The Last Hellion
Grade : C

I know I'm going to be in the minority, but here it is: The Last Hellion was a disappointing read for me. I cannot recommend it unconditionally, and that loud crack you just heard was the sound of my heart, breaking.

The plot revolves around Lydia Grenville and Vere Mallory, the Duke of Ainswood. She's an independent-minded journalist; he's really a very fine man in the guise of a wastrel who is just learning how to accept his nobility. Once they meet, she wouldn't care if she never saw him again; he probably wouldn't care either. But, their paths keep crossing when Lydia, in a series of trite "disguises," is continually foiled when Vere recognizes her and pulls her out of danger, for her own protection. As plot devices go, this is one of lamest, and if I ever see another heroine-in-some-dumb-disguise again, I"ll scream. The entire first half of this book sees Lydia in one disguise after another, none of which I found interesting, amusing, or necessary.

If I were to label this book, it would fall into the So what? category:

  • Lydia attempts to retrieve stolen jewelry from a vicious bawd. Because the jewels are pivotal to the plot? No, it'd just be nice to get them back. Well, so what?
  • Lydia is connected to a noble family, but she wants to keep it a secret. Because something horrid/wonderful/pivotal would happen as a result of the revelation? No, she just wants it that way. Well, so what?
  • Lydia's parentage, which was never in question and apparently becomes so only to add pages to the book, is suddenly revealed as something different than had been earlier assumed. Because the revelation would somehow impact the characters or is in some way pivotal to the plot? No, just so Lydia can sleep nights knowing her father (very briefly) loved her mother. Well, so what?

In the course of the story, we are re-introduced to every major character (even the dead ones) that has ever appeared in the previous four Chase historicals, for no other reason than just to have them there. Most of them are not integral to the story, any characters would have done. My two very favorite characters of all time, Dain and Jessica, make an unsatisfactory appearance in Hellion. While their relationship in Lord of Scoundrels was emotional, intense, and loving, here, they come off as cold and remote, not only to Lydia and Vere, but to each other. And, Dain constantly refers to his little son, who worships his father, as Demon Seed, and Satan's Spawn. I really hated that. It was supposed to be funny but it didn't work for me, because there were no scenes to show you the love he really felt for the boy. You would had to have read Lord of Scoundrels to understand who these people were, how they fit into Vere's life, and what was going on with Dain's son to have any of it make any sense.

And, whenever a character from a previous novel was introduced, the character's name was asterisk'd and a footnote listed at the bottom of the page with the title and publication date of the book in which that character appeared. Tacky. The footnotes took me right out of the story, and that's not something you want to do in a novel. An author's note at the end of the book would have worked much better and been a lot more classy.

The heat that should have sizzled between Lydia and Vere didn't happen for me, and the things I liked about the book were overshadowed by the things I didn't like. Yes, Lord of Scoundrels is a tough act to follow, granted. But The Last Hellion was disappointing to me, and I have struggled for days in trying to figure out why. I have read all of Loretta Chase's historicals and have admired her storytelling and writing skills very much indeed. I found myself reacting emotionally to this book, but not in a positive way.

After going back and thumbing through the book, re-reading parts of it, I think I figured out why this book didn't work for me, and it has more to do with Lord of Scoundrels than The Last Hellion. I still have problems with this book, but many readers have expressed well-founded reasons for liking it. If you read The Last Hellion, I hope you enjoy it. It didn't work well for me, but there you have it. I'm going to keep this book and re-read it in a few months - perhaps a little distance will give me a different perspective.

Reviewed by Marianne Stillings
Grade : C

Sensuality: Warm

Review Date : March 31, 1998

Publication Date: 1998

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Marianne Stillings

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