Sweetest Scoundrel (Maiden Lane, 9)

Oh my gosh, I absolutely loved this book! Ms. Hoyt's 'Maiden Lane' series has got to be my favorite, maybe of all time, and I'm literally on pins and needles waiting for each subsequent release. Every story is unique from the plots to her wonderfully drawn characters, and I feel like an addict whenever I pick one up. I utterly fell in love with Asa and Eve who were both so humanized they felt like flesh and blood people to me. Hoyt did a complete turnabout from the last book in this series which I thought was really sweet. 'Sweetest Scoundrel' however is in a class all itself and not one I'd consider sweet which is odd, considering the title. It was a little dark at times, but beautiful nonetheless and held me enthralled from beginning to end. The passion and chemistry between Eve and Asa was breathtaking. For a couple who doesn't consummate their relationship (in the truest sense of the word) until nearly the end, this was one of the more erotic stories I've read in a long time. Asa has to be possibly the most earthy, confident, and masculine man I've ever read about too. He has a filthy mouth and throws out a lot of f-bombs and other swear words, and though his language was often crude/blunt, he's a man who knows and accepts himself for who and what he is. Eve (his sweet harpy) was adorable and I loved the heck out of her. She has a dark past she's determined to overcome and Asa has family issues as well as figuring out who's sabotaging Harte's Folly, his beloved pleasure garden. All in all, I thought this story was simply stunning! Just a beautifully written historical romance that was compelling, emotionally driven and incredibly moving. I'm so pleased to have read this wonderful story and can't wait for Val's book next!

Originally Reviewed For: Bodice Rippers, Femme Fatales and Fantasy What makes the Maiden Lane Series so spectacular, aside from great writing, is the fact that it's about people. Elizabeth Hoyt writes about a time period that was filled with change. Yes the aristocracy still ruled the world but the common man was coming into his own. It was nothing for a theater owner to be partners with a Viscount, or said Viscount to have fallen in love with an actress, or... You get the picture. This time, it's about the sister of a Duke, albeit an iligetimate one and said Theatre Owner. Two more different individuals you have never seen. Only are they??? Prim, proper, and thrifty, Eve Dinwoody (great description isn't it, I admit it, I borrowed if from the blurb) has been left in charge of her brother's estate. Sort of, at least his businesses and she just doesn't understand why he insists on funding the rebuilding of a pleasure garden, especially one that seems to be constantly needing new funds. When she finally has had enough and she approaches the over the top, way too flamboyant Asa Makepeace, she is well, let's just say revolted.. but the sparks, they are a flying.. Asa Makepeace has been cut off from his family, the black sheep, more or less. All he has is his love of theatre and his desire to rebuild his into the best of the best. But a series of unfortunate accidents keep holding up the process. When Ms. Dinwoody appears on the scene and insists he get it together, Asa is sure he can manipulate her, he has a way with women after all. What he discovers behind the facade is a truly loving and giving heart and a woman he wants as his own. Once again, Ms. Hoyt brings reality to the regency era. She knows that lives were not all ballrooms and country houses. There were individuals, there was a darker side and it lived right there, beneath the very noses of those who chose to ignore it. Yet, she doesn't preach, she allows us to fall in love right along with her characters. I don't think there has been a single bad Maiden Lane book, each one has it's darker aspects but finds a way to triumph, letting love show the way. A true beacon in life as well as fiction. Thanks Elizabeth for another great story. Shauni This review is based on the ARC of Sweetest Scoundrel, provided by netgalley.

I don’t know how she does it, but Elizabeth Hoyt always manages to deliver a wonderfully unique romance and Sweetest Scoundrel is no exception. Asa and Eve are unusual historical romance protagonists, and their love story is bold, engaging, and utterly addictive. Asa is an earthy hero, one possessing a raw sensuality that I could not resist. He’s smart, impatient, and married to his work. Yet as we peel back the layers, it’s clear that Asa is also surprisingly sweet and understanding. He’s strong, flawed, and compelling, and it takes an equally strong heroine to simply catch his attention, never mind match him. Luckily for readers, Eve meets him on every level. From the start it’s clear she’s just as smart as Asa and a hundred times more organized, and she complements him on every level. Eve also has an inner fire that has been banked by paralyzing fear that stems from a traumatic event in her childhood. She and Asa may seem to be an unlikely pair to begin with – the untamed lion and the caged dove, if you will – but their highly entertaining back-and-forth is only the beginning of the attraction. Both Asa and Eve have great capacities for love, but they’re lonelier than even they know. Each is the catalyst for the other’s change and I loved that they not only developed individually, but as a couple. Their romance is slow to build, but it simmers with utterly delicious sexual tension. Asa and Eve are the heart and soul of Sweetest Scoundrel and the two of them alone could keep me reading late into the night. However, there are a couple other plotlines that weave fairly seamlessly into the romance. The first is the mystery of who is trying to undermine the restoration and reopening of Harte’s Folly and why. The second involves Maiden Lane series scene-stealer, Montgomery. We get to see the crafty, sometimes-villainous duke from Eve’s perspective, and I really enjoyed learning more about him. There are quite a few scenes in Sweetest Scoundrel involving Montgomery’s future heroine, and the teases for the next book have me on the edge of my seat as I wait for Montgomery to meet his match. Sweetest Scoundrel is the ninth Maiden Lane book, but Ms. Hoyt provides enough information for the book to be read as a standalone (if you don’t mind a few spoilers from the eighth book, Dearest Rogue). The story isn’t flawless – the ending felt a bit rushed – but Sweetest Scoundrel is an excellent addition to a stellar series. I absolutely loved Asa and Eve together and I cannot wait for the next Maiden Lane book, Duke of Sin! Kimberly Review courtesy of Wit and Sin

I loved this novel even though at times I found Asa Makepeace a little raw and crude - Eve as a victim of abuse had seen terrible injustices done to women and children by her father and his friends but overcame her inabilities to be touched and held and loved - I loved Eve's servants that were more family than she had ever known - Hoyt has written another outstanding novel in her Maiden Lane series that keeps you spellbound with all the fantastic characters that these nine novels have produced and I am looking forward to reading and enjoying the next novel and discovering what that bad boy Duke is up to now.

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.

Entertaining, funny and different, because Elizabeth Hoyt’s heroines are not obnoxiously pretty or beautiful, but have that bit of extra! Neither are all the heroes, by the way.

Fabulous book - great series !

This is the first book I've read by Elizabeth Hoyt and it was a very pleasant introduction. The story was very captivating, exciting and sensual. I loved the chemistry between Asa and Eve and although they were very different, they fit together wonderfully. I am looking forward to reading more stories in this series. Especially Val, Eve's brother intrigues me very much, although I think I will read some of the previous stories first. Highly recommended for anyone who wants something more than a typical historical romance story.