Review - - Bad Luck Bride

Bad Luck Bride

by Laura Lee Guhrke

Scandal at the Savoy - Book 3

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: July 29, 2025

Reviewed by PJ

 

Third time’s a charm? For Lady Kay Matheson, it had better be. Her first engagement was a failed elopement; the second ruined by gossip about the first. Resigned to be a disgraced spinster, no one is more surprised than Kay when an American millionaire offers for her hand. Just when she’s convinced she will finally make it down the aisle, the scoundrel who broke her heart arrives with his own fiancée.

Devlin Sharpe has finally become a success. He has wealth, connections, and a lovely bride-to-be—and he won’t let an old flame derail all his hard work. But it turns out time has not dampened his grudge toward Kay—or the desire sparking between them. And one searing kiss threatens to ruin their wedding plans and their futures, and make Kay the bad-luck bride all over again.

PJ's Thoughts:

I've been eagerly anticipating this third book in Laura Lee Guhrke's Scandal at the Savoy series and am happy to say it was worth the wait. Filled with betrayal, second chances, family dynamics, and a lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romance, it's a story that kept me engaged from start to finish.

I love the Victorian setting of this series with its more modern sensibilities and characters - heroines in particular - with more independence and opportunity. However, society still holds sway in London and sometimes women, for the sake of family, are forced to follow their heads rather than their hearts. I really enjoyed watching Kay and Devlin work through the many emotions that rise to the fore when Devlin's return to London brings them face to face at the Savoy. The sparks between these are strong enough to set fire to the place. But, wow, there's a whole boatload of messiness to wade through. Speaking of messy, did I mention their respective fiancés?

These characters kept me engaged from start to a very surprising finish. I have to admit, I had no idea how Guhrke was going to pull off a happy ending for Devlin and Kay with everything that was at stake but she did. In the process, she gave me a story with sparkling dialogue, snappy banter, emotional depth, a few twists, a terrific supporting cast, and a hard-won, happy ending. 

While characters from the first two books in this series appear in Bad Luck Bride, you can easily begin with book three without missing a beat. I do, however, enthusiastically recommend all three books in the series. 

Review - - Lady Scandal

Lady Scandal

by Laura Lee Guhrke

Scandal at the Savoy - Book 2

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: June 18, 2024

Reviewed by PJ

Delia Stratham is an unconventional woman. While other ladies learned proper decorum at finishing school, she composed naughty limericks and admired the gardener’s muscular legs. So naturally when she’s widowed for the third time, she does the unthinkable: she gets a job. Planning events for the Savoy Hotel is perfect for someone with her skills. But her dream career turns into a nightmare when she’s forced to work with the most annoying—and gorgeous—man she’s ever met.

Hotel magnate Simon Hayden knows something fishy is going on at the Savoy: the hotel is constantly busy, yet the books say it’s in the red. He’s determined to root out the fraud and its perpetrators, and that means spending time with one of the most likely suspects: the delectable, infuriating Lady Stratham. She’s definitely getting in his way and under his skin and he can’t decide whether to fire her or kiss her until she stops arguing. But when the sparks between them flare into flame, Simon must choose between his love for Delia and his duty to the hotel. Will his choice bring them together or tear them apart?

PJ's Thoughts:

I'm really enjoying this new series from Laura Lee Guhrke. I've always liked her working heroines. This one, however, is a bit different. Delia is not from the working class. She's a countess. A happily working countess who is very good at what she does. And, she's not about to let grumpy Simon undo everything she's accomplished. 

Give me a grumpy-sunshine, enemies-to-lovers, Victorian workplace romance set in a luxury London hotel? Yes, please! I was hooked by these two from the get-go. Guhrke gave me a heroine I could enthusiastically root for (everyone loves her!) and a hero nobody likes (at least, nobody at the hotel), then set them on a collision course with sparks galore. Both characters have unseen layers and it was a delight to gradually uncover them, offering insight into their pasts and the reasons behind the people they have become. 

I enjoyed watching Simon, who really is a good man, struggle with his new place in society, his unsavory family history, his beloved sister who is growing up too fast for his liking, and his determination to not fail the people who placed their trust in him, while at the same time fighting the urge to give in to his unexpected feelings for Delia and what they could mean for the task he has been given. 

And Delia was not what I was expecting. I developed so many feelings for this character. I really liked her, admired her, and wanted so badly for her to find her happy ending, both personally and professionally. I loved her joie de vivre, her steadfast resolution, and her loyalty to those around her, especially to those who gave her purpose when she was at her lowest. I also appreciated the organic process in which she both developed feelings for Simon and came to terms with the reality of what was happening at the hotel. It felt authentic to the characters and story.

Be sure to read the author's notes at the end of the book. There are events in the story (I had no idea!) involving secondary characters in the book who were actual (well known) people in real life. It was fascinating to watch it all play out in the story while noting the character's names and asking myself, "Could this really be true?" It was!

If you enjoy historical romance with a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers, opposites-attract, workplace romance, seasoned characters (they're both in their 30's), humor, emotion, a touch of scandal, and a happily ever after, all centered within the luxurious Savoy Hotel, add Lady Scandal to your summer reading list. It's a delicious delight.