In Want of a Viscount by Lorraine Heath

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Chessmen: Masters of Seduction, #3

Release Date: February 20, 2024

American Leonora “Nora” Garrison has come to London with her brother Sam and her mother, to find investors for their machine factory. And it is in London that she learns about the Elysium, a private club for ladies. She goes to the club and seeks to fill a secret desire; to be kissed. Nervous, she overindulges in absinthe and is quite tipsy when a man joins her in the private room. They share an amazing kiss and then she passes out, waking much later and mortified by her actions. But that is nothing compared to the mortification of coming face to face with her mystery lover at a dinner with potential investors! Despite the awkwardness, Nora is drawn to John Castleton, Viscount Wyeth, or Rook to his fellow Chessmen, not only is he handsome, but he takes a real interest in Nora, making her feel intelligent and beautiful. They know there is no future for them, nor does she want one, but they can’t seem to stay away from each other, which is why they are found in a compromising situation and find themselves betrothed. While Nora has come to love Rook, she refuses to enter a marriage with a man who doesn’t love her back. But is her plan to save them actually going to save them from heartbreak or has that ship already sailed?

As part of an elite group of investors known as the Chessmen, John “Rook” Castleon, Viscount Wyeth has made a fortune, enabling him to live a life independent of his father the Earl of Elverton. The earl is a libertine whose exploits, mistresses, insatiable lust, and illegitimate children are widely known, and he is the last person Rook would ever want to emulate. To that end, he has devoted his life to being above reproach, so it is completely out of character for him to kiss a stranger in a club devoted to women, but that is exactly how he met Nora. He had gone to the club to see the owner, his brother Aiden Trewlove (one of his father’s many by-blows), and is talked into kissing her. He is intrigued by her the minute he meets her and is desperate to learn who she is, especially when she falls asleep during their kiss. Nora is unlike any woman he has ever known and when they end up betrothed, he isn’t as upset as he should be, considering he never planned to marry. So when Nora sets her plan in motion to free him from their forced engagement, he should be happy, right?

This was a well-written, engaging read with wonderful characters and lots of emotion. The book is filled with emotion, Trewlove cameos, really awful parents, a STEM heroine, secret trysts, a “technically virgin” hero who has been hurt before, steamy love scenes, a bit of heartache, some betrayal, and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue. I liked this story, but it is not the ending I was expecting for the series as I was hoping for a bit more Chessmen involvement, especially in the epilogue. This is the third and final book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title as there isn’t any ongoing plot tying the books together, however, it is worth mentioning that this book is also loosely connected to the Sins for All Season series – so if you read that series you will see lots of familiar faces in this book! Overall this was a very good read and I wonder if the next series will pick up where this book ended (I hope so! Fingers crossed!) If you enjoy intelligent heroines, heroes trying to atone for the sins of their fathers, steamy love scenes, and happy endings, then I am happy to recommend this book to you!

4 stars

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*