Too Scandalous to Wed

by Alexandra Benedict

Book Overview

It's Christmas Eve. Mistletoe is in the air. And seduction is afoot ... Unwilling to taint any woman with the terrible secret hidden in his heart, Sebastian, Viscount Ravenswood, has sworn never to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061170437
• ISBN13: 9780061170430
• Release Date: August 2007
• Publisher: Avon Books
• Length: 370 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

A Delightful Read

For eight long years Henrietta Ashby has been trying everything to get the attention of Sebastian Ravenswood in the hopes that he would fall madly in love with her. In those years nothing has made him treat her any different than he would a sister, which frustrates her greatly. In a last ditch attempt to seduce and make Sebastian her own, "Henry" visits the well known Courtesan Madam Jacqueline to learn the art of seduction and hopefully catch her man. Sebastian Ravenswood has sworn to never marry and even though he knows about "Henry's" infatuation with him he wonders what it is he has to do to get this girl to move on. When he decides to leave town and not return until Christmas he is hoping that this time she has found a husband and settled into a life of domestic bliss upon his return. Instead "Henry" greets him and he cannot believe the subtle transformation in her. As "Henry" has planned one activity after another he slowly finds himself becoming attracted to her. In a moment of passion he suddenly realizes that she's been trying to seduce him. Outraged and embarrassed he flees the Ashby home to London. With "Henry" right behind him determined to make things right she discovers a shocking secret about Sebastian that changes her feelings and attitude towards him. Disgusted, she flees London and him, but the damage has been done and now both are caught in a scandal that could ruin them both. Too Scandalous To Wed is a fast paced novel full humour and sensual steam as the two characters battle their emotions and each other. Henrietta was dubbed "Henry" by her father, resulting in a couple of humorous moments as he is talking about her. When Henry found out Sebastian was not the man she always thought he was going to be you could feel the pain she was going through, her dreams had just been shattered and she never felt more alone. The bond between Sebastian and "Henry" is very strong and once Sebastian realized his true feelings for her nothing was going to stop him and the sudden direction he was taking with his life. Meanwhile her family had quite a few things to say about this couple that led to many interesting moments in the novel, propelling me to speed up my reading to see how the author was going to bring the book to a conclusion. This is my first novel by Alexandra Benedict and I thoroughly enjoyed it, the pace, the characters and the story are quite appealing to me as a reader. One character, Mirabelle, really caught my attention making me wonder if her story is about to be told or if it has already. For the little amount of time she was in the novel I found her fascinating and I am anxious to read more about her. Too Scandalous To Wed will delight readers as Alexandra takes you on a journey with her characters and their destiny towards everlasting love.

Entertaining and Enticing - 4-1/2*

From the very moment 12 year old Henrietta "Henry" Ashby tumbled down the stairs and was picked up by her new brother-in-law Sebastian, Viscount Ravenswood, she was in love and right then and there he became her very own hero. Eight years later Henry is still in love and determined to prove to Sebastian that he loves her too, but so far, all her simpering and bids for his attention have been ignored by the object of her affection. Sebastian, hid a terrible secret, and knowing he wasn't husband material vowed never to marry. So far, Henry the reckless imp had not been much of a temptation and Sebastian decided he should go abroad for a while to give Henry time to be courted and engaged by someone more deserving than himself. This did not sit well with Henry, who boldy approached an infamous courtesan, Madame Jacqueline, requesting lessons on how to seduce the object of her desire so that she would be prepared when he finally returned for the Christmas holidays. Ready and waiting Henry was well on her way of bringing Sebastian to his knees, but with all the best laid plans, matters would get out of hand and as has been said before ..."let the games begin". *** So far Ms. Benedict has impressed me with her wonderfully, warm, witty and charming tales of romance in this most recent book which followed the very delightful TOO GREAT A TEMPTATION. This newer author has impressed me with her vibrant and vivid character building. Not only does she give insight in the character's motivations as to the how and why of their daily interactions, but invites the reader to get emotionally involved. In this pleasing read she also introduces characters from the former book while creating delightfully new and vivid personalities to embrace. Henrietta was the fifth daughter of the Baron Ashby who so wanted a son he named her Henry (her mother made it Henrietta). The delightful baron even treated her like a son to the point of outrageously spoiling her so much so, that many of her blunders in society situations were overlooked by her dearly beloved papa. When Henry, learned of Sebastian's leaving for the continent for such a long period, she thought nothing of taking such drastic steps in order to learn how to seduce a man; and if those lessons could only be learned at the knee of the most famous courtesan of all time - so be it! Now the story could have been pretty much wrapped up there, but the author threw in a twist, turning the tables completely, and that for me was the wonderful part of the plot which I will not reveal! Suffice it to say, I felt every bit of the pain Henry experienced when she discovered the true reason behind the saying, "...once a rogue, always a rogue...". Adding to the romance and adventure as Sebastian tries to regain the affections of Henry, the author introduces a despicable and vile enemy who, having been exposed as a coward by Ravenswood, would make a desperate attempt to redeem himself to his cohorts and destroy Ra

A nice mix of romance and wickedness.

Too Scandalous to Wed by Alexandra Benedict was a marvelous read. Henrietta (Henry) has loved Sebastian for the past 8 years. He has treated her as child so she decides to ask help from a renowned courtesan. You will love the changes in Henrietta and how that affects Sebastian. Sebastian is the true form of rogue which makes from great twists in the plot. Enjoy! If you enjoy this genre check out Spirited Away by Cindy Miles, Tempted at Every Turn by Robyn Dehart, Secret Fantasy by Cheryl Holt and Too Dangerous to Desire by Alexandra Benedict coming out July 2008

superb Regency

Since she was a little girl, Henrietta Ashby has loved Viscount Sebastian Galbraith. However, to her chagrin by 1821 though she is an adult he sees her as his kid sister Henry. Her efforts to seduce him are amusing to him, but he also knows he must leave England so that she chooses a suitor to marry. Henrietta refuses to give up on the man she loves even if she thinks he is an idiot. She hires a notorious courtesan Madam Jacqueline to teach her the art of seduction waiting to spring her alluring trap when her unrequited beloved returns. Sebastian is stunned by the new Henry make that Henrietta as he no longer has sibling feelings towards her. However, he runs from her to a brothel as he assumes she loves some image of a paragon and not the rakish real him; she follows him there to confront him. When her note to him is intercepted by a rogue, they are forced to marry to prevent scandal. Her deepest wish fulfilled, Henrietta suddenly realizes she loves this flawed man not some statue on a pedestal; he feels the same way about her, but hides his heart because he cannot measure up to what he believes remains her dream of who he is. The changing thought processes by Henry re her beloved make TOO SCANDALOUS TO WED a superb Regency. Whereas her paragon of perfection knows his secret makes him inferior to a woman like Henry, she goes after what she most covets in the world even if it means scandalous behavior. Once she achieves her objective, she begins to see Sebastian's flaws but loves him even more while praying he loves her back as his mate and not his sister. Alexandra Benedict writes a delightful charmer due to the capricious, courageous and changing Henry. Harriet Klausner

Too Scandalous to Wed

Everything Henrietta has ever done to make an impression on the rogue Sebastian, Viscount Ravenswood, has failed. She knows deep inside he loves her. She also knows they were fated to be together, but getting him to admit it is the problem. She decides to learn the art of seduction from the most notorious courtesan in England. Sebastian, Viscount Ravenswood, feels he is beyond redemption. He is not going to marry and taint any woman with the secret in his soul. Henrietta is to him akin to a kid sister. Suddenly he does not feel as brotherly as he once did. Why can't anyone else see she has changed? Will Sebastian's secret tear them apart forever? Too Scandalous to Wed is a bewitching, cute, and sexy read that is peppered with moments of humor and steamy seduction scenes. Alexandra Benedict writes with a grace and style that made me not want to put Too Scandalous to Wed down. Never boring, Ms. Benedict adds twists to the tale so I continued to wonder all the way to the end whether Henrietta and Sebastian would be together or not. I found myself both feeling frustrated for the main characters with their troubles, and feeling enjoyment for how they managed to regain control of themselves and their situations. This is a book well worth reading. Barb Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed