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Welcome to the Book Blog Tour of Countess of Scandal by Laurel McKee organized by Anna and Hatchette Book Group! The first in a new and engrossing series of several beautiful sisters living in Ireland during tumultuous 18th century.


The blurb:
As children, Eliza Blacknall and William Denton ran wild over the fields of southern Ireland and swore they would be friends forever. Then fate took Will away to England while Eliza stayed behind to become a proper Irish countess.

Years later, Will finally makes his way home - as an English soldier went to crush the Irish uprising. When he spies the lovely Eliza, he is captivated by the passionate woman she has become. But Eliza's passions have led her to join the Irish rebel cause, and Will and Eliza now find themselves on opposite sides of a dangerous conflict.

When Ireland explodes in bloody rebellion, Will's regiment is ordered to the front lines, and he is forced to choose between duty to the English king and his love for Eliza and their Irish homeland.

Review:
Countess of Scandal is a historical romance set in Ireland during a period of political upheaval. The rebellion against Britain brings out Countess Eliza Mont Clair's idealism and nationalism and adds tension and excitement to the plot. I hadn't read anything that captures this time in Irish history and enjoyed this aspect of the book.

I found the love story thoroughly engaging as well. Countess Eliza Mont Clair is daring, smart, and strong willed, and when she comes across Major Denton, we're immediately aware that their old attraction hasn't faded. Major Denton is honorable, thoroughly in love with Eliza, and faces some difficult choices. While Eliza and William are on different sides of the rebellion, they learn to balance their love for each other with the loyalty that they owe to Ireland and the Crown. Countess of Scandal is romantic, fun, and satisfying!

Countess of Scandal also lays the foundation for another love story - that of Eliza's sister, Lady Anna Blacknall and the mysterious Duke of Adair. I"m looking forward to the next in the series, Duchess of Sin.

ISBN-10: 0446544787 - Mass Market Paperback $6.99
Publisher: Forever; Original edition (February 1, 2010), 368 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

About the Author, courtesy of the publisher:
Laurel McKee lives in Oklahoma with a menagerie of two cats, a Pug, and a bossy miniature poodle, and loves dance classes, collecting cheesy travel souvenirs, and watching the Food Network-even though she doesn't cook. Learn more at Laurel McKee's website at http://ammandamccabe.com/mckee/index.htm.

Listen to an interview with the author Laurel McKee.

CONTEST DETAILS:

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