Last Night's Scandal by Loretta Chase

September 2, 2015
Peregrine and Olivia, all grown up! Sort of.

http://www.lorettachase.com/
And now Olivia and Peregrine are all grown up. Last Night's Scandal is the story of those precocious children from Lord Perfect, except now they are adults, sort of. Well, they are physically grown up, but mentally they are the same. Olivia may have boobs, but she still is yearning for adventure and she is still getting in trouble. Peregrine is still trying to keep her out of trouble and failing. Last Night's Scandal is Ms. Chase's return to some fun, lots of fun and on occasion close to silly.

I like both characters a lot. Peregrine another Chase male who is gob-smacked right between the eyes when he sees his childhood friend for the first time in years and discovers she has a bosom. After that, it's all downhill or uphill, depending on your point of view. While Olivia was a troublesome child, she is even more of a menace since her chest has enlarged and her hips have curved. Peregrine just cannot stop the whirlwind who is Olivia from sweeping him away.

For years he has avoided his melodramatic family by doing complex, mundane, exacting work in Egypt, but now he has been called back to England to attend the Carsington's matriarch’s birthday. At this point his father threatens him with having his funds cut-off if he doesn't go to Scotland to check into a family estate. So, he reluctantly goes and Olivia tricks, maneuvers, bamboozles her way into the trip to Scotland. She wants her adventure after all.

What an adventure it is, filled with daft chaperones, stupid villains, leery villagers, a treasure hunt, mysterious servants and a haunted castle. This books is a fun-fest. Does the book skate close to the lines of borderline goofy? Yes, but not much. This is a Loretta Chase book after all and it's filled with wonderful fun dialog and some great snappy banter. I had a great time reading Last Night's Scandal and I do recommend this story.  The Carsington series for the most part has been an enjoyable reread.

Time/Place: 1830s Scotland/England
Sensuality: Warm/Hot