Never Seduce a Scoundrel

Spoiler Disclaimer

Synopsis

A recent graduate of Mrs. Harris's School for Young Ladies, known amongst the ton as the School for Heiresses, Lady Amelia Plume knows what she wants in a man, but most of the ones who've tried to court her only seem interested in her money, leaving her unimpressed. Then she sees American Marine Lucas Winter across a crowded ballroom and he sets her heart aflutter. When she tries to deliver a note for a friend to their host's bedroom, Amelia ends up in Lucas's instead, where she accidentally uncovers the fact that he's investigating her own stepmother, the woman whose fortune is bankrolling her dowry. After Lucas catches Amelia in the hallway, he asks to court her, a proposition she accepts, thinking that it might give her an opportunity to find out more about why he suspects her stepmother of wrongdoing. The attraction between them is strong, and only becomes more so after Lucas rescues Amelia from a nefarious suitor. The man's actions would've caused a scandal if Lucas hadn't offered to marry Amelia himself, after which she falls even more in love with him. But when Lucas can't seem to give up his vendetta against her stepmother, even in the face of new evidence, it could ruin everything.

Major Lucas Winter has been sent by his government to look into a married couple who committed fraud, and he thinks he knows who the woman is. When he discovers that the attractive young lady at his cousin's ball is the woman's stepdaughter, he asks to "court" Amelia to further his investigation. He thought it would be a temporary ruse, but the more time he spends with her, the less he can abide the thought of any other man touching her. So when Amelia is abducted by one of her suitors, Lucas doesn't hesitate to move heaven and earth to get her back. By the time he finds her, though, they've been gone long enough to cause a scandal, so Lucas insists on marrying Amelia himself to protect her. The first few days of their married life are blissfully happy. But Lucas is still convinced that Amelia's stepmother is guilty, and because of a personal connection to the case, he can't let go of his certainty, which could ruin the best thing that's ever happened to him.

Review

Never Seduce a Scoundrel is the first book in Sabrina Jeffries' The School for Heiresses series, which follows graduates of Mrs. Harris's School for Young Ladies, also known amongst the ton as the School for Heiresses, because each of the students is an heiress who was taught how to avoid fortune hunters. In this inaugural book, we have Amelia who knows what she wants in a man, but she's had some unfortunate suitors who generally only want her money. She's paired with Lucas, an American Marine who is in England on an official investigation of a woman he believes worked alongside her husband to defraud the U. S. government, and who also has ties to the disappearance of his own family's fortune. The woman he suspects happens to be Amelia's stepmother, whose fortune is bankrolling Amelia's dowry. Lucas and Amelia meet at a ball hosted by Lucas's English cousin, and there's an instant attraction between them. Lucas doesn't really trust Amelia for several different reasons, but he decides to "court" her, thinking it might help him get closer to her stepmother. Before long, though, the fake courtship becomes all too real, with both of them starting to fall for one another, so when one of Amelia's suitors turns into a stalker and kidnaps her, Lucas moves heaven and earth to bring her home safely. However, by the time, he catches up to them, Amelia has been gone long enough to cause a scandal, so her only options are to marry or be ruined and shunned by society. Lucas isn't about to let that happen, so he marries her himself. But when he finally gets the opportunity to confront Amelia's stepmother, his quest for revenge may destroy any chance of them having a happy marriage.

Amelia is a young woman who craves adventure. Thus far, she hasn't been impressed with the men who've tried to court her, and she's starting to wonder if she'll marry at all. Then she chances to see Lucas across a crowded ballroom, and he makes her heart flutter. When she offers to deliver a note to their host's bedroom for a friend, she accidentally ends up in Lucas's room instead, where she sees his notes on the women he's been investigating, one of whom is her stepmother, who she's certain can't be guilty of anything nefarious. After Amelia and Lucas meet, he offers to court her himself, which she accepts, thinking she might be able to find out more about his investigation. The attraction between them is strong, though, so their romance starts to move quickly, in spite of her not being sure if she can trust him. Lucas becomes more and more appealing as he defends her against an unwanted suitor's advances, and then he comes to her rescue in more ways than one when said suitor kidnaps her. When she opens up to him about knowing of his investigation, he tells her some of what's going on, but in spite of disagreeing about whether her stepmother could possibly be involved, the passion runs deep between them, leading to several days of marital bliss. However, once the inevitable confrontation occurs, Lucas can't seem to put his own personal feelings aside, which could spell doom for their marriage. I loved Amelia for her adventurous spirit but also for her kindness and compassion. She's always up for just about anything, whether it be an exciting travel adventure or being adventurous in the bedroom. Although Lucas can be a bit much to handle at times, she never fully allows him the upper hand, which made me respect her. She's also very empathetic when she learns the full extent of what Lucas has been through in the past, and always tries to support him. Amelia was just an all-around wonderful heroine.

Lucas grew up with a mother who manipulated to get her own way, so he isn't very trusting of women in general. Both of his parents have passed on, and their deaths, particularly his father's, are tied into his investigation. While serving as a marine, he was captured by the English, and because of that experience, he isn't fond of English people and also suffers from PTSD. I can't say much more about these two things, though, without giving away spoilers. While in England searching for the culprits in a fraud case, Lucas is staying with a cousin who hosts a ball that he reluctantly attends. He's instantly attracted to Amelia from the moment they meet, but after finding her in an upstairs corridor, he doesn't trust her. He thinks to just court her as a pretense to get closer to her stepmother, but soon he realizes the attraction is so strong he just can't keep his hands to himself whenever they're alone. He also can't abide the idea of any other man touching her, which is why he takes matters into his own hands when one of her suitors turns stalker. However, it isn't enough to keep the man from kidnapping Amelia, which immediately sends Lucas chasing after them. Not wanting to see her ruined and with neither of them wanting her to have to marry the man who took her, he offers to wed her himself. But he's convinced that Amelia's stepmother is guilty as sin, while she's equally convinced the woman isn't. When things come to a head and the truth is finally revealed, he can't seem to set aside his personal feelings, leading to friction in their marriage.

Lucas can be very stubborn and hardheaded at times. For the most part, I didn't mind too much, because he also shows glimmers of vulnerability. But late in the story, he basically blackmails Amelia, telling her that he'll only investigate her beloved stepmother's claims if Amelia agrees to obey everything he tells her to do for one night (some of which includes sexual favors), thinking she'll never go for it. At that point, I was ready to jump into the story and throw something at his head. That said, though, I did rather like how Amelia handled the situation, following his instructions to the letter, but never quite letting him fully get the upper hand. By doing so, she managed to wring a little vulnerability out of him and get him to admit that he didn't want a blindly obedient wife. He just wanted the spirited woman he'd fallen in love with. Because of these things, Lucas could sometimes be a little too alpha and not entirely my cup of tea as the hero, but he did have moments where I liked him much better.

Overall, despite a few small misgivings, Never Seduce a Scoundrel was a very good read. I adored Amelia, and while I didn't always like the things that Lucas did, I liked him in his more unguarded moments, such as when he has a panic attack in an enclosed space or when he relates his past to Amelia. I thought that they were well-matched as a couple, with Amelia refusing to put up with Lucas's autocracy, and making sure he admitted his desire for her just as she was. My main critique here is that I wish they could have trusted each other sooner. In certain respects they do, but then the distrust because of past experiences or what they know about each other creeps in, putting a bit of a damper on the romance. At least, in the bedroom, they give generously to one another, making the love scenes deliciously steamy, and I love that Amelia is an eager participant. The plotting of the story perhaps could have been a little tighter. It kind of moves from one event to the next, and while each of those events did reveal something about the characters, I thought it could have flowed a little more seamlessly. Historical accuracy is always a plus for me, so I liked that the author included real events from the War of 1812 in Lucas's backstory. I also liked that the mystery took a little while to unfold, and until the actual confrontation between Lucas and Amelia's stepmother, the reader isn't entirely sure if she's guilty or not. While Never Seduce a Scoundrel might not have been a perfect read, it was an enjoyable one that has me looking forward to continuing with the series.

You May Also Enjoy

Simply Quartet by Mary Balogh

Visit

Sabrina Jeffries

Themes

Men in Uniform - Military
Tortured Heroes