The Scoundrel and the Lady (Lords of Vice #1) by Robyn DeHart
September 29, 2017
The Scoundrel and the Lady (Lords of Vice #1) by Robyn DeHart
Published September 2017, Entangled Scandalous Publishing
"Iris Bennington is furious when she discovers her younger brother is following the instructions found in the acclaimed advice columns on How to be a Gentleman. The so-called “advice” is more likely to turn her brother into a scoundrel than a true gentleman. Iris decides to locate the author of the columns and confront him.
Merritt Steele, the Earl of Ashby, cannot help but be amused by the slip of a woman who comes calling. Unwilling to let such a delightful potential conquest go, he proposes a wager: bring him anyone off the street and he can pass them off as a gentleman. It’s a bargain she readily accepts—but with a twist.
Their bargain proves to be a greater challenge than either anticipated. Merritt finds it near impossible to keep his hands off Iris, and she begins to see the undeniable appeal of ungentlemanly behavior…"
This novel was so charming! It did not include a lot of the run of the mill tropes that often get squeezed into historical romance. The male protagonist Merritt, is an Earl who only recently received his title, was definitely prejudiced to those in the social circles he began to matriculate into. This included the lovely, responsible, and bold Iris. As the characters developed in the plot, I loved the way the author weaved little moments from their pasts into the story. They really enriched the adventure! However, I did wish there was more passion and connection between the two, as I would have enjoyed to read about with such daring main characters. Additionally, the wager was a bit far-fetched for the time the book was set in, but I appreciated the freshness of the ideas DeHart incorporated. Especially the brother! He was...interesting. Otherwise, the novel was a quick, fast-paced one. I look forward to piecing together more about the cliff-hanger in her next book!
(I read this ARC for free through NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback)
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