A Scoundrel’s Kiss by Shelly Thacker

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Escape with a Scoundrel, #4

Release Date: April 28, 2020

Saddened by the number of people starving in France, chemist Marie Nicole LeBon sets out to create a fertilizer to help farmers increase their yield – but to her complete mortification the compound she gives to a local farmer to test incinerates his fields! She is working in her makeshift lab when her sister Veronique comes in, they are talking when one of her tests explodes, but before she can even begin to examine the cause, her twin brother Armand sneaks in through a window – he tells the girls they must leave now and sets off at a neck-break pace to outrun the government officials who want Marie’s formula. Because while her concoction is a failure as a fertilizer, it is a massive success as a chemical weapon! Marie watches in horror as her home is burned and hears gunfire – Armand increases their reckless pace and loses control and crashes. When she wakes, she is in an asylum and remembers nothing, not even her name.

Lord Maximilian “Max” D’Avenant is invited to meet with Fleming and Wolf, two members of a “special ministry” of the crown and they want Max to travel to France and bring Marie back to England so they can get her formula. Her compound was used on his brother Julian’s ship – it killed many men and left Julian not only injured, but blind. They tell Max of her chemical, of the notes they found, of the accident that killed her sister, of how they thought Armand was the chemist and of her amnesia. Max wants revenge for his brother and believes that Marie is greedy and evil, so he agrees to the mission. He will abduct her and convince her that he is her husband, gain her trust and hopefully learn her formula.

Max is successful in getting Marie out of the asylum and convincing her that he is her husband. He takes her to a house in Paris and begins to gain her trust. Soon Max is sure that Marie is not the evil mercenary that created a chemical weapon, he believes her brother forced her to do it. But it is becoming clear that she has no memory of the compound and seems to have no interest in chemistry at all. And Max is falling for her, but he has a mission and will carry it out. But when Marie ventures out on her own and gets lost in the city – Max realizes what she means to him and how much he loves her. In an effort to protect her, he cuts their time in Paris short and plans to take her to England sooner than expected. They set out, following the plan he worked out with Fleming and Wolf, but soon realizes one of them is a traitor and to save Marie, he will have to find a way to protect her and keep his secrets.

This was a well written and fast paced story with wonderful characters, secrets, amnesia, betrayal, heartache, lies, steamy love scenes, intrigue, cameos from the D’Avenant brothers, Ashiana and Nicobar, a bit of angst and HEA that didn’t seem possible. I thought the author did an amazing job portraying Marie’s amnesia, it was very well written and believable, but I did feel like the ending dragged out a little and I started to get annoyed with Marie’s refusal to forgive Max – yes, she deserved her anger, but I felt like she held on to it for way too long and then just let it go in the blink of an eye. Overall, this was a great book and I highly recommend it – unlike the first two books in the series that are completely unconnected, this book is loosely connected to the previous book, One Night with a Scoundrel, you don’t have to read that book to enjoy this book, but if you want to learn more about the D’Avenant brothers, including Max’s “illness” I would recommend reading that title first.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me.*

One Night with a Scoundrel by Shelly Thacker

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Escape with a Scoundrel #3

Release Date: January 21, 2020

This installment of the Escape with a Scoundrel series was originally a 1993 release titled “Silver and Sapphires” and was part of the D’Avenant Brothers Series – So, if you read if the aforementioned title – prepare to be shocked and awed! This is a completely revised and revamped edition and while the story is basically the same, the characters have completely changed (for the better).

Ashiana de Canto e Calda is the adopted daughter of the Maharaja of the Ajmir Clan. Her English mother died when she was a baby and her Portuguese father was slain before her by English pirates seeking the Nine Sapphires of Kashmir. Ashiana has been raised as a Ajmir Princess and is betrothed to the Maharaja’s son Rao. She has a deep and abiding hatred for the English and longs to fit in with the Ajmir clan. So when her adopted father tells her the truth of the Sapphires and asks for her help retrieving the stolen gem she agrees without a moment of hesitation.

Lord Saxon D’Avenant’s late father was a scoundrel, the Duke of Silverton, stole a sacred sapphire from the clan of Ajmir and brought a curse down on the family. Saxon was the duke’s the second son and was charged with breaking the curse that killed his father and threatens the life of his youngest brother. He must reunite the stolen gem with the other eight stones and he has spent the last ten years of his life trying to do just that and it has cost him much. His latest attempt nearly killed him and gave his enemy, the Earl of Greyslake the opportunity to destroy him – by killing the woman Saxon married. When Saxon’s brother Julian finds him, Saxon is on the brink of losing himself. Julian refuses to let him give up and tells him of a way to finally break the curse. They will attend an event that the Maharaja will be at and hopefully learn where the sapphires are hidden. But it is not the Maharaja who attends the gathering – it is a harem girl. Saxon is horrified to find himself attracted to the girl, he tries to ignore the awareness between them and when his host gives him the girl as a gift, he wants to refuse, but Julian convinces him to accept and to see what he can learn from the girl.

Ashiana is also stunned by the attraction she feels towards the Englishman and when she meets with him later, she almost falls under his seductive spell and forgets her mission. She is tempted by him, but recalls her hatred and drugs him, steals the sapphire he wears in a pouch around his neck, but she can’t kill him or leave him to die. She ensures his safety and takes her leave – planning to meet with a clansman to take her away. But before she make her escape, she is caught by Julian, she lies and says Saxon told her to collect her belongings and he would take her with him when he leaves. Julian believes her and insists on taking her to Saxon’s ship – much to her dismay!

To say that Saxon was less than pleased to be reunited with Ashiana would be a huge understatement. But he knows she is the key to breaking the curse and vows to learn her secrets, find the sapphires and fulfill his duty to his family. And Ashiana is equally determined to outwit Saxon and stop him from finding the sapphires, no matter what the cost.

This was truly an epic tale, it is well written and it flows wonderfully but it did have a very strong late-80’s bodice ripper vibe (albeit a toned down version). I enjoyed this story, it is not your typical Georgian romance, this story is filled with action, adventure, deception, secrets, more lies, steamy love scenes, shipwrecks, abductions, sacrifice, betrayal, heartache, wonderful characters, priceless gems, a tiger and a very hard-won HEA. I must mention that despite the author’s effort to rewrite this story to appeal to a more modern audience and for the most part being successful – there is one sex scene in the book that might be offensive to sensitive readers – it is not rape or even “forced seduction” – but it might be upsetting nonetheless. I, personally, was not offended and although it did not endear me to Saxon, it did not ruin the story for me. This is the third book in the series, but the books are not connected and can be read as stand-alone titles. I liked this book and would be happy to recommend it with the notation that there is a scene that might upset more sensitive readers.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me.*