both women in this series work towards achieving personal goals despite the limits of society. One scene that really grabbed my attention is that where a group of women go to dine alone. In that day and age, it simply wasn't done. At least one man had to accompany women. Watching the women stand up to what they felt they had a right to was just a sampling of what this book deals with. The third book in the series, An Heiress to Remember, is set for release in March, 2020. I look forward to the next heroine in the series and learning even more about the Gilded Age. Many thanks to Avon and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for an honest opinion.

A cute, progressive, feminist historical romance.

A delightful, fascinating look at women in the Gilded Age of New York. I loved the characters. I loved the story. If you have a drop of feminism in your blood you will love how determined women found a way to thwart, not just men, but the mores of the time. This is a wonderful follow-up to the previous book in the series.Daisy and Theo were childhood acquaintances and enemies after an incident in which he called her "Ugly Duck Daisy." So things were just awful when their parents coerce them into an engagement. Daisy and Theo agree to a false engagement and begin to plot the end of the engagement. Meanwhile, Daisy struggles to find her own place in the world and Theo struggles to gain his father's respect. Good stories force the characters to change and grow. This book does that job extremely well. Plus the dialogue between Daisy and Theo is just charming. You will get sentimental tears and want to stand up and cheer by the end. Terrific book!

For as much as I love discussing beauty and skincare, I know very little about the history of cosmetics. Some Like It Scandalous provides a crash course on the history of complexion balm and makeup, thanks to budding entrepeneur and scientist Daisy. Daisy has no interest in marriage and is solely focused on figuring out how to bring her complexion balm, based on an old family recipe and tweaked thanks to her background in chemistry, to market. Her plans are foiled when her mother joins forces with the father of her childhood bully and demands she wed Theo before disaster falls on her father’s business. Theo, on the other hand, is embroiled in the latest scandal and his father has decided he will marry or be cut off.I love enemies-to-lovers plots and Daisy has valid reasons for hating Theo, even if he’s befuddled by her reaction to him. They decide to join forces and fake an engagement in order to buy time. And in the meantime, Daisy gets to start selling her complexion balm while Theo puts his marketing genius to good use, which also gives him purpose for the first time. In the process, they get to know one another and truly see and understand the other person, versus the image they’ve both presented to the world.This series just plain works for me. The women go hard after their dreams and they don’t have to compromise their career for the sake of love. I’ve read some criticisms that Theo’s character is under drawn but I didn’t feel that way or if I did notice it, it didn’t bother me. I really liked Theo and Daisy together and how perfectly they complemented one another.Plus, the Gilded Age continues to fascinate me. I look forward to where this series goes next!CW: bullying, financial fraud, abortion for side character

This book is EVERYTHING I want in a read – a heroine to adore: determined, brainy, unapologetically herself and yet still curious and willing to take chances with a hero who, despite his appearances of not caring is actually kind, considerate and feeling a bit lost and guilty while still trying to gain recognition and approval from his father. But, when the two are pushed / cajoled / prodded together, the sparks fly and oh how wonderful it is to find the thoroughly open set of sensibilities in a man of the time! Daisy has always been different to her sisters and mother, and even more importantly, she has taken that knowledge and used it to build her own dreams: a degree in chemistry, a life unencumbered by the debutante/marriage mart, and her eventual plans to lead a life that is self-supporting and single. She’s got plans and dreams, and there is nothing that she will allow to stop her. Until her mother, desperate to push her into asituation where she will be secure and her reputation protected from inevitable family scandal, uses the scandalous behavior and latest exploits of Theo (in conjunction with his father) to demand an engagement and marriage forthwith. Believing that the Prescott name and family money will secure Daisy’s place in society, her mother is full on, while both Daisy and Theo are feeling more chalk and cheese, and not at all enamored of the idea. But something happens: Daisy is not one for holding her tongue, and Theo finds that he appreciates her honesty and clear speaking, and her ideas to create cosmetics (of all things) in an era where only actresses and prostitutes have use of them, death to a reputation of a ‘woman from a good family’ intriguing. And, fortunately as Daisy is a woman of thought and progress, she’s connected with others first met in this series who are, for better or worse, working to propel women’s issues, choices, opportunities and lives for the better. There’s so much for thought here – from Theo’s own issues with his father to Daisy’s curiosity and fragility, to the feeling that the two are so well matched both in temperament best seen in their bickering, that it is a couple that is meant to be together, even when they don’t see it themselves. Rodale has created another couple to love who feel very modern while still taking the opportunity to show the constraints placed on their behavior and choices, making this a historic novel and storyline to adore. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility. Review first appeared at I am, Indeed

Maya Rodale give some of the more fun historical romance that I have read. I enjoy very much picking up one of her romances and seeing where it takes me. I love that so makes the titles feel like something familiar.With Some Like it Scandalous we get us a pair of enemies that turn to lovers and then so much more. The game of pretend or convenience makes its claim know and staked on the hearts of two very unsuspecting individuals. Daisy and Theodore Prescott the Third makes to most of their fake engagement. The take full advantage of all the offerings of being respectable in public and behind closed doors things were certainly different. I can only say that again I had fun with Maya's latest offering. I do very much look forward to more of the friends, family and other characters meet while traveling this journey with Theo and Daisy.

Daisy and Theo were such an interesting couple to follow. I love the feminist aspects and haw Daisy wanted to create makeup that made women feel beautiful for themselves. I also loved the way the relationship progressed.

I was really torn about how to rate this one. I loved Theo and Daisy and the way their relationship and business unfolded. But there was so much packed in with the ladies of the club and their protests and activities (toward the end of the book in particular) that the pacing felt strange and on multiple occasions I asked, "What does this have to do with the story?" I think some of the historically-based events needed either a longer book to spread them out or to be saved for another book.