Scoundrel of My Heart audiobook

ANOTHER AMAZING ROMANCE FROM LORRAINE HEATH. This book has one of my favorite tropes, which is helping the other character find someone to get married when you're the one who wants to be with them. Kathryn needs to marry someone titled in order to get her inheritance, so she sets her eyes on the duke who's put out an advertisement for wife. She asks her best friend's bother, Griffith, to determine exactly the kind of wife the duke is looking for. As Kathryn and Griffith spend more time together, though, the more they start to like each other. The angst in this book was so good. Because Griffith wasn't a titled man, he knew that he could never have Kathryn. But he wants the best for her, so he'll do anything to make sure she's happy. There was a bit of a time jump in here and that only made things angstier, which I really enjoyed. Griffith would do anything to protect Kathryn, but she's someone who doesn't want to be taken care of. It was just so good and I'm so happy I finally read this book!

“Her mere presence will cause a man to yearn to know the intimacy of her thoughts, her secret desires, her touch. Like the finest of wines, she is bold, full-bodied, and tantalizing. Never disappointing. Yet never the same, always offering another aspect to be discovered. A lifetime in her company will never be long enough. She is a complicated, complex creature worthy of any man’s heart..” A cottage by the sea seems like the only important thing to Lady Kathryn Lambert. To claim her inheritance, she must marry a titled gentleman before her 25th birthday. When an opportunity came, the most unlikely person helped her only to betray her. Lord Griffith Stanwick is the second son of a Duke, A mere spare. Someone that Lady Kathryn couldn't marry if she wants her cottage. He knows he can't give Lady Kathryn what she wants, instead, he helps her get the attention of the Duke of Kingsland. But as they spend more time together, the more their attraction to each other is undeniable...And just as things start to develop between the two, Griffith's father was found guilty of treason, stripping his family all their titles and lands. Scoundrel of My Heart is the first book from Lorraine Heath's newish historical romance series, Once upon a Dukedom. I have wanted to read this book for so long because the blurb was interesting and sounded like something I would enjoy very much. And I was right, it was so enjoyable. I finished it with a smile on my face. Oh lord, I love Griffith and Kathryn's story. Safe to say that I will continue reading the series, although it currently only has two books. The Duke of Kingsland's book is next, so I think I'll enjoy it because I liked him. Meet Lady Kathryn Lambert: The only child to the Earl of Ridgeway. Her inheritance includes a cottage by the sea, given to her by her dearest grandma. But before she's allowed to claim it, there is a condition. She must marry a titled gentleman. Her grandma hated second sons and thought that she'd only live a comfortable life if she were to marry an heir apparent. Kathryn cherished her grandmother, so of course she cherished the cottage. And she would marry well if that's what her grandmother wanted and to obtain what was bequeathed to her. She is a prim and proper lady but not boring. She isn't afraid to speak her mind. Quiet is what she is not. Truth be told, she did not want the Duke of Kingsland, nor did she send a letter to him. So you see, although she needed to marry a titled gentleman, she did not grab the opportunity which shows that she isn't as shallow as she appeared in the first chapter.Meet Lord Griffith Stanwick: The second son of a Duke. As a spare, his life consist of pleasure, gambling, and everything befitting a scoundrel, a second son, a man of leisure. But behind all that, he is a man who yearns to open his own establishment. He yearns to be more than a spare. Growing up, his father did not really pay attention to him because all that matters is the heir, Marcus. He lived a life of privilege that was taken from him when his father was hanged for treason. When his family was stripped of their titles and lands, naturally, he is no longer a lord. He is only a mere Mr. Griffith Stanwick. Fall of a lord, if I may add. Due to the unfortunate circumstances, he had to work, something he had never done before. And I am a whore for self made men. So, he immediately got hotter when he became a man who works for his fortune. Something about a man who is not idle is just very attractive to me. Lady Kathryn Lambert is Lady Althea's (Griffith's sister) bestfriend. When the story began, she was staying at their residence because her parents were traveling to try and fall in love. And as usual, Griffith once again overheard how much Kathryn does not want a second son. Although he acts unaffected, he is actually offended. When Lady Kathryn came to him for help regarding what the Duke of Kingsland looks for in a wife, he unwillingly helps her. After the help he gave, they started to spend more time together, got to know each other and there was a budding romance. Which was put to halt when his father was hanged for treason. Griffith and his elder brother were innocent and got away. But due to the recent event, they were left impoverished. Of course, this forced Griffith to work. And work he did. Before the treason, Griffith made a wager about who the Duke of Kingsland would pick as his potential duchess and of course Griffith won, because he made sure that the Duke would pick Lady Kathryn. Because of the wager, Kathryn felt betrayed by him. But of course he had his reasons. And it just got so much more interesting when they saw each other again after almost a year, or a whole year, I think. It was definitely angsty and my lord, I loved it. The miscommunication trope is something that can be so annoying but somehow, Lorraine Heath managed to make it work. I just love romances where they want to be together but there is something that is keeping them apart. It rips my heart but I enjoy it. The heroine seemed very shallow at first, only wanting a titled gentleman for a cottage. But I liked her and by the end of the book, loved her. She had her reasons, you will understand that the cottage is very important to her, although it got a bit annoying when she seemed willing to give up real love for a cottage. So that's where this book had flaws. It is a very shallow reason. But other than that, it was so enjoyable. I loved the hero. I loved him from the start. I seem to have a weakness for second sons. I love reading about them in romance novels. To be honest, the aversion to second sons is understandable but not all of them are irresponsible scoundrels. It's not their fault they were born second. I'd be very happy to be a wife to a second son, well, as long as he's a lord. I loved the hero. The getting rich because of an establishment / gaming hell might be cliché but I find that I am a whore for that trope. I enjoy it quite a lot. The hero is just so swoon-worthy. I liked the heroine but I fell in love with the hero. As of the moment, He and Mick Trewlove are my favorite Lorraine Heath heroes. I have a thing for self-made men, can you tell? What is with the hero that made me fall in love with him? Well, he is selfless. For someone who is branded a scoundrel, he is pretty selfless. I know he gained money from the wager when he wrote the letter to Kingsland himself, but the way he worded it is just so beautiful. I teared up a bit. It was so tender, I loved him. He pushed the heroine to Kingsland because as a second son, he could not give her what she wanted. Especially now that he is only a mere Mr. Stanwick. He is not welcomed by society. He wanted the best for the heroine and although frustrating, it made my heart swoon. I loved the heroine too when she came to her senses. She was willing to give up her place in society and the cottage because she loved Griffith so dearly. She also turned down a duke. I love her and how she stood up for what she really wanted, although a bit late. A+ for effort. The character development she had was nice, which is why I came to love her towards the ending. Griffith and Kathryn made a lovely and believable couple. The romance they had is something I rooted for because there was really love between them. Sigh. I love them. The yearning. The pining. It's perfectly angsty in every way. Also, applause for Heath's subtle feminism. This is how you do feminism in historical romance, folks. She did not push her modern ideals to a historical context but the message was clear. Love it. I hate when historical romance authors get too preachy that it feels more like a contemporary romance. Well, good thing Lorraine Heath's books are not like that. I loved how Griffith genuinely wanted to listen to Kathryn's opinions because he sees her as an equal and his partner in life. It was so cute how it was the heroine who proposed marriage to the hero. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love them! Over all, I loved this book! Lorraine Heath always writes stories that flow well, and although trope-y, I still love it. When I want an angsty book, Lorraine's books are there to do the job. She delivers each time. The romance was so good and sweet. My first 4 stars reads in a while! It would have been 5 but the whole cottage thing bothered me because it felt too shallow. Nevertheless, it was a good book and although I finished it yesterday, I still feel giddy thinking about the book. I need a Griffith in my life immediately! So good. Some quotes:"The indulged second son he’d once been would have done it, would have put his own pleasures and wants and needs ahead of hers. But he no longer was that man. He’d had his sense of privilege slowly ground out of him through toil and labor and deprivation. He’d come to appreciate what he’d had only when he’d no longer had it. To take her would have meant seeing her deprived of what she yearned to possess—and where she was concerned, he refused to be that selfish.""Then Lord Griffith Stanwick, second son, who had never denied himself anything he wanted, strode away, denying himself the only thing he’d ever truly desired.""While she held his gaze, the fact that he’d come second into the world had not mattered. For those few minutes while the music and her faint fragrance of oranges had wafted around him, he’d felt as though he’d come first.""He shouldn’t have come here, shouldn’t have caught a glimpse of what life with her might be: dances along the shore, the music of her soul on the air, smiles exchanged, laugher shared . . . and peace."Within her eyes, the ugliness of his past didn’t matter—and that was all that concerned him. How she viewed him. “Do you fully understand what you’ll be giving up?”“I fully understand what I’ll be gaining—all that I’ve ever dreamed of acquiring.”He pressed his forehead to hers. “Ah, Kathryn, you humble me. The honor will be all mine, sweetheart. Yes, I’ll be your husband and love every minute of it. Just as I love you, with everything within me.”"She had never written to the duke, had never wanted Kingsland, and Griff had done her a disservice by striving to determine her destiny. He would spend the remainder of his life making that up to her. She would be his partner in all things. His helpmate. The one he turned to when decisions were needed, the one whose opinion he sought above all others. The woman who had turned down a duke for a second son. Turned away a gentleman in favor of a scoundrel."“Ah, Kathryn, you deserve so much better than a man who has done the things I have done.”“You’re wrong there. I want to spend my life proving it to you, showing you that you aren’t an afterthought, a spare, or being held in reserve. That nothing you’ve ever done makes you unworthy of anything. To me, you’ll always come first, my first love, my only love. And I promise I won’t be quiet while proving it, nor require that you be quiet, either. Will you honor me by becoming my husband?”

I have heard such fantastic things about Lorraine Heath and her historical romances, and I finally got the chance to read her for the first time, starting with the first book in her newest Once Upon a Dukedom series, Scoundrel of My Heart. It apparently is a spinoff of a book from her previous series, but even though I didn’t read Beauty Tempts the Beast, I had no problem starting with this spinoff. But I do want to go back and read the original series now!Kathryn is a lady who must marry a titled gentleman in order to inherit her grandmother’s beloved cottage. Her best friend’s brother Griffith is unfortunately untitled and a second son. She asks him for help on how to woo a certain Duke into offering her marriage, and this is how she and Griff get close and start to develop feelings for each other. But having read the blurb, I was pretty much waiting on the edge of my seat for the other shoe to drop for these two. And it certainly does. Griff’s family has been ruined and stripped of all their titles. This happens right when the two of them are on the cusp of something more too, which adds so much excitement and intensity.One year later, Griff has made a comeback in terms of money and reputation (sort of). He’s now the owner of a popular, exclusive club that caters to the “unwanted” or “undesirables” in London high society. And Griff and Kathryn still want each other, even knowing they can’t be together. Griff decides to continue playing matchmaker for Kathryn against his own jealous wishes. And now Kathryn is torn between her duty and her heart.This was a solid historical romance read that was equal parts passionate and endearing. These characters go through so many ups and downs, so many emotions, and I was rooting for them every step of the way. If you love lots of longing in your romances, there is plenty of it here. I also loved the idea of Griff’s club being open exclusively to untitled men, wallflowers, spinsters, and the like. I would love if we get even more of this club in future Once Upon a Dukedom books. Speaking of which, I am now dying for the Duke’s book and Griff’s brother Marcus’ book! I enjoyed Lorraine Heath’s writing so much here and can’t wait to devour her backlist.

✨Once upon a hot damn✨Wow okay this was absolutely lovely. I do greatly appreciated that the back cover copy told us what would happen in the middle of the book. Scoundrel of my Heart is basically split into two halves, each being uniquely different and equally alluring. The first part gives you the backstory on Griff and Kathryn, making you root for both of them with your whole heart. I love that it began with Griff’s point of view because I love a good besotted male specimen in the throes of denial. I would have been perfectly content if the entire novel stayed in that manner, but surprisingly I really liked the fallen Griff we were present with in part two. This half also got precisely steamier (multiple times) but it was never so angsty that all bets were off and it became a challenge to finish. The epilogue was seriously adorable and did I mention there were multiple sex scenes? The scandal! This was the kind of book that I constantly set down for a few minutes at a time because I was loving it so much and didn’t want the spell to be broken via a page turn. No need to worry, the magic was everywhere. I loved both of the characters and appreciated where Kathryn’s character went in the second half. Girl power! The next book is going to be a gem, I already know. Despite always rooting for Griff, I’m totally down to fall in love with Kingsland. To be honest I’m probably already halfway there. His one chapter point of view gave such a tantalizing glimpse at the character underneath the ice. I also am excited to see where Marcus’s story ends up as that was an end unwoven in. This one had me from the very beginning and still hasn’t let me go. Utterly charming.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶🌶🌶/5

Reseña completa: https://masromance.blogspot.com/2022/...4.5 ★Soy incondicional de esta autora, y la historia de Griff y Kathryn me ha parecido muy bonitaGriff es un amor, desde el momento uno, con ese descarado comportamiento para, luego, hacer tooodo lo que hace demostrando una y otra vez la fuerza de sus sentimientos.Kathryn me ha sorprendido al final, admito que, teniendo muy claro cómo iría el tema, pensaba que vendría por una tercera persona, así que olé por esa bravuraMe ha gustado mucho, es una historia sencilla, que gira en torno a la pareja y la fuerte relación que hay entre ellos, conversaciones y una pasión contenida que creo que está llevada de una forma genial.Admito que el duque estirado ha robado parte del protagonismo (sabéis que soy mi gran debilidad y me he quedado con unas ganas locas de saber su historia, más al conocer su pareja)Pero me ha dado la sensación ( y ese es el motivo de que no le haya dado las 5) de que ha faltado parte de la historia de él... no sé si porque la autora la deja para la tercera entrega, la historia del heredero....La historia de la hermana pertenece a otra serie que no han traducido y que tampoco he leído. No me da la vida para leer tanto en inglés, que tardo el doble, pero con el tiempo... lo conseguiréComo todo lo de Lorraine Heath, muy recomendable. Una historia con al que disfrutas de cada escena ♥Una duda que me ha quedado... ¿no hay título de cortesía para el segundo hijo de un duque?

This was delightful and sweet.This is how you do subtle feminism. And it had a great impact for me.Loves this couple.5/5 stars

Lady Katherine must marry a Duke in order to inherit her grandmother's cottage that has been her lifelong dream. Lord Grif is the second son of a Duke, and considered a spare, and therefore unnecessary. Grif conspires to win the Duke for Katherine, while falling in love with her himself. Before he realizes his feelings might be returned by Katherine Grif ends up cast out of society and stripped of his title because of his father's treason. When they meet a year later Katherine has indeed caught the attention of the Duke, and must choose between the Duke and the Scoundrel. I LOVED this book so much! This was breathlessly romantic, I could not get enough of how much Grif pined for Katherine and how everything he did was to bring her happiness. There were so many moments that had me swooning while reading this I simply could not get enough. It is one of the most romantic books I have read in a long time where every gesture, every glance was loaded with emotion and longing. This will be one of my favorite books of the year, I truly loved it. Thank you to Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is 100% going to be a favorite of the year for me. I love the angst Lorraine Heath writes, and these characters are so loveable you want the world for them. Here a list of things I loved about this book:✔️childhood crush and nickname✔️love intrest trying to help MC marry someone else ✔️ best friends brother✔️he wants her to have everything she's ever dreamed of having✔️ nursing back to health✔️ he will fall to both knees for her✔️beautifully written characters that feel so real✔️ literally everything in this book I can keep going...I can't say this in any other ways. This book was perfect do yourself a favor and pick it up!

This review was originally posted on Addicted To RomanceHow often, in our world, do we have the opportunity to explore the possibilities without the sense of being constantly on display?First ImpressionsI will be honest in that after the more recent series from this author, I wasn’t too eager to pick up this book. They just didn’t leave such a big impression as she normally has in the past. But then after hearing some great recommendations of this book, I just knew that I had to grab it up and I am HAPPY that I did pick this one up here because it was superb in so many ways. I definitely couldn’t get enough of this book and I READ it so fast. Like under two hours, it just swept me away and I just wanted more of it. It definitely was a delightful mix of everything that I wanted in a historical and more. I don’t know how to quite explain this book but I will say that it definitely left an impression and I am thrilled that I was able to grab this one up and take a chance on this one here. If you have enjoyed this author in the past, then you definitely need to grab this one up here. It is so delightful in so many ways. And it is connected somewhat to the Trewlove books, which was a fun twist.Or perhaps only with the foolishness of a man who was just coming to realize he possessed a heart. She was like the sun coaxing a bud into opening. SummaryLord Griffith Stanwick is the “spare” and has always felt like he was considered useless by his father. He goes day to day in his life living the life as many second sons in the Ton do, not really cultivating his dreams or realizing what he is capable of. But there is one woman that has always held his heart and she has no idea of the depths of his feelings for her. Lady Kathryn Lambert has heart eyes set on a Duke. She is entering close to the deadline where she must marry a titled lord in order to gain her inheritance which has tremendous sentimental value to her. A country cottage out by the coast. She knows that she will have to marry, so why not a Duke if she can catch his eye. When the Duke claims a challenge to have every prospective woman who seeks his handwrite a letter of her attributes, he claims he received a letter from Kathryn, but she knows that she didn’t send him one. But after a sensual embrace, she shared with the one man she least expected…..Lord Griffith Stanwich, a man who is the brother to her best friend, she wonders what she will have to decide on. But then the worst happens for Griffith and his family, his father has claimed a traitor, and Griffith and his siblings are carted off to the tower but then released when it proved that they are innocent. But they lost everything, and now it’s been a year later, and he is striving to reclaim a dream that he has kept hidden. A dream to build a place where the less fortunate children of members of the ton, or successful gentleman and women that gather with no judgment and enjoy each other’s company. And during this venture, Griffith and Kathryn reconnect. There is only one problem, Kathryn is about to be engaged to the Duke. Now Kathryn will have to decide which holds more value to her …..her inheritance or the man who has captured her heart…..But Griff was learning that the truth didn’t bring peace. It brought only misery. What I LikedThere were so many aspects of this story that I truly enjoyed. I will admit that I couldn’t seem to get enough of this one here. I mean I read this one in under two hours and I rarely read a book that fast. I mean I am a fast reader but it rarely happens that quick. But I couldn’t seem to flip the pages fast enough, which for a modern historical, is a miraculous feat that is for sure. I really loved the depths of emotion that are revealed throughout this story here. There is such devotion that Griffith has to Kathryn, and seeing the lengths he goes to just to see that she is happy and settled in life, was simply BEAUTIFUL. He is so devoted to her in such a selfless way. I have such a fondness for unrequited love and I don’t see this trope as much as I used to, but I really admired the way the story unraveled in its intricate but simple manner. Lorraine Heath truly worked her magic with this one here. My heart broke for these siblings who have lost so much. I guess I had forgotten what had happened to them since the sister marries one of the Trewlove’s. And to be honest it was the ending that truly finalized this story for me and is the factor in which decided the higher rating. For most of the story I really felt like it was a solid rating of 4, but after this poignant ending, I just knew it had to be a 4.5 because it was so much more than a 4 for me although not quite a 5. I simply loved so many parts of this book that just captured my heart completely.A year ago, I might have believed that it was all lies, but now I know the truth of it. There is no man in all of Christendom who would serve better as my husband. What I Struggled WithThere really isn’t that much that I struggled with, I mean there were parts in the story that stilted at times with the pacing, or there was a lack of depth in some parts while the majority of the story had so much of it.Overall ViewI found myself in love with Scoundrel Of My Heart, its a romance that will capture your heart and attention from the get-go. It’s a tale of redemption, growth, and embracing your dreams….captivating in every moment!With her, nothing about his birth or his past mattered. All that mattered was their love.

4.5 stars ⭐️This was near perfect and I listened to the audio in one sitting I definitely shed a tear near the end too This was so fucking romantic wtf and the slow burn babyyyy. He fell hard for her first AND she was the one who proposed. I died. Waaaaay better than book 2. This was slow-burn with ~purpose~ while book 2 was slow-burn with no payoff lmao. I'm impressed now, and I have more faith going into Heath's backlist 😌

A favorite!! I adored it!! This is the first book (released 3/30/21) in the “Once Upon a Dukedom” series, it also has a tie-in to the Sinful Wallflower series-Beauty Tempts the Beast. This can be read as a stand alone. Hero Lord Griffith Stanwick is the second son of a Duke, meaning he’s the spare + is not to inherit (he’s a little bitter about that), and he most definitely does not get along with his father. His wish is to open a club for untitled men, wallflowers and spinsters. Heroine Lady Kathryn Lambert is the best friend of Griffith’s little sister. Griffith and Kathryn don’t really know each other but that changes one night when they get to talking, and Kathryn asks him for a favor. She needs to marry a titled gentleman by the age of twenty-five in order to inherit her grandmother’s cottage by the sea. There’s a bit of chemistry with some spark brewing under the surface between Kathryn and Griffith - meaning trouble for her; since he’s not a titled man, and him; because he knows he can’t give that to her. They end up being separated by a scandal that rocks Griff’s world + disgraces his family (his father is hanged for treason, also losing their titles), and she gets her wish of being courted by a Duke (now closer to claiming the cottage.) A year has almost passed, Griff comes back a very damaged hero, and the owner of a new club, + the two still possess that same forbidden love, but the Duke has proposed marriage to Kathryn and she must now choose between the Duke (her grandmother’s cottage) and the Scoundrel Griff.Kathryn and Griff stole my heart. Their romance has a lot of passion, longing, and connection. It’s a perfect HEA!

I often struggle to answer the question about what I find "romantic" but dear readers, this book is so fucking romantic. I'm such trash for the "we only have tonight" moment where all that love and angst is poured into truly epic love making, and wow does it deliver in this romance. I absolutely adored Griff, and he's a pining sweet bebe who I will fight for.I didn't realize how connected Scoundrel of My Heart would be to the Trewlove series, but I didn't feel to lost not having read those books. I did a live tweet of this read under #bHeath21 if you are so inclined to look that up.As usual Heath pulls of a pretty impossible situation into an epic HEA and I loved the ride, even if Kathryn wanting to live in her cottage by the sea was a bit of a silly reason to NOT MARRY GRIFF IMMEDIATELY.Also, super glad to see The Duke (man who wanted letters from women to pick his wife from, oh dear) will be getting his HEA next. Loved that Heath didn't make him into a villain, he, he just wasn't right for Kathryn.And oh gosh, that ending?! The letter as a present!? Swoon.

4 stars - Historical Romance

4.5 stars rounded up.If she hopes to claim her inheritance, her grandmother’s beloved seaside cottage, Lady Kathryn Lambert must marry a gentleman with a title. She’s snagged the interest of a duke, but she can’t stop thinking about the man who helped her gain his attention, her best friend’s brother, a scandalous second son, or how he betrayed her in the process.Lord Griffith Stanwick is a mere spare, not significant enough to give Kathryn what she needs but he can certainly help her by ensuring she captures the duke’s attention. When his father, another powerful duke, is executed for treason, Griff winds up inhabiting the darker side of London. Even still, he’s unable to forget Kathryn, even as the lengths he must go to in order to survive and protect his siblings make him even more unsuitable for her.When the duke’s courtship becomes more serious, Kathryn and Griff are reunited as he finally opens the club he’d always dreamed of and comes back onto the radar of high society. Kathryn is surprised by the changes wrought on him but is no less attracted to the powerful man he’s become. An undeniable connection blossoms between them and Kathryn must decide if the beloved cottage she’s always yearned for is worth sacrificing marriage to the man she loves.This was such a charming story. Griff had so much to overcome after spending his life being overlooked by most everyone. I loved that he went through a terrible ordeal and came out stronger for it. Kathryn I almost didn’t like because of the rather arrogant way in which she barged her way back into Griff’s life with a misplaced sense of righteous anger. That said, her ire evaporated quickly in the face of her realizations about Griff and the changes he underwent. I loved that she always noticed him and recognized how much he had to offer when few others did. It took her a little long to finally decide on him, but we always knew she was never not going to choose him so that was okay. I adored how capable and ruthless Griff was, especially juxtaposed with how sweet and caring he could also be. Both main characters had depth and were interesting to read. I’m very intrigued now about Kingsland, Marcus and Wilhelmina and look forward to them getting stories of their own. This spinoff of the Trewlove series is off a promising start for sure.I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo...

Lady Kathryn must marry a titled gentleman and she's hoping to catch the attention of a duke in order to to claim her inheritance. Second son Griffith Stanwick fights his attraction to his sister's best friend and helps her get the duke's notice. But when his father is found guilty of treason, Griff's life takes a dark turn. This is the first book in the Once Upon a Dukedom series. Griff is the brother of Althea, the heroine from Beauty Tempts the Beast (last book of Sins for All Seasons series). This book begins before the events of Althea and Ben/Beast's book, and ends after it.I loved this story! Heath is a master at drawing readers in and making them connect to the characters. I loved them both individually and together. They had wonderful, flirtatious banter and electric chemistry! They evolved beautifully through the story, with Kathryn bucking the traditional role she'd been raised to follow and Griff striking out on his own after his family's fall.Tropes: Matchmaking, Riches to Rags, Class Difference, Best Friend's Sibling/Sister's Best Friend, Nursed to HeathSteam Rating: 3

I absolutely loved this book! I was so sad when Beauty Tempts The Beast ended. I just wanted this world to continue. And guess what?!?!?! It did. This was a beautiful addition to the wonderful world Heath has created. We got to see all our old favorite characters and meet new ones. This book is what Heath is known for. It was funny and silly, dark and tragic, beautiful and sweet. I'm so excited for the next book in this series and to see this wonderful place Heath has created keep growing!!!! If you're a fan of Heath, be excited! This was absolutely wonderful!!!

I have to thank Jen for putting Scoundrel of My Heart on my radar. I read her review and immediately went to find myself a copy. I've been slowly getting back into historical romances, one of the subgenres that hooked me into romance in the first place. This book was exactly what I was hoping it would be: swoony and a touch angsty. The premise of Scoundrel of My Heart is pretty convoluted and I don't wish to spoil it for anyone, so I'll be brief. The basic gist is that Kathryn, the protagonist, needs to marry a titled gentleman in order to inherit her grandmother's cottage. Enter the Duke of Kingsland with his announcement that he is looking for a wife and anyone who wishes to be considered should pen him a letter with all their qualities. Kathryn recruits her friend's brother, Griffith's, help to her figure out what exactly the Duke is looking for in a wife. As you can probably predict, Griffith and Kathryn end up developing feelings for each other. But nothing is as simple as it seems and soon the two are separated thanks to a betrayal and suspicion of treason. The book then flashes forward to nearly a year later and this is when the story really starts to shine. Lorraine Heath crafted some wonderfully complex characters in this book. Kathryn is easily one of my favorite HR heroines with her sharp tongue and quick wit. She goes after what she desires and isn't afraid to speak her mind. Her love interest, Griff, is a big dumb endearing log who you cannot help but love. He goes through hell and more in Scoundrel of My Heart. He starts off rather rakish, but he is also someone with aspirations and goals - He dreams of opening this exclusive club only accessible to certain folks in society. All that is great but what makes Griff a lovable hero is his complete and utter willingness to do anything and everything for Kathryn. I will almost fall for a romance hero who is so in love with their romantic partner to the point of being self-sacrificial. Maybe it's archaic, but there is something so incredibly romantic about the whole thing to me, so I ate up Griff's character.The romance is so well-written too in Scoundrel of My Heart. I tend to enjoy my historical romances on the angstier side and this book balances out the angst with the swoons and banter beautifully. I like it when authors torture their characters a little bit and make them really work for that happily-ever-after, so I certainly enjoyed all the obstacles keeping Kathryn and Griff apart. When they finally do reach that pinnacle of their HEA, it's just so worth it in every way because Lorraine Heath writes it so brilliantly. She will have you clutching your chest at several points throughout the book because the mutual pining is perfection!As soon as I finished Scoundrel of My Heart, I went ahead and requested an ARC of the next book in the series and that should tell you just how much of an enjoyable experience reading this book was. The next book, The Duchess Hunt, will feature the Duke of Kingsland, who was very intriguing in this book BTW, falling to his knees for a woman (!!) and I can't wait to dive into his book ASAP. CWs: violenceRelationship disclosure: None