On the recommendation of Malin and Mrs. Julien, I picked up Lord of Scoundrels over a year ago. I had a hard time getting past the prologue. Finally, with permission from Our Ladies of the Kissing Books, I skipped the prologue and a chunk of the first chapter. I was going through a reviewing slump when I read the book, so, um, it’s been a while.
Here is faintingviolet‘s review. Somehow I shall endeavor to say different things, but this is what I would have said if she hadn’t said it first.
First we meet a bunch of dumb guys. One of them, Sebastian, Lord Dain, is our hero. Sure, he’s sexy, but he’s overbearing, bitter and has a tragically bad opinion of women. I grew up reading books with heroes like him. The heroines softened and changed them into doting but sexy husbands by being pure, delicate epitomes of womanhood, who were also not like all the other girls.
Jessica Trent is not like those other romance heroines. Instead of proving their worth by suffering with great feminine nobility, Jessica Trent commits a shocking act of violence.
She wore a dark red gown, buttoned up to the throat, and a black shawl draped like a mantilla over her head and shoulders. Her face was white and hard. She strode toward the large table, chin high, silver eyes flashing, and paused a few feet away.
His heart crashed and thundered into a hectic gallop that made it impossible to breathe, let alone speak.
Her glance flicked over his companions. “Go away,” she said in a low, hard voice.
The whores leapt from his lap, knocking over glasses in their haste. His friends bolted up from their places and backed away. A chair toppled and crashed to the floor unheeded.
All hail Jessica Trent! She has the bad taste to love a man like Sebastian, but she knows he’s an asshole and gets on with it. I’m not sure I’ll reread Lord of Scoundrels, but I will always carry some love in my heart for Jessica Trent, a strong woman who wishes she had been seduced, takes the hero at his word, and then continues to be herself until he finally catches up.
I love this book in all its operatic cheesy goodness Jessica is one of the ultimate romance heroines.
We need Our Ladies of the Kissing Books tshirts.
Without encouragement from you and Malin, I wouldn’t have read this book.
I never loved this as much as some do because Dain is such a tremendous dumdum. But Jessica Trent is amazing enough for several romances.
Now you should read The Last Hellion, which has a much better hero and just as formidable heroine.
Jessica Trent really is the most wonderful heroine, and the actual speaking to each other portions of the book struck me then (and now) as a wonderful departure for the usual fare. Its such a shame that Dain is such an alphahole… its almost too much all the time.
(thank you for the shoutout! made my morning!)
One of the things I love about this book is that Dain is not handsome in the tradtional sense. Instead, he has a nose of epic proportions, the kind that is distracting until you grow into it or learn to work it. It almost (for me) makes up for his alphaholeness. Almost.
Jessica Trent is amazing. If I were to be a romance novel heroine, I’d want to be like her. Kicking ass and taking names in all sorts of manner.