Heath, Lorraine. Scoundrel of My Heart. New York: Avon, 2021.
ISBN-13: 978-0062951960 | $7.99 USD | 350 pages | Victorian Romance
Blurb
Lorraine Heath begins an exciting new series with a breathtaking romance about a young woman who must marry a titled gentleman to obtain her inheritance and the usuitable man she begins to fall madly in love with
She is desperate to wed a duke…
Lady Kathryn Lambert must marry a titled gentleman to claim her inheritance and has finally gained the attention of a duke. Yet she is unable to forget the scandalous second son who aided in her achievement—or his betrayal.
He wants what he can never possess…
Lord Griffith Stanwick is tormented by the bitter truth that as a “spare,” he will never be able to give Kathryn what she yearns to possess. But when his father is found guilty of treason, Griff detours into the dark and dangerous corners of London, haunted by memories of the woman lost to him forever.
Love not to be denied…
As the duke’s courtship intensifies, Kathryn discovers Griff has become a man to be reckoned with. When old passions flare and new desires ignite, she must decide if sacrificing her legacy is worth a lifetime shared with the scoundrel of her heart.
Review
4 stars
One historical romance author I’ve long wanted to give another shot is Lorraine Heath, as I liked the one book I read from her, but even back then, her backlist was intimidating, and my general impression was that she wrote angstier books. But I figured she was a solid, accessible (as in the library had a lot of her titles) author to read, so I started with a newer title, Scoundrel of My Heart, with plans to explore further from there. And this book was solid. I noted some overlap with a prior series, but it’s no more than a cameo appearance, so apart from minor spoilers of how a few of the couples end up (and there’s an HEA guarantee anyway), this works perfectly well as a standalone.
This was a pretty standard histrom setup, but with some dark twists. Griff was probably the more well-defined of the two, as he’s not only a second son, and thus not as eligible, but also tainted by his father’s conviction of treason, and his family stripped of their titles and lands. I admired his industriousness of finding a way to work for his living and build his fortunes again following his family’s disgrace, even if it could never possibly be enough for someone who needs to marry a duke. And his magnanimity in promoting Kathryn’s match to the duke really reflected well on his character, even though the mutual attraction still burned between them.
While Griff is arguably “the star,” that’s not to say Kathryn fades into the background. She’s set on honoring her late grandmother’s wishes by marrying a duke, as it will allow her to claim her inheritance. While she’s definitely on the more demure side, in terms of historical heroines, she’s no doormat, and she has opinions of her own. And she’s just as conflicted by her choice regarding her courtship with the duke
As for the romance, Griff and Kathryn have wonderful chemistry and tension, and the stakes are fairly high, as they need to figure out how to navigate the impossible situation they’re in. It’s further complicated by her not fully knowing the details of how Griff interceded with the duke, but it also came together in such a sweet way by the end. And yay for the duke generally being cool about things not working out, paving the way for his book.
This was a solid series starter, and great re-introduction to the world of Lorraine Heath. I’d recommend this book to readers looking for an emotionally moving historical romance.
Author Bio
Lorraine Heath always dreamed of being a writer. After graduating from the University of Texas, she wrote training manuals, press releases, articles, and computer code, but something was always missing. When she read 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 novels have been recognized with numerous industry awards and have appeared on the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists.
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