Sweetest Scoundrel (Maiden Lane Book 9)

"This had been a mistake. A terrible mistake. The garden was in shambles, the opera didn't look like it would ever be staged, and Mr. Harte was a brutal animal."FINAL DECISION: The plot of the rebuilding a pleasure garden mirrors the rebuilding of Eve's own life and ability to find joy and happiness and pleasure after a horrible incident in her childhood. Sensual and emotional with a good dash of mystery and action, this is a great addition to a wonderful series.THE STORY: Asa Makepeace aka Mr. Harte is the owner of Harte's Folly -- a theater and pleasure garden. Rebuilding after a fire that destroyed his life's work, Asa entered into a deal with the devil when he took an investment from the Duke of Montgomery. Now Asa has the Duke's half sister Eve Dinwoody looking over his shoulder. The prim and proper Eve has agreed to oversee her brother's investment. The sensual and physical Asa frightens Eve even as she challenges him. An incident in her childhood has left her with a deep fear of men -- especially angry, violent ones. At the same time, Eve finds herself intrigued by the loud and brash Asa.OPINION: Hoyt once again creates unique characters that dazzle in many ways -- and in this case, she gives us regular looking people for the main characters -- not models in historical garb."His face wasn't pretty. The exact opposite, in fact. It was strong, lined, and fierce, and everything that was masculine. Everything that Eve most dreaded."Asa is bawdy, bold, emotional, earthy, and physical -- thus being reflective of the theater world he lives in. Impulsive and a bit wild, Asa is the black sheep and the last unmarried Makepeace sibling (the siblings make appearances here for fans of the Maiden Lane series). His relationship with Eve allows Asa to have quieter, more protective moments -- although he also protects her violently. Asa is sexy and earthy and definitely different from the outward appearances of the Makepeace family. Readers of the series know that underneath the reserve of the siblings there is definite heat. For Asa all the passion is on the surface and the quiet and reserve is hidden. Asa is determined, he never gives up. That quality is important here where he has to be patient with Eve, but refreshingly he doesn't treat her as fragile and unable to deal with life. Indeed, he believes she has been protected too much."Eve liked her quiet life."Eve is reserved and plain with a long beak-like nose (that Asa rudely insults). She wants a quiet controlled life. For over ten years, Eve has been placed in a bubble and protected from the things that frighten her. A horrible incident as a child has made Eve afraid of being touched by men or even being around angry, violent men. Although Eve sees herself as broken, Asa recognizes her as strong (he calls her a harpy). Eve fights in a quiet and polite fashion but she is strong and determined."She should be afraid of this man. Perhaps she was. Perhaps the hammering of her heart, the quickening of her breath were fear."What a romance that begins which Asa insulting Eve's nose! Asa and Eve have a contentious relationship from the beginning. The two fight but when Asa witnesses Eve's pain, his protective instincts toward her begin to turn the two from adversaries to friends and then to lovers. Asa not only calms Eve's fears by giving her control and opportunity to rebuild her own sexual identity.Wow this book is hot. Asa recognizes in Eve a passionate woman hidden away from the world. Because she is afraid of the touch of a man, Asa and Eve have some interesting sexual encounters before they finally engage in intercourse. There is one scene (no I won't give away spoilers) that is incredibly sexy and hot and the two never touch one another. Sexy and sensual and earthy but steeped in relationship and emotion so these are not gratuitous sex scenes but ones that are vital to the storyline.The plot involves the suspense of who is trying to stop the reopening of Harte's Folly and that threatens the lives of Asa and Eve. Closely connected with the couple, this plot is important to the romance itself.The book has one of Hoyt's trademark fairy tales to begin each chapter. Because there are often subtle and clever connections between the fairy tale and main story, puzzling out those connections is part of the enjoyment of the novel for me and I often (as I did here) re-read the fairy tale only at the end to appreciate the full story.WORTH MENTIONING: The line that made me anxious to read the next book: "Bridget Crumb kept the house of the wickedest man in England."CONNECTED BOOKS: SWEETEST SCOUNDREL is the ninth book in the Maiden Lane series. It can be read as a standalone but it closely connected with DARLING BEAST and DEAREST ROGUE (which form a mini trilogy in the series) and I recommend reading those first.STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

It seems as the series progresses, the author tries to reach a new lever of angst. I like that. As with previous stories, the author built up the set up for the next one, and, OMG, I want to read about Duke of Montgomery and Mrs. Crumb so bad. But back to here and now. I loved bawdy and loud Asa Makepeace aka Mr Harte. Underneath all that bluster and rough manner is such a wonderful man. Asa will do anything to get what he wants. And what he wants is Harte's Folly's success and Eve Dinwoody. Admittedly he took a bit of time to warm up to her, but when he looked her past strait-laced appearance and closed off demeanor he became an exceptionally patient and caring man. I loved how he seduced Eve with words, how gentle he was with her.Eve Dinwoody is way more than what she shows the world. She locked herself away and almost threw away the key. There was a lot of vulnerability in her but also quiet strength to simply not give into panic and fear. Poor lady! I loved the moment when her curiosity got the better of her and she let Asa in. It was so s*exy and heart felt. I really felt for her when she told everything to Asa. The worst part is that in reality nobility due to their elevated status could and did get away with far worse. The law was not kind to women, children or poor in those years. The way the author tackled this matter was considerate as she touched upon the matter.I really like Jean-Marie Pepin and Tess. They were such loyal and friendly characters. I was really happy with where they ended up by the time the book was over. Asa and the Makepeace family provided relief from tension with their huge numbers and numerous shenanigans, but at least Asa made his peace with them. This was a steadily paced, passionate and angsty historical romance. I am so glad I read it.

I have to admit, Eve didn't exactly thrill me as a character in Dearest Rogue. She struck me as odd and a weird mix of weak and ruthless. This book didn't really change that impression of her, but it did explain why she is the way she is, and that does help a lot. Despite my reservations about the heroine, I was definitely looking forward to this story. I am all about the Makepeace clan, and while Asa is decidedly different from his brothers and sisters, he was engaging and interesting in his own way.At the end of the last book, Eve's brother Val tasked her with the oversight of his investment in Harte's Folly. The thing is, she's not getting any answers from the elusive Mr. Harte. So she decides to take matters into her own hands. Eve demands access to the books, which brings her in everyday contact with the vibrant theater owner. She finds herself drawn to his masculinity and passion for his work, despite her best intentions. But it doesn't all play out exactly how you might think.Eve has Problems. With a capital P. The genesis is suitably terrible, but it takes some time before it's all revealed. In the meantime, we see how those Problems manifest: with a deep seated terror of both dogs --and men-- not the easiest issue for the heroine of a romance novel. So Eve and Asa must perform a difficult dance on their path to an HEA. Thankfully, Elizabeth Hoyt is able to pull it off masterfully. It takes a long time for Eve to be comfortable with touch, but this only stokes the sexual tension between her and Asa. It also puts her on a totally different playing field from the many women who have warmed his bed in the past.I feel like Asa grew a lot over the course of the book. His entire life has been spent proving his father wrong for disowning him and proving to himself that he didn't need or even want his family's approval. It turned his pleasure gardens into his entire life, but Eve helps him recognize the value that people can hold in his life. I really enjoyed watching him fall for her, as he helped break down her walls built by trauma.When all was said and done, I was still kind of lukewarm on Eve, but I did like the romance and I found some moments to be super hot. I am interested in Bridget, Val's housekeeper, and I feel like she is going to be his eventual heroine. I don't know how I feel about Val as a hero, but maybe I'll like him better when I can get inside his head. I liked our visit with the Makepeace family in the meantime. It was fun catching up with the familiar characters from past books.This wasn't my favorite in the series, but I still don't think you can go wrong with Elizabeth Hoyt.Rating: B

I really like Elizabeth Hoyt's writing - I started with the 'Princes' series and then began the 'Maiden Lane' series. Every plot is unique, the tension is palpable, the characters deep with interesting backgrounds. BUT - the last three books, Darling Beast, Dearest Rogue and now Sweetest Scoundrel have been way off the mark for me. This latest book, Sweetest Scoundrel, was so unlike her earlier writing that I ploughed through it,waiting and waiting to be caught up in her often nightmarish, intricate plots. It never happened. I liked both the hero's and heroine's characters and their interraction - but the sex scenes were unnecessarily graphic; I don't need to have male and female genitalia described in detail. I also don't know why the first 'sex scene' in the carriage was there - this is a 34 year old man, not a teenager, and a woman who, we know, has terrible issues from her childhood, asking for more explanations and demonstrations?? Please! Then we get a similar scene in the office; I really felt it was just there for titillation, not what I want from her books. There were a lot of other situations and actions that didn't work - but I would be giving the story away if I remarked on them. Suffice to say there were plenty, and I didn't like them.The plot was so thin that I thought there must be more to come to flesh it out, but no, it plodded along and the villain was despatched neatly - and unbelievably. There was never any feeling of menace from him - and I think that is something EH has always written so well. Because I have so enjoyed the earlier books in the series, I will read the next one because we are already familiar with the hero, the Duke of Montgomery, and hope that the author pulls something better out of the hat. I believe that there are a further three Maiden Lane books in the pipeline, but I will have decide whether to read them after the next book is published.

Elizabeth Hoyt has created a wonderful backdrop for her Maiden Lane series and each book is a delight to read. Eve's and Asa's story is no exception. Asa is a really interesting, down to earth hero and at last we find out why he has been distant from his family for so long. He is driven by his passion for the garden at Harte's Folly and the theatrical entertainments that he works hard to produce. As he falls in love with Eve, he has to come to terms with his past and re-order his priorities for the future. His sensitivity to Eve reveals depths to his character that contrast strongly with the brash, hot tempered man we encounter at the beginning of the book. As for Eve, she is also a delight. She is plain, illegitimate and deeply traumatised by events in her own past, but when she loves, she loves wholeheartedly. (Who else could be so devoted to such an amoral and mercurial brother as the Duke of Montgomery? Val's book is next, thankfully, and I can't wait to see how Ms Hoyt can make a hero out of such a character!) Eve's journey is perhaps even more difficult than Asa's, but she is a lovely, courageous woman and it is heartwarming to see her blossom as these two unlikely lovers reach out for their HEA. I thoroughly recommend this book as well as all the others in the Maiden Lane series.

Asa is a larger than life character, fitting for a theatrical manager; he's had to face many setbacks and difficulties so he's pugnacious, loud and very vulgar. He loves women and he's declarative about it. Eve is the absolute opposite - sheltered and retiring and somewhat repressed; she's traumatised by an event in her childhood but, when she is compelled to spend time with Asa, she grows increasingly curious about love and passion and cannot resist being drawn to his unapologetic relish for the latter. She tentatively questions, he responds dramatically and lewdly. It's a heady combination. A bit raw for me but I admire the story.

I've always loved Elizabeth Hoyt's writing since the first book of Maiden Lane and Sweetest Scoundrel fits in the series just perfectly.It's not dramatic and scandalous as some of the other previous books, it is what the book's title states, it's a 'sweet' tale between two people who at first glance would never be seen together as a couple. Shy Eve who's a daughter of a Duke and hot-headed Asa the owner of a pleasure garden.For me personally the love story had a modern day feel to it, these two characters had chemistry from the start even though it wasn't the best of starts, but they somehow work so perfectly together.It's a quick, easy read, but full of character and promising storylines none the less. Can't wait for Duke of Sin!

I have all the rest of the Maiden Lane series and this is as fabulous, I shall read it several times as Asa and Eva have really got to me, the men are always what you would like for yourself and the ladies are so caring. The stories interweave so well and the families are always at the edge so you can bring them into the story but not overwhelm it.I see that there will be more stories, thank goodness.