When the Duke Was Wicked (Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James, #1) (Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James Place, #1)

by Lorraine Heath

They are England's most eligible bachelors, with the most scandalous reputations. But for the right woman, even an unrepentant rogue may mend his ways ...Lady Grace Mabry's ample inheritance has made it impossible for her to tell whether a suitor is in love with her- or enamored of her riches. Who better to distinguish beau from blackguard than her notorious childhood friend, the Duke of Lovingdon? With no interest in marriage, Lovingdon has long lived only for pleasure. He sees little harm in helping Grace find a proper match. He simply has to teach the lovely innocent all the ploys a scoundrel uses to gain a woman's favor- by demonstrating his wicked ways. But as lessons lead to torrid passion and Grace becomes ensnared in another man's marriage plot, Lovingdon must wage a desperate gamble: Open his heart fully-or risk losing the woman he adores ...

• ISBN10: 0062276220
• ISBN13: 9780062276223
• Publish Date: 27 February 2014 (first published 25 February 2014)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 15 October 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Avon Books
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[nitzan_schwarz]

Really enjoyed this one as well, although it was flowery and veeeeeeeery cheesy at the end.
I loved how it dealt a little bit with malignancy which is a subject I've never read before in historical novels. I enjoyed how it dealt with life after loss, even though Lovingdon vexed me with how much he kept repeating how he "could not give her what she wanted, could not love her, had no love to give, he cared for her yes but not that way" blah blah blah. Dude, when you need to remind yourself of these "facts" in your inner monologue every three seconds it means you're lying through your teeth.
That one section out of the antagonists eyes was a bit weird and out of place though.

[kimbacaffeinate]

We meet Lady Grace Marbly, whose dreams of finding real love are seeded in much more than childhood fantasies. Between her inheritance and her secret, she has difficulty sorting through her suitors. She turns to a childhood friend and former crush the Duke of Lovingdon. He has no intentions of marrying again and his fondness for Grace has him agreeing to give her lessons. The tale that unfolds is delicious, danger and hilarious. It also has some tender moments that wrecked me.

Take a beautiful, strong, and intelligent heroine with a secret that makes her fear rejection. Mix in a wounded rogue who hides his pain and guilt in a bottle and loose women. Add a pinch of attraction, a few lessons and some humor. The resulting brew will leave you laughing, sighing and maybe even shedding a few tears. I adored Lady Grace and her friends. She is bold and adventurous. Lovingdon was wonderful, and his story touched me. It was such fun seeing him fall. Grace and her friends made me giggle as she passed on the advice she learns. Secondary characters added to the tale and solidified my opinions of our couple. I was equally impressed by Grace’s parents. They were involved without being meddlesome and offered their daughter sound advice, love and support. The tale progressed wonderfully with just enough drama to keep me on my toes and heat enough to curl them. The ending was climatic and heartfelt and damn if my eyes didn’t become all watery.

Copy received from publisher in exchange for unbiased review that originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer