"The Last Hellion," by Loretta Chase

The Chick: Lydia Grenville. A successful journalist, she's pursuing a story against a notorious pimp - all the while secretly writing a popular romance serial.
The Rub: When a boorish aristocrat interferes in her investigation - and continues interfering - she has trouble reconciling her growing feelings for him with her desire to remain independent.
Dream Casting: Scarlett Johansson.

The Dude: Vere Mallory, Duke of Ainswood. Acquiring the dukedom only after the deaths of nearly all of his male relatives, Vere refuses to handle his ill-gotten responsibilities and devotes himself to debauchery and indulgence.
The Rub: When a girl punches him in the face, he decides to follow her around in order to get back at her ... yeah, that's it... not because he's starting to like her or anything...
Dream Casting: Jared Padalecki.

The Plot:

Vere: OMFG, every dude in my family is dead and now I'm a Duke! Obviously I must drink and debauch my pain away!

Lydia: Oh no! An evil procuress is ruining the lives of prostitutes in London and no one cares! Obviously I must pursue her and write a scathing inditement of her in my paper!

Vere: Oh look, a woman driving recklessly! Hello little lady, allow me to mansplain why getting into an argument with a lady-pimp in a slum by yourself is bad idea...

Lydia: *FEMINIST-PUNCH!*

All of London: LOL! VERE GOT BEAT UP BY A GIRL!

Vere: My mansplaining powers have failed me! Why?! I know! I'll keep popping up in her life and bothering her with my devil-may-care hotness!

Lydia: Yeah right, like that'll work....

Vere: Bother bother bother bother! *shirt is slightly unbuttoned* Bother bother!

Lydia: DAMMIT, IT'S WORKING.

Vere and Lydia: *make out*

Vere and Lydia: Wow! I liked that way more than is probably good for me!

Vere and Lydia: Hey! That's my line!

Lydia: Let me deflect this sexual tension with the asinine idea of a horse race for my hand in marriage!

Vere: *gets hurt*

Lydia: FINE I'LL MARRY YOU! JUST DON'T HURT THAT BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL FACE!

Vere: Yay!

Lydia: Now let's clean up that house of yours! And deal with your grief issues! And rescue your wards!

Vere: ....less yay.

Lydia: *literally does everything* Now we can be happy!

Vere: Well that was easy! HOORAY!

Romance Convention Checklist:

• Too Many Dead Male Relatives
• 1 Very Bad Dad (Deceased)
• 2 Foolish Wards
• 1 Loud, Slobbery Dog
• 1 Ill-Thought-Out Horse Race
• 1 Buttcheek Birthmark
• 1 Secondary Romance 
• 2 Prequel Bait Characters (Dain and Jessica)
• 1 Surprise Papa Drama

The Word: The best cure for a jaded romance reader is Loretta Chase.

I, much like our hero Vere, had become rather cynical of late, especially in regards to romance novels. The last couple of romance novels I'd read had been silly, stupid, and shallow by turns, to the point where I was wondering why I bothered with the genre at all outside of a few trusted authors. As it turns out, I just needed to pick up that One Special Novel to revive my love of the genre.

Vere is, indeed, the Last Hellion of the vaunted Mallory family. Born to the fourth son of the Duke of Ainsworth, Vere finds himself with the ducal coronet after a decade of family tragedies swamps the male members of the line - finally culminating in the death of Vere's beloved nine-year-old cousin, Robin. Losing Robin is the straw that breaks this angsty camel's back, and he flees to pursue a life of indulgence and debauchery, convinced that he, too, will inevitably succumb to the Mallory curse.

Meanwhile, our heroine Lydia Grenville is pursuing a brilliant career as a successful journalist - using her wit, her gumption, and her pen, she crusades of behalf of the city's poor and downtrodden, and seeks justice for those who would exploit them. Chief among those is Coralee Brees, a notoriously violent procuress. When Lydia spots Coralee abducting a young woman off the streets, Lydia leaps into pursuit - nearly running Vere and another bystander over.

Vere interrupts the inevitable confrontation in his boorish way and attempts to silence the furious Lydia with a kiss. Lydia responds with a surprising uppercut that sends Vere ass over teakettle.

Vere is both intrigued and outraged - as news of his hilarious defeat at the hands of a woman spreads all over town, he decides to pursue Lydia with the intention of humiliating her in kind and recovering his manly reputation. Lydia is none-too-pleased by this sexist pig's attempts to insinuate himself into her investigations, but neither of them count on the instant attraction that flares up between them.

Loretta Chase proves that, so long as one uses deft plotting and expert characterization, even such disparate elements as a self-indulgent misogynist hero, a career woman heroine, pimps, runaways, secret butt birthmarks, and horse races can all come together in a deliciously enjoyable novel.

Yes, our hero is a dyed-in-the-wool womanhater, convinced that females can never strive for true equality with man - but with Chase's characterization, Vere's road to enlightenment is thoroughly entertaining. Ten long years of constant grief have taken their toll on him and he sees no point in caring about the future - until he starts caring about Lydia's. As his motivations morph from trying to best her, to trying to protect her from her own fool actions, to protecting himself from the feelings she elicits, Vere grows and changes in a wonderful and believable way.

However, as a character, he still pales in comparison to Lydia. What a fantastic heroine! A righteous journalist who, despite being a woman, is not only successful in her field but respected by her peers in said field and is financially independent due to her own efforts. Who is not afraid to get her hands dirty and knows how to defend herself. While there were a few moments in the novel (particularly towards the end) that veered dangerously close to TSTL territory, Lydia consistently proves herself to be ferociously competent at nearly every endeavour she set her sights on.

While attracted to Vere (rather in spite of herself), Lydia refuses to give in to temptation because doing so would jeopardize everything she's worked so hard for. Yet as she and Vere continue to meet and clash, she finds it harder and harder to convince herself that he's as selfish and jaded as he puts out - as does Vere, who begins to realize that ignored responsibilities have a way of coming back to bite you on the ass.

While Vere and Lydia get into some enjoyable spats, Chase populates the cast with some solid secondary characters, many of whom are recurring. Dain, the Lord of Scoundrels himself, plays a major  role without succumbing to the saccharine tendencies of most Prequel Bait characters. Bertie Trent - Dain's imbecile of a brother-in-law - also makes an appearance and, in an astounding turn of events, redeems himself as a character and winds up in a secondary romance, to boot!

Honestly, nearly everything about this novel works - the pacing, the characterization, the utilization of secondary characters and backstory. I had a bit of a niggle about the villainess, Coralee Brees - sometimes it felt as if the author couldn't decide how much to play up her villainy. One moment, she'll be described as this mastermind madam who's never been caught, who cuts up her victims' faces and throws them in the river - and the next she's depicted as being too stupid and simple-minded to hatch a truly diabolical revenge scheme. Sometimes it seemed as if the story wanted to portray her as a legitimate threat but not so much of a threat that the protagonists wouldn't be able to defeat her easily, and it just came across as inconsistent.

The novel also shoehorns in a wholly unnecessary Surprise Papa Drama subplot at the end, and that plus the depiction of the villainess dips this novel just below an A+ grade. It didn't really contribute anything to the story and it just seemed to bloat the novel past the already-satisfactory ending.

Otherwise, though, The Last Hellion is an excellent and entertaining romance with one of the strongest, most competent historical heroines I've come across. I definitely recommend it.
A

"Your Scandalous Ways," by Loretta Chase

The Chick: Francesca Bonnard. Her husband divorced her, society turned its back on her, but she refused to die in the gutter and instead became one of the most expensive and celebrated courtesans in Europe.The Rub: Her independence is threatened when shady men with shadier intentions start sniffing after some incriminating letters of her ex-husband she may or may not have stashed away...Dream Casting: Anne Hathaway.

The Dude: James Cordier. Before his superiors let him retire from the spy game, his last job is to retrieve some letters by any (sexy) means necessary from a courtesan in Venice.The Rub: He's a master of seduction and secrecy who's just looking to settle down with a nice, uncomplicated virgin to marry - too bad he starts falling for Francesca, the very opposite.Dream Casting: Eric Bana.

The Plot:
Spy Superior: Go and steal some secret letters from a famous courtesan!

James: Piece of cake...

Francesca: Hey there, sailor!

James: ....sexy, delicious cake. Mmmmm cake. DAMMIT.

Evil Men: Die, whore, die!

James: *rescues* Hello, pretty lady. I am a totally trustworthy noble who is totally not trying to steal letters you've been hiding from the British authorities!

Francesca: Why thank you! Care for some free sex?

James: *so very tempted* Yyyyyyyyyyyno. No thank you.

Francesca: How DARE you refuse me! I'm awesome and expensive! Watch me go and have an affair with a boyish innocent prince!

Boyish Innocent Prince: Hi! You're awesome and expensive!

James: DAMMIT.

Evil Thugs: *loot Francesca's house*

James: For the love of all that is holy, Fran, would you give me those letters and have hot, semi-violent sex with me?!

Francesca: In that order? Wait, how the hell do you know about the letters? YOU LIED!

James: I LIED!

Francesca: I'M OUTRAGED!

James: SO AM I!

Francesca: I STILL WANT TO HAVE SEX WITH YOU BUT BECAUSE I'M HEAD BITCH IN CHARGE I'MMA JUMP OFF THIS BALCONY AND MAKE YOU DRAG ME OUT OF THE CANAL FIRST!

James: Wait, what?

Francesca: *jumps* Wheeeeee......

*several hot passionate lovemaking scenes later...*

Evil Sexy Villainess: Hey! Someone order a villain?

Francesca and James: *glare*

Evil Sexy Villainess: Well fine then. Rude. *jumps in canal, and is unrescued*

Francesca and James: Hooray!

Romance Convention Checklist

1 Evil Ex-Husband

1 Crazy Jewel-Hungry Whore

Several Very Nice and Well-Kept Whores

1 Innocent Boyish Prince

Several Expensive Jewels

1 Packet of Traitorous Letters

1 Surprise! Father

1 Instance of a Hero in Drag

The Word: Thank God for Loretta Chase.

Just when I thought I was getting tired of romance. Just when I thought I couldn't handle another book full of tired lustspeak instead of plot, cardboard characters, and meaningless sex scenes.

Thank God for Loretta Chase. I think one of the reasons I love her books is that in each one, she manages to break or at least challenge one of the Major Rules of Romance and get away with it.

In Your Scandalous Ways, she busts two of the biggies:

1. Thy Heroine Shall Not Be an Unrepentant HoBag
2. Thy Heroine Shall Not Enjoy Sex With Another Man After Meeting the Hero

But Francesca Bonnard couldn't give less of a crap. She's a courtesan - an actual courtesan. As in, one who actually has sex for money. No, she's not a courtesan's virgin twin sister who's taking her slutty doppelganger's place while Slutty Sis gets a mani-pedi. No, she's not a special "kink" courtesan for impotent men while preserving her virginity for a "special" customer. No, she's not earning money on her back to repair the leaky roof of the local Puppy Orphanage.

No, she's in it for the dolla dolla bills. And maybe a little payback. Francesca used to be the naive wife of an ambitious politician, until he decided he was better off without her. The ensuing divorce proceedings stripped her of every scrap of reputation, good name, and friendship she had. Knowing her ex-husband fully expected her to sink into impoverished, diseased obscurity - she threw herself in the opposite direction, turning herself into a celebrated, fabulously wealthy courtesan, the toast of the Continent.

James Cordier, an experienced British spy, has also earned enough of his pay on his back to apply for Francesca's union. He's had to play so many parts to save the British Empire from certain doom, that he wants nothing more than to retire and settle down with a nice, virginal English bride. Too bad he's got one last job: a powerful member of Parliament may be a traitor, and his now-infamous ex-wife may possess letters that prove it - and James needs to get those letters.

However, James is not the only one after those letters, and he ends up rescuing Francesca from hired assailants. So now he must juggle the daunting tasks of Protecting Francesca, Finding Those Damn Letters, and Avoiding Francesca's Wiles - and Francesca throws wiles like it's her job - oh wait, it IS her job!

Francesca is a fantastically involved character. She's not only an experienced whore, but she actually enjoys the life she leads and all the luxuries that come with it. None of this "secretly I cry myself to sleep in the shower trying to wash my soul free of sin" nonsense. While yes, she does harbour a small, secret yearning for England and the life she used to lead, she relishes the independence she traded it for and balks at the idea of giving it up for any reason, even her own safety.

But James? He's all about the protection. He can't understand why this stubborn woman won't let him swoop in and take over everything like the Captain Britain Superhero he's used to being. But she's not one to sit quietly by and sip tea while James does all the legwork. James is so used to going alone, or with the aid of women he seduces and manipulates, that he's engaged and enchanted by this woman who refuses to relinquish her hold on life - even if it's for her own damn good, the silly wench.

And honestly, I loved every minute of it. This whole book seemed, well, sumptuous. The descriptions, the dialogue, the setting of Venice - Loretta Chase's writing style makes reading this book like running one's hands down a string of pearls - each word smooth, polished, beautiful, just the right fit for its place, all running together into a luxuriant, rich piece. I don't know how else to describe it, for my own words fail me. But Chase doesn't stop with words - you feel for all her characters (Francesca in particular), their development and romance.

Your Scandalous Ways is perfect indulgence - the kind with substance along with style.
A+

"Captives of the Night," by Loretta Chase

The Chick: Leila Beaumont, nee Bridgeburton. When her husband is found poisoned, she's determined to find out who killed him - despite what a philandering jerk he was.
The Rub: She starts to regret her determination when the dangerously provocative Comte d'Esmond is hired to pursue the covert investigation.
Dream Casting: Kate Winslet.

The Dude: Ismal Delavin, a.k.a. Alexis Delavenne, Comte d'Esmond. He's used to fixing dirty jobs, and investigating Beaumont is one of the dirtiest, but the job's not without its' perks - like Beaumont's hot wife, Leila ...
The Rub: ... who turns out to be too distracting and nosy for comfort. Esmond's got secrets to hide - one in particular dealing with Leila's own troubled past.
Dream Casting: Cillian Murphy.

The Plot:

Leila: Oh no, my husband's been murdered! Not that I miss him.

Leila's Suspicious BFF: He was a bit of a Douchebag Supreme.

Leila's Suspicious Platonic Manfriend: Total dickwad.

Other Suspicious People: Couldn't have happened to a more deserving assface.

Esmond: Still, I'm going to have to solve this murder, if only to keep it from going public. We should start with some basic questioning.

Leila: Okay - what's your name? Where are you from? What's your favourite colour? Where did you go to school? Did you like it there? What are your hobbies?

Esmond: ... I mean questioning the suspects.

Leila: Well that's no fun.

Esmond: *sexy eyes*

Leila: Curse your distracting sexiness! We need to solve a case!

Case: *solved*

Leila: Now you have to answer my questions!

Esmond: Only if you answer this one, will you marry me?

Leila: Oh, alright.

Esmond: HOORAY!

Romance Convention Checklist
1 Very Bad Husband (Deceased)

1 Very Bad Dad (Less Recently Deceased)

Several Very Angry Husbands

1 Vulgar Stickpin

Oodles of Dark Secrets

1 Distinctive Perfume

The Word: Sorry for the wait, folks. I've spent the last week or so kind of distracted after reading The Children's Book, by AS Byatt - a huge-ass tome that spent a spectacularly long time making no point at all.

But now I'm back, and with a Loretta Chase novel, to boot. Captives of the Night was a lovely little find at a library booksale, a find that happens to have its roots in two separate Chase novels - The Lion's Daughter and Lord of Scoundrels.

Can you read Captives of the Night without reading those books? The short answer is yes - but you'll certainly enjoy a bigger understanding of Ismal's character if you manage to get your hands on Lion's Daughter first. In Daughter, Ismal was the enemy/heir-apparent of Ali Pasha, the tyrant of Albania. He spent most of the novel pulling fantastically evil stunts until he made the mistake of falling in obsessive love with that novel's heroine, Esme, only to have his ass royally handed to him by the combined forces of Esme, her father, and her husband Lord Edenmont.

Next, reading Lord of Scoundrels, I got my first look at the Comte d'Esmond, a minor character and distant acquaintance of the novel's hero, Lord Dain, who spent most of his brief time making eyes at the wife of another, skeezier acquaintance, Beaumont.

Reading Captives of the Night was when I discovered Ismal and Esmond are one and the same character. Older, wiser, and mostly reformed, Ismal now works under a different name for the British government, handling cases that require sophistication and discretion. One such case is the destruction of Beaumont, who has been running a dangerous Parisian blackmailing ring out of his gambling den known as Vingt-Huit. While Ismal succeeds at toppling Beaumont's empire, he finds himself dangerously attracted to the man's estranged wife, Leila.

The attraction is mutual, but Leila refuses to be unfaithful to her husband, however little she loves him. Unbeknownst to the world, Leila is the daughter of an English traitor who stole and sold English weapons to foreign powers. Ten years ago, Beaumont rescued her on the night her father was murdered. While she's long since dissuaded him (with violence) from her bed, she knows he won't hesitate to reveal her secret and ruin her if she embarks upon an affair of her own. She contents herself with the artistic career she's developed separate from her husband, and refuses to be a victim, although she still harbours certain body and sexual issues thanks to her husband's unkind manipulations.

After Beaumont loses his blackmail ring, he and Leila flee to England, but his situation only worsens until the day he's found murdered, a poison-laced bottle of laudanum at his side. Beaumont's trade in dark, dirty secrets means a public investigation is impossible, so, to Leila's discomfiture, Esmond is called in to discover who murdered Beaumont and why. A difficult task, as the list of suspects is long.

Even more difficult is the unwanted attraction between the two - Leila distrusts physical desire as her husband used to cover up his own inability to sexually satisfy her by claiming she had a freakishly insatiable lust. Esmond, meanwhile, has two previous novels' worth of sssssecretsssss that he has to hide from a woman who's a lot more perceptive than even she thinks she is.

Characterization-wise, this book is weaker than Loretta Chase's other novels, but still sound for all that. The only character who comes out as completely evil in this novel is Beaumont - even the novel's ultimate murderer gets a thoughtful and detailed rendering. Romance-wise, I felt the same way - it's good, a lot better than other romance novels I've read, but as I read it I kept discovering a sort of disconnect between the development of the romance and the interaction the characters actually have with each other.

Perhaps this is in part due to the novel's uneven pacing (particularly at the beginning where Esmond and Leila bounce around like angst-filled ping-pong balls before Beaumont bites it and they get together for reals). While I enjoyed how Leila and Esmond are fascinated/freaked out by the other's disquieting ability to see beyond their respective facades (Leila's discovery of Esmond's particular physical "tells" is quite funny), I felt Leila's burst of love for Esmond was underdeveloped at the start, since she doesn't really know him and what she does know isn't particularly wholesome. It didn't make a lot of sense until much later, when she really starts connecting the dots about Ismal's work.

As a character, Leila is unpredictable (which can be good, when she throws sudden and epically hilarious temper tantrums that involve destroying furniture and giving men concussions with warming pans), but she's also inconsistent. For instance, Leila worries so much about her sexuality and yet one brief post-coital conversation with Ismal cures her entirely. That didn't sit well with me.

I also felt Ismal played it a little too close to the vest. I do hate it when mysterious characters from previous books are suddenly open to explaining themselves in graphic detail, but I do want the protagonists of books to be developed and for the reader to be privy to their insecurities and feelings - and I only felt we got three-fourths of the way into Ismal's head in Captives of the Night, which is a shame.

Otherwise, though, Captives of the Night is a solid romance novel with a better-than-average mystery.
B+

"The Lion's Daughter," by Loretta Chase

The Chick: Esme Brentmor. The half-Albanian daughter of Jason Brentmor, when her father is declared murdered, she flees to avoid capture - and plan a bloody revenge.
The Rub: Due to a case of mistaken identity, her young cousin is kidnapped and his reluctant guardian Varian insists on following her to the capital - unaware of Esme's plans for vengeance, or her expectation that she'll likely die in the attempt.
Dream Casting: Carey Mulligan.

The Dude: Varian St. George, Lord Edenmont. After squandering his family's fortune, he's spent years using his wit and charm to mooch off of richer people. When his latest patron pays him to accompany his son to Venice, and that son ends up kidnapped, he has no choice but to turn to a crazy half-Albanian girl for help.
The Rub: He soon grows to love that crazy half-Albanian girl, but he has nothing but debts and a dilapidated house to offer her.
Dream Casting: Dominic Cooper.

The Plot:

Esme: My father is dead! I need revenge!

Varian: I've squandered my fortune. I need money!

Percival, Esme's Cousin: My father could be a smuggler! I need a secret chess piece!

Esme: Varian's so hot - but I have to have my revenge!

Varian: Esme's so sexy - but she's only 14!

Esme: I'm 18.

Varian: SCORE!

Esme: Aren't you overcome with guilt and dirty filthy thoughts because you're a rank scoundrel and I'm a pure young girl?

Varian: Yeah, but I'm too selfish to be a martyr.

Esme: SCORE!

Sexy Villain: Yoink! *steals Esme*

Varian: Oh HELL no.

Fisticuffs: *ensue*

Not-So-Sexy-Anymore-Villain: Fine, here, have some free money! I'm off to be pretty in three (!) more Loretta Chase novels!

Varian and Esme: Hooray!

Romance Convention Checklist
1 Puberty-Snubbed Red-Headed Heroine With Self-Esteem Issues

1 Fake Dead Dad

1 Sexy Villain (and Recurring Loretta Chase character!)

1 Jealous Gay Manservant

1 Jealous Straight Brother

2 Rather Nice Brothers

1 DIY Home Reno

1 Bastardy Fake-Out

Several Cold Baths

1 Missing Chess Piece

The Word: Usually, there's a line of precedence with the books on my TBR. I don't immediately read the books I buy because I have, like, 200 other books already waiting to be read (some that have spent several years waiting on the literary bench). But, when I learned that The Lion's Daughter (recently purchased at a library sale) was one of Loretta Chase's earlier books and a part of the Scoundrel series (a series of bizarre and convoluted chronology including Captives of the Night, Lord of Scoundrels and The Last Hellion), I decided to bump it up.

The novel opens on a conspiracy - Jason Brentnor is a British exile known as the Red Lion, and adviser to Albania's wiley/insane ruler Ali Pasha. Rebellion and unrest are brewing in Albania, possibly headed by Ali Pasha's young cousin Ismal, and Jason fears that his daughter Esme might be caught in the crossfire and used as a hostage to ensure his cooperation. Jason has already told Esme his plans to send her to England to his estranged family, but he also decides to fake his own death - in part so that he can suss out the real cause behind the attempts against Ali Pasha, and in part to ensure Ismal will have no reason to need Esme as a pawn.

Unfortunately, he underestimates his daughter, one of those hoydenish, pants-wearing, snubbed-by-the-puberty-fairy heroines who is far more influenced by her Albanian heritage than her English one. She never wanted to go to England in the first place - her father's family disowned him after he lost an important piece of land in a card game, and subsequent nasty letters sent from Jason's father conveyed their disapproval of his Albanian wife and equally savage Albanian daughter. Instead, she flees both her guardians and Ismal's henchmen, determined to wreak vengeance or die trying.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Europe, Jason's 12-year-old nephew Percival eavesdrops on his father Gerald (Jason's brother), discovers his father has been smuggling weapons into Albania to help Ismal's rebellion, and sees him stuff a coded message into the black queen piece of an expensive, antique chess set and give it to his shady accomplice.

Percival realizes this information is important to his uncle Jason, but his father has already arranged to have him transported to Venice, in the care of indolent, impoverished nobleman Varian St. George. Percival offers Varian a larger bribe to take him to Albania instead, where the story really begins.

Confused yet? Bear with me, it gets a bit less complicated. *deep breath* Varian and Percival arrive in Albania only to run into Esme who is fleeing Ismal's henchmen and in the ensuing fracas, Percival is kidnapped by mistake. Esme knows that Percival's in little danger since even Ismal is aware of the bad PR that can come from murdering an unarmed British tween, and Esme agrees to take Varian with her to the city of Tepelena, where Percival will most likely end up. *gasps*

Yes, retelling it all makes it sound like an absurdly complicated set-up, but The Lion's Daughter is a complex and rich romance, evoking both the familiar and the exotic, creating both sympathetic and believable characters that nevertheless have pretty unique backgrounds.

I adored Esme - one of very few heroines I would actually term "adorable" with a straight face. Yes, she's an unconventional character for her time but thankfully Loretta Chase gives her the background, smarts, and skills to back it up. She's not one of those "Princess Jasmine" heroines who rebel against the system without really knowing what the outside world is like and who turn out to be brainless twits when they do. You know, the ones who traipse about their rich daddies' estates in boy's clothing only to discover, *gasp* walking down dark alleys at night in an unfamiliar part of town as an unaccompanied woman is unsafe?

Esme's father, knowing the political instability of Albania, made sure his daughter learned how to protect herself, physically and mentally. Seriously, she's built like a 13-year-old boy but can take down men twice her size. She's also smart enough to recognize when she's physically outmatched and use her brains instead. It's Esme who takes the lead when she, Varian and their ragged band travel to Tepelena.

That's not to say she's a superwoman. She's been raised to believe herself an outsider - half-British, half-Albanian, with a fiercely independent streak that sets her apart from women of both nationalities. She's self-aware enough to be uncomfortable with her alienating temper and boyish appearance but not enough to give them up without a good reason. Despite this, she tries to hold herself emotionally aloof on the road to Tepelena - for she knows she's likely to die once she attains her revenge and attachments will only make her duty harder. She's definitely a literary descendant of Leonie from Georgette Heyer's These Old Shades.

She's also got a bit of Alex from Judith McNaught's Something Wonderful, too, in that our hero, Varian, mistakes her first for an underage boy, then for an underage girl, only realizing she's eighteen roughly halfway through the book.

Varian is another unique hero - far from a go-get-'em Alpha, he's more of a slacker Beta. After blowing his entire fortune with gambling and reckless living, he's gotten by on his looks and his charm, leaching off of wealthy hosts in return for the cachet of his aristocratic presence. He's garnered a reputation of being little more than a whore, willing to do almost anything for enough coin, agreeing to babysit Percival for a healthy sum, only to take him to Albania on the promise of an even healthier one.

Now that Percival's been kidnapped and Varian has to rely on a young woman far more honourable and self-sufficient than he is, he is forced to re-evaluate his style of existence, which involves a great deal of guilt. He refuses to allow himself to be a martyr, thankfully, but he sees this as an indication of his inherent selfishness. Even though Esme's thirteen (he thinks), he can't help but be attracted to her (and make out with her a little). Even though he's penniless and has nothing to offer her, he can't stay away from her for her own good (although once he learns she's 18, visions of Pedo-Bear no longer dance through his head). Even though Esme is All That Is Awesome and he is All That Is Lazy and Whorish, he can't help loving her and wanting to be around her forever, oblivious to how much Esme's presence improves him as a person.

Seeing these two kids come together is wonderful (their first sex scene is one of my personal faves), and the basic elements of the romance - the dialogue, the characterization, the emotional development - are good enough that we don't even really need the complicated political subplot and exotic locations and Secret Family Drama - but having them makes an already wonderful novel even better. It's tasty, original icing on top of an already heavy, rich, delicious cake. Okay, sometimes the "Who's Got the Black Queen?" becomes little more than a confusing game of political hot potato, but it's interesting nonetheless.

Is it better than Lord of Scoundrels? Well, I think so. The sweet and spicy combo of Varian and Esme is incredibly romantic, and our characters are allowed to be flawed and make mistakes without coming across as morons. We also, as I came to discover from experienced Loretta Chase readers, get a sexy, sexy villain who ends up appearing in three other Chase novels (one of which is his own).

I'm looking forward to it!
A

"Not Quite a Lady," by Loretta Chase

The Chick: Lady Charlotte Hayward - the 27-year-old daughter of a wealthy marquess who is perfectly perfect in every way. So why has she spent the last ten years being perfectly perfect while subtly deflecting any possible suitor?
Shady Past: Ten years ago, a heartless rake knocked her up, than died. Her new stepmother helped her hide her pregnancy from society (and her father) and give the baby to a good home, but Charlotte's terrified that if she marries, she'll have to base their marriage on a lie or be found out to be a "soiled dove," which would bring shame on her beloved father as well as reveal his beloved wife's deception as well.

The Dude: Mr. Darius Carsington - fifth son of the earl of Hargate. Clings to logic, reason and science with a grip that would make a Vulcan proud - and takes on and abandons lovers with the same amount of scientific detachment. His exasperated father has given him an ultimatum - fix up a dilapidated property (situated next to Marquess Hayward's, convenience) within a year, or marry into money immediately.
Shady Past: Well, he is a rake - but he never seduces the innocent. And his family is rather annoyed with him - but still supportive.

The Plot:Charlotte's Dad: Hey Charlotte, need help finding a husband?

Charlotte: NO THANK YOU! *flees*

Darius' Dad: Fix up this crappy house - or get married!

Darius: PROPERTY, THANK YOU! *flees*

Charlotte and Darius: *romantic collision!*

Charlotte: Get your hands off! Hysterical-guilty-horny-irrational-woman-super-saiyan-ATTACK!

Darius: *walloped* I am in love! But it is not rational! Logic! WHY HAVE YOU FAILED ME?!

Child-who-looks-suspiciously-like-Charlotte: Hey, I'm here to help fix the crappy house!

Charlotte: I'm your mum! Er, just kidding!

Darius: What was that?

Charlotte and Darius: *sex as distraction!*

Charlotte: I have to confess....I'm not a virgin.

Darius: Well, duh.

Charlotte: That child is my son.

Darius: Duh, the sequel.

Charlotte: Can we keep him? He literally followed us home.

Inconvenient-Suitor-Morrell-Who-Also-Knows-Charlotte's-Secret: Too late, I packed him off to Ireland! Marry me?

Charlotte: WHAT?

Child: No he didn't!

Darius and Charlotte: Hooray!


Romantic Convention Checklist:1 Secret Baby
1 Inconvenient But Still Surprisingly Decent Romantic Rival
1 Relationship-Aiding Pet
4 Supportive Relatives
1 Drunken Coachman
2 Uses of Hero as Punching Bag
1 Accidental Groin Injury

The Word:Wonderful. This was a lovely book. I was so looking forward to reading it (not least of which because Julia Quinn called Chase one of the greatest romance authors of all time and because the gals at Dear Author raved over it) and it pretty much met all expectations. Excellent characterization, great writing, sex scenes that were hot as well as relevant (there's nothing that annoys me more than sex scenes that are written in that don't advance the plot at all).

The characterization was what got me most of all, especially Charlotte. Everything from her motivations for avoiding marriage to giving in to her feelings for Darius was realistic, well-explained, and beautifully written. I especially like that her first mistake, ten years ago, that resulted in a child was also motivated. Her stepmother is a brilliant, warm woman - both Charlotte and her father seriously lucked out in that area. Before Charlotte really got to know her stepmother, though, she just saw her as the woman only nine years older than herself that her father married less than a year after her mother died. Angry that her father was forgetting her mother so quickly, she made a terrible mistake that resulted in ten years of guilt.

Now of course, she's made a life for herself being the perfect daughter - the book goes on at length about how she's so nice that "even other women like her," instead of being jealous that every man within a fifty-mile radius thinks she would make top-notch wife material. Of course, her father, who is a very loving and supportive one, is insisting that she get married - he doesn't recognize that she's been knowingly showing her suitors to other, more suitable women and he genuinely thinks she should be married in order to live her life and experience true happiness. What Charlotte sees is a huge mess - if she gets married, she's certain it will be hugely obvious that she's not a virgin and will bring ruin to her family. In her mind, she's brought enough ruin to a family that has had nothing but love for her and she will do anything to avoid it.

And then there's Darius. He's a bit silly at the outset with his incredibly tenacious insistence on logic, nature, and rationality when it comes to relationships - he believes in sex (oh boy, does he ever), but love is a fairy tale. There is no example of it in the animal kingdom (which he studies and writes papers on extensively) so he doesn't believe it could really exist. He's immediately attracted to Charlotte but knows he can't do anything because he believes she's a virgin and any move he makes will only see him frog-marched to the altar on the point of a sword. However...

Reading the Smart Bitch review of it, one of the Bitches complained that it was unrealistic that Charlotte, whose life was ruined when she had unprotected sex with a rake, would engage with it with Darius. Couldn't that, in theory, just repeat her entire mistake? I have to say I disagree. Chase, with beautiful prose, expertly maintains Charlotte's inner monologue - the way she purposely denied herself happiness for ten years, her loneliness, her discovery of a mad old woman's letters decrying not having the courage to live one's life, and also the significant ways in which her relationship with Darius is nearly the complete opposite of her dalliance with the Dead Rake all served to show that her decision to connect with Darius was one founded on completely different reasons than her hook-up ten years ago. Other reviews also complained about the fantasy aspect, like how her son shows up due to luck. I dunno - maybe as a fantasy reader as well as a romance reader, I can tolerate magical coincidences more than the next person, but I wasn't at all bothered by it, and I thought it made an interesting addition to the narrative.

Another aspect of the novel that I loved was the Villain - who wasn't really a villain. In fact, I wouldn't be completely surprised if Colonel Morrell got a part in his own romance novel. An admirer of Charlotte and a long-time friend, he's actually noticed how she's been intentionally side-stepping matrimony over the years and, through ingenuity and his unscrupulous manservant, he eventually discovers her secret and still wants to marry her. At the same time, though, Chase, without actually "telling" us, "shows" us in marvelous detail just how he could never be a good match for her - and yet, he wasn't a bad person in the least. He didn't try to blackmail her (although she took it that way), he didn't plot against Darius, he didn't lie or cheat or even steal or kick puppies. He was just the wrong man for her. I loved this aspect - reading romance, I've come across a lot of exes or romantic rivals who are so obviously wrong to the point of them being assholes, that it was refreshing to come across one who was a genuinely good person, just a bad match.

I have another one of her books on my TBR shelf - Lord of Scoundrels, and I'm definitely looking forward to reading that, but I have a few other things to take care of first. Anyway, this book was definitely a A.