Lord of Scoundrels

Rating:
Summary: Stunning
Review: This book has been on my to-be-read shelf for months, and when I finally got to it I wondered why I took so long to read this stunningly sensual romance. I LOVED IT!!! It was incredible. Many others have done an excellent job summing up the plot and character, so I simply wanted to add my encouragment to GET THIS BOOK if you don't already own it! I have a small keeper shelf, but this book has a permanent spot on it.

Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: nearly every time I pick up an overhyped book ("More epic than Moby Dick! Funnier than Bull Durham!") I'm disappointed. It's not the book's fault because high expectations are almost impossible to reach -- the book has to entertain and move the reader, make her laugh and enjoy herself and fall in love with the characters. After all, everyone says it's one of the best things in a really crowded market.

This book is one of the best things in the market, one of the best romances I've read -- and I've read a slew of these things.

The hero is wonderful. The heroine is fantastic. The book makes us believe in redemption and the healing power of love-- but these themes are done perfectly. The lack of sentimentality is amazing.

I love this book and will never ever lend it out.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable
Review: I guess because I am obsessed with Italian men and the hero was half-Italian (and said sexy Italian things), I was more drawn to this book than I expected. I loved the heroine! She can certainly hold her own. It was a good read!

Rating:
Summary: Not my Favorite
Review: OK -- I'll take the unpopular stance (and the negative votes) and say that "Lord of Scoundrels" was not a keeper for me. I'm not sure what it was about this book, but it didn't click with me. The writing was very good and the characters were well-drawn; however, the story left me cold.

I think that the heroine, Jessica Trent, was a little *too* perfect for me--fabulously beautiful, amazingly intelligent, incredibly sensitive, anachronistically independent, *and* sexually savy (while still being a virgin at 27 years of age!) I love strong heroines, but she is *too much* of a "Mary Sue" for me. I like my heroines to have a few chinks in their armor. The hero, Lord Dain, was interesting and unusual (I liked the uncompromising portrayal of his "rakishness"), but he frankly did not appeal to me. Too much self-pity and I *hated* the way he treated his illegitimate son.

This is a *very* popular book and it is not a bad read, but I think that it is *over-rated* < ducking to avoid the rotten fruit being thrown by rabid fans of the book >. Sorry, maybe I just read it on a bad day.

Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 stars for thisTingly Sensation
Review: A fun time throughout ... I loved Jessica & Dain.
Their up-front clever styles were so enjoyable.
A very sexy couple.

I will always remember how they met in the Antique Shop &
the yummy descriptions of how they aroused each others senses.

Reminder to self: read again someday & enjoy it anew.

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put this book down!
Review: Jessica Trent had come to Paris with one mission in mind - to save her inept brother, Bertie, from the hedonistic lifestyle that was leading him straight to bankruptcy. She holds his friend, the infamous Marquess of Dain, responsible for Bertie's decline, and she is determined to put a stop to it. But she's not prepared for the overwhelming attraction she feels for Dain, despite his attempts to remain aloof from her. Still, marriage isn't exactly what's on her mind - until her reputation is compromised, and he offers to wed her.

Sebastian Ballister, Marquess of Dain, had had a rough life. His father was a cruel man who never liked his "ugly" child. His mother ran away with a shipping magnate and died in the West Indies of a fever. Once his mother died, he was sent away to a boarding school where the other boys constantly ridiculed his looks, his coloring, his nose, and his mother's infidelity. Sebastian learned to harden himself against the world, especially against feminine wiles. He couldn't even hope that a lady would want to marry him for himself - until he finds himself tempted beyond belief by Jessica.

This book was so good, I literally could not put it down. This is an unusual romance, as another reviewer mentioned, because the circumstances keeping the hero and heroine apart are so realistic. There is no Big Misunderstanding that would be resolved if the characters only talked with one another. There is only Dain's horrid childhood, memories and experiences that still cloud his vision of the present, and affect how he interprets circumstances. He truly believes he is ugly, and that no one wants him for himself. This was drilled into him by his cold father, his peers, and his mother's abandonment. So when Jessica shows tender feelings for him, not only does he not know how to react, but he is suspicious of her. Watching them work through this was an amazing journey. Jessica was just the right type of heroine for him - strong enough to stand up to his demons and challenge them. I imagine that I will read this book several more times. Definitely a keeper!

Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT book!
Review: Wow! This one kept me up all night reading. Finally, a romance with absorbing, mature and well-written characters, involved in a plot that doesn't have to do with some silly mystery, or a Romeo-Juliet theme keeping the participants apart; it's the hero's horrible childhood and its wretched emotional aftermath. And the heroine is just strong enough & smart enough to help him overcome it all! And, even nicer, you feel that the happy ending isn't all a band-aid -- the hero may well go on having problems but the heroine will always stand by him & keep helping him work it all out -- Now, that's good writing! Definitely, I will look for more books by this author, she's got to have another keeper like this somewhere.


Rating:
Summary: This has everything!
Review: Reading romance novels is, as my "name" implies, a guilty pleasure for me. I'm not sure why they appeal to me or why, in particular, the regency era does. As long as I am going to read a romance I want it to be as well-written and, frankly, romantic as possible. Lord of Scoundrels is both. It has everything that I look for in a romance: tortured hero, smart, sexy, beautiful, heroine; wonderfully romantic scenes (and I don't mean the sex scenes)and a definite regency feel to it. It's a little embarassing to admit I have re-read this book at least 3 times. Loretta Chase is an excellent author. I've read all of her books. This is my favorite.

Rating:
Summary: I really tried to like it (twice, even...)!
Review: For me a great read starts when I am at least interested in the hero because of the mystery surrounding him, the danger he exudes, his sex appeal, his wit... something! I found none of these in this book. AND I didn't find the heroine to be anything beyond the common beautiful, feisty, and a bit silly heroines you usually find in a romance novel. The story line--Blah blah. I've actually purchased this book twice. Because I almost ALWAYS believe the 5-star reviews and figured I must be wrong. The first time I tried to read it, I couldn't finish it. So after a few years I went back and purchased it again. (Again, I BELIEVED YOU LADIES!) I got a lot farther and finally read enough to make myself not feel like a pure fool for buying the same book twice! Didn't like the way he treated his big-nosed son, didn't like the self-esteem issues, didn't want to know the heroine, didn't care about either one of 'em, didn't like the book! I'm glad you all enjoyed it, there was nothing in there for me to grasp. Just give me the Alpha males from Linda Howard or Judith McNaught.

Rating:
Summary: Stunning
Review: This book has been on my to-be-read shelf for months, and when I finally got to it I wondered why I took so long to read this stunningly sensual romance. I LOVED IT!!! It was incredible. Many others have done an excellent job summing up the plot and character, so I simply wanted to add my encouragment to GET THIS BOOK if you don't already own it! I have a small keeper shelf, but this book has a permanent spot on it.