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A review by justinkhchen
Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare
4.0
4 stars
Do You Want to Start a Scandal proves you can still trigger the joy of reading, even with an overly familiar formula — through a ferocious pacing, fleshed out characters, and abundance of spirited retorts.
Tessa Dare's snappy, light-hearted writing style is the MVP here, filling in the blank with vivid banters. It's not a plot-focused book (I'm sure no one is surprised by where the story is ultimately heading), but the commotion between the start and the end offer ample opportunity to bring the two protagonists to life. While I applaud the attempt at multiple narrative threads, they ultimately resolve with a wrap-up that's a little too juvenile even for the whimsy the book is going for. I also appreciate this book works as a stand-alone (even being a part of 2 series), unlike another romance series book I picked up recently (which baits you to pick up the next one).
Do You Want to Start a Scandal may have dragged a little near the end, and doesn't break new ground, but it's a very polished, adorable regency romance output — as someone who is still relatively new to the genre, I will definitely look up more Tessa Dare's work.
A note of caution: for me, the romance genre is like candy, delectable but teeth-rottingly sweet—I will need to pace myself between books to prevent from burning out by its tropes and formulaic structure.
Do You Want to Start a Scandal proves you can still trigger the joy of reading, even with an overly familiar formula — through a ferocious pacing, fleshed out characters, and abundance of spirited retorts.
Tessa Dare's snappy, light-hearted writing style is the MVP here, filling in the blank with vivid banters. It's not a plot-focused book (I'm sure no one is surprised by where the story is ultimately heading), but the commotion between the start and the end offer ample opportunity to bring the two protagonists to life. While I applaud the attempt at multiple narrative threads, they ultimately resolve with a wrap-up that's a little too juvenile even for the whimsy the book is going for. I also appreciate this book works as a stand-alone (even being a part of 2 series), unlike another romance series book I picked up recently (which baits you to pick up the next one).
Do You Want to Start a Scandal may have dragged a little near the end, and doesn't break new ground, but it's a very polished, adorable regency romance output — as someone who is still relatively new to the genre, I will definitely look up more Tessa Dare's work.
A note of caution: for me, the romance genre is like candy, delectable but teeth-rottingly sweet—I will need to pace myself between books to prevent from burning out by its tropes and formulaic structure.