The Road to Scandal is Paved with Wicked Intentions (The May Flowers Book 6)

Lady Phoebe Darlington’s life changed in an instance. Raised as a pampered daughter of the aristocracy, the death of her disreputable father leaves her and her mother destitute.  Accepting a job as a shop girl in a large department store, Phoebe now waits on those who were once her friends. Her circumstances continue to worsen until one day she is caught in the rain and ducks into a pub to wait out the deluge. Although Danny Long has secretly become one of London’s richest men, he flaunts his lower-class upbringing and his less-than-stellar life. Loud and boisterous, he is the life of every party, so when the beautiful Phoebe lands in his pub, he knows he must have her. What begins as a frivolous attraction becomes much more, as Phoebe’s past comes back to haunt her and Danny’s feelings grow much more serious than he bargained for!

In this fun, light and upbeat story, Ms. Farmer has taken Victorian England and turned it on its heels! The characters are vibrant and real as their personalities seem to jump off the page. While the plight of an impoverished young lady of the ton is written beautifully, some of the situations such as the sexual encounters read more like a contemporary in costume rather than a believable historical. There are also numerous editing glitches such as Phoebe’s eye color changing from green to blue, that make one pause. The heart of the story still shines through, however, and even with the breakneck speed with which the scenes and situations change, it is a thoroughly enjoyable ride!

Ruth Lynn Ritter