London's Perfect Scoundrel (Lessons in Love, Book 2)

While Julia Quinn, fellow Avon writer, reigns supreme as my favorite romance writer, Suzanne Enoch's London's Perfect Scoundrel is by far my favorite romance. The hero, Saint, is anything but. He is jaded, cynical, and to be quite honest, a bit of an ass. There are times when you just want to hit him. Hard. Repeatedly. Nevertheless, his sex appeal cannot be denied. Out of the dozens of romances I have read, he is THE character I would most like to conduct an affair with. Enoch develops him fully and enables the reader to really fall for him. Evie, however, is a smidge annoying at times. I loved her kind and giving nature and her perpetual belief in Saint, but I really wished that she would stand up to her brother. Enoch's explanation of "I love my brother and he would make an excellent politician, which is why I won't stand up to him and risk his election to a seat in the House of Commons" doesn't quite cut it for me. Although Evie isn't my favorite heroine, Saint more than makes up for it. If you are searching for a smoldering hero that turns your insides into mush, look no further. London's Perfect Scoundrel will certainly do that!

It's been a while since I've done that. I'll admit I would have rated it lower until about 1/3-1/2 way through the book. But then it captured me and I couldn't put it down.The prologue links this book with the other two in the series, one of which comes out in March. Although I haven't read the first one, this fact was obvious by the end of chapter one. I'll be heading out for The Rake (first in the series) right away. Saint is definitely a bad boy--a very, very bad boy. He is utterly selfish, manipulative, deceitful, and shameless, caring for no one and nothing. He is also utterly alone. Until Evelyn arrives on the scene, seeking to make a worthwhile contribution to the world and to teach London's Perfect Scoundrel how to be a gentleman with a heart.Saint is dangerous, wicked, and delicious. Despite some comments that she's weak, Evelyn is the perfect foil for him. She's a woman who has been "encouraged" to conform to society's expectation of a harmless, brainless, compliant female. Through the events in the book, she becomes somewhat more assertive and thanks Saint for it. Granted, she somehow still loves her wretched, manipulative brother (How she can think he'd be a good member of Parliament is beyond me. This was the book's flaw, in my opinion.) and she appears resigned to succumb to his marital plans for her because she cannot find a way out once he locks her in her room. But Evelyn's timidity on her own behalf is not only a realistic trait, especially for the time period, but it is also necessary for Saint's redemption. He needs to be concerned about someone other than himself; he needs to be someone's hero, rescuer. He needs to be needed. The proposal was so very romantic, especially after knowing Saint as you do by then. It could not have been more perfect. The book is a little slow at first, but hang in there -- it more than makes up for it later.

I ABSOLUTELY ADORED THIS STORY! Its been a long time since Ive read a book that had such amazing characters that positively sizzled with chemistry! Even more then that though, was how obvious it was that not only did Saint and Evelyn want eachother, but they truly LIKED one another.Saint has to be one of my all time fave heroes. I LOVED THIS! OH!! The last scene! I reread it like a million times..read this book! YOU WONT BE SORRY!!!

Yes the book is full of unbelievable situations. But would it be half as much fun if it weren't?!! Let's face it- do you want to read a book where the hero acts like Barney Fife? Or do you want a tall,dark, rich, gorgeous and definitely rakish rogue chasing you around trying to jump off the page and seduce you? Can't answer for anyone but myself but I'll take a "Saint" anytime. The book is definitely one of her best yet. I'm an avid reader- about a book a day and I've been reading this stuff for about 30 years. If you're looking for escape this is the book for you - the main characters are the focus of the book throughout- you don't have to read 30 pages of gibberish in between the "good stuff"! If you like Stephanie Laurens or Julia Quinn this is right up your alley. It's part of a series but stands easily on it's own. I can't wait for the next one and her books are now part of my permanent collection. I highly recommend this book- and all of her others.

Suzanne Enoch is getting better and better. This time around she gives us Saint, a man who appears unredeemable. I was a little shocked at what a bad guy he seemed to be, but Enoch carefully took us through Saint's development, and I really believed that he changed by the end of the book (Evie too for that matter). Enoch gave us some really delightful interactions (one of the characters kidnaps the other for a while!), and while some of it was implausbile, it was all very witty and fun. Go buy it!