One Naughty Night (The Scandalous St. Claires) [Mass Market Paperback]

Laurel McKee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2012 | Series: The Scandalous St. Claires (Book 1)

A hundred years has passed since the bitter rivalry between the St. Claires and the Huntingtons began. But in London, the feud goes on . . .

UNDER THE COVER OF NIGHT, NOTHING IS FORBIDDEN
Lily St. Claire will do anything for the family that saved her from the streets. With their support, the young widow has become the hostess of The Devil's Fancy, London's most exclusive gaming den. She's determined to restore the St. Claire family fortune, lost a century before to the despised Huntington clan. But a ghost from her past may be her ultimate undoing . . .
Lord Aidan Huntington is handsome and wealthy, with a taste for adventure and a reputation for wickedness. A gambler and a rake, Aidan can't resist a seductive woman with secrets - but one naughty night with Lily leaves him wanting more. As Lily is drawn into London's dark underworld by an old enemy, Aidan will risk everything to save the woman who has awakened his deepest desires.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In this intriguiging first St. Claire Regency romance, McKee introduces a delightfully down-to-earth heroine. Readers will cheer Lily in her quest for happiness, and look forward to the sequels." (Publishers Weekly)

"McKee sweeps readers into an enthralling story with memorable characters, a powerful plot and plenty of passion; it's the ideal evening's read that will leave readers dreaming of a love like Lily and Aidan's." (RT Book Reviews)

"I've found me a new series!! Swoon. How nice life will be. It could only get better if the next book were available RIGHT NOW!!" (Examiner.com)

"I loved this story! I found this whole book hard to put down." (Romance Reviews Magazine)

"As powerful and romantic as McKee's fans could desire. McKee shows readers she is a force to be reckoned with, an author who can turn a villain into a delicious hero. The action, romance, suspense and intriguing historical details all add to readers' pleasure." (4 Stars! RT Book Reviews on Lady of Seduction)

"With fascinating characters including a young, impulsive, yet mature and brave heroine...readers will be eager to read the final story." (4 Stars! RT Book Reviews on Duchess of Sin)

"McKee sets the stage for a romantic adventure that captures the spirit of Ireland and a pair of star-crossed lovers to perfection." (4 Stars! RT Book Reviews on Countess of Scandal)

"COUNTESS OF SCANDAL reads like a captivating love story of epic proportions. The ultimate page turner." (RomanceJunkies.com on Countess of Scandal)

"My kind of story!" (Mary Balogh, NYT bestselling author, on Countess of Scandal)

"A hero to steal your heart!" (Elizabeth Boyle, New York Times bestselling author, on Countess of Scandal)

About the Author

Laurel McKee lives in Oklahoma with a menagerie of two cats, a pug, and a bossy miniature poodle, and loves dance classes, collecting cheesy travel souvenirs, and watching the Food Network-even though she doesn't cook.



You can learn more at:

LaurelMcKee.net

Twitter @ AmandaLaurel1

Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Laurel-McKee-Author

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Forever (June 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1455505471
• ISBN-13: 978-1455505470
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 7.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #501,290 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars I just wasn't engaged June 24, 2012

By Jen TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Kindle Edition

Lily St Claire knows what life is like on both sides of the tracks. She is the adopted daughter of a successful theater family. But before they took her under their wing, she was the orphaned daughter of a drug-addicted whore. She had to scrape and steal to survive and barely escaped from a horrible street criminal who wanted her for his own.

Once the St Claire's took her in, she learned about love and family. She lived a safe life, marrying a man for duty and doing the all things she thought she was supposed to. Now that she is a widow, she is back in the bosom of her family and helping them launch a new gaming hall. But her carefully ordered life is about to come tumbling down around her.

Aidan actually met Lily once, years ago, and shared a passionate kiss. He reenters her life as he checks out the St Claire family's new venture. He's attracted to her --and intrigued. She is a woman full of mysteries and contradictions. The story follows the progression of their relationship and the dangers Lily faces as her past comes back to haunt her.

I can't say that I loved this one. Maybe part of it is because it has some light BDSM elements and I'm not a fan of that brand of kink. But I don't really think that's it. The role that it played in the story just didn't make sense to me. Lily abhorred the brothel where she grew up and was disgusted and ashamed by her mother and what she did. Somehow, though, she inherited her mother's "dark gift" --it's a part of her. Is this some kind of hereditary gene I don't know about? --And it's not just the bondage and the spanking, but the constant sexing at inappropriate times and places that bothered me. The sex they have in the brothel, in particular, didn't work for me because it should be last thing Lily wants to do, considering her past.

I guess the sex, for me, was the biggest fail in the book, but it wasn't my only problem. I just wasn't engaged by the main characters. I don't feel like I ever really got to know Aiden. The side story with Harry and the letters was a total red herring. The feud was ridiculous. I honestly felt like the best thing the book had going for it was the set-up we got for future installments in the series. I'm intrigued by a possible story for Lily's brother and Aiden's cousin. Maybe that one will be a better fit. This one just didn't ring my bell.

Rating: C-

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars I wish it could have been better June 6, 2012

By Ramblings From This Chick Blog

Format:Kindle Edition

What to say about this book. I'm so torn because on one hand I enjoyed the first quarter of this book immensely, but the rest just annoyed me and I actually had to walk away at one point because I was so annoyed. Let me explain...

In the beginning of the book I loved, loved the chemistry between Lily and Aidan. I especially love the fact that even though Lily isn't part of the ton that Aidan is still drawn to her. I loved that Aidan is such a recluse and class doesn't mean much to him. He sees others just as people and nothing more. But as the book goes on their chemistry can only go so far. The relationship between Lily and Aidan becomes monotonous and stilted. All they do with each other is have sex and don't get me wrong, some of their encounters are pretty steamy but it just becomes a bit much after awhile. Can we please see something else. I understand that they are both extremely attracted to one another but I felt like there wasn't much character growth with either character. They are both the same person they were when the story began.

I feel as if the story is lacking because the author just focuses on the sexytimes occurring between Lily and Aidan. There were many opportunities to take the actual conflict of the story and make it so much more but it was just blah. I never was able to connect with it and I never really cared about it either way. I think that there was so much we were being introduced to and being told that the author never really focuses on each properly. I understand that some things are being set up for future books but with so much going on we never get the full closure we need on a few of the things.

All in all, the story wasn't a complete waste. I did enjoy the chemistry between Lily and Aidan and I'm really curious to see is going to happen with some of the other characters. The next story looks really good and I really want to see how things are going to transpire.

**ARC copy provided by NetGalley**

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Sexy July 30, 2012

By Katie Plath

Format:Mass Market Paperback

If you really just want to read a sexy story, THIS IS FOR YOU. It was super hot and the plot moved quickly. Unlike most romances during this period, this novel didn't spend time having the characters dwell on their attraction to the other. They simply came together and didn't question it much, which was refreshing and satisfying. However, there were a lot of characters, most of which didn't really have anything to do with the relationship between the Hero and the Heroine after all.