Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: A Scandal for Stratford
SERIES: The Lords of Bucknall Club
AUTHORS: J.A. Rock and Lisa Henry
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 317 pages
RELEASE DATE: July 5, 2022
BLURB:
He has all he could ask for.
James Lewis, the Earl of Stratford, has precisely what he wants: a quiet existence on his family estate, a thriving horse trade that leaves him plenty of time to work on the final volume of his anonymously published opus, The Maiden Diaries, and a deeply committed albeit unconventional relationship with his stablemaster, Harold Granger. While the shy, awkward earl can barely manage a word in London society, with Harold, he can share anything.
He wouldn’t change a thing.
Harold Granger knows what he and James risk by loving one another. James’s reputation as an eccentric recluse would be twisted into something far worse if anyone learned he was carrying on an affair with a servant. Worse still if anyone learned that Harold puts the earl on his knees and delivers the welts and bruises James begs for. But when it’s just the two of them, everything feels so perfectly right, and Harold is determined to remain a safe harbour to James no matter what.
But a storm is fast approaching.
Their determination to protect each other is put to the test when James’s volatile younger brother, Frederick, returns from a decade abroad, nursing grudges from the past. When Frederick stumbles upon James’s secrets, he sees a means to rid himself of his brother and reclaim his own place in society. His scheming forces James and Harold from their idyllic life and into a web of treachery that can only be untangled by the Bucknall Club circle–if the two can let themselves trust these newfound friendships the way they trust each other.
A Scandal for Stratford is the sixth book in The Lords of Bucknall Club series, where the Regency meets m/m romance. The Lords of Bucknall Club books can be read as standalones but are best enjoyed in order.
REVIEW:
Lord Stratford, James, is a bit of a recluse on his estate of Eavesmore. He doesn’t live in the main house and has instead resided in a cottage nearer the horses for years. He became the Earl when his parents were killed when he was still a teenager. He is happiest doing his writing and working with his horses. He’s made a bit of a name for himself with his horse training. He’s also made a name for himself with his anonymously published scandalous tomes, The Maiden Diaries, which are the talk of the ton. His lover, his stablemaster Harold, keeps him on task by providing him with the pain and humiliation he craves.
Things are going along OK with a quick but rather unpleasant visit to London to see a man about one of his horses when he receives unpleasant news. His brother Frederick is returning from a decade or more in Vienna. The did not part on good terms as Frederick was still a child when their parents passed away and he was sent away to reside with an aunt on the continent. The brothers have not spoken or seen each other in that time and James is none to pleased to have anyone poking their nose into his life.
Things seem to start off OK, but then it’s clear that Frederick is not happy with his second son status. He insists that James must go to a ball, introduce him to contacts in their social circle, sponsor him at the Bucknall club. James wants to do none of these things but he feels guilty about sending Frederick away when he was a child. It’s clear that Frederick still harbors ill will towards him so James complies. This unfortunately proves to be potentially ruinous and it’s clear that Frederick is looking for a way to get James out of the way and take over his life in London. When he discovers James’s secrets, he finds just the ammunition he needs and attempts to blackmail James. Needless to say, this does not go well and there are consequences for everyone. What is that they say about the law of unintended consequences? Well some work out to James’s advantage, some do not.
Well this may be a case of it’s just me, but I struggled with this one initially. I found the first 20% or so quite difficult to get through. I didn’t particularly care for either MC as the book starts with a pretty hardcore BDSM scene. I didn’t feel like I knew the characters well or understood or felt their connection. It felt like abuse to me. As the story went on, I did get to know an appreciate them to some degree. But I missed the fun and humor and the build of the romance from the other books quite keenly. I was much happier when James got to London and met up with the characters from the pervious books. I’m no prude and I’ve read lots of BDSM (one of my all-time favorite series is hard core), but I didn’t get that vibe from this couple at all. I mean I knew they loved each other and that Harold protected and loved James, but I just wasn’t invested in the relationship. The parts of the book that take place in London – at the club and Stratford house and at Eavesmore with friends from London visiting were definitely the parts I enjoyed the most. It was delightful and entertaining to see Hartwell and Warry, Chant and Christmas, Soulden and Fernside, Aumont and Darling and Rivingdon and Notley again. They are up to their usual hijinks and their support of James was hilariously written. Even some long lost friends return to assist 😉 In the end, the story ends happily and did appreciate how good the writing was – I was just missing an emotional connection to the MCs that I felt in the previous books. As this is a farewell to this series, I’m a bit sad it’s over.
RATING: 
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