The Viscount and the Vixen
3 Stars

After observing firsthand the devastation that loving and losing has had on his father, Killian St. John, Viscount Locksley, has sworn never to fall in love. However, upon learning that his father plans to remarry, Locke is determined to prevent the nuptials even if he has to marry the golddigger himself.

I had eagerly anticipated Locke's story given his heartbreaking backstory. Unfortunately, this book contains a trope that I find extremely problematic, namely that the heroine is pregnant with another man's child and plans to pass it off as the hero's. While Heath provides sympathetic reasons for Portia's decisions and ultimately resolves the issue of primogeniture and inheritance when Portia gives birth to a girl, it is difficult to reconcile her deceit, which undermines an otherwise lovely romance.

Putting this aside, Locke and Portia's love-hate relationship with its snarky banter and intense intimacy is a delight. They are both lost souls who find each other in their darkest moments and bring out the light in one another. Of course, the road to their happiness is difficult and beset with misconceptions and complications.

While the secret baby trope might be a deal breaker for many readers (it was almost a DNF for me), I am glad that I was able to move past it, even if not 100%, to finish the story as the HEA is ultimately worth it. ( )

3.5 stars perhaps. It was pretty nicely executed, but I feel like nearly every single plot point could have been predicted by like 3 chapters in. Obviously, going into every historical romance I know they'll end up together, I don't read them for shocking twists or anything. But usually there are aspects of the 'how they end up there' that I wouldn't have seen at the start. I liked the heroine, I liked the father's role (though it seemed somewhat different from his earlier portrayals). It seemed unfounded that this hero was suddenly the biggest lady-killer out of all the Hellions. I'm glad I read it, but this series paled for me compared to her Scoundrels series. *shrug*. ( )

I thought I could do this one because I enjoy Heath's writing but my personal dislike issues got in the way. Not a fan of secret trying to pass off as hero's baby angst, insta-lust, or first chapter starting off like this:

Leaning forward, he dug his elbows into his thighs. “I’m simply striving to determine why a woman as young and lovely as yourself would be willing to lie on her back so a man as shriveled as my father can slide on top of her.”
“Locke!” his father bellowed. “You’ve gone too far. Get the hell out.”
“It’s quite all right, my lord,” she said calmly, never taking her challenging gaze from Locke’s, not flinching, not blushing, not so much as arching a thinly shaped eyebrow at him. “I don’t see that your father’s preferred position for coupling is really any of your concern. Perhaps he will take me standing while coming in at me from behind. Or on my knees. Or upside down. But I assure you, he will not be shriveled.”
Then she slowly lowered those damned whiskey eyes to his lap, and he cursed his cock’s betrayal. With startling detail, images of him with her in all those positions had flown through his mind. He’d grown so hard and aching that he couldn’t have gotten up and walked out if he wanted.

In a contemporary, would love this heroine's response, in historical, just not what I am personally looking for. ( )

The Viscount and The Vixen is the third instalment of the Hellions of Havisham Series by the author. And is the story of Viscount Locksley and how he finds love.

The Viscount and The Vixen is the story of the Marquess’s heir, Viscount Locksley. Our heroine is the lovely Portia who claims to be a widow and has offered to be the Marquess’s new wife but instead marries his heir. The viscount and his new viscountess claim to not need love in their relationship, but that’s exactly what happens. The plot does have some twists and turns. The best part of the book is the Marquess. He lightens up the book and provides some light-hearted humour.

If you are a sucker for romance novels that are a light read, then give it a go.

For the full review go here. ( )