Scandalous

I consider how good a book is by how long it takes me to read it. If I labor over something for three or four weeks and read other books in between, it’s probably not a keeper. If I measure time spent on a book in hours, it means I couldn’t put it down.

It took me less than 48 hours to read Jenna Peterson’s Scandalous. The fact that I’m not normally a fan of regency era historicals is important to note.

From the first page, the characters drew me in. The story is intricate and compelling. The language flows, making for an easy, enjoyable read. While I’m well aware of the hard work that goes into writing a complete novel, Ms. Peterson manages to make it look effortless.

What I learned from Scandalous is the necessity to layer the details into a story and construct characters with deep motivations and intricate backgrounds. Divulging those important details piece by piece keeps the reader turning pages and keeps them invested in the outcome of the story. The balance lies in not inundating the reader with tedious info dumps. I have a hard time with putting in enough information for fear of that oversaturation and Scandalous provides a good example of how much is just enough.