The Duke and the Lady in Red (Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James Series #3)

by Lorraine Heath

Overview

Sparks fly in the finale of the Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James Place series, as the last wicked rogue meets his match.

When Rosalind Sharpe gains the attention of the deliciously wicked Duke of Avendale, she’s torn between her distracting attraction to the notorious rogue and the knowledge that he—rich as Croesus—is the perfect target for a deception that will put her swindling days behind her.

However, Avendale is no fool. After he discovers the tantalizing lady packing up to leave London with his coins in tow, he confronts her with a scandalous proposition: she can have all the money she requires…for a week in his bed.

Desperate for the funds, Rose agrees, but on one condition: he must never question her motives. Avendale quickly sees beneath her mask and discovers she is more than passion and pleasure—she is everything he has ever desired. But claiming her requires he unveil her secrets and lose her forever. Unless he can put his own dark past aside and risk everything for a chance at love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062276261
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	04/28/2015
Series:	Verleiding 02 , #3
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	70,269
Product dimensions:	4.10(w) x 6.70(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Lorraine Heath always dreamed of being a writer. After graduating from the University of Texas, she wrote training manuals, press releases for a publicist, articles, and computer code, but something was always missing. In 1990, she read a romance novel and not only became hooked on the genre, but quickly realized what her writing lacked: rebels, scoundrels, and rogues. She's been writing about them ever since. Her work has been recognized with numerous industry awards, including RWA's RITA®, a HOLT Medallion, and a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Her novels have appeared on the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists.

Editorial Reviews

★ 02/09/2015
Heath’s magnificent third Scandalous Gentleman of St. James historical (after Once More, My Darling Rogue) highlights the ways that Victorian aristocrats flouted the conventions of society. Rose Sharpe catches the eye of the Duke of Avendale at a notorious club called the Twin Dragons. Though Rose is no stranger to duping wealthy men, her plan to support her makeshift family with Avendale’s funds goes awry. Reluctantly, she commits to spending one week at Avendale’s palatial home. As Rose gets to know Avendale better, she realizes there are hidden depths behind the scurrilous facade he shows to society. And when he unearths her reasons for swindling him, she sees a caring side of Avendale that seals her love for him once and for all. Heath excels at writing passionate romantic tension, and this emotional page-turner showcases her stunning ability to delve into the characters’ innermost souls. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House. (May)

Publishers Weekly

2015-01-29
Determined to protect her clan of social outcasts, swindler Rosalind Sharpe comes to London with a con in mind but gets caught in a web of desire and deceit with the roguish Duke of Avendale.When con artist Rose comes to London in time for the grand opening of the Twin Dragons, a former gentlemen's gaming club now open to wealthy female patrons, she plans on making social connections with a number of rich gentlemen, in hopes of setting them up as future marks. Instead, she meets the Duke of Avendale, and the attraction between them is instant and intense. Torn between actually entering into a relationship with the man and defrauding him of a fortune, Rose decides her family secrets are too volatile to trust him with. But when her plans go awry and she winds up beholden to him, she discovers that Avendale has a few dark secrets of his own, and he's far more forgiving of her foibles than she ever imagined, especially after he discovers whom she's protecting and how honorable her intentions are, even though they've forced her into a life of crime. Heath's latest Victorian-set romance, the last in her Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James Place series, pits two unconventional romance leads against one another, but somewhere along the way, they fall into attraction, then fascination, and then, finally, love. An extraordinary cast of secondary characters is loosely fashioned after some of the most famous human curiosities of Victorian England. A beautiful, unconventional romance that entwines two fierce, lonely hearts who believed they were unlovable and reminds us of the best and worst of human nature.

Kirkus Reviews