Scandal [Paperback]

In London, Gideon runs into Lord Stanwell, catching him in a scandalous situation. To insure he gains Gideon's silence, Stanwell bribes him with the hand of his daughter in marriage and entrance amidst the Ton for his sisters. Gideon agrees to marry Lady Julia, currently in her third season and the recipient of twelve proposals all rejected as she plans to wed for love, on the condition that she pretends to love him in public. Given no choice, Julia and Gideon marry, but that sham turns into real thing if the commoner and the lady can learn to trust in the love of their partner.

SCANDAL is an enjoyable Regency romance with a twist not often seen in the genre. The story line contains delightful subplots to include the snail game, Gideon's investigation for his missing sibling, Stanwell's secret, and other pleasant foibles. Gideon's dilemma is intriguing. He fears telling Julia the secret about her father because he thinks that could end their relationship; yet he panics over not revealing it to her for fear if she learns the truth elsewhere that would end their relationship. Heather Cullman entertains the troops with this wonderful historical.

Harriet Klausner

His sisters' innocence has been lost, and his brother has disappeared into the ether, leaving scant clues behind him. Gideon's guilt over this situation is nearly unbearable, and will drive him to make a deal with the devil, his honor be damned! Revisiting the village of his birth (in search of clues regarding Caleb's disappearance) is the catalyst for the black events to follow. Gideon unwittingly discovers an ugly secret about Lord Stanwell, you see, an influential peer of the realm who has weighty ties to the ton.

In exchange for Gideon's silence, his lordship is willing to provide the wealthy commoner with entrée into London society, and thus, respectability -- something Gideon dearly craves for his beautiful sister, Bethany, who has suffered so much. To perpetuate this lie, however, Gideon must marry Lord Stanwell's daughter, Lady Julia, a milk and water miss who sets his teeth on edge. His tolerance for her missish airs is almost negligible, but there is a banked spark of mischief in Julia's fine brandy eyes, and a kindness to her gaze that bodes well for the treatment of his younger siblings.

Heather Cullman's descriptive prose weaves a tangled web in this spirited historical romance, where lies, half-truths and misconceptions muddy an already muddled courtship, and put the hero and heroine on the defensive. Attraction is a mighty force, however: Scandal is a love story that gradually evolves out of a series of awkward, messy and unfortunate misunderstandings that are only worsened by a lack of communication and the interference of well-meaning -- and yes, selfishly absorbed -- third parties.

Although they have much in common, Gideon and Julia are initially blind to these shared traits, preferring to nurse their individual feelings of frustration and helplessness. Love for one's family can motivate one to act in a wholly uncharacteristic way, and in essence, sacrifice one's own happiness and future well being. Unfortunately, snap judgments are all too easily formed from such touchy and regrettably irritable behavior. So instead of seeing the parallels in their situations for what they truly are, they see an enemy to vanquish, a marriage to endure, a martyrdom to embrace...And standing between Gideon, Julia and that all important moment of epiphany is a mountain of pride, and the rippling undercurrents of a scandalous secret.

Yes, their floundering relationship is shaky and tempestuous at times, but once reconciliatory steps are taken -- and the hero and heroine's blinders are removed -- readers' bones will melt into a limpid pool. But is this a case of too little, too late? Ms. Cullman's characterizations are aloof and splendidly arrogant by degrees, but such high and mighty mannerisms are naught but a smoke screen. Look beyond it and you'll find vibrant, likeable characters aching for love, acceptance, stability and the warmth of home and hearth. All frivolous frustrations aside, Scandal is a romance novel confident of its path, plot and meaning, and positively shimmers with a delicious self-awareness.

Reviewed by C.L. Jeffries

His sisters' innocence has been lost, and his brother has disappeared into the ether, leaving scant clues behind him. Gideon's guilt over this situation is nearly unbearable, and will drive him to make a deal with the devil, his honor be damned! Revisiting the village of his birth (in search of clues regarding Caleb's disappearance) is the catalyst for the black events to follow. Gideon unwittingly discovers an ugly secret about Lord Stanwell, you see, an influential peer of the realm who has weighty ties to the ton.

In exchange for Gideon's silence, his lordship is willing to provide the wealthy commoner with entrée into London society, and thus, respectability -- something Gideon dearly craves for his beautiful sister, Bethany, who has suffered so much. To perpetuate this lie, however, Gideon must marry Lord Stanwell's daughter, Lady Julia, a milk and water miss who sets his teeth on edge. His tolerance for her missish airs is almost negligible, but there is a banked spark of mischief in Julia's fine brandy eyes, and a kindness to her gaze that bodes well for the treatment of his younger siblings.

Heather Cullman's descriptive prose weaves a tangled web in this spirited historical romance, where lies, half-truths and misconceptions muddy an already muddled courtship, and put the hero and heroine on the defensive. Attraction is a mighty force, however: Scandal is a love story that gradually evolves out of a series of awkward, messy and unfortunate misunderstandings that are only worsened by a lack of communication and the interference of well-meaning -- and yes, selfishly absorbed -- third parties.

Although they have much in common, Gideon and Julia are initially blind to these shared traits, preferring to nurse their individual feelings of frustration and helplessness. Love for one's family can motivate one to act in a wholly uncharacteristic way, and in essence, sacrifice one's own happiness and future well being. Unfortunately, snap judgments are all too easily formed from such touchy and regrettably irritable behavior. So instead of seeing the parallels in their situations for what they truly are, they see an enemy to vanquish, a marriage to endure, a martyrdom to embrace...And standing between Gideon, Julia and that all important moment of epiphany is a mountain of pride, and the rippling undercurrents of a scandalous secret.

Yes, their floundering relationship is shaky and tempestuous at times, but once reconciliatory steps are taken -- and the hero and heroine's blinders are removed -- readers' bones will melt into a limpid pool. But is this a case of too little, too late? Ms. Cullman's characterizations are aloof and splendidly arrogant by degrees, but such high and mighty mannerisms are naught but a smoke screen. Look beyond it and you'll find vibrant, likeable characters aching for love, acceptance, stability and the warmth of home and hearth. All frivolous frustrations aside, Scandal is a romance novel confident of its path, plot and meaning, and positively shimmers with a delicious self-awareness.

Reviewed by C.L. Jeffries