Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase
Avon Books (1995) | Paperback: 357 pages
Historical Romance
This is the first historical romance I’ve read, and probably one of only five romances I’ve read in total. I have always kept away from the Romance genre because I believed the heroines were feeble and rather pathetic and could only exist in life if they had a man, hence my affection for the kiss-arse chicks you find so readily in urban fantasy, but I have always enjoyed romance movies and I am very much a romantic at heart, so it was time to put aside my misconceptions and explore.
After making the decision to shake up my reading a little, I had no clue where to start, so I sent out a twitter request for some great romance authors and got some great recommendations. It was a kindly book smuggler (thanks Ana) who steered me in the right direction with the recommendation of Lord of Scoundrels. And I’m so glad she did…
Lord of Scoundrels is such a wonderful love story between Jessica Trent and Sebastian Ballister. It opens with a prologue of Ballister’s early childhood and teenage years, and reveals how life was difficult for him. It sets the scene nicely and is much needed as a reference as I doubt I would have been as sympathetic towards Sebastian without it.
Sebastian Ballister is conceited, arrogant and unpleasant, and doesn’t often have anything very nice to say, but he’s a great ‘love to hate’ character. After a while though, he starts to pull at your heart strings as you hear his tortured thoughts and confusion at the emotions he’s feeling. Because of this he is rather horrid to Jessica, but luckily she is bright and quick-witted and gives as good as she gets. She is certainly no shrinking violet.
It’s obvious that Jessica comes from a line of forward thinking, bold women as she seeks guidance from her grandmother regarding the rather wicked Mr Ballister who is never shocked at hearing about Jessica’s feelings of lust. A time when women were seen as nothing more than cleaning and breeding machines, I loved that Jessica was definitely her own woman and gave as good as she got from Sebastian.
I really enjoyed Jessica and Sebastian’s relationship. It is the kind I enjoy the most when it comes to romance – the love/hate relationship. There is a lot of intelligently written dialogue and witty banter between the two, increasing the sexual tension between them even further. What I also liked about this book is that the author managed to write sensual scenes without being crude and I really appreciated that. I’m not much for lots of explicit words used for sex scenes as I just find myself cringing and getting all embarrassed… yes, even when reading on my own! *blush*
When Sebastian meets Jessica it is lust and love at first sight, although he doesn’t quite understand his feelings or even recognise half of them. He’s an immature man who has been so aloof that he hasn’t got a clue about women. He’s happy to pay for sex but when it comes to actually interacting with a ‘Lady’ he has no idea what he’s doing. However, we see Sebastian grow with each chapter and although I didn’t fall in love with him, I did like him more and more. For some reason Sebastian reminded me of Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights) and what he could have learnt about himself if only he had a Jessica instead of a rather selfish, self-absorbed Catherine.
VERDICT:
This was an experiment of sorts, dipping my toes into uncharted genres, just to shake up my reading habits and I’m so glad I did – I couldn’t put this book down! I enjoyed Lord of Scoundrels from beginning to end and will definitely be looking at Chase’s back list. If you’re like me, and are a romance virgin, then I whole heartedly recommend this book as a great starting point!
RATING: 
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14 Comments
Great review, I really like the sound of Sebastian!
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I love love love Loretta Chase's historicals. Her heroines are so strong and wonderful. I totally agree w/ you about weak heroines who cannot exist without their men.
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Great review.
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I actually found a copy of LoS (the original one LOL) when I cleaned out my bookshelves. I heard so much about it that I kept it. I really want to give this one a go someday and find out if this story can enthrall me as it did so many others. I'm glad your foray into the romance genre has been a good one Carolyn
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You've actually made me want to read this! A proper romance book. Curse you, Carolyn
Glad you enjoyed it!
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I have to be in the mood for a historical romance. I too can't bear weak heroines. But, I've never read any Loretta Chase – I think I need to give her a go.
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One of my favorite books. Glad you enjoyed it.
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I ADORE this book…it is one of the reasons I got addicted to romance novels. Jessica and Dain are one of the best romance couples ever…such great chemistry. Loretta Chase is the master. I met her at a book signing and I became totally tongue-tied. It was really embarrassing!
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I'm so proud of you Carolyn. Seriously, it's not always easy for non-romance readers to buck up and try a real romance (because it's easier to dismiss them than try them), but if you keep on this path you'll soon be hooked. There's some really wonderful writing and storytelling happening in the romance genre, and I LOVE it when a longtime reader discovers this for the first time. Now your TBR pile will turn into a TBR mountain (well, it probably is already).
This is one of my favorites too. I've been slowly reading through Ms. Chase's backlist, and she's great.
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What a fun review. I enjoyed reading this book so much, I'm so glad you did too. How great was Jessica?
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Good for you! I actually love historical romances. But, like yourself, I'm not fond of the weak heroines. If you want a few other authors suggestions: Julia Quinn, Julia London, Amanda Quick and always Georgette Heyer (very chaste author too). Lots of humor added to many of their stories, which I love more than anything!
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My college library has this one! I read a few pages and really enjoyed it! Yay for strong heroines
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I love this book! It's such a great classic historical romance.
I so want to re-read it now, I remember how breathtaking the love between the main couple was~
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SORRY I HAVEN'T COMMENTED BEFORE NOW BUT I HAVE BEEN AWAY ON HOLIDAY AND ONLY BEGINNING TO CATCH UP!
Dot – It's a great book, If you enjoy romance, I would definitely recommend it!
Nadia – The weak heroines have always been the reason I've stayed away, so I'm SO glad that the first book I read had a strong heroine!
Sabrina – Thanks!
Leontine – Thanks! I think you should definitely set aside some time to read this one, I'm sure you would like it
Jenny – Read it! I really enjoyed it. I've read quite a few now since this one and I've loved most of them. I have definitely found a new genre
Laura – I would definitely try this one. If you enjoy a romance with strong characters then you can't go wrong with LoS, IMO
MBreakfield – Thanks – I really did. Will definitely try other books by Loretta Chase
Penelope – I know what you mean about meeting authors you admire… I go all fangirl and every word disappears from my head LOL
Rebecca – I AM hooked!!! Since I read LoS I have bought and read lots of historical novels and have loved most of them. I have indeed found a new genre that wont be going away any time soon. I think this love affair is for life!
Rowena – Jessica is so great – I'm so pleased that she is a strong, independent character. I *loved* her! )
MER – Thanks for the recommendations – I have already bought lots of Julia Quinn among others. Went a bit crazy with the book buying, but I have years of catch up to do LOL
Pirate Penguin – Yay!!
Anna – Their relationship is great and I loved how it grew, especially for Sebastian.
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