SUMMARY (from Goodreads): The town gossips call him “Saint” – but the Marquis of St.
Aubyn has well earned his reputation as London's perfect scoundrel. Evelyn
Ruddick knows she should avoid him at all costs . . . but the strikingly
beautiful lady wants to aid the children of the Heart of Hope Orphanage, and he
heads the board of trustees. Evie is determined to teach the charming, arrogant
man a lesson in compassion, but it won't be so easy – especially since his
touch is setting her desire aflame, making Evie yearn to submit to his
passionate instruction.
MY OPINION:
London’s Perfect Scoundrel is the second book in Enoch’s Lessons in Love series. I haven’t been
reading this series in order. I read the third book before this one, but they
can be read as stand-alones, as each book concentrates on a different
couple.
Speaking of
historical romance, one thing that I am generally annoyed with is when the pure
and decent heroine surrenders to the main protagonist almost without any resistance.
This bothers me in this novel, too. I did not like Evie very much in the
beginning – she is innocent, well-behaved, smart, and kind-hearted, but she
is also naïve and has to learn a lot about people. I was mad at her for
letting her brother boss her around and treat her as a stupid, silly girl.
Nevertheless, I grew to like Evie, as she gradually developed into a confident
woman who stands for what she believes.
St. Aubyn
is the very opposite of Evie. He is a selfish man, looking only for his own
pleasure, be it in drinking, eating, gambling, and especially chasing women. It
is always amusing to me how this kind of a hero is always stunningly
good-looking in historical romances, despite the fact that the above lifestyle
would have a devastating effect on one’s health and appearance. He has one good quality from the beginning, which is that he hates the hypocrisy of society and always says what he thinks. That is what, among other things, makes him a lovable character. Naturally,
after meeting Evie, St. Aubyn slowly mends his ways and discovers the joys caring for other people. His change and the inner struggle during it are very well presented.
Enoch builds
Evie’s and St. Aubyn’s relationship convincingly, and I love the dynamics
between them. There is plenty of sparkling, the dialogues are funny, and the
last line is a killer. I want more. I guess I will have to pick up another one of
Enoch’s books soon.
RECOMMENDATION: This is a perfect book for when a girl needs
a warm and fuzzy relaxation read that makes her laugh.
That bothers me in historical fiction novels too! Strikingly handsome slutty man woos innocent and well-mannered girl... blah. I think it's just starting to bother me that so many of the heroes in his. romance are men who sleep around all over the place until they meet the heroine and all of the sudden they've changed and want to be monogomous. Like that ever works out in real life...
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you like this one though :-) And despite my complaining, I do enjoy some historical romance, lol.
@ Sarah: Exactly! It's ridiculous. However, this one has some foundation to the change and it's funny.
ReplyDelete