Loved seeing all the Morelands when they were younger (three-year-old Alex and Con! So. Cute.)
Overall, reading this made me wish the Duke of Broughton had had a hundred kids instead of only seven, so I could keep reading about them forever. This series is pure fun :). ( )

I received an ARC of this book to read through Edelweiss+ in exchange for a fair review. Her Scandalous Pursuit by Candace Camp is the seventh book in her Mad Morelands series, but it is actually a prequel and so can be read without having read the other books in the series first. Never interested in having a season Lady Thisbe Moreland is a scientist and while attending a lecture she meets Desmond Harrison a fellow student of science and feels an instant attraction. Afraid that he won't like her if he finds out she is the daughter of a duke, she hides her title and introduces herself as simply Thisbe Moreland. Desmond Harrison discovers that the scientific object that his mentor is seeking is owned by Thisbe's grandmother and he hides that information from her as he is afraid that she will think he is only interested in her for that and feeling that their statuses are too far apart for him to court her still he still desperately wishes to remain her friend. Dreams, premonitions and ghostly visitations play a part in this friends to lovers romance and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Medium Steam. Publishing Date January 28. 2020 #HarlequinRomance #Edelweissplus #CandaceCamp #HerScandalousPursuit #HistoricalRomanceNovel #bookstagram ( )

I am so very pleased to have finally read Thisbe and Desmond’s story. Although this book was written seventh, it is actually the prequel to the series. I absolutely adored Desmond! We had met him in the other six books, but he was more a nebulous figure who was just sort of there – now, we get to meet and love him. The chemistry between Desmond and Thisbe is so thick you would need a knife to cut it. Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed Thisbe – and the rest of the Morelands – but Desmond made the book for me. It was also fun to see Alex and Con (The Greats) as three-year-old twins after having just read their books, His Sinful Touch (Alex) and His Wicked Charm (Con).

Lady Thisby Moreland is attending a lecture at the Covington Institute when the late arrival of a tall, handsome, slightly disheveled man attracts her attention. Her eyes are immediately drawn to him. For some odd reason, he catches and holds her attention – something no other man has ever done. Then, he sits next to her and she discovers he is not only incredibly attractive, but he is also shy. When the lecture is over, she doesn’t want the interaction to end and does whatever she can think of the prolong their conversation – not that he minds – he wants it to continue as well.

Desmond can’t believe his good fortune in meeting a lovely woman who loves science as much as he does. Thisby can’t believe she’s finally met a man who is a scientist and speaks to her as an equal. Over the coming days, they find many ways to meet and get to know each other. Each, of course, is smitten with the other. Except – Thisby hasn’t been entirely honest with Desmond. You see, she introduced herself as MISS Thisby Moreland rather than Lady Thisby Moreland – daughter of the Duke of Broughton. She didn’t want her father’s title to color how Desmond perceived her.

Desmond is in thrall. Thisby is everything he could have ever wanted in a woman. Then, his mentor, Professor Gordon, mentions the Eye of Annie Belew. The Eye can be used to prove Professor Gordon’s theories regarding ghosts. All they need to do is to get access to the eye. That is easier said than done because the owner of the eye, the dowager Duchess of Broughton, refuses to let anyone see it, much less study it. Then, unbelievably, the professor asks Desmond to steal it for them to study. Desmond refuses, then, rethinks his answer and checks out the dowager duchesses home. Who does he meet when he is checking it out – you guessed it – Thisby. She thinks he has tracked her down and is at the house looking for her -- and he doesn't tell her any differently.

Thus, begins a tale of romance, trust, betrayal, mistrust, and immense sacrifice for love. Both Thisby and Desmond have reasons to distrust each other. Can they overcome that mistrust to save the ‘eye’ and each other?

This was a delightfully well-told tale with interesting, magnetic characters. It was fast-paced and well-written – and I couldn’t put it down. I read it straight through from the first page to last and loved absolutely every word in it

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ( )