BEYOND SCANDAL AND DESIRE is the first book in Lorraine Heath's Sins for All Seasons series. This is a scrumptious romance, but BEYOND SCANDAL AND DESIRE is also very much a tangled tale of revenge and family. Mick Trewlove grew as the illegitimate son of the Duke of Hedley. His illegitimacy, and everything that comes with that, has led to some resentment toward the duke and his family. Mick and his family always struggled to survive, while the duke's family was surrounded by luxury. This story shows how the best revenge fantasies can go awry. Everything changes for Mick once he meets Lady Aslyn Hastings. True to form for a Lorraine Heath novel, nothing is what it seems, characters are complex, and passions run wild.

If Mick was the duke's true heir, Aslyn might be his fiancé, instead of the current Earl of Kipwick. This realization is extremely frustrating for Mick, the greater his attraction and the deeper his feelings for Aslyn become. As he puts his plan into motion, Mick is faced with a moral dilemma. In seducing Aslyn away from the Earl of Kipwick, he would be sacrificing her reputation in his lust for revenge. The moral problems the character face only get murkier as the story progresses. Unaware of Mick's machinations, Aslyn feels a little guilty for being attracted to Mick while being Kip's presumptive fiancé. Mick is not a bad guy, but his passionate nature has him making bad decisions for what he believes to be the right reasons. The Earl of Kipwick is an interesting supporting character in this drama. Although led to ruin by Mick, Kip exercises his free will and does a decent job of messing up his life. I hope to see him in a future story if Lorraine Heath chooses to give him a story, and have him grow up a little bit.

Although there is plenty of drama in BEYOND SCANDAL AND DESIRE, there is more to this story than angst and conflicted emotions. The sexual tension between Mick and Aslyn is phenomenal and I love the way their feelings build as they get to know each other. As her feelings for Mick intensify, Aslyn changes over the course of BEYOND SCANDAL AND DESIRE. Through her evolving relationship with Mick, Aslyn learns to assert herself and gains a better understanding of what she wants in life. Several characters re-evaluate their lives over the course of this book.

BEYOND SCANDAL AND DESIRE is a rousing tale of love winning out over revenge. This is a wonderful book for readers who enjoy Lisa Kleypas' self-made businessman heroes. Things look pretty dark for this couple, but Lorraine Heath works her magic and delivers a poignant happy ending. I look forward to Lorraine Heath's next Sins for All Seasons novel.