Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman audiobook

This book turned out to be much deeper and much more moving than I expected. Both Stephen and Mercy have been deeply affected by their experiences in the Crimean War -- Mercy as a nurse and Stephen as a cavalry officer. When they meet again in England, Stephen has no memory of Mercy (or of anything that happened to him during the war), and Mercy has an infant who she claims is Stephen's son, the result of just one night of passion.Mercy and Stephen do not immediately fall in love. Indeed, they aren't even very comfortable around one another at first. Stephen has no interest in being tied down, especially given his precarious mental state, and he doesn't know if he can bring himself marry her. Mercy doesn't truly expect marriage, and even if they did wed, she knows he will not be faithful. His pre-war reputation as one of London's greatest ladies' men is well known to her.Nothing comes easily to this couple, and that's one of the things that makes their story so enjoyable and touching. As in the other two books of this series (about Stephen's brothers), Stephen's family members play important roles, and their duchess mother sometimes steals the show. I wish Heath had given her a book of her own.I read these books out of order; each works well as a stand alone. But why not read the entire series? The Kindle versions are priced at only $2.99. A real bargain for such an outstanding author's work.

I enjoyed this book so much! I was so moved emotionally right from the beginning and at the very end, I was basically crying. I love books with babies in them and one of the reason I removed a star was because of the absence of a relationship between the h and his son. I also feel the very end was too quick but altogether it was an interesting read!

I enjoyed Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman. I do wish that the heroin was more beautiful.

Another amazing book. I love this series; might possibly be my favorite series. Usually with historicals, the plots are overused and lacks originality, but not this series. I felt in love with the family within the first few pages of the first book and I love them even more with this book. This book is so refreshing because it is so different from all the other historicals I've read. At first when I read the descriptions, I was interested but thought that the plot is not very creative. I love reading cliches but was pleasantly surprised by the twists in this story. It's not cliche at all; I don't believe I've read any historicals that are similar to this story.

Ik heb de Nederlands talige uitgave gelezen : Om nooit te vergeten - Candlelight Historische roman 988 .Dit verhaal is gelukkig heel wat beter dan het 1e deel van deze serie .Jammer dat Mercy niet eerder in het verhaal de gehele waarheid aan Stephen durfde op te biechten .

5 absolutely perfect stars ⭐️ I really did this author some injustice months ago when I’d overlook her books because the cover seemed like the reads were really light. This is my second from her and I’ll definitely be back for more!I’ve always been a sucker for tortured war heroes and the premise of this book was unique. In the beginning, as I’m sure the author intended, I thought Stephan had died and my heart broke and I had to go to read the synopsis again to check who the hero was lol. It was a messy situation, with the heroine claiming to be the child’s mother and him not remembering. At that beginning part though, I wished she wasn’t so hopelessly in love with him. It was also funny and ridiculously sweet seeing Stephen try to remember her and having all this romantic thoughts about their presumed relationship “He wanted to know if he’d had a pet name for her. Red, perhaps, in honor of her hair. Had he teased her about its brightness, or had her eyes always held the majority of his attention?” I loved every moment that he tried to figure out what it was about her that had drawn him in -her eyes, her smile, her inner beauty, her body. Oh, I love this author!I found Tessa and Leo’s relationship icky, I wish I hadn’t even read about that part. And to know how promiscuous Tessa was (cringe), well I guess like mother like son.There was so much palpable emotions in the book and towards the end, it took me a lot of effort not to cry. I loved Mercy, couldn’t love her more if I tried. I also loved Stephen and then there was Leo, a very interesting side character. I was so happy to have picked this up after encountering some reads I didn’t enjoy. If you ever see this Mrs Heath, I’m your biggest fan now!

What’s not to love about Stephen and Mercy? Stephen is a shadow of his former self, locked in the memories that he’s lost about the past two years of his life at war. Constantly reminded of the selflessness shown on the battlefront, all he can remember is who he used to be, and he doesn’t like it. That is, until Mercy shows up at his door with his baby. Stephen is a second son, a bit of a spoiled rake but a good guy. His brother buys him a commission and sends him to the Cremera, the Vietnam of 1850's England. He returns physically damaged and minus his entire memory. Mercy was a nurse in the Cremera. The torment Stephen endures because he can’t remember the events of the past two years is captured so well and gives him a vulnerability which is very touching. Stephen Lyons is a 2nd son, sandwiched between two titled brothers. His younger half-brother is a duke, for heaven’s sake! So he decides to be best at something – and that something is being a highly proficient and desired lover of many women! But Stephen takes nothing else seriously, so in despair his brothers buy him a commission – and then war with Russia breaks out, he is sent to the Crimea, and his life changes forever. I truly enjoyed this story, but for some reason the whole bit with Lynnford seemed too much in this story. Stephen was a truly tragic hero because I can picture exactly this happening in England after being a part of so many wars. I've always thought that the world didn't do right by their soldiers returning home so a story like this touches me deeply. He struggles with amnesia, and for a man who doesn't truly like what he used to be, to not know what he became when tested is crushing. This one sees libertine and womaniser Stephen Westcliffe going off to the Crimean war and returning home an injured hero with no memory of the war. Into his life comes Mercy - a former Nightingale nurse - with his son. What Stephen doesn't know and can't remember is that Mercy is not the biological mother of his child.Lorraine Heath is one of my favourite authors because whenever I pick up one of her books, I am always assured of an outstanding historical romance. Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman, the 2nd book in her London’s Greatest Lovers series, is a passionate and moving story of two deeply wounded people who find happiness through the healing power of love. One of Ms Heath’s greatest strengths is her ability to create in depth characters that appeal directly to the emotions. The second book featuring the three sons of a duchess with different fathers. But his eyes – his beautiful blue eyes – had changed the most. They held such an incredible bleakness when he looked at her that she almost wept. His wounds went much deeper than his flesh; they had penetrated his soul.She transferred the child to Stephen’s waiting arms. Not once did John release his firm grip on Stephen’s finger. His throat knotted, Stephen forced out the words. “Hello, John. You and I are going to have quite a time of it, aren’t we?”The boy blinked up at him, a question in eyes of blue, a shade that mirrored Stephen’s. Who the devil are you?I’m your father.Before she could protest, he took her in his arms and kissed her deeply while the world looked on. With his reputation, no one even raised an eyebrow. But Mercy knew the kiss symbolized much more. It was a celebration of their life their love.

before his return from the war, stephen was known to be a master in seduction, a man known for his wicked ways with women. what he didn’t expect from his redemption in the army was the horror of an escalated war. he had witnessed men die, become a shell of themselves for those that survived while he came back not remembering anything during his time there. seriously wounded, stephen is diagnosed with amnesia. after receiving false news that stephen was killed in the war, mercy brought baby john to his father’s family so that they have a piece of stephen. little did she know that the man she fell in love with that one unfortunate night is still alive. fearing that her deception would be seen through once stephen’s eyes landed on her, mercy was ready to bolt. but continued on with omitting the truth when stephen clearly didn’t remember her. it’s pretty interesting to watch stephen and mercy fall for one another in this setting. although stephen is no longer the person before, mercy still loved him for who he is. she hopes that one day stephen would fall in love with her but a marriage of convenience would protect her reputation and legitimise john. but when a certain someone returns back to their lives, mercy’s plan is slowly crumbling at its seams and the truth will be revealed.with time, the two got closer with mercy sharing stories about her time in the war as a nurse. it was there that she met stephen and loved him for what he did for her. while she couldn’t bear the disdain that is inevitably coming, mercy decides to stay by john and, in extension, stephen. it’s a sweet story about two people who were individually plagued by the horrors of the war but finding solace and sanctuary in one another.

Iii, ce mi-a plăcut. ;)) O carte "cu fuste" (asa numesc eu poveștile cu personaje din sec 18), relaxanta, cu o intriga destul de bine construită si o poveste de dragoste frumoasa. Marcy este un personaj demn de luat in seama. Bine a zis, cine a zis, ca mama nu este cea care te naște, ci cea care te creste. Mi-a plăcut felul în care au fost povestite lucrurile, modul în care cei doi si-au închegat relația si finalul. Nu imi amintesc mai nimic din primul vol al seriei, dar asta chiar a fost o lectură plăcută. Iubitorilor iubirilor de poveste sigur le va plăcea. 4 stele.

4.5-star!After the disappointment of the first book in the series, this one is highly emotional and the storyline is just beautiful. It started off very strong, but then I had some issues in the middle that I thought would knock off one star in my rating. But then the ending came with a bang, so it got another half-star from me!From book 1, Stephen Lyons was a notorious rake. He was the middle son whose older brother was an earl and younger brother a duke. He knew he had no title or wealth, so the one thing he wanted to outdo his brothers was to be well-known in the art of seduction. After a period of idleness, he decided to join the regiment for the Crimean War. A major blast left him severely injured and it took away his memories for the past 2 years on the battlefield.Mercy Dawson went to Crimea to serve as a nurse. Circumstances brought Stephen to Mercy, and she fell in love with him from that moment. After seeing Stephen's name in the list of casualties and as the mother of Stephen's son, she decided to bring the infant to his family, only to realize Stephen was still alive but couldn't remember anything about their encounter.I LOVE Stephen so much! It's hard to believe he used to be a ladies' man, a notorious lover, or someone lack of characters as his family claimed. Seeing his struggles to regain his memories, his battling physical injuries, and his frustration that he might have lost some important connections during those 2 years just broke my heart. Even with the woman he couldn't recall meeting, who brought a baby claimed to be his, he still did the responsible thing to marry her. Stephen alone deserves 5 stars!I admired Mercy for her caring, passionate, and nurturing nature, how she survived the brutal war and her personal tragedy, and yet continued to serve in the hospital. The love she had for Stephen and his son is really powerful. However, I was not comfortable with the fact that she was not honest with him and his family. Even though I could understand her reasons behind it, I still felt like she tricked him into marrying her and then let the farce go on for too long. This whole section knocked down a star for me. But as the ending unfolded, it was emotional and heartbreaking, and I was crying out and rooting for them...I love seeing the unwavering support from Stephen's family, especially his mother. This book is wonderful with the portrayal of war heroes and the devastating aftermath both physically and emotionally, of motherly love that knows no bounds, of the healing process that takes endless love and patience... I really enjoyed this book much more than the first, and I can't wait to read Ainsley's story next!

4 stars – Victorian/Historical Romance