Your Scandalous Ways (The Fallen Women Series)

Unlike other reviewers, I was disappointed by this book. I usually like Loretta Chase very much, but this book was rather melodramatic and lacked the humor that typically elevates her work.

Take it from an avid reader of hundreds of romance novels, this book is wonderful. Francesca is scandalous, but lovable and funny. And what can I say about James, except that he's perfect. I loved his strengh and sense of humor. Add in his curly black hair, Italian love words and perfect body and he makes it to the list of my all-time favorites. This is a wonderful book that I highly recommend.

Really liked this book. Both lead characters were strong, dark and acted like adults. Also enjoyed the secondary characters and back story.

Loretta Chase is a Grandmaster (Grandmistress?) of historical romance. I've read every book she's ever had published, and I love that she never writes the same story twice. The hero and heroine both burn off the page with their vividness. Francesca in particular is a wonderfully original character. Having been damned and destroyed by her wicked, promiscuous husband and the judgmental English establishment, she commits the sin of surviving and flourishing in the only way open to her. It's not surprising that she had become wary and suspicious. James has his own good reasons for being suspicious, but Francesca's lethal combination of beauty and vulnerability cause him to throw his plans for the future into the nearest canal. This is a very sexy book because sex is the language through which these two very scarred characters work their way to healing and love. Once again, Loretta Chase has produced a rare and wonderful romance.

Chase writes a damn fine story. Her books are complex, they go places, they're well written, they've got characters that are interesting and develop and are witty (and did I mention the fantastic writing?). "Your Scandalous Ways" is no exception. Chase has created a lovely and witty story of two people just imperfect enough to be interesting: a woman--gasp!--who's not a virgin, and a man who's--gasp!--not the heir to a title. Other people have done nice summaries. I'll just add: read this. It's so head and shoulders above other works in the genre.

Loretta Chase is one of my favorite authors and I'm convinced that her Lord of Scoundrels is the best romance ever written. But this one comes close to that lofty ideal. After a scandalous divorce, Francesca Bonnard has remade herself into a wealthy and highly sought after courtesean. But she is playing a dangerous game with her ex-husband that will have deadly consequences. James Cordier, a younger son of the Earl of Westwood and working one last assignment for the government, is longing to go back to England and finally lead a normal life and find a normal, innocent wife. All their expectations are about to be shattered. James and Francesca are two of my all time favorite characters. The banter between them is delicious and it's so refreshing to have a hero and heroine who do not conform to the typical romance standards, but who, at the same time, are throughly engaging. There's just enough of the secondary characters to give the story some light hearted moments and some gravity, while not taking anything away from the real story. If you are looking for something out of the ordinary and very well written go out and get Your Scandalous Ways.