Book Description
A desperate debutante meets a ragtag smuggler in this sexy Regency romp by USA Today bestselling author Alexandra Vasti.
Eccentric heiress Lady Ruby Ballimore has had enough of the Marriage Mart. After offending yet another Very Important Marquess―and imperiling her father’s diplomatic career―Ruby flees London for the holiday house of a glamorous (and better yet, absent) princess. Armed with a forged invitation and accompanied by her like-minded friends, Ruby arrives at the Cornwall estate expecting a summer of blissful freedom.
Instead, she discovers a derelict mansion and the most suspiciously charming man she’s ever met.
Former privateer and current con artist Captain Malcolm Archer has dragged his ramshackle crew into a new life. Posing as staff at a princess’s abandoned estate provides the perfect cover for Archer’s smuggling scheme (not to mention free rent). Everything’s going according to plan―until an unorthodox London heiress crashes the party.
But when Archer and his crew attempt to frighten off their uninvited guests, Ruby’s unfazed by insect invasions and sham sea monsters. Harder to ignore? The scorching heat between the rakish pirate and the debutante who can see right through him. As sparks fly, deceptions run wild―because in this Great Cornish Fake Off, the only thing riskier than telling the truth is falling in love.
Book Review: Scandal of the Summer
Genre: Romance
Hello Book Friends,
Alexandra Vasti’s next novel features a privateer and a noble woman, Ruby Ballimore, who has had it with high society’s stringent social norms, and her unsatisfied father, who will never see beyond his own self-interests, surrounds herself with her besties to escape the ton to an estate in Cornwall, where Ruby’s romance story begins.
Vasti is one of my fav historical romance novelists. She fills her novels with pages of strong willed female characters, with often spicy romance, and love interests who are the best of partners for our female protagonist. Although Vasti includes these types of characters in her latest novel, this one felt a bit disjointed for me.
I think perhaps the reason why this one wasn’t working for me was there was a lot going on. You have Archer, his back story, his crew, and his many schemes to keep himself and his crew from destitution. Then there’s Ruby, who is an heiress, scholar, and artist, who escapes high society to an estate owned by an Italian Princess, pretending to be the Italian Princesses ladies-in-waiting with her best friends. Throw in the romance between Ruby and Archer, but Archer always on edge that Ruby will discover who he really is and Ruby feeling the same way (which is kind of a cute twist). Add in the Italian Princess showing up to her estate and then being kidnapped, Archer’s father figure who we find out has questionable motives, and Ruby’s family, from her terrible father to her younger sister, who has a change of heart and wants to help Ruby towards the end of the book. And if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by all these characters packed on the stage, you’re not alone.
I will say I am interested to see how Vasti writes her next novels for Alice and Tamsin. I really enjoyed these two unique side characters and want to see them shine in the next novels in their own right. My only hope is that it feels less crowded and Vasti focuses on Alice and her love interest, who I hope sweeps her off her feet and has a similar passion for the study of animals and insects.
Happy Reading ~ Cece
RATING: 
– Satisfyingly Inked
About the Author
Alexandra Vasti is a British literature professor by day and USA Today bestselling romance writer by night. After finishing her PhD at Columbia University, she moved to New Orleans with her family. Her books have received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, BookPage, and Kirkus, and have been featured in The New York Times, NPR, Entertainment Weekly, People, and elsewhere.
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publication details
| Pub Date | ISBN | Page Count | Publisher | Age Group | Source & Format | Review Posted Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23-Jun-26 | 978-1250414250 | 368 | St. Martin’s Griffin | Adult | NetGalley, Digital ARC | January 18, 2026 |
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Welcome Reader!
I’m Cecelia and I’m so glad you’re here! You’ll find honest reviews, book recommendations, along with other bookish essentials. So happy you stopped by!
– C
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ABOUT THE CREATOR
CECE BECKMAN
Cece holds a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing from California State University, Long Beach. She lives in California with her husband and children. When she’s not reading or writing reviews she can be found wandering book aisles at local bookshops, drinking iced cold lattes with cold cream foam, or passing the time with her cats.
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