Lady Maggie’s Secret Scandal

by Grace Burrowes

Published by: Sourcebooks Casablanca

My Rating: 

Maggie Windham, oldest of the Windham sisters and a by-blow from His Grace’s pre-marital wild oats, finds herself in desperate needs of an investigator to help her retrieve a missing reticule. Benjamin Hazlit knows the Windham family secrets, and can be trusted to keep them to himself, so Maggie turns to Benjamin, though it means ignoring his too-broad shoulders, his too-knowing smile… and his too-skilled kisses.

As Benjamin starts the search for Maggie’s missing purse, he realizes two things: First, whatever was in that purse, its loss has Maggie not just rattled, but terrified. Second, Benjamin will go to any lengths to see Maggie’s peace of mind restored, even if it means he must keep himself in very close proximity to the shy, secretive lady who says she wants nothing to do with him.

My Review:

The more I read by Grace Burrowes, the more attached I become to the Windham family.  I read the first book in the Windham sister’s series late last year and met Maggie Windham.  When the opportunity arose to read Maggie’s book, I found that I was looking forward to learning more about this seemingly independent woman.  I really enjoyed Maggie’s story, she is a protective, loving woman who is willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of those she loves.

In Lady Maggie’s Secret Scandal, Grace Burrowes has created an excellent historical romance with endearing characters and a touch of suspense.  This romance read will draw readers in with an independent heroine, a determined hero, and an unexpected scandal.

Maggie Windham is the oldest daughter of a Duke, and a bastard at that.  She comes from humble beginnings and her parentage affects her life’s choices.  When her reticule goes missing, Maggie hires Benjamin, an investigator, to help find her reticule and the damaging contents before scandal can come to her family.  Maggie is very protective of her secrets and tells Benjamin the bare minimum needed to find her belongings.  The more time Benjamin spends with Maggie, the more determined he is to discover her secrets and protect the woman who has become quite important to him.

I really liked Maggie as the heroine of this book.  She is a woman full of contradictions, she is independent but lonely, loyal but secretive, brilliant and wealthy but leads a very modest lifestyle.  She is also a beautiful woman, firmly “on the shelf” because of her age, but secretly she dreams of having a family of her own.  She sacrifices all of her wants to protect her family, the Duke and Duchess and her siblings.  She is very stubborn about protecting her family, almost to a fault.  When Benjamin steps in and tries to help, her stubbornness to deal with scandals in a different way almost ruins her dreams.  Thankfully, Benjamin is the perfect match for Maggie.  He is brilliant in his own way, he has the ability to read people, situations, and uncover truths.  The pair are an excellent couple and I loved reading their story.

Grace Burrowes writes a believable and enchanting story with Lady Maggie’s Secret Scandals.  While the characters are perfect for each other, they are not actually perfect characters.  Maggie is sweet, smart, but overly stubborn.  Benjamin is also a smart person, but he hides from his own family’s problems.  Through Maggie’s story and the resolution to her problems, both characters have to confront their pasts to move forward.  I was very happy how the story unfolded, and I find that I am very eager to read the next book in the series.  I am become attached to the entire Windham family, with the protective brothers, caring parents, and the sisters whose actions are never predictable.

I highly recommend this entire Windham family series to historical romance readers.  If you enjoy the familial nature of historical romances, such as Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series, you will highly enjoy the Windham family series as well.  Even though Lady Maggie’s Secret Scandal is part of a series, it can be read as a stand alone.  Grace Burrowes does a wonderful job of describing the story and characters from previous books so that new readers will not be lost.

Lady Maggie’s Secret Scandal is a new release, you can find it at: