The Duke and the Lady in Red by Lorraine Heath (Scandalous Gentleman of St. James #3)
Historical Romance
Released: April 28, 2015
Avon

Reviewed by Mandi

Favorite Quote: ” I won’t give up.”

She barely turned when his words froze her on the spot.

“I will have you,” he said, his voice a whispered promise that caused a shiver of foreboding, a quiver of pleasure to ripple through her. “Because you want it as much as I do.”

I received this book unsolicited in the mail, and after a quick glance at goodreads, I saw four of my trusted reviewers (one, two, three, four) had all given it 5-stars, so I knew I had to read this one. This is the first I’ve read of this series and it works well as a stand-alone.

As it starts, Rosalind Sharpe has settled herself and her brother in London and she goes on the hunt. For what exactly, the reader is not sure but you start to assume it’s for a gentleman of wealth. She wears her best dress, puts on her most fierce face and gets an invitation to an exclusive gaming hell that has just been opened to allow women. Her story is that her late husband was attacked by a tiger in India, and after a period of mourning, she is now in London, waiting for her solicitor to put her late husband’s affairs in order so she can receive his money and start to payback her creditors. She has a small household staff and a brother she care for deeply. When Rose walks into this gaming hell, she immediately feels eyes upon her – and they belong to the Duke of Avendale.

Avendale is known for his raucous house parties and women dangling off him at all times. An intense and sometimes surly duke (those are the best kind, right?) he spots Rose and he wants her. Much to his surprise, Rose doesn’t bat her eyelashes and fall at his feet. She actually refuses him, which of course makes the hunt for Avendale that much more fun. Avendale falls hard for Rose – so hard and Rose isn’t left unaffected. She starts to notice this throat when he drinks, his hands when he dances with her, every little bit of him makes her having feelings that she has never felt before. But Rose must keep her wits about her as she has a plan, and falling in lust with a duke isn’t going to help things.

“Come with me to my residence now,” he rasped.

Her voice seemed to have deserted her. She almost nodded in acquiescence. She would give him anything, anything, if he would but make the glorious ache go away, would return sanity to her senses. She knew, without doubt, that he held the power to bank the embers he was flaming to life.

“No,” she said, her voice rough and raw. “I told you, I require affection.”

“I’ll give you more than you’ve ever known.”

“Shaking her head, she somehow found the strength to shove on his shoulders. “No.”

This book went a direction I wasn’t expecting and even left me choked up at the very end. A lovely book indeed.

As I read the first quarter of this book, I honestly thought I was going to be the oddball out amongst my friends and not like this book that they have been raving about because Rose bothered me. There is a great sultry sexual tension in the beginning of this book. You feel like Avendale is going to internally combust if he doesn’t get Rose to his bed, and she is steadfast in refusing him. He is so big and surly and intense and you just want to lick him up. They both hold onto secrets, although when Rose’s secrets are unveiled, they give much more of an impact than Avendale’s. Rose’s secrets are multifaceted. When we learn the first one, and we see how her actions play out, I was a little disappointed in her. This is where I thought I wasn’t going to like this book. She has a cold, calculated side to her, and she felt greedy and she throws away Avendale’s care for her without regard.

However, things change. She has her reasons, and as the big secret is revealed, it all made sense. I could forgive her rude behavior. Avendale’s lust starts to turn into love, as he goes from relentlessly pursuing her to being her steadfast support. He makes some romantic gestures in the second half of this book that are truly swoon-worthy and unselfish. I smiled so hard. And then I had to fight back a tear or two. Darn it Avendale!! I don’t want to give anything away so I’ll stop there. There is so much more to this story, but it’s more fun for the reader to discover on one’s own.

A very sexy book, Lorraine Heath tells a story that has hot sex, angst, and it will pull on your heartstrings. Well done.

Rating: B+

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