By Kathryn Reed

Escaping to a place that does not resemble your life is a good reason to read books – especially fiction. I had to be reminded of this fact this summer because normally non-fiction is what I choose.

“A Note of Scandal” is not something I would normally choose to read. But because my friend and former colleague Nicky Penttila wrote it, I downloaded it. (The book is available only as an ebook.)

I didn’t know it was set in post-war London until I started reading. This presented a certain irony because it was in London that I was reading it.

This romance novel, according to the publisher, is at Level 2 on the heat index. While, admittedly, I think a little more steam would have added more to the book, I was captivated by how Penttila spun her tale through a time when such scandal would have been provocative.

Knowing Penttila’s newspaper background made it personally fun to read how a publisher plays such a prominent role.

“A Note of Scandal” will not be for everyone. But the writing is superb, the storytelling captivating, the scene-setting excellent, and the story fun and lively.