Customer Reviews

London's Perfect Scoundrel (Lessons in Love, Book 2)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When I picked up this book it was with the intention that this light fluff would enable me to escape the worries of the day and fall asleep with a bit of a smile on my lips. For doing so I thank Suzanne Enoch. I also blame her for writing such a novel that I felt compelled to stay up until I had finished the entire book and lost a bit of sleep. :)"London's Perfect Scoundrel" supposes the idea that in each of us there has to be some grain of goodness which is what Evelyn Ruddick believes. And as she sets out to prove to "Saint" that her intentions for the orphanage are more than a mere whim, she also intends to prove that he is much more than what he appears.
This book was a delightful romp that had you rooting for Evelyn and hoping she is truly right when it comes to Saint.

I ranked this 4 stars for 2 reasons. I would have loved to see Evelyn grow a backbone where it concerns her overly ambitious brother. And I would have enjoyed an epilogue to this.

London's Perfect Scoundrel is a good devil/angel themed story, but yet Enoch's newest has much more than the category romance fiction theme going for it. It is truly about a man who has an epiphany, has redemption due to the heroine of the story.

Evelyn wanted to make a difference in her life, so one day while passing the Heart of Hope Orphanage, she decides to volunteer there. But she has to get the board of trustees permission first, and the head of the board is Michael, the Marquis of St. Aubyn who is known as Saint for his unsaintly like ways. He ridicules Evie because he doesn't believe her efforts will amount to much, and that she is only volunteering for a diversion.

There are several skirmishes during the first half of the novel, that come to a head when Evie kidnaps Saint and locks him in the orphanage basement for a week.

While he tries to repent (half heartedly at first) he eventually comes to care very deeply for Evie and her cause. He too wants to make a difference and not let her down, so he has to find a way to keep the orphanage open and not have her be married off to Clarence, Mr. Avlington.

The only thing I didn't like was how Evie kept crying in the book. She really didn't stand up much as a heroine, she was kind of weak willed. She should have stood up to her brother, no matter how much she loved her family. Saint was a totally wicked hero, but he was wonderful too. I don't think I have ever read about a more jaded, cynical Regency hero. They seem mismatched, especially with Evie's weak-willed personality, but in the end, they did fit together.

All in all, a great story. I enjoyed the romantic scenes and the orphanage scenes which provided a lot of humor for the story. Suzanne Enoch has written another winner and I look forward to Lucinda Barrett's story, featuring Robert Carroway, Lord Dare's war tormented brother.

Fans of Ms. Enoch would probably miss the lack of robust humour from Meet Me At Midnight but fret not, London's Perfect Scoundrel has redeemed itself with laudable characters who set themselves apart from the reckless couple in The Rake.

This love story is essentially a tale of redemption and a faithful ode to love and its reforming powers. Evie Ruddick is set to derive meaningful pleasure in her life by dedicating herself to voluntary work at the Heart Of Hope Orphanage, who unfortunately gets mocked by the director and notorious rogue of the ton Marquis of St. Aubyn whom ironically everyone calls "Saint". This hardened cynic sets himself to seduce the virginial Evie while giving her a tour of the house. With no particular attachment to the orphanage, he agrees to sell to the Royal Prince to pave way for development - indirectly crushing the dreams of Evie.

Readers seethe at what a scoundrel he is and joyfully laud at his "imprisonment" at the cellars of the orphanage executed by Evie and the children. Isolation and darkness forces him to rethink and admire Evie's passion as well as falling inexorably in love. He reforms by taking political ambitions, making amendments while courting Evie, who is ruthlessly used by her brother Victor as a pawn to his political career. She is to marry the dull Lord Alvington and give up Saint.

Ms. Enoch heats the tale with sizzles and seduction but also manages to deliver responsible matured characters who are true to themselves. Evie weighs family obligations with love; Saint is a flawed man who admits mistakes and rectifies them. These are endearing creatures who make this lesson of love ultimately sobering and enriching.

This was a fun read by Ms. Enoch and a lovely addition to the Lessons in Love series. This is Evelyn's story and she has picked the "Perfect Scoundrel" to reform. Saint is anything but. He is a rake, scoundrel and totally the opposite of the good hearted Evie. That's why they are so perfect together. The story of how Evie saves Saint is wonderful to read. She is always trying to do the right thing and he is always trying to do the wrong. That is until he faces off with Evie. Saint then finds himself reforming his old ways and having a change of heart where the Orphanage is concerned. Evie wants to make her mark on life and she has decided that the way to do this is to get involved with an orphanage. What happens when an angel with good intentions meets the Saint? Well, they teach orphans how to waltz of course!

Old friends from previous books by Ms. Enoch make different appearances which is always nice. Do yourself a favor and add this book to your summer/fall reading list. You won't be sorry.

Yes the book is full of unbelievable situations. But would it be half as much fun if it weren't?!! Let's face it- do you want to read a book where the hero acts like Barney Fife? Or do you want a tall,dark, rich, gorgeous and definitely rakish rogue chasing you around trying to jump off the page and seduce you? Can't answer for anyone but myself but I'll take a "Saint" anytime.

The book is definitely one of her best yet. I'm an avid reader- about a book a day and I've been reading this stuff for about 30 years. If you're looking for escape this is the book for you - the main characters are the focus of the book throughout- you don't have to read 30 pages of gibberish in between the "good stuff"! If you like Stephanie Laurens or Julia Quinn this is right up your alley. It's part of a series but stands easily on it's own. I can't wait for the next one and her books are now part of my permanent collection. I highly recommend this book- and all of her others.

The book started out well. The contrast between the good and noble heroine and the shameless hero was interesting, because even though at first sight it appeared that they had nothing in common, they attracted each other.
The author created a hero that really lived up to the adjective of scoundrel, unlike so many other romance heroes that are called that but in fact are more honorable than most men, St.Aubyn was really a scoundrel, shameless, selfish, manipulative, deceitful and full of bad intentions. I think he totally deserved what Evelyn did to him (and I'm not going to say what as to not ruin the surprise) however, in spite of that, I still liked him from the start (I guess it is the so called allure of a bad boy)
Evelyn was also very likeable at the beginning, but by the end I wanted to shake her for being so stupid. That's where the book lost its appeal to me. I just can't stand a person that is so "good" that allows others to take advantage of her in the worse possible way, even knowing she is being taken advantage of.
I read other reviewers also complained about this, I too, would have liked Evelyn to stand up to her despicable brother. Contrary to what she believes, I do not think her brother deserved a possition in the government. A man who is so selfish, ruthless and inconsiderate with his own family, does not make a good representative of the people. He has all the characteristics of a corrupt politician. The fact that at the end he got what he wanted by manipulating his sister and St.Aubyn is disgusting and quite ruined the book for me. I wanted him to get punished for his horrible behavior and treatment of his sister.
Another thing I think this book needed was another love scene. The 2 it has are ok, but insuficient. It is not that I'm looking for porno in a romance novel, but I would have liked to see them in a proper bed for a change, or at least in a proper bedroom!
I think a good opportunity was lost when he breaks into her house and visits her in her bedchamber where she was being held prisioner by her brother. What happened there instead (her refusing to leave with him because of her worthless brother) made my blood boil with outrage and exasperation.
All in all, the book had the potential to be a 4 or even 5 stars, but the way it ended was a real dissapointment.

I ABSOLUTELY ADORED THIS STORY! Its been a long time since Ive read a book that had such amazing characters that positively sizzled with chemistry! Even more then that though, was how obvious it was that not only did Saint and Evelyn want eachother, but they truly LIKED one another.Saint has to be one of my all time fave heroes. I LOVED THIS! OH!! The last scene! I reread it like a million times..read this book! YOU WONT BE SORRY!!!

Suzanne Enoch is getting better and better. This time around she gives us Saint, a man who appears unredeemable. I was a little shocked at what a bad guy he seemed to be, but Enoch carefully took us through Saint's development, and I really believed that he changed by the end of the book (Evie too for that matter). Enoch gave us some really delightful interactions (one of the characters kidnaps the other for a while!), and while some of it was implausbile, it was all very witty and fun. Go buy it!

While Julia Quinn, fellow Avon writer, reigns supreme as my favorite romance writer, Suzanne Enoch's London's Perfect Scoundrel is by far my favorite romance.

The hero, Saint, is anything but. He is jaded, cynical, and to be quite honest, a bit of an ass. There are times when you just want to hit him. Hard. Repeatedly. Nevertheless, his sex appeal cannot be denied. Out of the dozens of romances I have read, he is THE character I would most like to conduct an affair with. Enoch develops him fully and enables the reader to really fall for him.

Evie, however, is a smidge annoying at times. I loved her kind and giving nature and her perpetual belief in Saint, but I really wished that she would stand up to her brother. Enoch's explanation of "I love my brother and he would make an excellent politician, which is why I won't stand up to him and risk his election to a seat in the House of Commons" doesn't quite cut it for me.

Although Evie isn't my favorite heroine, Saint more than makes up for it. If you are searching for a smoldering hero that turns your insides into mush, look no further. London's Perfect Scoundrel will certainly do that!

I really enjoy Suzanne Enoch's style of writing- she has mastered thorough character development and steady plot progression. She interweaves humor and emotion effortlessly and I usually have an easy time finishing her books in one sitting.

This second installment in the "Lessons in Love" series is solid and enjoyable. Our heroine, Evie, is well-meaning and sweet, perfect for our hero, Saint. There were sparks between the two, and while there were a few farfetched scenes, the dialogue and chemistry between the lead roles made up for it.

I liked both Evie and Saint and I enjoyed seeing their relationship progress. I also enjoyed seeing Georgiana and Dare, from the first installment of the series, in this novel.

My largest complaint with this novel involved Evie's brother. His condescension and disrespect toward Evie was irritating, though I understand its purpose in Evie's character and personality.

My issue was that Evie never once stood up to her brother. I think that would have made the book all the more satisfying. In fact, aside from the inevitable reconciliation between the hero and heroine, I was most looking forward to Evie putting her brother in his place.

Instead, Evie just seemed to accept his behavior, even indicating that he treated her that way out of love. That is ridiculous, in my opinion. He used her to aide in his career movement, nothing more.

Aside from that, the book was enjoyable. I'm a sucker for a good-hearted-miss-tames-the-rake story, and this hit the spot.