The Duke and the Lady in Red by Lorraine Heath

The Duke and the Lady in Red Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James #3 By: Lorraine Heath Releasing April 29, 2015 Avon

Blurb

Sparks fly in the finale of the Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James Place series, as the last wicked rogue meets his match.

When Rosalind Sharpe gains the attention of the deliciously wicked Duke of Avendale, she’s torn between her distracting attraction to the notorious rogue and the knowledge that he—rich as Croesus—is the perfect target for a deception that will put her swindling days behind her.

However, Avendale is no fool. After he discovers the tantalizing lady packing up to leave London with his coins in tow, he confronts her with a scandalous proposition: she can have all the money she requires…for a week in his bed.

Desperate for the funds, Rose agrees, but on one condition: he must never question her motives. Avendale quickly sees beneath her mask and discovers she is more than passion and pleasure—she is everything he has ever desired. But claiming her requires he unveil her secrets and lose her forever. Unless he can put his own dark past aside and risk everything for a chance at love.

Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2015/03/the-duke-and-lady-in-red-scandalous.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22864442-the-duke-and-the-lady-in-red?from_search=true

Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/110654-scandalous-gentlemen-of-st-james

Buy Links: Amazon | B & N | iTunes | Kobo | Publisher

Author Info

LORRAINE HEATH always dreamed of being a writer. After graduating from the University of Texas, she wrote training manuals and computer code, but something was always missing. After reading a romance novel, she not only became hooked on the genre, but quickly realized what her writing lacked: rebels, scoundrels, and rogues. She’s been writing about them ever since. Her work has been recognized with numerous industry awards, including RWA’s RITA® and a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Her novels have appeared on the USA Today and New York Times best-seller lists.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

My Review:

Rosalind Sharpe is a con artist, and she has just come to town looking for her next mark. She has managed to obtain an invitation to a society event, where she hopes to pass herself off as a respectable widow, waiting for her husband’s estate to be settled. When the Duke of Avendale sees Rose enter the room, he’s immediately taken by her commanding presence and voluptuous figure. She’s not precisely beautiful, he thinks, but striking, and he decides he wants to be her lover. When he approaches her, she doesn’t fawn over him and fall at his feet, which intrigues him even more. Rose realizes that Avendale is a really big fish, and she’ll need to play coy in order to reel him in.

If Rose were just pulling cons to make money for herself, this story wouldn’t work at all Of course there must be more to her story, and there is. Rose is the sole support of her small family, and not everyone is a blood relation. Harry is one of these folks, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a more beloved secondary character. As we learn his story, and get to know him, I guarantee that you will fall in love with him, and that you will have your heart broken. His presence is so strong, that when I think of this book, I think of him as much as Rose and Avendale.

The duke is carrying a secret from his childhood, one that has shaped his whole life. It’s caused him to keep his family at a distance, and to scorn love. His only pursuit is fleeting physical pleasure, which is even now starting to bore him. The more time he spends with Rose, though, the more enthralled he becomes. When he finally realizes that Rose only meant to swindle him, he threatens her with prison unless she stays with him for a week. While Rose has never used seduction as part of her game, she sees no choice but to give in. Truth be told, she is genuinely attracted to Avendale, something that is foreign to her. The swindler and the libertine soon find themselves in love, though neither admits it as such.

Both Rose and Avendale are flawed and carrying serious baggage. Neither wants their time together to end, but how could they possibly make it work? Avendale has such a low opinion of his own worth, yet we see his kindness and generosity and vulnerability. As we learn more about Rose’s past, and her reasons for the things she did, we can’t help but forgive her and admire her. This is a very emotional story that had me in tears with a lump in my throat the size of a basketball. After successfully breaking my heart, Lorraine Heath neatly mended it with a lovely happy ever after. This was a very unique read, with memorable, lovable characters. Ms. Heath also writes some of the best epilogues you will ever read. I give this book my highest recommendation, and add it to my “Best Of” list for this year.