Sizzling Book Club Pick: A Night of Scandal by Sarah Morgan

Sizzling Book ClubIt's summer, officially! Time for… well, pretty much the same amount of reading I always did. But I do love fun and somewhat sudsy reading in the summer, and I really enjoyed this book. Holy smokes it's a book cover This month's pick is a Harlequin Presents, A Night of Scandal by Sarah Morgan. Here's the synopsis: Nathaniel…Icon. Celebrity. Heartthrob. But underneath his movie-star good looks, he's battling with the demons of his past. No one knows the real Nathaniel, they only see the pinup, the illusion he pretends to be. Then one night he is forced to rely on Katie Field, an ordinary young woman from a very different world. She may be starstruck but she isn't blinded by the bright lights of fame. Can Nathaniel trust her enough to reveal the real man behind the mask? Let the seduction begin…. As usual, if you use SBTBARE at checkout, you will get a 50% eBook Bucks Rebate at AllRomance.com, the official sponsor of the Sizzling Book Club. The 50% rebate at AllRomance will be valid from July 1-15, 2011. I'm still scheduling the Book Club Chat, which may be a different time than usual, as Sarah Morgan is in the UK, so stay tuned for the chat time and date. If you've never read a Harlequin Presents, this would be a fun choice to try out. There's a lot of tropes and stereotypes about the Presents line, some of which are totally true and HILARIOUS, but also within that line are some wonderful novels—like this story particularly. (There are no sheikhs in this novel, and I plan to ask Morgan pointed questions about that.) I really enjoy Sarah Morgan's Presents novels (I just glommed her backlist and feasted on it) and I liked the characters in this one. I hope you'll give it a try and join us for the chat at the end of the month!

 

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  1. Virg says:

    Sarah, I’m so glad you picked this one!!! Although I was kind of confused ‘cause I read the UK version with the title – Tortured Rake (it said it’s part of the Bad Blood Collection).

    Looking forward to the date so I can mark it in my diary. Cheerio!

  2. Laura says:

    I just finished this book and loved, loved, loved it!!! A good Presents is always a welcome thing. This is the first Sarah Morgan I have read and I am going to Amazon next to download some more for my Kindle.

  3. Ros says:

    Loved this book!  And I would highly recommend all of the Bad Blood (Notorious Wolfes) series, especially the books by Caitlin Crews and Kate Hewitt.  But actually,  I loved all of them.

  4. Ros says:

    Also, for people looking for Sarah Morgan recs, I’d say One Night Nine Month Scandal and Bella’s Disgrace (Bella and the Merciless Sheikh) are top of my list.  And I adore The Sicilian’s Virgin Bride.

  5. Xahne says:

    @Virg,  thank you for the UK title! 

    I tried to by via the AllRomance link, and got the normal ‘can’t sell to you in your territory’ message, which drives me round the bend!

  6. Cakes says:

    No sheiks?! Well forget it, then! 😉

  7. Cakes says:

    oh my gosh! I just bought this and realized I have 61(!) books TBR in my Nook library! EEP! I’ve been working off my used book store TBR pile. Sounds like I need a month alone at the beach or a mountain cabin.

  8. Chelsea says:

    @Cakes, my physical TBR alone has 82 books. I don’t even know how many are on my Kindle in addition to that. I too need some solid alone time with my books 😀

  9. Sarah Morgan says:

    Sarah, I’m so excited that A Night of Scandal is your Sizzling Book Club pick! I’m looking forward to chatting with everyone and I’m bracing myself for sharp pointed questions 🙂

    For those who are desperate there is a fleeting sheikhy reference (no bigger than a grain of sand) hidden somewhere in the early chapters….

  10. Julia says:

    I’m looking forward to this!  It’s been ages since I’ve read a Presents.

  11. ShellHolbrook says:

    Is it possible to buy this book from Allromance.com for the Kindle?

  12. ChrisZ says:

    @shellholbrook –  check the FAQ on allromance.com.  They have instructions for kindle purchases.

  13. Suzannah says:

    I’m so pleased that this is the next book club pick!  I really enjoyed it.  And for sheikh books, I second Ros’s recommendation for ‘Bella and the Merciless Sheikh’, above, and would add ‘The Sultan’s Virgin Bride’.

  14. Beth says:

    ok, so if there’s a Sheikh, I won’t read it….but Presents are my secret indulgence…. 

    Sarah Morgan’s   Destitute yet Defiant is really good.
    I started reading her when I ran of out Lynne Graham non sheikh stories….

  15. Alina says:

    I’ve been feeling like contemporary lately, so I was excited to see one as the next pick. I read it last night, but I’ll be honest, I’m disappointed. The heroine went from possibly adorable and interesting to gratingly immature in just a few pages, and there were problems with the plot that bugged. Now, I’m willing to forgive plot holes for the sake of a good, fun romp, but it’s hard to enjoy a good romp when you want half of it to just shut up and grow up.

    It wasn’t horrible and I don’t regret spending a few dollars on it, but I’m looking forward my next SBTB-endorsed find.

  16. tralalah says:

    Alina I’m with you, I didn’t like it either.  I know this is a great example of what the Presents line is supposed to give you but it’s just not my thing.  It was well written but other than being in the same novel I didn’t see any reason for these two people to get together.  Being an asshat should not be code for complicated depths.  And why does he like her?  Here is a woman who confuses him with his character of Alpha Man and tells him flat out she can’t tell if he really wants her because he’s done such convincing love scenes.  WTF?

  17. Buffy says:

    The Presents line is by far my favorite. I can’t help myself, I download and read them voraciously. I’m sure I’ve read Sarah Morgan…I’ll give this a try…after I check for reader reviews.

    I don’t like the Sheikh storylines either. I tend to prefer the wife has an epiphany and leaves the husband…husband follows and blackmails wife. I also love the old friends to lovers OR the older guy is sort of adopted by the family and falls for the younger daughter. I generally dislike the make-over storylines…The Man Who Could Never Love is one of those. They’re truly insulting, at least until the lady buys some designer gear and has a hair cut.

  18. Jen says:

    Yeah, this book didn’t do it for me either.  Parts of it were fun, but the conflict just didn’t ring true to me.  Maybe because I spent a long time working backstage at various theatres, but the theatre stuff didn’t make much sense.  The big conflict (why he runs offstage in the first few pages) didn’t seem like that big a deal once it was revealed. Her whole “I can’t tell if you’re just acting” thing seemed really odd, especially if she’s a costume designer experienced enough to land a show with a movie star in it.  That would make me think she’s worked with actors for a long time, and while there could be some star-struckness there because he’s OMG A BIG STAR, she would know actors and their personalities well enough to understand what being in character is all about.

    And DUDE.  You do NOT say the name of the Scottish play backstage on opening night.  No wonder everything crashed and burned. 😉

  19. CarrieS says:

    I had problem with this book but it was all worth it for the bit about her clothes showing that her emotional journey had taken the economy flight (or something to that effect).  I would not give this an A+ but I would TOTALLY try something else from Sarah and can’t wait for the book club!

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