Scoundrel
Originally published on February 2, 1996, I think this was the first DIK given at All About Romance! Have you read it?
Scoundrel is a rip-roaring romance set in Regency England. Lady Lily Walters must hide her identity as a master cryptographer and so acts the flirtatious, empty-headed chit. The Duke of Remmington, notorious ladies’ man, is a master spy. Neither knows about each others’ “work”, although the Duke does realize Lily is infatuated with him. Their assumptions of each other turn upside down after Lily’s life is threatened.
Forced to stay with him for her own protection, Lily is blamed for their more-intimate-by-the-day interludes by the Duke, who was so damaged by his first wife’s infidelities that he has sworn off love. Acting the typical ordered, cold-hearted hero, he requests she stop looking at him with love in her eyes. By shifting the blame on her, he is able to deny that he is falling in love with this wondrous goddess with an equally amazing brain.
The Duke tries to maintain order in his life, even as his emotions cannot be contained. Knowing Lily loves him, he plans to keep her at a distance so that when she betrays him (as all women must), he won’t be hurt. Though their passion can only be described as “making love”, Remmington cannot this decipher his love for her until it is nearly too late.
Adventure and excitement abound in Scoundrel. The man set up to be Lily’s would-be murderer is not (although by this point the reader has determined that). Cleverly plotted to immediately follow Remmington’s “planned” declaration of love, Lily is kidnapped. She must rely on her cleverness and skills to save her life and that of her beloved husband’s.
Scoundrel affected this reviewer more than most historicals set in the regency period due to Lily’s and Remmington’s characterizations. The author manages to make the predictable new due to the leads’ responses. What remains predictable actually helps the book – there are less distractions to take away from the romantic aspect and its progression.
Lily’s metamorphosis in Scoundrel is acceptance of herself as desirable. The Duke obviously becomes whole through his love for Lily. This is a delightful story and a strong follow-up to the author’s debut effort, The Warlord. Elizabeth Elliott has proven that she can write both medievals and regency-set historicals with equal ease.
Recent Comments
I remember reading this and liking it a lot, but I apparently didn’t keep a copy as I can’t find it on my bookshelves. Went on Alibris and Abebooks to see if a copy was available. Neither site had one, although they had several of her other books at reasonable (<$3) prices. Today’s Amazon price was $23, less than the price Lynda saw but still too much.
Sadly, Amazon is selling one for $7, then it jumps up to $53. It’s not on Kindle. My library doesn’t have it, either. Reading this great review is like being on a diet and having someone say, in detail, how good chocolate cake is.
Sorry!
I liked her books. I was disappointed when she quit writing.
What’s fascinating is no one has put it out as an ebook. I don’t know what’s involved in that but it seems like the author is missing an opportunity for some passive earnings.
I keep fantasizing about starting just that business! So many great older historicals are vanishing!
I’ve gone back to looking for copies of authors’ work in used bookstores because I can’t count on finding them in library collections. The ideal solution would be ebooks in library collections.
That is a great idea!
So often, romances from the past had cold, abusive men as “heroes,” and when the couple finally gets together, we see about five seconds of happiness, and the book is over. Is this the case, here?
I haven’t read it!