Rowena’s review of Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman by Lorraine Heath.
Hero: Sir Stephen Lyons
Heroine: Lady Mercy Dawson
As the black sheep second son of an Earl, Stephen Lyons has gained a reputation in the art of seduction, but when his wicked ways result in scandal, he joins the army to redeem himself. On the battlefield, he proves courageous …until he is seriously wounded. Returning home to recover, he discovers he can’t remember the angelic beauty who arrives at his doorstep, his babe nestled in her arms.Mercy Dawson will risk everything to protect the son of the dashing soldier she once knew and admired. When Stephen offers to do the honorable thing, she is determined that London’s most notorious gentleman will desire her and no other. But Mercy fears that what began as an innocent deception could destroy her dreams and their blossoming love if Stephen ever learns the scandalous truth …They are masters of seduction, London’s greatest lovers. Living for pleasure, they will give their hearts to no one …until love takes them by surprise.
It seems that I’m in the mood for historicals as those are the only romances that I’ve been reading lately. After finishing Passions of a Wicked Earl, I couldn’t wait to start Stephen’s story and I started it the very next day. I didn’t think that I would love Stephen’s book as much as I loved Westcliffe’s book but I did. What surprised me even more was how much I enjoyed Stephen and Mercy’s story because of the kind of story that it was. She had a big secret surrounding her son and he had amnesia.
I’m not a fan of the big misunderstanding/secret plot and I’m not a fan of the amnesia plot either but Lorraine Heath did such a phenomenal job of making me okay with both of those in this book. When we first meet Stephen Lyons in Passions, he’s making merry with every woman in England and trying his darndest to be better at lovemaking than his brother Westcliffe. It was hard for Westcliffe to see Stephen because he caught Stephen in a most compromising position with his wife on their wedding night and he banished Stephen from his life but when he reconciled with his wife, he was able to look past Stephen’s youthful stupidity and they made a truce. But because Stephen had no ambitions in life other than to be a better lover than his brothers, both Westcliffe and their younger brother Ainsley bought him a commission into the military because he lacked character and Stephen went away never thinking that the war he was sent off to would change him as much as it did.
Mercy Dawson was a nurse for the wounded soldiers under Florence Nightingale and she tended to many a soldier. Stephen was one of them and because Stephen had a way with women, she fell completely under his spell. Women loved Stephen and Stephen loved them right back, Mercy was no different, the difference between Mercy and all the other women was that she loved him for far more than his looks and his flirtatious ways. She saw down to the man that he was and it was that person that she fell in love with.
Things go down and Mercy ends up with Stephen’s son, the way that this came around was pretty interesting because it doesn’t happen the way that one would normally think and I thought that was mighty clever of Heath. It was because of this that I completely adored this book and admired the hell out of Mercy. She fell in love with the man and when she found out that he died in the war, she took her son to his father’s family so that they’d have a piece of him still only when she gets there, she’s shocked to see that Stephen is there recuperating from the war.
More things go down and my love for both Stephen and Mercy grew. They were such fantastic characters and once again I was reminded of why I read romance novels in the first place. Lorraine Heath does such a fantastic job of appealing to my romantic side and I have become a huge fan of hers. I adored this story, I adored Stephen, Mercy and little John. I loved most everything about this book.
The one thing that I hated more than anything was how long it took Mercy to tell Stephen the truth. I know that if she would have told Stephen sooner, the drama and conflict would have been taken out of the book but she had so many opportunities to tell Stephen and she let her fear of him leaving her get in the way of that. She had such faith in his love for her but how much faith could she really have had if she couldn’t trust him with the truth? When the truth came out, I groaned aloud (at work) and kept thinking over and over again, “Why did you wait so long? Why didn’t you tell him after you married him? Why, WHY, WHY MERCY?”
But never once did I hate her. I admired the hell out of everything about her. From her reasons for becoming a nurse in the first place, to what she survived being so close to the war the way she was and then what she survived after Stephen found out her secret. She was a great heroine and I was so hot dang glad that she was Stephen’s heroine but to be frank, she was the bomb.
Then there was Stephen, how far Stephen came from the young man he was in Passions of a Wicked Earl. How different he was and yet I loved him all the more. War changed him, he damaged him but I loved all of the changes in him. Heath didn’t take away his witty nature or his devilish manner but she did show what war could do to a person and I ate it all up. I loved Stephen, I loved the way he was with his family, the way that he was with Mercy and even the way he was with John. He’s my favorite hero in this series by far and I love, love, love him to pieces. I didn’t think I could love him the way that I loved his brother but I do.
Overall, this book was great. I enjoyed getting to know the entire family and I’m even more anxious for Ainsley’s story. I can’t believe that it comes out next year, how in the world will I survive the long wait? Another great addition to the story was Stephen’s mother’s story, on one hand I want her to be with one guy but the other guy I love just as much. I’m not sure how her story is going to end but I’m anxious for it.
This series is definitely going on my top 5 lists of favorite series of the year, it was that enjoyable for me. You should definitely read it.
Grade: 4.75 out of 5
This book is available from Avon. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
This is the second really positive review of this book that I’ve read. I can’t stand the cover, but I’m definitely going to go check it out. Great review 🙂
Just read it the other day and ended up loving Stephen more than I thought I would like you. Agree with everything in your review; she did a great job changing his outlook on life, yet still showing that bit of his devilish and fun nature. Highly recommend the series, too.
Great review.
I also enjoyed this book a lot and I’m super excited for the next book in the series.
Thanks D.L. I thoroughly enjoyed the start of this series and am so anxious for more! Definitely check it out!
Pam and Sabrina,
I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself now that I have to wait for Ainsley’s book. I’m very fond of him and the way that he calls Stephen, “Pup”. LOL.