Katharine Ashe is well-known for creating complex, honorable heroes in her novels and pairing them with forthright, educated heroines. She blends humor and romance into each one of her stories.

In THE SCOUNDREL & I, I was drawn to the character of Anthony Masinter as he was sincere in his motives to help Elle recover the missing pieces of type. Honor and duty are very important to this naval officer. Elle works at the print shop and proofreads the letters between Lady Justice and Peregrine. She believes that Anthony is a scoundrel but needs his help to keep her job. Elle cares for her ailing Grandmother and the scenes between these two characters are written from the heart.

There's quite a bit of fun and great dialog between the characters during their journey. Anthony and his sister transform Elle from a shop girl to a princess. Anthony and Elle attend a ball as part of their scheme to steal some type from Anthony's uncle. I loved the sense of suspense in these scenes.

Anthony and Elle are keeping secrets from each other and the secrets are revealed as this well paced novel reaches its conclusion. The last few chapters were intense and not what I expected. Katharine Ashe has the ability to deliver a 200 page novella that reads like a novel! All of the characters are unique and well-developed, the plot is original and works within the Falcon Club series. I enjoy that the author writes great dialogue and keeps within her time period (i.e. no Americanisms) in tone, dialogue and social setting.

If you are looking for a fabulous romance filled with passion, humor and intrigue—pick up Katharine Ashe's THE SCOUNDREL & I!