A review by write_brained
First Comes Scandal by Julia Quinn

2.0

2.5 stars rounded down. I picked this up as a cheap ebook because I wanted some more Julia Quinn after watching Bridgerton, but while I did like the characters and enjoyed the first third of the story, things seemed to just trail off once the two MCs decided to get married. As others have noted, there was little to no real plot and what minor conflicts existed were easily resolved without any real effort by or consequences for the characters. I also felt Quinn made the mistake of assuming that, because she intended for the characters to get together in the end, she didn't need to put the work in to actually *show* us their relationship developing on the page, which is basically the cardinal sin of romance novelists in my opinion. First, the characters were childhood friends who viewed one another almost as siblings; then suddenly, poof, they just "saw one another in a different light" even though nothing notable had actually caused the change. Enjoyable as a fluffy diversion, but ultimately disappointing and lacking in depth.