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Lord of Scoundrels

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Is it just me, or are most Regency mass-market paperback covers just AWFUL? They usually have a scantily-clad and dishy man in a semi-compromising position with a beautiful woman whose dress seems to be falling down. And such was the cover of this book - I wouldn't have bought it if it weren't for the great reviews on Amazon.co.uk. And I am glad I looked beyond the dismal cover as it was a very good book!

Firstly, that cover. Presumably the man on the front (a shiny chestnut-haired, muscular Adonis with slightly tanned skin and a traditionally handsome face) is meant to be Sebastian Ballister, Marquess of Dain and the hero of this story. However, we are told right at the beginning of the story that Dain is actually ugly; well, if not ugly, certainly not your traditional handsome hero. He's got a huge nose, he's half-Italian and therefore very swarthy and he has black curly hair. Oh, and he's enormously tall and very well muscled. Doesn't sound like our rather average-sized hero on the front cover of this book.

Jessica Trent, our heroine, is tall-ish, stunningly beautiful (of course) with long black hair which is usually pinned up in rather bad hairstyles. Now the woman in this picture is probably an amazon as she looks about the same height as the bloke and we have already established that Dain is well over six feet tall. Hmmm. Apart from that she answers reasonably to the description of our heroine.

Yes, it's a waste of time moaning about the cover art but you wonder if the people commissioning the cover of this book actually read it; or, more likely, if they thought rendering an accurate illustration of Dain would frighten people off. And that's what our hero spends his life dealing with - people find him ugly, scary, frightening. They try to beat him up, reject him (his mother runs away when he's eight years old and his father sends him off to school and basically ignores him) and he spends his twenties carousing and womanising like your average Regency Rake. And he has the money for it - he's loaded - so he believes that he can get whatever he wants by paying for it.

Unfortunately for Jessica Trent, her brother Bertie, who is a few sandwiches short of a picnic in the brains department, has fallen in with Dain's crowd and hasn't got the finances for it. Jessica and Bertie were hard-up to start with, being orphans, and Bertie can't afford the wine, women and song that those who run in Dain's set seem to spend their whole time chasing. Thus Jessica, with the help of her grandmother Genevieve, decides to try to separate Bertie from Dain. This involves Jessica actually meeting Dain and at that point it all starts going awry as she falls in lust with the ugly, enormous and very intelligent and witty man. She is also intelligent and witty and so, despite being a lady, which is a species Dain avoids like the plague, he finds himself in conversation with her. Their conversations don't go well as both are so clever that they end up in a kind of contest which both want to win - Jess's prize is that Dain will exlude her brother from his set; Dain's prize is that he will have a beautiful Russian Icon that Jess found in a shop in Paris. And so their initial introductions take place and they both find that there is something very special in the other - and this doesn't escape the attention of the rest of society which causes some problems for them both in terms of reputation.

This is a romance that explores the deeper issues that people have that may cause them to behave in a particular way and a lot of the story is about how Jess slowly draws Dain out of his shell so that she can understand why he behaves the way he does with women. She also causes him to face up to his responsibilities back at home in England and is amazingly accepting of him with his past history. It's a well-written love story with a small side-plot of someone trying to damage Dain and it never gets boring as they move from Paris to Dartmoor. Jess is a really fun heroine (she actually shoots Dain at one point) and he's an interesting hero with far more to him than the usual Regency hero (which is usually just good looks - which of course he doesn't have at all). I felt perhaps that the resolution of their problems unfolded rather rapidly at the end, plus I wondered how she managed to behave like a perfectly angelic wife for a whole month just to make a point (surely this would be impossible for just a day with such a difficult man) but I did find, after finishing the book, that I believed they COULD make a go of it, that their mutual love was understandable despite the differences in their natures, and I was glad that he was a reformed rake and came to terms with himself and his responsibilities, although perhaps rather more quickly than would happen in real life (the work of several years compressed into a month). This was a very good book, though, and I'm going to look out for more by Loretta Chase. I just hope they have less toe-curlingly embarrassing covers.

One of my all-time favorite romances, and if you could see my book room, you'd understand the strength of that recommendation. Tortured hero who's an unapologetic rake and never claimed to be a "gentleman" meets his match in the fiery Jessica Trent. He compromises her then refuses to marry her, and she takes matters into her own hands in a scene that had me laughing till my sides ached! So why is it that this robust, virile womanizer can't seem to consummate his marriage? You'll have to read it to find out, but you'll take great pleasure in this fabulous journey. A must-read for anyone looking for complex characters, thoroughly interesting plot, mouth-watering love scenes and, with the ending, a sense that all is right with the world. Excellent!

Ich kannte Loretta Chase nicht, der Kauf war eher ein Kindle-Sample Glückstreffer, besonders da ich die Anzahl an 5Stern Rezensionen gesehen habe.

Es handelt sich hier um einen historischen Liebesroman, aber nichts klassischem im Sinne toller Mann tolle Frau un 1000 Missverständnisse und unausgesprochenem.
Lord Dain ist der Antiheld par excellence. Als Dain 8 Jahre alt wird, werden sein kalter englischer Vater und er von seiner italienischen heißblütigen Mutter verlassen. Daraufhin schickt sein Vater Ihn nach Eaton. Dain ist hässlich, hat eine übergroße Nase, ist generell zu groß und dunkel. Er erinnert an den Teufel und verhält sich auch so.
Als erwachsener Mann bringt zieht er viele Männer seine eigenen Exzesse mit: Alkohol, Glücksspiele, Kämpfe, Huren... so auch den jungen relativ simplen Berthie.
Jessica ist eine überaus attraktive, intelligente, kultivierte, freidenkende Frau und vor allem Berthie's Schwester. Kurzerhand bricht sie nach Paris auf um Ihren Bruder aus den Klauen Dain's zu retten.
Schon während Ihrem ersten Treffen springen die Funken nur so, der Dialog ist faszinierend Intelligent und lustig. Ying und Yang treffen aufeinander und Jessica sowie auch "Beelzebub" können nicht mehr voneinander lassen.

Und so geht es weiter immer wieder kämpfen sie um sich vor einander zu schützen, aber auch mit sich selber, beider verändern sich, beide sind stark und faszinierend... Die Geschichte selber geht zügig voran, es passiert viel auf allen Ebenen. Das Buch ist gut geschrieben aber die Stärke ist definitiv in den beiden Hauptgestallten.

Irgendwie habe ich den Eindruck das es schwer wird diese Buch zu toppen.

Viel Spaß beim Lesen MBMT

As always with Avon books, you have to ignore the embarrassing book cover in order to enjoy the story. Believe me, this book is not as stupid as it looks!
I consider "Lord of Scoundrels" to be Loretta Chase's most accomplished novel so far (and one of the best historical romances ever) and keep hoping that one day she will succeed in writing a similarly witty book again.
In the Prologue she creates Sebastian Ballister, Marquess of Dain, a male lead character depraved, dangerous and bigger as life which leaves the reader curious about the problem what kind of female could ever match such a man.
Therefor it is a charming surprise to meet Jessica Trent in the first chapter, a beautiful and unconventional femme fatale whose best features are her delightful independence and intelligence.
Jessica travels to Paris to save her little brother Bertram who - under the bad influence of the notorious Marquess of Dain - is endangered to be completely absorbed in gambling, drinking and whoring and wastes away his family's fortune. Jessica tries to outwit and bribe Dain to stay away from her easily impressed brother but only achieves the opposite - now he deliberately drives Bertram to ruin, simply to best Jessica.
Sebastian and Jess fall in love with each other at first sight but they both try hard not to show it. That leads to hilarious disputes and power struggles and keeps the reader entertained on a really high level. The whole Parisienne society is aware of their clash and strives to witness it by inviting both parties to the same events. Finally Jess and Dain are found in a very compromising position and Jessica demands from Sebastian to help her out, but he refuses and parts with the words "Shoot me". And that is exactly what Jessica does...
Thanks to the insight in Sebastian's childhood and youth it is possible for the reader to understand why he clings that obsessively to his pride and does not dare to give in to his feelings.
It is such a pity that the sequel to this story, "Captives of the Night" is out of print. I would love to meet the characters of this book again.

I ordered this book a while ago and was a little put off by the stereotyped cover, so I postponed reading it. What a surprise. This is my first Loretta Chase story, but it won't be my last.

Lord Dain (rhymes with Cain - fitting, I think) is the tormented beast. Jessica is his beautiful redemption. But what a wild ride to get there! I have no doubt that in the hands of a less gifted writer, this twist on the old fairy tale story would have come off as stupid, but I think LC has a gift for characterization; I miss the hero and heroine already, having just finished the book. I also liked her prologue - too many authors don't take the time to set the stage for their characters' conflicts, or try to do so only through brief references in the middle of the plot. Ms. C. had my attention from page one as she drew Dain larger than life, and then pitted him against a heroine who is firmly grounded in reality. No pouting, no head-tossing, no frippery, no sexual neurosis for Jessica! Dain's and Jessica's relationship (humor, arguments, and all) was so well developed and lucidly described, that I felt like I was watching a real couple struggle against their attraction for one another. I'm so glad I've discovered this author - now if I can just find her other novels....

I love romance books, but originality is scarce. In a genre where too many books seem to blend together until I can hardly tell them apart, LORD OF SCOUNDRELS is a true original. I haven't read anything like it. Dain and Jessica are a very unique, loveable, frustrating, sexy couple. But there is so much more to it than that and I fear I don't have the words. Only this: DO NOT MISS THIS BOOK! Reading it was a true pleasure. Jessica calls Dain Lord Beelzebub. I loved that she wasn't clueless or skittish around Dain. Dain has been used to most people, especially women, looking at him as though he is a freak. He's big, brutish, and a bully. He's also a "whoremonger" who has sworn never to get involved with a lady. But Jessica gets under his skin upon their first meeting. She accepts the fact that for the first time in her life, she has fallen in MAJOR lust with a man. This is where the fun begins. The prose is fluid, lyrical, and smooth. It NEVER falters. The dialogue is the most original and witty dialogue I've read in a very long time. Don't miss it!

This is by far Loretta Chase's best book, and one of my all time favorites. The heroine is strong and independent, and for once it is the guy who is the emotional basket case. Put this book at the top of your "To Read" list, you won't be sorry.

The story is about the reforming of a notorious rake named Lord Dain who is a devoted whoremonger and debauchee and appears not to have a single decent bone in his body. He meets Jessica, a stunningly beautiful spinster woman in an antique shop in Paris. Sparks fly, but after all the bad experiences he has made with mankind (especially with women) he cannot believe Jessica finds him attractive. When the ton finds them in a very compromising situation he refuses to marry her saying the infamous words "Shoot me!" Well, sometimes people get what they want... The story is hilarious sometimes and also entertaining in the second half of the book. I especially liked the part where Jessica makes Lord Dain accept his ignored by-blow son Dominique. This alone is worth reading the story. Yet I felt disturbed by the total lack of realism and the much too perfect heroine. First of all: A girl like Jessica, extremely beautiful, very sensual, daring and admired by almost everyone wouldn't have stayed unmarried or a virgin till her 27th birthday and then feel an overwhelming lust for the first time for a man like Lord Dain. She is knowledgeable about and interested in sex and not at all afraid of it but we shall believe she never before was erotically attracted to someone. Most of us already feel atttracted to the other gender in our teens even if we are not a sex-goddess like Jessica. Lord Dain seems to be the only handsome and sexy man in two countries. This is too much, really. Lord Dain on the other side who always has felt erotically attracted to big-boned and plump whores (the only sympathetic trait he shows in the beginning of the story)who he changes so frequently like other people change their underwear is now fiercely attracted to petite and delicate-boned super-model-slim virginal Jessica. If a man prefers a certain kind of looks in a woman he most likely sticks to it or doesn't change his preferences so drastically. Furthermore we shall really believe he will be able to stay true to one woman after having used a thousand of them? Shall we really believe he has not caught a serious venal disease while bedding one whore after another (sometimes even two at a time) without protecting himself which he obviously didn't ? Why did the author not made Jessica a sexually experienced widow and Lord Dain a man who avoids females due to his bad experiences with them? I'm really fed up with the extremely unbelievable cliché "debauched rogue is reformed by lovely virgin". And although I could understand Lord Dain's plight and felt sympathy for him I couldn't feel much for Jessica. She was so damn perfect and flawless. Beautiful, intelligent, sensible, sensitive, extremely caring, patient, virtuous, sensual, sexy, courageous....the list could be much longer. She always said and did the right thing. Therefore she remained somehow artificial and sterile. I couldn't like her for she seemed to be too much a role-model. I liked Lord Dain much better for he was much more human. If you want to read a better version of the reformation of a rake read Mary Joe Putney's "The rake". The characters are much more credible and in the end you believe that such a transformation could be possible which I here doubted very much because the glue between the two heroes is mainly sex and the fact that Jessica is the first decent woman who feels attracted to Lord Dain. I think his overwhelming sexuality caused his frequent demand of whores not his bitterness and disappointment in life. This is why I couldn't believe the transformation. When Jessica isn't a erotic sensation anymore he would -in reality-follow his old path especially when she is worn out by pregnancies and not so sexy anymore.

Das war und ist eines der besten Bücher die ich je aus dem Genre gelesen habe!!!! Und ich habe bis heute über 400 historische LiRo gelesen. (Was solls, andere schauen Daily Soaps und die sind immer schlecht!)
Ich werde nur mein Fazit wiedergeben, da der Inhalt hier schon oft und wirklich ausführlich wiedergegeben wurde.
Von der ersten Seite an ist dies ein spannend geschriebene Liebesgeschichte, ohne Kitsch oder großem Krimiplot und mit ständig aufkommenden Überraschungen, sofern man davon aus gehen sollte einen der üblichen Liebesromane zu lesen. Was hier nicht der Fall ist. (Ich habe direkt den Anschlußroman "The last Hellion" gelesen, der auch sehr gut ist aber nicht an den herankommt.) Nicht vom Cover täuschen oder abschrecken lassen, der LiRo lohnt sich und frau sollte den nicht verpassen. Ich habe viele von Loretta Chases Romanen gelesen, aber hier hat sie echt den Vogel abgeschossen. Ich habe das Buch bis heute schon 3 mal gelesen, klingt verrückt, aber es war immer ein Jahr dazwischen und ich habe nie aufhören können es erneut ganz zu lesen wenn ich auch nur darin geblättert habe. Von mehr als 400 Büchern habe ich höchstens 10 2x gelesen aber noch nie eines 3x und ich weiß schon jetzt, dass ich ím nächsten Urlaub dieses Buch wieder im Koffer haben werde. TOLLES BUCH!!!!

Übrigens es gibt eine Taschenbuchausgabe mit einem nettem Cover, ist glaube ich die UK Ausgabe, einfach mal bei booklooker suchen.

The story seemed to be a good idea and the dialogs witty at first. But eventually I became more and more bored because of inner dialogs both of hero and heroin filling pages. Furthermore I found the descriptions of sexual encounter overdone, the taming and emotional healing of the beast beyond belief