Midnight Pleasures With a Scoundrel [Mass Market Paperback]

Lorraine Heath (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 2009

She Sought Revenge But Discovered Desire.

On a quest to avenge her sister's death, Eleanor Watkins never expected to fall for the man following her through pleasure gardens and into ballrooms. But soon nothing can keep her from the arms of the sinfully attractive scoundrel, not even the dangerous secrets she keeps. Strong, compassionate, and utterly irresistible, James is all she desires. But can she trust him enough to let herself succumb to all the pleasures that midnight allows?

James Swindler has worked hard to atone for his unsavory past. He is now as at home in London's glittering salons as he is in the roughest streets. But when the inspector is tasked with keeping watch on a mysterious lady suspected of nefarious deeds, he is determined to use his skills at seduction to lure Eleanor into revealing her plans. Instead, he is the one seduced, turning away from everything he holds dear in order to protect her—no matter the cost to his heart.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lorraine Heath wrote her first story at seven, and it involved a fisherman who fell in love with a mermaid. She has since moved on to writing about sexy cowboys and dashing English lords (and sometimes, cleverly, in the same book!). Publishers Weekly says she is a "master of her craft." She is, indeed, and along with being a New York Times and USA Today bestseller, she has won the RITA^® Award, Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award, and a Career Achievement Award.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon; Original edition (October 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061734004
• ISBN-13: 978-0061734007
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #136,921 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lorraine Heath always dreamed of being a writer. After graduating from the University of Texas, she wrote training manuals, press releases for a publicist, articles, and computer code, but something was always missing. In 1990, she read a romance novel and became not only hooked on the genre, but quickly realized what her writing lacked: rebels, scoundrels, and rogues. She's been writing about them ever since, for both adult and young adult readers (as Rachel Hawthorne). Her work has been recognized with numerous industry awards including RWA's RITA(R), a HOLT medallion, a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award, three Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Awards, and several Texas Gold Awards. Her novels have appeared on bestseller lists, including USA Today, Waldenbooks, and most recently, the New York Times.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Some good twists and turns, but romance lacking, November 7, 2009

By 

statengirl (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Midnight Pleasures With a Scoundrel (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the fourth installment in Heath's "Scoundrels of St. James" series about five orphans from the slums who have risen to the top levels of society. It is a good series, particularly the first two books, "In Bed with the Devil" and "Between the Devil and Desire," which are excellent. This latest entry, like the last, is OK but is nothing out of the ordinary. The story's hero is (orphan) James Swindler, who is now a top inspector for Scotland Yard. James is assigned to investigate a beautiful woman whom a lord, a marquess, believes is out to kill him. James winds up rescuing the woman - Eleanor Watkins - from attackers and soon falls in love with her. However, he does not tell her that he is a detective or that he has her under surveillance. Eleanor figures it out anyway and decides she can use it to her advantage. She DOES want to kill the lord - for causing her sister's death - and maybe James can be her alibi. She risks forfeiting her relationship with James, whom she has grown to love, but she cannot let go of her need for vengeance.

This book had some good twists and turns, but the suspense was better than the romance, and I never felt strongly invested in the hero and heroine. Their relationship was sweet enough, but it lacked passion and chemistry. They fell in love almost instantly without any buildup of feelings or sexual tension. And deaths and unpleasant memories hovered over them, taking away from the romance. Both leads seemed underdeveloped. In fact, James seemed more interesting in a supporting role in prior books than he did as the star of this one. And Eleanor revealed very little about herself other than her desire for revenge. Her relationship and conversations with her sister were particularly sparse and not what I would expect from the story line.

Heath has a nice conversational writing style, the suspense angle kept me interested, and I remain fond of this series. But the lead characters and romance lacked intensity, and ultimately this book was just OK.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ok for romance, mystery & intrigue. Dialogue & character development could have been better. It was missing something special., November 2, 2009

By 

Jane (Chicago, IL, United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Midnight Pleasures With a Scoundrel (Mass Market Paperback)

STORY BRIEF:
When James was eight, he became an orphan after watching his father hang for a crime he didn't commit. James survived with a group of pickpockets. After two years, Lord Claybourne became a foster parent to James and provided an education. As an adult, James works for Scotland Yard.

Eleanor and Elisabeth were twins. Their father had a title but no money. He sent Elisabeth to a relative in London who sponsored her for a season in hopes of finding a husband. She was raped by Lord Rockberry and returned home in disgrace. She then killed herself. Eleanor wants revenge and goes to London planning to kill Lord Rockberry. She follows him. He tells Scotland Yard his life is in danger and asks them to do something. James is assigned to follow Eleanor and discover her intentions. James and Eleanor end up falling for each other while keeping secrets from each other.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
The author had an intricate plot with interesting twists and turns, but I didn't find myself enjoying it as much as I would have liked. It was ok, but I would have preferred more interesting dialogue or something special about the characters. I wanted to be a little more surprised or delighted in order to give it more stars.

DATA:
Story length: 372 pages (using larger than normal print). Swearing language: mild. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: 4. Total number of sex scene pages: 28. Setting: 1852 London and a coastal town in England. Copyright: 2009. Genre: historical romantic mystery with suspense.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but could have been a really great book., October 31, 2009

By 

Old Latin teacher (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Midnight Pleasures With a Scoundrel (Mass Market Paperback)

Plot is good. You kind of think you have solved the mystery way ahead of time, but then there's a bit of a twist at the end to make it more enjoyable. Likeable hero and heroine. And there's the whole it's a part of this Feagan's ex-street-urchins series that makes you have to read it because you have read all the other ones (but you don't have to have read the others to enjoy this one). So I like it, but... The hero James Swindler has been in love with his fellow ex-urchin Fanny for forever. She marries someone else in the previous book of the series, but his loves endures. Until he catches sight of the heroine of this book and now it's a whole other ballgame. Quite an about-face which wouldn't seem so abrupt if it had been developed more. I guess that's my whole problem with the book. It needed more words. And not just any words. For example, not more love scenes. It needed more plot and character development and then it would have been a way better book, because it has a lot of promise.