Captives of the Night by Loretta Chase

Book Description:
When the intriguing Comte d'Esmond enters a room, women swoon and men gnash their teeth. The count is fully accustomed to this reaction and brilliant at exploiting it. What he isn't prepared for is Leila Beaumont. One look from her tawny eyes is dangerously captivating. How troublesome. Edmond can't afford the distraction of an entanglement, however passionate it promises to be. He's supposed to be working for the government and his employers want Liela's corrupt and treacherous husband brought to justice. When the spouse, unsurprisingly and conveniently, gets himself murdered, all Esmond has to do is clear Leila of suspicion and proceed to the next assignment. But not being hanged for her husband's murder isn't enough for Leila. She wants to learn the truth - all of it - from Esmond, a man who's been lying all his life.

I was 2 for 2 with romances while in Las Vegas for the past few days on vacation. This was another winner of a book that I enjoyed, the 2nd in the Scoundrel series by Loretta Chase. This one takes place ten years after the last one, The Lion's Daughter, and centers on Ismal, who was a handsome villain in the last book, and now appropriately so - the hero in this one. He's a very interesting man, now thirty-two, older, wiser and more honest, he's kind of a spy for various governments. An intimate of Kings and Tsars, he is Albanian by birth, but can pass as a Frenchman, British, Italian - whatever, he speaks 12 languages and is genius material when it comes to solving intrigues, mysteries, murders - you name it. Set in post Regency England, he is now the Compte d'Esmond, a man about town who has a casual noble exterior with piercing blue eyes. He takes a liking (aka instant lust) towards Leila Beaumont, an artist with a husband who is a degenerate. She has no love for him, but has to put up with him for her career. Luckily someone murders him and so follows the whole murder mystery of who murdered Beaumont and why.

It's a twisty turny tale with many suspects and false leads and unexpected revelations - I enjoyed it immensely! I'm not usually a murder mystery reader, so I found the plot refreshing and different for me! Simultaneously, it's a romance between Leila and Ismal. He harbors a huge secret that he cannot reveal to her and she resists her attraction to him at first, but ultimately they give in to each other and begin a much needed affair (for both of them). Sexy, sensual, erotic, Loretta Chase did a great job in building up their sexual tension and the inevitable consummation was not a let down - more like a tour de force! The chemistry between Leila and Ismal was great, much better than between the hero and heroine in the last book in the series (I really wasn't crazy about it, to tell you the truth), but this one more than makes up for it in spades!

To sum it all up, if you like mysteries, sexy romance, hot fair haired heroes and intelligent heroines give this one a chance, I thought it was great and am eager to read the next in the series, which I hear is one of the all time greatest romances out there, Lord of Scoundrels. I can't wait to read who is in this one!

4/5

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The Lion's Daughter by Loretta Chase

Book Description:
Esme Brentmore doesn't care that revenge isn't a suitable job for a woman. She's determined to avenge the murder of her beloved father, an enigmatic English aristocrat who lived in self-imposed exile. Honor demands that Esme let nothing and nobody stand in her way. That includes the handsome wastrel who's become entangled in her life, whose charm does not make up for his lazy and irresponsible character.

Having gambled away his entire family fortune, Varian St. George, Lord Edenmont, now lives by his wits and winning ways. A man who has always taken the path of least resistance---preferably in soft beds with willing women---he does not want to become embroiled in a mad quest with a hot-tempered and heavily armed redhead.

But forced to travel together through an exotic land, the mismatched pair soon discovers that friction can produce some very dangerous sparks...

My first book by this author, Loretta Chase.

I read it primarily because this is the first in her "Scoundrel" series. On various romance sites on the Internet, I've read that the third book in this series, Lord of Scoundrels, is one of the best romances out there. So, being the methodical type, I began with book one in the series. It is the story of whether an irresponsible and dissolute cad can redeem himself when faced with the courage and passion of the obstinate and tenacious young woman that has turned his once cushy and lazy world upside down.

Esme is not your typical Regency heroine - not at all. Born to a high born Englishman turned spy who is exiled from England, Esme has grown up as a little warrior in her native country of Albania. Used to fending off enemies and bullets and living on her wits, she passes herself off as a young boy when she needs to. Though she is beautiful, often she hides herself up so no one can tell except for those green eyes of hers. Varian St. George, Lord Edenmont is not your typical Regency hero either. Penniless, he has spent his entire family's fortune. His estate back in England has gone to ruin and he is virtually exiled, since if he returns to England, he'll be jailed for his unpaid debts. Instead he sponges off fellow aristocrats abroad who enjoy his charming personality and good looks. A wastrel in almost every sense of the word, he haphazardly meets Esme and they must travel together to find her young cousin, Percival, who has been kidnapped. Percival is 12 years old and an endearing lad, I really liked him!

All this is set in the country of Albania, which I knew almost nothing about before reading this (I still don't know much.) Albania is near Italy across the Adriatic Sea, it's in Europe, but more Moslem than European. This is also the same area where Lord Byron traveled to and wrote about in his epic poem, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage.

Varian is sort of a Childe Harold himself. It's implied that he may have been Byron's inspiration. Mistaking Esme for a young girl, Varian is oddly attracted to her, and being the lascivious cad that he is, his conscience does not exactly stop him from wanting her even though he believes she's too young. An odd combination that I found a bit distasteful. It didn't exactly endear him to me. To be honest, I had trouble feeling any empathy for him for most of the book, and didn't really care all that much for him. I found Esme's father, The Lion, much more appealing (must be that red hair of his), though we see little of him. I sort of wondered who it was supposed to be on the book cover - the Lion or Varian? He doesn't look like either one's description (I hate it when the book cover model is nothing like the actual written person is supposed to look like.)

Although, we hear much about Varian's past indiscretions, he's now at a crossroads in which he's realizing he's going to have to face up to his responsiblities. He really has no choice. But, is it because he's falling for Esme and wants to earn her admiration and love, or is he just finally getting old and "growing up?" Can he actually mend his ways from the past 10 years destruction and fix all the damage he's created? A tall order and I was sceptical. But, by the end of the book, Varian had redeemed himself in my eyes and I was rooting for him. I liked the way we see his tranformation from ne'er do well to an honorable English lord.

Due to certain circumstances, the two are forced to marry, although not reluctantly. They can't deny their passion for one another, though it didn't sizzle off the pages. I thought they were just too unlikely a couple, and I didn't buy the way Varian was so taken by this slim little whisp of a girl who barely looked like she was 12 years old. Was it because she was so brave and resourceful and it was her aura he liked? I think that was probably it. (I hate to think it's the other reason!) Once married, they must return to England where she can meet her paternal grandmother and he to pick up the pieces of his crumbling estate and pay off the sizeable debt awaiting him. There the story wraps up with an exciting ending and all ends well.

I can't say I was really thrilled with this book. It took me almost a week to read it, and it wasn't that long. The first two thirds of the book when it takes place in Albania dragged on and on, I felt like I too was travelling through the dirt and mud forever. By the time they all got to England it was like a breath of much needed fresh air - finally! The last third's pace picked up and suddenly I was sailing again! All the loose strings are taken care of and we are led to believe that Varian and Esme will live happily ever after. I hope so at least. With her indominable strength and personality, I think she'll keep him in line for a long time!

I liked this author's style of writing, even though this plotline was a bit hard to follow while it took place in Albania with the various who's who of foreign villains and their minions. In any case, I anticipate reading through her backlist!

3/5

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