Liviania’s retro review of Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase
Historical romance released by Avon 1 Jan 1995, reprinted Dec 2007
While I’ve now been reading romances steadily for two years, I’m still new to the genre and catching up on the classics. I read and enjoyed Loretta Chase’s Your Scandalous Ways, and I’ve seen countless recommendations for Lord of Scoundrels and Mr. Impossible and I recently picked up both for cheap. Due to the “Beauty and the Beast” theme (I love fairytales), I started with Lord of Scoundrels.
Chase, smartly, begins by recounting the Marquess of Dain’s past. Too often authors draw out revealing the trauma that turned the hero into a jerkass. This mainly leads to the reason seeming smaller than it actually is and thus extra frustration with the hero’s behavior. The opening contextualized Dain’s protracted childhood. He can still be frustrating, but his character remains coherent and makes sense.
Luckily he runs into Jessica Trent, an aging beauty who won’t put up with his nonsense. Her brother Bertie Trent is pretty close to being the dullest tool in the shed. His idolization of Dain is leading him toward the poorhouse, and Jessica prefers to live comfortably on her fortune (earned in trade) rather than using it to continually pay his debts. Thus, she goes after Dain.
I enjoyed their verbal battles. I also enjoyed Jessica pushing Dain towards adulthood and responsibility. I was, however, puzzled by a couple of dropped plot points. At the beginning Jessica talks of setting up her own store, but after the opening her skill at finding antiques remains mostly forgotten. Likewise, Dain’s friends Beaumont and Vawtry remain important to the plot until the end, but Esmond disappears without a trace. (Does the Beaumont, Esmond, Beaumont’s wife triangle reappear in another of Chase’s books?)
I can see why Lord of Scoundrels continually tops favorites lists: Jessica. She’s intelligent and feisty. Between this and His at Night by Sherry Thomas, I am going to demand that all historical heroines beat a man half to death during the course of the novel. It’s clearly a good sign. Many romances survive on the hero’s appeal, but Lord of Scoundrels stands out by relying on the heroine’s strength. (I like Dain, as some appear not to, but he’s clearly playing second fiddle to Jess.)
Now I’m happily moving on to Mr. Impossible, hoping that it’s as good as Your Scandalous Ways and Lord of Scoundrels. I do wonder: what are the other must reads in Chase’s backlist? Also, what classic romances should I read next?
Grade: B
Summary:
They call him many names but Angelic isn’t one of them…
Sebastian Ballister, the notorious Marquess of Dain, is big, bad, and dangerous to know. No respectable woman would have anything to do with the “Bane and Blight of the Ballisters”–and he wants nothing to do with respectable women. He’s determined to continue doing what he does best–sin and sin again–and all that’s going swimmingly, thank you…until the day a shop door opens and she walks in.She’s too intelligent to fall for the worst man in the world…
Jessica Trent is a determined young woman, and she’s going to drag her imbecile brother off the road to ruin, no matter what it takes. If saving him–and with him, her family and future–means taking on the devil himself, she won’t back down. The trouble is, the devil in question is so shockingly irresistible, and the person who needs the most saving is–herself!
Read an excerpt here.
“Does the Beaumont, Esmond, Beaumont’s wife triangle reappear in another of Chase’s books?”
Yes, in Captives of the Night.
She didn’t open an antique shop because that was her ‘spinster who supports herself’ plan. To make money for herself using that talent. When she returns to London it’s as Dain’s fiancee, opening a shop isn’t something she’d do as his wife. I thought it was obvious why that was dropped.
This sounds like a fantastic read, I love the older books.
@Laura: Thanks!
@May: Well, yeah, it was to support herself . . . but Jessica and Dain were both so into making money I thought it would be brought up at least once after they met. Between his love of money and pushing the boundaries of society, I half thought he’d encourage her to go into business.
@Quilt Lady: I hope you enjoy it if you pick it up!
I agree with May — I don’t think that was a dropped plotline at all. There would have been no reason for Jessica to open up a shop after she was married. Although Dain flaunts scoietal rules, remember that he always was portrayed as being quite aware of his own consequence and as being extremely prideful. It would be unthinkable for his wife to open up a shop. (Even Genevive cautions Jessica about how her society will turn against her if she goes into trade).
Also, Jessica doesn’t have a fortune, nor is she in trade at the beginning of the book. She resells treasures she finds at auctions or in secondhand shops, but the money is just enough to buy her own clothing and accessories. She goes after Dain because Bertie is bankrupting both of them.
Besides Esmond’s book “Captives of the Night,” Ainswood (the duke Dain fights at the inn) has an amusing book “The Last Hellion.” After “Lord of Scoundrels,” though, my favorite Loretta Chase is “Lord Perfect.”
One of my all time favorites! This book literally makes me LOL! Mr Impossible is also a hoot!
Just found out over at AAR that she has a new book coming out at the end of July. I am excited!
I have to confess that I’m not as big a fan of this book as most. I have friends who rave over it, and when I read it, I was sure I’d missed something that had made them so ecstatic about it all. It was just all right for me. Mr. Impossible has been recommended by one of those friends to read next, that it will work better for me. I’m hoping so.
mdegraffen, Chase’s July release is Olivia and Peregrine’s story. I’ve been waiting for their book ever since I read “Lord Perfect.” You should read that first if you haven’t yet to learn about their relationship — plus it’s a great book!
As Laura Vivanco said, the Beaumont, Esmond and Leila Beaumont triangle is explored in “Captives of the Night”, possible my favourite of all of Chase’s novels (and she’s written so many books I love). Young Esmond is also the “villain” in one of Chase’s early books “The Lion’s Daughter”.