Lord Of Scoundrels

Sebastian Ballister, Marquess of Dain is big, bad, notorious and a rake.

A man, who seems to have no conscience, uses people and considers women as only useful sex objects. He drinks gambles and whores, making himself as un-loveable as he believes himself to be.

Jessica Trent spends a lot of time trying to keep her brother Bertie, out of trouble. He tried to keep up with Dain, and has ruined his family. When she actually meets Dain, she’s annoyed to find, she’s attracted to him. She is still determined to rescue Bertie and ends up in a confrontation, nobody could ignore.

Dain is horrified to find that he is attracted to Jessica. He has been avoiding society ladies for most of his adult life, as they were always trying to lure him into marriage for his money. Jessica has wriggled under his skin and when several very public encounters turn into scandalously inappropriate ones, he is still determined not to walk to the altar. But he underestimates Jessica's need for justice and eventually gives in. If it is marriage to Lord Beelzebub she wants, so be it!

It's a rare book that can sustain so many reprints and still be a wonderful read. Also this reviewer loved it. LORD OF SCOUNDRELS has an interesting plot, with large as life characters that almost leap off the page. There is a bit of all that is good in this book, from illegitimate sons, wacky ladies of the night, a dumb brother and a wonderful grandma.

An ultimate rake suddenly reformed story, with a challenging twist. As the unusual hero divulges his unhappy childhood and torturous years at Eton, it makes the delightful Jessica love him even more as she understands the man he became. Neither expects much from the marriage, but they are pleasantly surprised by the outcome. The very unflappable Jessica handles everything Dain throws her way, with calm efficiency and confidence. He is so impressed he slowly reveals his human side. Not that this means smooth sailing from now on, this couple are certainly not boring. With a tough as nails heroine, and a bedazzled hero who finds nothing gets his lady down. The dialogue is witty, risqué at times and makes this an enjoyable read.

April 2008