Lord of Scoundrels opens in the hero’s youth. We learn very quickly that life was not pleasant to Sebastian. His mother left him with his father while she ran off with another man (a scandal if I ever heard of one!) He was bullied, tortured, and ridiculed constantly at school. He was rejected because of his looks. He had no friends. His father neglected him – only deigning to acknowledge Sebastian if he could somehow hurt Sebastian while doing so, but Sebastian was smart and he used his intelligence to build a life of wealth and leisure for himself independent of his father. To sum it up: the tougher and meaner Sebastian got the better his life became – at least on the surface.

Detailing Sebastian’s youth was an exceptionally clever move on Loretta’s part because without this extensive background on him – he appears to be just another conceited alpha prick with very little to redeem himself. Instead of wanting to skewer him I wanted to smother the poor guy in love every time he misbehaved, which was often. As a role model, I would liken Sebastian to Justin Alastair, the Duke of Avon from Georgette Heyer’s These Old Shades. They even share similar devilish nicknames.

Present day Sebastian is a conscienceless rake who gains pleasure from exploiting others, bedding prostitutes, drinking in excess, and gambling outrageously. He avoids women of his own class because he has no use for them and their bothersome ways. Marriage is for fools and weaker men. He’s difficult and stubborn and very much like a child when provoked beyond his ability to handle things. He doesn’t react well to losing and heaven forbid he doesn’t get his way.

When a young lady by the name of Jessica Trent tries to extricate her idiot of a younger brother out of Sebastian’s influence things do not go well. The first problem (for her anyway) is that she’s inconveniently attracted to him. His dark looks, his well honed body, his carriage, his arrogance, and even his hooked nose make her blood race. He’s the first man she’s ever felt such a physical pull toward and it makes her uneasy.

Bertie doesn’t make things easy either. He doesn’t want to be removed from Sebastian’s influence. He wants to emulate Sebastian in every way and will do so even if it beggars him or kills him, whichever comes first. In his eyes, Sebastian is perfect. In his eyes, Sebastian is a friend. Sebastian is anything but!

Jessica’s attempt to bribe Sebastian to free her brother from his clutches backfires. Sebastian makes inappropriate advances trying to get a rise out of her. I love it when she apologizes for ruining his reputation! Hilarious! The poor guy doesn’t know that the love bug has hit him and reacts poorly every chance he gets – up to and including compromising her and leaving her to the vultures of society.

Lord of Scoundrels is a guaranteed hit that will tickle your funny bone and make you sigh in rapture. The dialogue is just phenomenal. The sexual tension high. But most of all… Sebastian will set up shop in your heart and demand complete and total devotion. I for one am happy to give it to him! He’s definitely in my top ten heroes.

Rating: 5 Stars

Buy: Lord of Scoundrels

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Categories:

5 Stars, A-C, Book Review, Comedy of Manners, Counts, Marquis, Viscounts, Enemies, France, Gambling, Great Britain, Low Self Esteem/Confidence, Regency, Rogues and Rakehells, Spinster, Virgin Heroine

Tags:

alastair, Georgette Heyer, lord of scoundrels, Loretta Chase, marquess, marriage, rake, scandal, sebastian