Customer Reviews

Confessions of a Scoundrel

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

At the close of An Affair to Remember an unhappy Brandon St John discovers the dreaded Talisman ring in his piece of wedding cake nearly breaking a tooth! The holder of the ring is destined to meet his true love, but Brandon doesn't believe in such legends. All the same, he'll palm it off on one of his brothers if the opportunity presents itself! It seems like bad luck is all the ring has brought him when his brothers give him the unpleasant task of buying off Chase's latest paramour, worried the gold-digger will trap Chase into marriage. Family head Marcus warns Brandon that "Lady Westforth is not a milquetoast female . . . I advise you to approach her carefully". Truer words were never spoken!

Widowed Lady Verena Westforth has been relegated to the very fringe of society by her vengeful father-in-law. He never approved of her - her parents are charlatans for heaven's sake! - believes her responsible for his son's death and has done his best to ruin her reputation in polite society. And so, she exists in the demimonde supporting herself by some low-key card sharping in gaming hells. But she's no man's mistress and, unbeknownst to Brandon, has already let Chase down easy and sent him on his way. But that does not stop her from having a little fun at the overbearing Brandon's expense. Soon all of society is giggling behind his back - intolerable! And when Verena's brother is blackmailed, Brandon's friend's freedom is threatened and the solution to both is finding a list of British agents abroad, are Verena and Brandon adversaries or allies? One thing is certainly clear - they are extremely attracted to one another!

So why only 3 1/2 stars? SEMI-SPOILERS! Well, first, why would Brandon stick his neck out for a school chum who sounded more like an acquaintance? And while there's plenty of lust and even camaraderie between Brandon and Verena, I didn't feel like they were in love. No love is declared until the last chapter when he is suddenly, out of the blue, planning a wedding! And lastly, the whole blackmail scheme seemed ridiculously convoluted to me. I guess I'm being picky, but I gave An Affair to Remember 4 stars and, though I enjoyed this book, it's not as good as that one in my opinion and I just could not rate them the same. Still, all in all, an enjoyable read.

But doesn't the St. John brothers sound a lot like those from Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series? If you don't believe me, check it out yourself: From the St John's, we have Anthony, Brandon, Chase, Devon. From the Bridgerton's, we have,Anthony, Benedict, Colin,Daphne, Eloise... See the connection? But other than this little coincidence, this book definitely deserves 5 stars.

This is the story of Brandon St. John who currently holds the St John talisman ring. It is believed that whoever possesses the ring would find his or her true love, in this case, in the form of Verena Westforth, a beautiful widow whom Brand believed, is somehow connected to a murder case.

'Confessions of a Scoundrel' has everything a good romance novel should have: A hot,handsome heroe, a heroine who is witty and intelligent, sizzling love scenes and as a bonus, a little mystery thrown in as well. This is an excellent book, and like so many of you out there, I just can't wait for Chase's story either, now that the ring is in his hands!

This is another book in the series begun with "The Abduction of Julia". It centers now around the St. John `talisman ring' which rumor has it that whichever St. John is in possession of the ring will find their one true love. With this novel the ring rests in the pocket of renowned scoundrel Brandon St. John who must decide if it is a blessing ... or a curse as he has yet to find a woman that holds his interest for more than two weeks!

Drawing the short straw, so to speak at the latest St. John family gathering Brandon has been assigned the task to `buy off' an undesirable demimonde from the attentions of their younger brother Chase. These St. John men, all handsome to a fault and wealthy to boot have had much experience in thwarting the attentions of marriage minded mamas and their daughters so Brandon, the handsomest of the lot, thinks that this shouldn't take him more than a few minutes time. Expecting a hard, painted, money-hungry grasping widow, the Lady Verena Westforth was definitely out of the ordinary. Lady Verena - blond lovely and indeed enticing - she would put the arrogant, pompous Brandon St. John in his place!

Along with the lovely and comical battle of the sexes, there is a mystery and a murder to solve in which Verena is smack dab in the middle. Verena has grown to enjoy her independence until this wonderfully handsome man has aroused feelings she thought long dead. Her family background and secrets could destroy her should the investigations uncover her past - but more than that she could very well lose her heart.

This was a really good story with the added excitement and mystery of a murder and hunt for a missing list. The characters are extremely well developed, intelligent, and interesting. The introduction of Verena's butler in training - Herbert - the reformed(?) pickpocket provides numerous light hearted moments and the love scenes as Brandon, that handsome devil - shows us his stuff - well he is HOT! Excellent read which I can highly recommend.

Actually, it wavers between 3-4 stars, depending on the exact part of the book. However, the humor and romance cause me to give it 4 stars.

I liked Brandon St. John very much, but wasn't as crazy about Verena. Although spirited and witty, something about her just seemed conniving and untrustworthy.

The blackmail scheme was rather odd at times, and not wholly convincing. Neither was Verena's family situation. On the other hand, wit abounds and there are significant sparks between the protagonists. The scene where Brandon has lost his voice may be my favorite in the book; the previous one when he's soaking wet is also quite good. The love scenes explode with passion. Verena's butler is a hoot. And Roger is one h*** of an actor.

A good book and part of a splendid series, but not my favorite of the group.

I have read historical romances for many years and it has been a while since I have come across one of the caliber of Confessions of a Scoundrel. After starting this book I found myself unable to put it down. What makes this book so special is the brazen nature of the heroine, something that, in my opinion, is often glossed over in other novles. Verena is definitely not your average women, which is perfect for the not so average Brandon St. John. Their chemistry is electrifying-taking traditional sex scenes and turning them into scenes in which you can almost feel the passion and mutual undeclared love. Take a chance on this book and I promise you will not be let down.
Also, I reccommend reading An Affair to Remember just so you know the background of the talisman ring, but it is not necessary.

its a great book - Ties good in with the two previous books involving the St. John family.
Brandon St. John, even while being a scoundrel, is great! Verena...well she turns out to be a lady who can definitely hold her own!

Can't wait for the story on Chase!!

Next in line for romance is Sara's brother (Anthony's half-brother), Brandon St. John. Bad-tempered, hung-over Brandon is sent on A Mission by his brothers. He is to buy off his little brother Chase's love interest and send her packing before an unsuitable marriage occurs. The woman in question is widowed Lady Verena Westforth. She has no intention of marrying Chase but shamelessly takes Brandon's outrageous and enormous bribe anyway. Then she proceeds to ridicule him far and wide, even going so far as to wear the signature from his note entwined in her necklace. Brandon, never one to be bested by a woman, goes on the warpath - a very sensual, wicked, seductive warpath. The joy in this book is the wit and repartee flying constantly between Brandon and Verena as they strive to outmanoeuvre each other. All this, plus a deadly villain who's lurking, waiting for a moment to kill. Look out for the adored thief-turned butler, Herberts. Provided by Julia (The Abduction Of Julia) but not really reformed, Herberts' unpolished speech, opinions, and the moments when Verena forces him to empty his pockets are hilarious.

I've been "glomming" Karen Hawkins since The Abduction of Julia and my expectations for this author have been surpassed quite wonderfully!

If you are in the mood for a book that will make you laugh out loud and impress you with details, this is the book for you!

I was continually surprised by the "little things" such as:

The morning meeting between the St. John brothers ("Perhaps we should call for a nice cool pitcher of water... that should get this slugabed on his feet.") - Who hasn't been threatened with cold water in order to wake up!
Herberts ("Oiye trys to keep up wif me hobbies!") Talk about laugh out loud funny!
Poole's concern for his employer (the "vile stuff" to help a hangover and the "punch drink" for a sore throat)
Verena's payback for Brandon's assuptions (the necklet was an added bonus)

The love scene in the sitting room struck a cord. It wasn't adding an "unnecessary" love scene (as so many authors are guilty of) but showed the couple's love. The entire scene was romantic without being sappy.

If I continue I will end up spoiling the fun so let me end this by saying I look forward to all future books by this amazing author, especially Chase's story :)

I read this book in one day..I could not stay away! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! My housework suffered for the day, yes..but OH! It was sooo worth it! I loved EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS STORY...Brandon was to die for and I adored Verena. I thought the story was interesting and I felt that the author did a fantastic job of not only developing the characters, but making sure that other aspects of the plot didnt overshadow the h/h and their growing love for one another. This was my first book by this author..Im so excited to have found her ! I cant wait to read about Chase!!!

I read this book in a matter of days. This is the type of book that you don't want to put down. I usually can predict the villian in most books but this kept me guessing until the end. It was definately a page turner. I would certainly recommend this to read to anyone who loves historical romances.