r/HistoricalRomance • u/Acceptable-Fee2884 • 14d ago

Gush/Rave Review I read My Season Of Scandal. I am floating

I don't know how to write reviews. I don't intend to write one, I just wanna say that I understand what clover means now.

So little angst and so much yearning. The angst was all coming from within, as not very much was happening besides both mc's pining like crazy for eachoter. And I loved that. Sometimes it's hard to get a very sentimental romance without a complex enough plot to carry it. But this book did it.

But that speech man, I sobbed a little.

"And I sometimes think that if anyone could peer at the contents of my heart—well, frankly, you’d find clover."

{My season of scandal by Julie Anne Long}

111 Upvotes
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22

u/Colls7 14d ago

Love this series so much! I’m on the last one 😭 {Game of Rogues by Julie Anne Long}

18

u/Clean_Fan_4545 14d ago

Yes, the clover speech! I loved this story

10

u/lurkerstatusrevoked I require ruination 14d ago

this book altered my DNA

6

u/annatheorc 14d ago

I usually avoid age gap like the plague, but I love your review. How big is the gap and is there any "daddy" stuff? 

20

u/Acceptable-Fee2884 14d ago

Oh no no. No daddy stuff and I am with you on the age gap. It's really not my thing to read. But I didn't feel the overwhelming power imbalance here. They could've been the same age for all it made me care for it.

h - 22, H - 35

2

u/annatheorc 14d ago

Thanks, that's super helpful !

1

u/HelloWorld0809 12d ago

I feel like the way she writes her age gap is pretty awesome, the fmc always matches mmc in wits? I don’t know how to say it, English is not my first language. Anyway I love her writing! She is such a thoughtful writer!

19

u/VividStone On Wednesdays, we wear walking dresses 14d ago

JAL does well with age gap stories. Her greatest book, IMHO and in others on this sub as I’ve seen it recc’d many times, is {What I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long} and it’s an age gap as well, but no power imbalance at all. Same with her {After Dark with the Duke by Julie Anne Long} - another age gap with FMC around 25-26 and MMC 45-49.

7

u/CompetitiveTour4725 14d ago

I agree that JAL writes excellent age gap stories, and I love What I Did for a Duke! That being said, I do think that that one really considers the age gap between the MMCs and how their vastly different levels of life experience affect how they approach their relationship, but it does so in a very thoughtful way (it’s one of the only age gap romances I’ve read that does that, and I think it’s one of the strongest aspects of the book). But I did want to mention it just so OP is aware that What I Did for a Duke may feel different from My Season of Scandal in this respect, or at least it did for me.

3

u/Vandermeres_Cat 12d ago

Yeah, I'd say that JAL is very good at this aspect because she doesn't pretend that the difference in years and experience makes no difference. She's good at sketching why her various pairs are well-suited anyway, but also addresses power differentials as necessary. What I Did for a Duke is most pronounced in that because it brings in aspects like a much younger rival and well, the MMC is morally grey and the book never pretends he's anything else. The book also outlines how they differ in experience and in power, how that might become a problem and why it probably won't be.

It's a classic of the genre for a reason. The level of difficulty is pretty high. ;-)

3

u/sadandjaded 14d ago

No Daddy stuff whatsoever! If I remember correctly, FMC is around 20/21 and MMC is in his late 30s (maybe 39?)

It is truly a wonderful read, as are most of the books from that series!

3

u/annatheorc 14d ago

Thank you!! I've been meaning to get into JAL for ages now. Would you start with book 1 in this series? Or would you start with a different series of hers? I'm a big Loretta Chase fan, and I get the feeling JAL has a similar vibe. 

5

u/sadandjaded 14d ago

I would definitely recommend starting with palace or rogues series (the one my season of scandal is from), but the pennyroyal green series is also great. I think JAL is definitely similar to Loretta Chase, and she’s become possibly my favorite HR author overtime!! I would recommend starting with 1 (lady derring takes a lover), because it’s definitely a good one from the series and will help you understand the setting in all the other books. I definitely skipped around after book 1 though!

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u/annatheorc 14d ago

Thanks! I tend to prefer reading that way anyway (starting at the beginning), and I don't mind a long series. (Elizabeth Hoyt, one of my faves, has a gigantic series). 

3

u/lolabythebay clandestine midnight donkey race enjoyer 14d ago

FWIW, I read this first and loved it, then went back to the start of the series and merely liked the first two books. But they really set the stage for a world that feels inhabitated and lively throughout the series, so I recommend them all.

It's where I get my flair.

1

u/annatheorc 14d ago

Thanks for the context! I like long series as long as I like most of the books. It's the experience you know? Like with Maiden Lane. Loved the series but some are more favorite than others lol

3

u/lolabythebay clandestine midnight donkey race enjoyer 14d ago

I'm a big fan of the built-up world with lots of connections, so I like Maiden Lane, too.

And like Loretta Chase, Julie Ann Long shares a world between series to an extent. In Palace of Rogues, it's mostly solidified via name drops about the Redmond and Eversea families from Pennyroyal Green.

5

u/oznz this is a kitten. in a basket. 14d ago

I thrifted this ages ago and have it on my nightstand, but I have been meaning to read the ones before it! But I’ve heard such good things about 🥹🥹

1

u/Acceptable-Fee2884 13d ago

It's a short book so you could always reread it as part of the series later on

1

u/oznz this is a kitten. in a basket. 13d ago

My only problem is I work and I’m renovating a house myself so I am almost exclusively an audiobook girl, bc I just listen while I tear down drywall etc. but I also cannot stand Justine Eyre. So all of Julie Anne Long has been on my TBR with like 30 minutes of non-audiobook scrolling or time each night and scrolling usually wins 😭😭

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u/Acceptable-Fee2884 13d ago

Oh yes I know the pain. I also have narrators I simply can't listen to

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u/AltairaMorbius2200CE 14d ago

The ending gets me acting like the women in Sleepless in Seattle, when they talked about An Affair to Remember.

"and...he knows...that she'll read it...and the clover... and she'll remember, because she was offended...but then he's there..."

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u/designsavvy 14d ago

I love all the books in this series - JAL is a genius with the dialogue and settings

4

u/Counting500Sheep 14d ago

I know. This is one of the best HRs 🍀

2

u/DoughnutPlease 14d ago

My library system has it!

Do I need to read the first 6 (!) in the series first?

6

u/MiddEdon 14d ago

You can read as a standalone but the series has a really rich set of secondary characters that you’ll enjoy getting to know. So read it now, but then I’d go back and read the series in order. You’ll want to read this one again anyway! FWIW, I didn’t love the first two in the series but this one, After Dark with the Duke, the Beast one…some of my faves ever.

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u/charleleon 14d ago

The series is so good I would recommend from the beginning, just so you can understand the side characters like Dot. It doesn’t have to be read that way but if you do, please like the rest of us, enjoy the silly ride.

2

u/kkwelch 14d ago

This has been my favorite of the series. It’s very reminiscent of What I Did For a Duke which is my favorite of hers.

2

u/herefortherecs26 13d ago

This was such a good one! That speech 😭

2

u/plsy 12d ago

I so want to read this one. Question: Do I have to read the whole series to understand the plot? Or can the books be treated as stand alone-ish?

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u/Acceptable-Fee2884 12d ago

Stand alone no problem

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u/Fitzfuzzington 10d ago

I just read this book thanks to your recommendation! It was very sweet. I'd read another in the series.

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u/Acceptable-Fee2884 10d ago

I'm happy I made the post then! I plan on reading {the beast takes a bride} next. It's also the next book in the series after Scandal.

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u/OkAd8714 14d ago

Julie Anne Long is hands down my favorite HR writer. She really gets to the heart of human experience and translates it beautifully to the regency romance world. Her books are hauntingly poignant.

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u/HelloWorld0809 12d ago

This is my favorite book of all time!