Grand Central Publishing
Featuring: Eve Dinwoody; Asa Makepeace
368 pages ISBN: 1455586366 EAN: 9781455586363 Kindle: B00U6DNYH2 Paperback / e-Book Add to Wish List
SWEETEST SCOUNDREL is Book 9 in Elizabeth Hoyt's Maiden
Lane series. For me, the main characters are the
driving
force behind this story. The hero and heroine have such
vastly different life experiences and unique ways of
looking at the world, that their romance is all the more
interesting because of it. SWEETEST SCOUNDREL is a story
that makes you cheer on the good guys and hope for the
villain's grisly demise.
Family is a pervading theme in SWEETEST SCOUNDREL. Asa
Makepeace aka Mr. Harte, owner of the pleasure garden
Harte's Folly, has an abundance of blood relations and
in-laws that he makes a point of almost never seeing. Eve
Dinwoody has one half brother who she rarely sees, and
her makeshift family consists of her pet dove and her
staff who double as friends. Eve's world is very insular
and she's very protected, while Asa meets a wide variety
of people every day in his business. I enjoyed seeing how
their two worlds merged. I worried, at the start, that
they would maintain an antagonistic relationship
throughout the story but was very relieved their
inauspicious beginning didn't set the tone for the whole
relationship. I love how Eve and Asa get each other to
step outside their comfort zone.
I like the perfect balance of romance and mystery in
SWEETEST SCOUNDREL. Harte's Folly makes an intriguing
backdrop -- larger-than-life entertainers, secret
passageways, spies, a lush landscape, and unexplained
accidents. Working together, Eve and Asa complement each
other well and their feelings grow as they get to know
each other. The mysterious villain brings out Asa's
protective instincts towards Eve and makes him a more
sympathetic character. Asa shows Eve an earthy sexuality
that is completely foreign to her, but I like that he
doesn't try to do too much too soon. In spite of being
somewhat brash, Asa tries to be considerate of Eve's
sensibilities.
SWEETEST SCOUNDREL is an unconventional yet passionate
romance with a few puzzles thrown in. The unexpected
moments of tenderness between Asa and Eve gives the
romance an added dimension. The mysterious saboteur and
Eve's enigmatic and shady brother add spice to the story.
I look forward to finding out the fate of several
supporting characters in future books.
Prim, proper, and thrifty, Eve Dinwoody is all business when
it comes to protecting her brother's investment. But when
she agrees to control the purse strings of London's premier
pleasure garden, Harte's Folly, she finds herself butting
heads with an infuriating scoundrel who can't be controlled.
HE'S RUNNING THE SHOW
Bawdy and bold, Asa Makepeace doesn't have time for a
penny-pinching prude like Eve. As the garden's
larger-than-life owner, he's already dealing with
self-centered sopranos and temperamental tenors. He's not
about to let an aristocratic woman boss him around . . . no
matter how enticing she is.
BUT LOVE CONQUERS ALL
In spite of her lack of theatrical experience-and her fiery
clashes with Asa-Eve is determined to turn Harte's Folly
into a smashing success. But the harder she tries to manage
the stubborn rake, the harder it is to ignore his seductive
charm and raw magnetism. There's no denying the smoldering
fire between them-and trying to put it out would be the
greatest folly of all . . .
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