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Lord of Scoundrels [Kindle Edition]

Loretta Chase
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (330 customer reviews)

Print List Price: $7.99
Kindle Price: $3.79 includes free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
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Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers

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Book Description

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!



Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of the great voices in romance" -- --Melinda Helfer, Romantic Times

"Poignant, beautifully written...and scorchingly sensual." -- --Mary Jo Putney, author of Dancing in The Windhew

About the Author

Loretta Chase has worked in academe,in retail, and on the street—as a meter maid. Finding realitytoo improbable, she turned to writing fiction. Her bestsellinghistorical romances, set in the early 19th century’s Regencyand Romantic eras, have won a number of awards,including the Romance Writers of America’s RITA®.


Product Details

  • File Size: 597 KB
  • Print Length: 384 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0380776162
  • Publisher: HarperCollins e-books (October 13, 2009)
  • Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B000FCKOEK
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Enabled
  • Lending: Not Enabled
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,414 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
170 of 173 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A classic! The utlimate reformed rake! November 11, 2003
Format:Mass Market Paperback
It's a rare book that can sustain an average 5 star rating over 56 reviews (at least as of this writing)! This is one of those books that I'd heard about for years and seen in lots of favourites and Desert Island Keepers lists. It had been on my TBR shelf for several months and now I'm wondering what took me so long to read it - I loved it!

This really is the ultimate rake reformed story. Though I did not enjoy reading about Sebastian's unhappy childhood and torturous years at Eton, it had to be endured for the reader to understand the man he became. Seemingly without conscience, a man who uses people, considers women either bothersome (ladies) or sex objects (prostitutes), drinker, gambler and uncaring bad influence on younger, impressionable and less wealthy hangers-on. And one such hanger-on is Jessica Trent's idiot of a younger brother Bertie who is quickly going through the family's money in an effort to fit in and keep up with the infamous Marquess of Dain. Jessica and her grandmother have traveled to Paris determined to reclaim Bertie from Dain's destructive influence. But when Jessica actually meets Dain, she is frustrated and annoyed to discover that she is extremely attracted to the devil. What a bother! But she is still determined to extricate Bertie and forces a confrontation that he cannot ignore!

Upon meeting the delectable Miss Trent, Dain is no less attracted to Jessica and no more pleased about it. He's avoided society ladies for most of his adult life (ever since one tried to lure him into marriage for his money) and the only women he spends time with are prostitutes....

Of course neither expects much from this marriage, but both are pleasantly surprised. Jessica seems unflappable handling everything Dain throws her way with calm efficiency and confidence. Dain can't help but be impressed. And Dain slowly reveals himself to be quite human after all. So how can Jessica help but fall for him? But does this mean smooth sailing for this couple? Not likely!

I really enjoyed reading this book. I did not care for Dain at the start, but by the end I really liked him a lot. Especially in his dealings with his illegitimate son. Conversely I really like Jessica throughout. She's tough as nails, determined, witty and nothing gets her down. Actually, as others have pointed out, she may border on too perfect! A highly recommended read! Read more ›

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106 of 109 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars This is THE ONE... June 23, 2003
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I have read hundreds of romance novels. I have my share of favorite authors and have seldom ventured on the untried ones. I have never done any review of any single book because I have yet to find one I can call as THE ONE, which is worth the time and the effort to give praise to an author for a romance book that's superbly done. It takes a real good book to write a review. The Lord of Scoundrels in THE ONE.

I bought this book, my first of Loretta Chase, on the strength of the reviews in the amazon.com site and I am very happy I did. It is lush, witty, entertaining and very sensual- the elements romance readers look for in a book worth to be in a keeper's shelf. No complicated plot but with very good, characterizations, witty dialogues and unforgettable scenes that make the book worth keeping.

Dialogue sparkles and sparks fly between the two main characters: Lord Dain, the dark, tortured reprobate, who had very little opinion of himself but who was hopelessly besotted with the "needle-tongued, conceited, provoking ape leader of a lady" and Jessica, the beautiful, strong-minded, sensuous spinster who in her words declared "I've been in lust with you from the moment I met you". The sizzling verbal fights are very captivating. The "animal lust" and the deep desire for conquest and possession just leap off the pages to keep the reader enthralled. Lord Dain's use of the endearments in Italian during their very intimate moments makes the story even more romantic and titillating. But wait, please let me include the notorious punchline, "I should like to see you try".

When I finished the book, I read it again and again and then again most especially some of the very poignant, even hilarious and totally comical scenes, i.e....

Scenes like the unbutonning of the gloves, the lamppost incident, Lady Wallingdon's party, the Hyde Park with Jessica on Lord Dain's lap, the brawl with Ainswood, they are so vivid and well played out that you will in turn even fantasize some more scenes of your own of Lord Dain and Jessica!

There are two scorchingly sensual and highly erotic highlights in the book that romance reader will remember:
1. The showdown between Lord Dain and Jessica barely three days wed
2. The boxing bout they attended that culminated in Jessica's declaration of her love for Sebastian again and again while against the pillar in a burial ground attached to a tiny crumbling church.

But of course, who will ever forget the way Jessica sought satisfaction for the very scandalously compromising and public position he put her in: "her bodice undone and sagging to the waist, his tongue down her throat, his filthy hand up her skirt?"

I totally agree with Lord Dain's rumination while leisurely taking his bath after successfully "tumbling" his wife,"Since the Almighty had not done him a single act of kindness in at least twenty-five years, Dain thought it was about bloody time...."

Yes, the Lord of Scoundrels, the dark and tortured Sebastian Ballister, the notorious Marquess of Dain deserves the beautiful, virginal and passionate Jessica Trent.

To Ms. Loretta Chase, your Lord of Scoundrels is absolutely WONDERFUL! It is an absolute MUST for romance readers. Read more ›

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78 of 86 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Not my Favorite December 2, 2004
By ellejir
Format:Mass Market Paperback
OK -- I'll take the unpopular stance (and the negative votes) and say that "Lord of Scoundrels" was not a keeper for me. I'm not sure what it was about this book, but it didn't click with me. The writing was very good and the characters were well-drawn; however, the story left me cold.

I think that the heroine, Jessica Trent, was a little *too* perfect for me--fabulously beautiful, amazingly intelligent, incredibly sensitive, anachronistically independent, *and* sexually savvy (while still being a virgin at 27 years of age!) I love strong heroines, but she is *too much* of a "Mary Sue" for me. I like my heroines to have a few chinks in their armor. The hero, Lord Dain, was interesting and unusual (I liked the uncompromising portrayal of his "rakishness"), but he frankly did not appeal to me. Too much self-pity and I *hated* the way he treated his illegitimate son.

This is a *very* popular book and it is not a bad read, but I think that it is *over-rated* < ducking to avoid the rotten fruit being thrown by rabid fans of the book >. Sorry, maybe I just read it on a bad day.
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65 of 71 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I love romance books, but originality is scarce. In a genre where too many books seem to blend together until I can hardly tell them apart, LORD OF SCOUNDRELS is a true original. I haven't read anything like it. Dain and Jessica are a very unique, loveable, frustrating, sexy couple. But there is so much more to it than that and I fear I don't have the words. Only this: DO NOT MISS THIS BOOK! Reading it was a true pleasure. Jessica calls Dain Lord Beelzebub. I loved that she wasn't clueless or skittish around Dain. Dain has been used to most people, especially women, looking at him as though he is a freak. He's big, brutish, and a bully. He's also a "whoremonger" who has sworn never to get involved with a lady. But Jessica gets under his skin upon their first meeting. She accepts the fact that for the first time in her life, she has fallen in MAJOR lust with a man. This is where the fun begins. The prose is fluid, lyrical, and smooth. It NEVER falters. The dialogue is the most original and witty dialogue I've read in a very long time. Don't miss it!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! I'm dazzled!
I'm astounded by Loretta Chase's skill to create the sexually charged and intelligent banter between Sebastian and Jessica consistently throughout the plot, and am so impressed... Read more
Published 3 days ago by R. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Lord of Scoundels
There are plenty of other reviews that better capture the plot of the story. I felt the need to review this novel because it is such a great story and I find it hard to believe... Read more
Published 18 days ago by Jane Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Loretta Chase - What can I say...
Another great read. Couldn't put it down. Love the characters. I can hear the banter while I'm reading, makes me laugh out loud. Read more
Published 1 month ago by frances rajasingham
5.0 out of 5 stars How did I miss Loretta Chase?
This book definitely ranks amoung the very best Historicals I have ever read. I could not put it down. Everything was first rate - the characters, the writing style and the story. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Marilynn Layden
5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite romance novel of all time
Along with Lisa Kleypas' Dreaming of You, this is THE BEST romance novel I have ever read. Both hero and heroine are original and vibrant. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Girlmance
5.0 out of 5 stars I love a strong heroine!
Well written with great characters. I love the bad boy turned good and the women that can keep up with him.
Published 1 month ago by Michelle R. Richardson
5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect beauty and the beast
I am so glad that I tripped over this title yesterday. I absolutley enjoyed this book. I laid there last night, reading away and my heart would clench and eyes would sting for... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Fiction Fan
5.0 out of 5 stars Just lovely!!!!
I couldn't put it down!!!!! I finished it in two days and fell in love with the characters. It have been by favorite book by Chase
Published 1 month ago by Denise Letterman
5.0 out of 5 stars the ultimate heroine
I loved Jessica's brass, sass and cleverness! It's hard to create strong female characters in historical stories without making then unbelievable but Loretta Chase was able to... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Carol T
5.0 out of 5 stars AMAZING!
I truly loved this story. It was funny, interesting and romantic in it's own dysfunctional way. I really like the fact the author immediately gave the readers an insight on Lord... Read more
Published 1 month ago by ASpoon
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More About the Author

Loretta Chase holds a B.A. from Clark University, where she majored in English and minored unofficially in visual art. Her past lives include clerical, administrative, and part-time teaching at Clark and a Dickensian six-month experience as a meter maid. In the course of moonlighting as a corporate video scriptwriter, she fell under the spell of a producer who lured her into writing novels... and marrying him. The union has resulted in more than a dozen books and a number of awards, including the Romance Writers of America's RITA® Award.

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Scoundrels Reformed
Dain from Lord of Scoundrels.... I totally fell in love with him when I was reading the book.!!!
Jan 6, 2010 by NoNaNo |  See all 3 posts
Anyone Please Help
did u ever find this book? I tried to google it a few ways and all I could get to come up was" Native son" but like from the 1940s...
Mar 2, 2013 by ang |  See all 2 posts
Help finding a Book!
Could be "Until You" by Judith McNaught but she was not his wife but a bethrothed and there is a case of mixed identities, etc. A good book but an oldie...
Jun 11, 2012 by alinavg |  See all 4 posts
"Casting" Lord of Scoundrels
I agree
Jun 11, 2012 by alinavg |  See all 3 posts
Great Romance Books to Remember?
Since you've read most of Lisa Kleypas' books, then I hope you've read DREAMING OF YOU. I have read it countless times.
I also love Teresa Medeiros' writing style. It's hard to pick favorites but I'd put A KISS TO REMEMBER and YOURS UNTIL DAWN at the top of my list.
ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL by Cathy... Read more
Jul 16, 2012 by Robin Wilson |  See all 2 posts
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