Guest Review: A Mad Passion by Scarlett Scott

I had so much fun over at my friend Nat's blog, Reading Romances — she invited me to guest review twice a month on Sundays!

My most recent guest review featured Mad Passion by Scarlett Scott, a steamy and emotional tale of love lost and found again. If you missed my first guest review, check it out here: The Viper by Monica McCarty.

Book Info

Mad Passion by Scarlett Scott
Published: February 16, 2011 by Ellora’s Cave Publishing Inc.
Heat Level: 🔥 4/5
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Blush: This is a sensual romance (may have explicit love scenes, but not erotic level).

Seven years ago, the Marquis of Thornton broke Cleo’s heart. Now, at a country house party with her sisters, she's shocked to find him standing before her — as handsome and irresistible as ever. But she's married, and he's on the verge of a strategic engagement. What happens when fate gives them one more chance?

My Review

Love comes full circle. At a young age, a charming aristocrat danced with a shy country girl and found something in her to love. Years later, that love still burns beneath the surface—just waiting for the spark to reignite it.

In Mad Passion, Scarlett Scott delivers a heart-tugging second chance romance filled with scandal, longing, and just the right touch of steam. The chemistry between Cleo and Thornton jumps off the page. The moment they reconnect, you know their story isn’t over.

Cleo is trapped in a cold, distant marriage. Thornton, now a prominent politician, is expected to marry for ambition. But when fate throws them together again, they must decide if their once-lost love is worth the risk to everything they’ve built.

I adored the scenes where emotions ran high—a darkened chamber rendezvous, a Shakespearean exchange loaded with tension, and those toe-curling stolen kisses. The moment Thornton washes Cleo’s hair? Tender, sensual, unforgettable.

Here are a few lines that stood out:

"Your tongue is far more appreciated when it is engaged in an activity other than speech, Countess."

“In his arms she had never felt more complete or more fully at home. He was her home and she knew it now with devastating certainty.”

“We cannot fear everything; we can only live to make ourselves happy.”

The secondary characters add wit, warmth, and plenty of complications. I laughed out loud at their banter and appreciated how they enriched Cleo and Thornton’s story.

If you enjoy emotional, well-paced second chance romances with substance and spice, this is one to try. Scarlett Scott is definitely an author I’ll be watching!

About the Author

Scarlett Scott fell in love with romance novels at age eleven when she borrowed her sister’s books and read them by flashlight in her closet. Her love of storytelling turned into writing sizzling romances full of emotion and heart. She lives with her real-life hero and their mischievous pup and spends far too much time on her blog and social media.

Find Scarlett online:
Twitter | Blog

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