Never Seduce a Scoundrel

Never Seduce a Scoundrel is the first book in Sabrina Jeffries’ The School for Heiresses series, which follows graduates of Mrs. Harris’s School for Young Ladies, also known amongst the ton as the School for Heiresses, because each of the students is an heiress who was taught how to avoid fortune hunters. In this inaugural book, we have Amelia who knows what she wants in a man, but she’s had some unfortunate suitors who generally only want her money. She’s paired with Lucas, an American Marine who is in England on an official investigation of a woman he believes worked alongside her husband to defraud the U. S. government, and who also has ties to the disappearance of his own family’s fortune. The woman he suspects happens to show more be Amelia’s stepmother, whose fortune is bankrolling Amelia’s dowry. Lucas and Amelia meet at a ball hosted by Lucas’s English cousin, and there’s an instant attraction between them. Lucas doesn’t really trust Amelia for several different reasons, but he decides to “court” her, thinking it might help him get closer to her stepmother. Before long, though, the fake courtship becomes all too real, with both of them starting to fall for one another, so when one of Amelia’s suitors turns into a stalker and kidnaps her, Lucas moves heaven and earth to bring her home safely. However, by the time, he catches up to them, Amelia has been gone long enough to cause a scandal, so her only options are to marry or be ruined and shunned by society. Lucas isn’t about to let that happen, so he marries her himself. But when he finally gets the opportunity to confront Amelia’s stepmother, his quest for revenge may destroy any chance of them having a happy marriage.

Amelia is a young woman who craves adventure. Thus far, she hasn’t been impressed with the men who’ve tried to court her, and she’s starting to wonder if she’ll marry at all. Then she chances to see Lucas across a crowded ballroom, and he makes her heart flutter. When she offers to deliver a note to their host’s bedroom for a friend, she accidentally ends up in Lucas’s room instead, where she sees his notes on the women he’s been investigating, one of whom is her stepmother, who she’s certain can’t be guilty of anything nefarious. After Amelia and Lucas meet, he offers to court her himself, which she accepts, thinking she might be able to find out more about his investigation. The attraction between them is strong, though, so their romance starts to move quickly, in spite of her not being sure if she can trust him. Lucas becomes more and more appealing as he defends her against an unwanted suitor’s advances, and then he comes to her rescue in more ways than one when said suitor kidnaps her. When she opens up to him about knowing of his investigation, he tells her some of what’s going on, but in spite of disagreeing about whether her stepmother could possibly be involved, the passion runs deep between them, leading to several days of marital bliss. However, once the inevitable confrontation occurs, Lucas can’t seem to put his own personal feelings aside, which could spell doom for their marriage. I loved Amelia for her adventurous spirit but also for her kindness and compassion. She’s always up for just about anything, whether it be an exciting travel adventure or being adventurous in the bedroom. Although Lucas can be a bit much to handle at times, she never fully allows him the upper hand, which made me respect her. She’s also very empathetic when she learns the full extent of what Lucas has been through in the past, and always tries to support him. Amelia was just an all-around wonderful heroine.

Lucas grew up with a mother who manipulated to get her own way, so he isn’t very trusting of women in general. Both of his parents have passed on, and their deaths, particularly his father’s, are tied into his investigation. While serving as a marine, he was captured by the English, and because of that experience, he isn’t fond of English people and also suffers from PTSD. I can’t say much more about these two things, though, without giving away spoilers. While in England searching for the culprits in a fraud case, Lucas is staying with a cousin who hosts a ball that he reluctantly attends. He’s instantly attracted to Amelia from the moment they meet, but after finding her in an upstairs corridor, he doesn’t trust her. He thinks to just court her as a pretense to get closer to her stepmother, but soon he realizes the attraction is so strong he just can’t keep his hands to himself whenever they’re alone. He also can’t abide the idea of any other man touching her, which is why he takes matters into his own hands when one of her suitors turns stalker. However, it isn’t enough to keep the man from kidnapping Amelia, which immediately sends Lucas chasing after them. Not wanting to see her ruined and with neither of them wanting her to have to marry the man who took her, he offers to wed her himself. But he’s convinced that Amelia’s stepmother is guilty as sin, while she’s equally convinced the woman isn’t. When things come to a head and the truth is finally revealed, he can’t seem to set aside his personal feelings, leading to friction in their marriage.

Lucas can be very stubborn and hardheaded at times. For the most part, I didn’t mind too much, because he also shows glimmers of vulnerability. But late in the story, he basically blackmails Amelia, telling her that he’ll only investigate her beloved stepmother’s claims if Amelia agrees to obey everything he tells her to do for one night (some of which includes sexual favors), thinking she’ll never go for it. At that point, I was ready to jump into the story and throw something at his head. That said, though, I did rather like how Amelia handled the situation, following his instructions to the letter, but never quite letting him fully get the upper hand. By doing so, she managed to wring a little vulnerability out of him and get him to admit that he didn’t want a blindly obedient wife. He just wanted the spirited woman he’d fallen in love with. Because of these things, Lucas could sometimes be a little too alpha and not entirely my cup of tea as the hero, but he did have moments where I liked him much better.

Overall, despite a few small misgivings, Never Seduce a Scoundrel was a very good read. I adored Amelia, and while I didn’t always like the things that Lucas did, I liked him in his more unguarded moments, such as when he has a panic attack in an enclosed space or when he relates his past to Amelia. I thought that they were well-matched as a couple, with Amelia refusing to put up with Lucas’s autocracy, and making sure he admitted his desire for her just as she was. My main critique here is that I wish they could have trusted each other sooner. In certain respects they do, but then the distrust because of past experiences or what they know about each other creeps in, putting a bit of a damper on the romance. At least, in the bedroom, they give generously to one another, making the love scenes deliciously steamy, and I love that Amelia is an eager participant. The plotting of the story perhaps could have been a little tighter. It kind of moves from one event to the next, and while each of those events did reveal something about the characters, I thought it could have flowed a little more seamlessly. Historical accuracy is always a plus for me, so I liked that the author included real events from the War of 1812 in Lucas’s backstory. I also liked that the mystery took a little while to unfold, and until the actual confrontation between Lucas and Amelia’s stepmother, the reader isn’t entirely sure if she’s guilty or not. While Never Seduce a Scoundrel might not have been a perfect read, it was an enjoyable one that has me looking forward to continuing with the series. show less

Never Seduce A Scoundrel
4 Stars

Tired of the fortune hunters and the dandies of the ton, Lady Amelia Plume craves adventure, and the dark and mysterious American Major Lucas Winter is just the man to provide it. But there is more to Lucas than meets the eye and Amelia may just have bitten off more than she can chew.

Amelia is an entertaining heroine. Yes, she is too curious for her own good, and this often gets her into trouble, but she is also witty, caring and unpretentious. Lucas meets all of the requirements for the classic tortured hero - dark, brooding and suffering from PTSD to boot. He and Amelia have lively banter and fantastic chemistry.

The plot revolves around Lucas's investigation into an embezzlement scheme that may involve show more Amelia's stepmother. This had the potential for leading to the disastrous keeping secrets trope. Thankfully, Jeffries avoids this pitfall as both Amelia and Lucas are well aware of each others' hidden agendas, and have no problem communicating their feelings with one another.

Kudos also for Jeffries' inclusion of some little known historical events, such as the Barbary pirates and the Dartmoor Prison Massacre both of which were particularly interesting.

All in all, a fun historical romance and I look forward to continuing with the series. show less

I'm not even sure reckless covers Amelia perfectly well. Downright dangerous to herself and others might cover it however. Its not that she purposely leaps into the frying pan--well she doesn't usually--but she's so certain she handle any situation that her common sense goes to want. She is a crafty little minx, very resourceful and quick and clever, but sometimes her mind lags behind her actions. And I have no complaints over that! Amelia constantly trying to keep two steps ahead of Lucas, and Lucas trying to keep two steps ahead of her, leads everyone in a merry dance.

I'm not sure you can say that they are having a comedy of errors--Lucas is certain he is fooling Amelia about his intentions towards her while Amelia is certain he can't show more see that she knows about what he possibly knows about her stepmother--but its certainly something that would make most people laugh over at their 25th wedding anniversary. Certainly the story of when Amelia first got to see his mamaluke sword and Lucas' interesting reaction to her reaction is pure hilarity.

By in large there aren't any real 'villains' to this piece--more like minor setbacks to their courtship. Lord Pomeroy (aka Lord Pompous) is a problem for a while (and I do so like Lucas' way of intimidating him), then later they run a foul of a highwayman known as 'The Scottish Scourge' (who has his own romantic adventures in a later book with one of Amelia's friends) and then of course Lucas' suspicions about her stepmother, but the threat isn't so great in any of those cases. It was more like 'so and so happens to Amelia and Lucas and they grow closer because of it'. Each time a little bit more of each other is revealed to better understand each other. Certainly those adventures were more effective then six months of tepid courtship followed by another year of waiting to marry.

As an interesting note there's quite a lot about the aftermath of the war of 1812 as well as some key details during it. The Dartmoor Prison Massacre for instance was a real historical event (with just the one minor alteration involving Lucas) as was the march across Derna. I suppose for most that doesn't seem like such a big deal, but for myself (with my history major father) I always like it when authors do such research and incorporate it into the story. Its one thing to endlessly drone on about Bonaparte and Wellington and those battles--completely another to give talk about lesser talked about battles!

As a first book in the School for Heiresses series, it also sets up the series itself nicely. We get a generalized accounting of what Mrs. Harris taught at her school aside from deportment and such, met several of the students who shall have roles later on (Louisa for instance) and at the start of each chapter is either a short letter from Charlotte to her cousin Michael (the benefactor and so much more to the school itself) or from cousin Michael to Charlotte discussing various things pertaining to the story and perhaps behind the scenes things (such as Charlotte writing to ask Michael for help with information on Lucas--we see her address Michael in her letter, then his reply and in that chapter we are given the information itself). show less

I spent the majority of this book fanning myself! Major Lucas Winter was quite the hot tamale (although I'm a tad concerned about his mental health). And, Lady Amelia Plume was a heroine to admire. After reading a long string of books with lukewarm, milk toast heroines, Amelia's love of adventure was a breath of fresh air. She connived and flirted and was willing to brain someone with a vase when needed.

There was a time when I read nothing but historical romances. I eventually moved on ... to vampires, eek! This book reminded me of how much I enjoy reading about all the lords and ladies.

Never Seduce a Scoundrel is a wonderful love story with some real meat to it: a strong heroine who breaks the mold and a tortured hero who goes through fire to win his happily ever after. Lucas Winters and Amelia Plume are perfect for each other - true equals in love and life. Jeffries skillfully balances the humor and the angst without going overboard with either. The thing I like best about this book, though, is that it just kept getting better and better. So many romances I read run out of steam after a certain point, but here Jeffries layers her characters so well that the pacing never lets up in working towards the heart of the story as Lucas and Amelia change and grow throughout. I loved this book and can't gush enough about it.

When reading a really great novel, the last chapter is always so bitter-sweet - exciting to see how the story plot resolves, but sad to say goodbye to characters that the reader becomes attached to. This is how I feel about ending Never Seduce a Scoundrel.

I enjoyed this book right from the start. Amelia is an ideal heroine - adventurous, witty, compassionate, level headed, flirtatious, self sufficient, understanding, playful, etc. Lucas balances her perfectly - handsome, mysterious, dangerous, independent, brash, but deep down he's compassionate, vulnerable, loyal, and passionate.

The romance is hot and exciting. The characters have a lot of chemistry. The dialogue had me laughing out loud at points. The plot was excellent - with fun show more twists, another suitor for Lady Amelia, a mysterious cousin to Amelia's chaperone that supplied information, a plot with Amelia's family.

A very intriguing and riveting book and characters that made me fall in love. This book was definitely a favorite! show less

A young girl enters society and is looking for adventure. She meets an American who is different from all the other men she meets. The adventure turns out to be sexual encounters.

This book was NOT what I expected. I was disappointed in the characters and found them to be superficial. The sex scenes were over the top and totally put me off.

I would NOT recommend this one.