She Tempts the Duke audiobook

(Tropes: Unstarched (him), Wallflower / Spinster, Childhood Friends, Unrequited Love, Forbidden Love, Scars (him), Marriage of Convenience)*****This was a forbidden moment between them. She was betrothed. She deserved better than he could provide. He could give her all the comforts of life, but he lacked the ability to comfort her heart and soul.*****I really enjoyed this one. A hero who is not too full of himself, a kiss that couldn’t be helped, vulnerability concerning scars and some bedside vigilance - all delicious ingredients for a good book. - She’d always been someone with whom he’d enjoyed exploring the world. Only now he thought of exploring her.- They would forever be connected. But a connection did not ensure a snug fit. At that moment, she wasn’t even certain that she liked the man he had become. He was irascible and harsh. She had yet to see a smile, and the laughter he released was more bark than joy.- (Sebastian’s brother) “Based on your swollen lips, I would say he kissed you.” She began rubbing her hand over her mouth. “Oh, dear God, you can tell?” He hitched up a corner of his mouth. “No. It was a guess. Your lips aren’t swollen.” She slapped at him. “You cad!”- She stopped so near, her orchid scent wafted around him. Reaching up, she adjusted the patch before skimming her hand lightly over his cheek, his jaw, his shoulder, bringing it to rest where his heart thudded so hard that it was in danger of cracking a rib. “They hurt you so badly,” she whispered. I am also going for book 2 & 3, as I was massively intrigued by his brothers.4 solid stars

I love a good damaged hero and a childhood friends romance, so I really enjoyed this one! Sebastian and his brothers ran away from their uncle after learning he wanted to kill them to gain the dukedom for himself. Mary helped them escape and hasn't forgotten them since. Now, Mary is engaged when Sebastian and his brothers reenter society and create quite a stir. I really enjoyed the angst this story had because Sebastian felt like he could never be good enough for Mary and she was already engaged to another man. Sebastian was trying to get back into society as the Duke and take everything back from his uncle. He still had feelings for Mary, but he feels like she deserves better and not someone with his dark past. He's still trying to deal with what happened with his brothers. But I loved how much time Mary and Sebastian spent together and how adamant Mary was about taking care of Sebastian when he was in need. This book did have some slower parts, but it was a solid start to another Lorraine Heath series!

Quizás sea más de 3.75 pero me ha gustado mucho así que le doy las 4.No tiene nada especial. Un protagonista atormentado, huraño y un poco amargado al que la culpa lo devora que encuentra la luz al reencontrarse la amiga de su infancia. Esta autora gusta de personajes que les cuesta encajar en la sociedad y a mí me encantanUna chica que perdió su rebeldía y que ahora la reencuentra.La parte romántica queda un poco apagada frente al tormentoso carácter del protagonista marcado por la usurpación de su título, sus bienes y su propia dignidad. Como muchas, tiene un final un tanto precipitado.Pensaba que el tema de la venganza (eje principal) continuaría a lo largo de toda la serie...Me gusta el estilo de Lorraine Heath fresco y ágil, con una historia con ciertos giros interesantes, nada forzada y con un amor pausado... aunque al final resulte su solución demasiado fácil.Con muchas ganas de leer la historia de Tristán y Rafe

4 stars – Historical/Victorian RomanceNot my favorite Lorraine Heath read...her terrific Scoundrels of St. James series still has the bar raised rather high for me...but a solid 4 star historical romance nonetheless. I’m looking forward to Tristan’s and Rafe’s stories.

Honestly, I thought it would be more dramatic since our heroine was engaged to a man and she kept sneaking out to see our hero but the man just gave her up too easily and i just oh ok. Everything else moved a little slower than expected so I didn't care. Also, I didn't buy their love.

When his father died, 14 year-old Sebastian was next in line to become the Duke of Keswick. But his power-hungry uncle locked him and his brothers away in the tower, with plans to kill them. He would have succeeded, if young Mary had not overheard his plans and set her young friends free. The boys ran for their lives. Now, more than a decade later, they are back --and ready to reclaim the birthright their uncle thought to steal.Sebastian spent much of his time away as a soldier and is now horribly scarred. But when they meet again, Mary sees past that. Unfortunately, she is now betrothed to another man, which becomes problematic as she and Sebastian become drawn to each other. It's not the only problem, though. Sebastian's issues extend beyond physical scars. He believes himself a monster and has a hard time letting anyone in. Beyond that, he is so single-mindedly focused on reclaiming his estate, that he is blinded to the other things in life that could give him happiness.I always enjoy a scarred/ tortured hero. Sebastian's physical and emotional damage makes him so vulnerable, while he presents such a detached and powerful exterior. Mary is loyal and true, fiery and brave. She is a worthy heroine to help him heal and to find joy again. I really enjoyed the love scenes and the way the author dealt with the scars. But I wish that it had not taken Sebastian quite so long to see his own feelings for Mary... feelings obvious to the reader from the very beginning of the story.It was a little predictable. But between the love story and the danger brought on by the threat of Sebastian's displaced uncle... I still enjoyed the ride. Lorraine Heath also does a great job teasing us with the backstories on Sebastian's brothers, who will have books of their own as she continues the trilogy. Mmmm. More tortured heroes to come. 4 stars.*ARC Provided by NetGalley

BR with Aly!!5 Beauty and the Beast StarsI love reunion stories in Historicals, I absolutely adore them. This one did not disappoint. I didn't want it to end.Sebastian, Tristan and Rafe Easton are forced to run after their father is murdered by their uncle and it becomes obvious that the same fate awaits them if they stay at their home. With the help of 12 year old Mary, the run and promise to be back in 10 years to claim what their uncle wishes to steal from them.12 years later the lost lords of Pembrook return, each with his own secrets and scars, some obvious, some not so much. Sebastian Easton is now the Duke of Pembrook and his obsession with revenge is finally coming to pass. What he doesn't expect is seeing Mary after all these years and the feelings she inspires in him. Especially when you consider that she is betrothed to another man and that Sebastian doesn't think he can love anyone other than Pembrook anymore.To be completely honest this book wasn't exactly fun. There was a seriousness that didn't allow much room for laughter. Especially the scenes that Sebastian tried to hide his badly damaged face from the world were heartbreaking. I loved seeing his progress though, although let me say that it took him a long time to get his head out of his ass.Mary was the perfect heroine. Brave, loyal, trustworthy. I honestly don't have much to say about her except that I loved her. She was the best person to help Sebastian heal.My favourite person in the book was Rafe. His mysterious, wounded persona was a magnet to my interest!

4 Estrellitas para ésta preciosa historia que me ha hecho reencontrarme con la histórica. Llevaba mucho tiempo apeteciéndome una historia "clásica" dentro del romance, y de una buena escritora. Aunque el libro no es la gran maravilla, ha cumplido su propósito y me ha entretenido.En ésta nueva trilogía de Lorraine Heath, no encontramos una trama novedosa, de hecho, todas sus series de un modo u otro, tratan de herederos o nobles perdidos. En éste caso, los lores de Pembrook eran los hijos de un duque. La muerte de su padre, cuando tenían 14 (los gemelos) y 10 (el pequeño) años, les cambió su vida, encerrados en una torre, y probablemente amenazados de muerte por su tío, los jóvenes lograron escapar gracias a la ayuda de su amiga y vecina Mary.Doce años después, los lores de Pembrook han vuelto para reclamar su herencia. Al escapar, cada uno vivió separado de sus hermanos por dispares circunstancias. En éste caso, el libro se centra en Sebastian, el gemelo mayor, y el heredero, el duque. Sebastian es un hombre totalmente diferente del muchacho que conoció Mary, es un hombre que ha conocido el horror y el sufrimiento, sus heridas son tanto externas como internas, y Mary tratará de traspasar todas ellas para llegar al corazón del héroe.Realmente me ha gustado mucho el planteamiento de la novela. No tiene muchos sobresaltos, y no es una historia de amores imposibles. Aunque a ojos de la aristocracia puede que Sebastian y sus hermanos sean unos advenedizos y unos salvajes, en el fondo son nobles, y Mary es la hija de un conde, pero en su caso, está prometida con otra persona, cosa que hará que un romance entre ella y Sebastian sea imposible. Pero los acontecimientos que ocurren en la novela le hará traspasar todas las barreras.Admito que como personaje me ha gustado más Mary que Sebastian. Es una mujer valiente y leal, por encima de todo, es buena persona, y en ningún momento dudas del amor y la devoción que siente por Sebastian y sus hermanos. Sebastian es un personaje más complicado, despectivo y huraño durante la mayor parte de la novela. A su vuelta tras doce años, se ganó la vida como soldado luchando en la Guerra de Crimea, y vuelve con heridas físicas importantes. Eso y su obsesión por recuperar su herencia, harán de él un personaje como digo más distante y malhumorado.La pega se la pongo tanto al carácter de Sebastian, como al desenlace de la novela. Me ha sabido a poco, demasiado rápido y profundiza poco. Quizás con un mejor desarrollo, y una actitud más enternecedora por parte del protagonista, le habría valido un hueco en mi top ten personal de novela romántica. Aún así me ha parecido una muy buena novela, y ha hecho que me replantee que Lorraine Heath es realmente muy buena escritora, muy lejos de los allá mediocres "Lores Perdidos".Mientras tanto, intentaré hacerle un hueco en otro momento a Tristan, el gemelo de Sebastian. Pero sin duda, quién más ganas me ha dejado de conocer su historia es Rafe, el pequeño.

Well, this book grabbed my attention from the very first page and never let go!Sebastian Easton, Duke of Keswick, has had a very hard life. Nearly killed alongwith his two brothers as a young lad, he escapes unharmed to only have to split up from his brothers to protect them. Sebastian takes off to the war and in the process, he becomes quite scarred inside and out but the one thing that keeps him going is that he must seek revenge against his vile uncle. Life finally allows the three brothers to gather together in London and they find a quite dramatic way to announce their arrival back in society and Sebastian's proper place as the duke. And no one is more shocked by their arrival than Lady Mary Wynne-Jones....the young girl who freed the brothers and has been waiting twelve long years for any word of them.Mary is overjoyed to see her best friend from childhood is back but is a bit shaken by her grown up attraction to Sebastian. After all, she is engaged to another, perfectly acceptable man. But that quiet, proper man is not quite the right fit for Mary who is strong, bold and cares deeply for those she cares about. And it is that deep, abiding caring that keeps her coming back to Sebastian and helping him try to find his new place in society. This causes a few burned bridges for Mary but allows this destined-to-be couple to find happiness together.I adored this book! It is a wonderful, heart pleasing romance of childhood friends to lovers but mixed with enough danger that you will breeze through it and end with a happy smile on your face. I was not expecting the slight 'Beauty and the Beast' theme but it played out very well. Mary never saw Sebastians scars as anything to pity and her way of expressing this to Sebastian was a key turning point in their relationship. I also was very happy with the fact there is no cheating on Mary's fiance, besides one kiss. I'm always nervous about cheating while engaged to another but that is not the case here. In fact, it takes almost three quarters of the book for the major heat factor to kick in and I'm not really complaining. The storyline just moved along so well that when it finally happened, it was right. There is a strong sense of family between the brothers despite being apart for so long but with that comes many doubts on Sebastian's end but Mary is the perfect balm to help him heal. I am so eager for the next two books as there is so much history of the brothers to discover! Overall, this is a perfect romance that blends true love and danger in a way that will keep you up late finishing the book! 4 very solid starsI received this eARC from Avon via netgalley.com

It looks like it's going to be another great series by Lorraine Heath. The story was a bit dark and also a bit predictable, but still a great read, bonus points if you love scarred and tormented hero's. Of the 3 brothers that this series will revolve around, Sebastian, the hero for this book, is scarred by far the worst. The heroine in this story, Mary, was his childhood friend and she had saved the 3 brothers from certain death by their uncles hands. They felt they had no choice but to separate and run away for 10 years. When they do make their way back after 12 years, it is obvious they have had a horrible time of it. They crash the uncles ball by force and announce who they are. Mary is there with her fiance' and is the one who stands up and states that they ARE who they say they are. Of course there is a strong attraction between Sebastian and Mary, but of course he feels he looks like a monster and even though he is a rich Duke, she deserves more. ... yadda yadda, you know the rest :) I am very interested to read the next two stories, just to see the details of how the other brothers lived while they were separated.

4/5 stars