Never Trust a Scoundrel by Gayle Callen

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Sons of Scandal, #1

Release Date: March 2008, Updated and Rereleasing May 14, 2024

After learning that her mother gambled away not only their late father’s prized violin, but also their country manor and their London townhouse before leaving with no hint of where she’d gone, Grace Banbury rushes to London to inform Edward, her younger brother. But when she arrives, she finds the house open, bare of any valuables and no servants, she immediately realizes that her brother is gambling too and is desperate to find a way to save them from ruin and restore her brother’s birthright. She gets ready for bed and hears someone entering the house, thinking it is Edward, she runs downstairs in her nightclothes to confront him, but instead of Edward, she finds a handsome stranger who claims the house is his. It is then she learns that her mother wagered with three men and in her desperation to win, lost not only the family homes, and her late husband’s priceless violin, but she also wagered the right to marry her daughter. Grace is horrified and when the winner, Daniel Throckmorten, informs her he is not in the market for a wife, but would take her as his mistress, a new wager is made. She will give Daniel two weeks to seduce her into agreeing to be his mistress, but if he fails, he will return her father’s violin to her. So with his promise not to tell anyone of the wager, which would ruin her, Grace is sure she can beat him, after all, she is not as innocent as he thinks she is, so what could possibly go wrong?

Daniel Throckmorten never had any intention of marrying Grace, he didn’t even what the houses, he wagered with her mother strictly to get the violin, which reminded him of one his father had owned and was lost after his death. He wasn’t even going to contact Grace, but when he meets her, he is intrigued and can’t seem to sever their acquaintanceship quite yet. So, he agrees to their wager, confident that he will win. But he has never met a woman like Grace, and the more time he spends with her, the more he wants, and what started as a “can’t lose” bet, has turned into a battle of the wills, one he is not sure he can win.

I read this book years ago when it was first released and I loved it, it is probably my favorite Gaylen Callen book ever. The story is well-written, nicely paced and is not quite as cut and dry as the blurb leads readers to believe. The story is filled with witty banter, blatant sexual overtures, steamy love scenes, secrets, scandal, stalkers, wonderful secondary characters, familiar faces from previous books, blackmail, healing and finally a very sweet ending with the promise of HEA. This book has an “old-school” historical romance feel to it (which I personally love but acknowledge might not be for everyone), featuring a strong heroine and a scoundrel with a heart of gold as well as lots of steam. I loved it when it first came out and I love it now. Highly recommended!

*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. *