Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - Lord of Scoundrels

Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase

13 reviews

kyeruhh's review against another edition

medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

There was a lot that I loved about this book. The banter was great, I love a sad man, and for the most part I really liked Jessica. There are two things that are keeping me from rating it amongst my all time favorite HRs and it’s how annoyingly not-like-other-girls Jessica was and how I didn’t really feel like she had much of an arc. Like yes, she learned to love Dain, but compared to his major character development Jessica’s was very minor. That said, I’m definitely interested in reading more from Loretta Chase.

Content Warnings

onlyonebookshelf's review

Go to review page

emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

alisoun's review against another edition

Go to review page

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It's a banger. She bloody sues him for damages when he ruins her AND shoots him for it! Of course he thinks he so sneaky and smart (he isn't, bless). Definitely contains a lot of toxic masculinity and the emotional journey to work through that.

Content Warnings

annick's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional lighthearted slow-paced

2.75

The first have was funny and had good banter and chemistry. The second half was less interesting or engaging. Meh.

Content Warnings

trashbinfluencer's review

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

henrismum's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

First in series & First by author
Audiobook (All of my entries on The Story Graph are audiobooks.)
Why I added this book to my TBR pile: This is said to be one of the best romance books, so I thought I should read it. It was published in the 1990's and reissued and made into an audiobook.
Will I read more of the series / author? ~~Probably Not~~ ~~Maybe~~ ~~Highly~~ Likely It was an enjoyable read. Heavy on the sex; lots of heaving bosoms and throbbing manhood scenes. It was a good story and only gushy in some parts.
The narrator was Kate Reading. I've enjoyed several of her other narrations. This was up to par.
Source: Hoopla
The cover of this book was mild; just the torso of a fully clad man in period costume. I suspect other editions may be more lurid.

Content Warnings

yourbookishbff's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

kashila's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny medium-paced

3.75

"i can fix him" (except she shoots him first)

It was a fun reading. The dialogue is quick and witty, and the plot is crazy enough. There is some strong character building, especially at the beginning. Dain is decidely and strongly sexist in his beliefs and speech, but Jessica won't take nonesense (though the gender essentialism is always there). I liked that she was strong-willed, intelligent, passionate and expressed her sexual desires clearly. She (at least to a certain point) has dreams of her very own, which was great (though she kind of forgot about her career-goals later in the story, which was a shame). But all and all, our Jess is a girlboss.

There's also this "passionate Italian" trope going around all the time, linked to poor-but-oh-so-virile byronic hero (the bits in Italian were a bit cringy. He's bilingual but still). I also found quite interesting that it is him that has all these huge self-image issues, and that we see how those insecurities formed in him. The prologue was nothing short of a brilliant character building/study.

The instant lust is there, but at least we see them trying to build it into something else --and we see it could work very well. I really loved grandmother Guinevere too, and the book contains a historical detail or curiosity here and there, which I liked.

Could have finished at around chapter 16, but I also liked the ending quite a bit. The last plot twist (?) was more effective than what I'd thought. I will most likely check out some of the other books in the series.

Content Warnings

overflowingshelf's review

Go to review page

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

CW: Bullying; racism; abandonment; gun violence; body shaming

“A monster he may be, but he was her monster.”

I have heard so many people rave about Lord of Scoundrels that I was hesitant to start it. There is no way this book could live up to the hype, I thought. But I was wrong. So so wrong. This book deserves all the hype, love and praise. I still cannot wrap my head around the fact this book published in 1995. It feels so modern in its tone, character and stories – it’s like something you’d find in a Sarah MacLean or Tessa Dare novel publishing today. Loretta Chase was so far ahead of her time.

Part of the reason this book succeeds is because of its characters. Jessica Trent is the true star and standout in this book. Don’t get me wrong, I love you Dain, but I have a massive girl crush on Jessica and want to be her. She truly steals the show. She’s a no-bullshit, knows-her-own-worth, smart woman who doesn’t pretend to be anything other than herself. She was encouraged to be a strong independent woman by the women in her life, mainly her femme fatale grandmother Genevieve who is a treat. All this makes Jessica the perfect match for Lord Dain. She’s not afraid of him, knows how to push his buttons and can read him like a book. She doesn’t back down from him when he’s in pain and lashing out, but instead knows perfectly how to respond. She’s a true icon.

I would be remiss not to talk about Lord Dain, as he’s also an incredibly iconic character in his own right. Yes, he’s a major asshole, but he also harbors some deep-seated and unaddressed hurt and pain, so I understood why he was that way, so he gets a bit of a pass. I do love how Chase repeatedly drills home how ugly he is in her character description – she really wants you to know he’s not attractive. I just had to laugh at that, as I just couldn’t picture him being so ugly in my head.

Dain is also the reason I adore this romance so much. This man is so far gone for Jessica and doesn’t even realize it. From their first meeting, he cannot get her out of his head, and every time he’s around her, he’s drawn into her orbit – something that has never happened to him before. He loves her so much but is so blind to it, one of my favorite tropes. Jessica ends up so far gone for him in the end as well, and it also takes her a while to realize it. This book also gives off major enemies-to-lovers vibes, and the BANTER delivers. My god, THE BANTER. I loved that Jessica could go toe-to-toe with Dain’s acerbic tongue and would constantly flip the tables on him. Watching them go head-to-head as their romance developed into something incredibly heartwarming and sweet at the end was so much fun.

The plot of this book is another standout. I did find the beginning to be a little slow, but as soon as Dain and Jessica had their first meeting, I was hooked. This book truly went places I did not expect it to go, and I was HERE FOR IT. The number of times I said, “Oh my god,” made me feel like I was Bob from Bob’s Burgers. I was living for this story, and Chase hit all the perfect beats to develop a fantastic romance while also bringing the emotions and some fun, over-the-top schemes. Truly, it was perfection.

I know this book was published over two decades ago, but if you have not picked it up yet, you are seriously missing out. Lord of Scoundrel should be essential reading for all historical romance fans as it was so far ahead of its time. Everything about the characters, the romance and the story was perfect, and I’m so glad I finally picked up this book, as it exceeded all my expectations.

Content Warnings

allingoodtime's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Another book recommended through the Fated Mates podcast (season 2 episode 12) and another winner. I adored this story! Jessica is tough and pragmatic. She does what needs doing with no fuss or muss. Unfortunately for her, that means often cleaning up the messes the men in her family make. In this case, her brother has gotten involved with a friend group that is not so great for his finances. The “leader” of said group is the notorious blackguard Lord Dain. The Marquess has a reputation for living life his way no matter who gets trampled in the process.

The pull Jess and Dain have from the moment they meet is electric. They want to hate each other but cannot help but be fascinated instead. No matter how much of a thorn in his side Jess is, Dain finds himself trying to earn her respect while acting as though he could care less what she thinks. Jess has a hard time hiding her attraction to Dain when he keeps slipping and being sweet with her.

When it comes to backstory, neither character had an easy life. While Dain had nobody in his corner and was beaten down, both physically and emotionally, Jess at least had her grandmother (such a fun and interesting character!) to bolster her confidence as she grew up. Dain trying to see himself the same way as he’s seen by Jess and others in his very inner circle is a big part of this story. He was told at a very young age that he was bad and even evil, over and over again, until that is all he believed about himself. That is a lot to dig out from underneath.

One of my favorite things in this story is the banter between Dain and Jess. Sometimes they got so into their zings at one another that it was as if anyone else in the room ceased to exist. It was fun and had me laughing out loud. I would be laughing one moment and sucked into the sexual tension the next. It was wonderful.

I cannot adequately explain how these two end up in a marriage of convenience without giving too much away, and you wouldn’t believe me anyway. It’s outrageous but perfect for this couple. It just works when it really shouldn’t. Just as there are too many layers to this story for a mere review to do it justice. Both of these characters grow so much throughout this story and it’s lovely to read about their journey.

Content Warnings

More...