TITLE: How to Seduce a Scoundrel
AUTHOR: Vicky DreilingINFO: Paperback, Fiction, 396 pages
PUBLISHED: Forever, 2011
SOURCE: Received from Publisher for Review and Blog Tour
Hawk reluctantly agrees to be Julianne's guardian for the season, but he's having trouble resisting his gorgeous ward. Worse still, she's taunting him by flirting with every scoundrel in London - and he's sworn to protect her! Certain she's learned her tricks from the authoress of that scandalous publication "The Secrets of Seduction", Hawk sets out to uncover the writer's identity. But he never expects to find the formerly angelic Julianne behind the mask - and between his sheets.
MY TAKE: I read and reviewed the first book in the series How to Marry a Duke back in January and completely fell in love with Marc and Julianne's characters. In fact I mentioned Marc aka Hawk, as being one of my favorite secondary characters in that story. When I was offered a spot on this blog tour, I jumped at the chance to finally get to find out how Julianne would snag her Hawk.
Vicky Dreiling is a master at setting the scene. Her descriptions of the ballrooms, the park and various locations throughout the book help the reader imagine they are right there with the characters. One of my favorite scenes is near the beginning of the story when Hawk and Julianne are waltzing. The author made time stand still for the reader as well as the dancing pair with everything appearing very clear in my mind's eye.
Humor is an element that I look for in a good story. I don't mean the knee-slapping, hee-hawing laughter type, but the subtle tongue-in-cheek quips and situations that make the reader grin and want more. The first book had this quality and Vicky has kept that undercurrent alive in How to Seduce a Scoundrel. Witty dialogue abounds without ever feeling silly or contrived. It fits the personalities of the players perfectly.
If you haven't read How to Marry a Duke yet, you will still enjoy this story immensely. It does well as a stand-alone read, but I highly suggest you try the first book as well. Strictly because it is also a treat. I'm already counting down the days for the next installment: How to Ravish a Rake. It will feature Hawk's roguish younger brother Will and Julianne's quiet friend Amy. Another shower of sparks awaits!
Out of 5 JEWELS, I give it:
Vicky Dreiling and Forever Romance are generously offering THREE of you avid readers a chance to get your own copy of How to Seduce a Scoundrel. Entry is simple:
- You must be 13 years of age or older
- US and Canadian residents only
- No PO Boxes
- Leave a comment on this post answering Vicky's question from her guest post earlier today. Be sure to include your email address.
- Drawing will close at midnight 7/29 PST.
- Winners will have 72 hours to respond to email notification.
- One prize per household of this title.
Good luck and...
~~~~~ Disclaimer: All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own. I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links. I may receive books in order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one. Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.
Thanks for teh giveaway. We were always told that someone calling for you had to come to the door. We were never allowed to get in a car with someone that just stayed in the car and beeped. I think it is more "gentlmanly".
ReplyDeleteI follow on GFC under Bethie.
lizzi0915 at aol dot com
Thank you so much for the wonderful review of HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL and for featuring my books on your wonderful blog. I confess I had just as much fun writing SCOUNDREL as I did writing HOW TO MARRY A DUKE. May the Magic Romance Fairies be with you!
ReplyDeleteI think Lady Julianne has spunk and is very innovative for her time. I would love to meet her:) Rules of dating passed down to me include: always treat people as you would like to be treated, the way to a man heart's is through his stomach (got to learn to cook), it can say a lot about a man in the way he treats his parents, he needs to respect not just me but everyone else has well. Similarities with the Regency courtship is that it is still a given for a man to take the initiave to ask a woman out. For the initial meeting it is still common for men to pick up the tab and arrange for transportation to pick up a woman from her residence and take her home.
ReplyDeleteCambonified[AT]yahoo[DOT]com
What were some of the rules of dating others handed down to you? Do you see any similarities between Regency courtship and modern dating?
ReplyDeleteI don't remember ever being handed down any rules for dating, but my mother did often warn about the risks of being promiscuous.
And I don't really see any similarities. Seems like guys now a days expect to be rewarded when they go out of their way to be overly gentlemanly.
Thanks for the giveaway
missie at theunreadreader.com
Would love to see how Julianne drives Hawk crazy by teasing and tempting him into falling in love with her and then admitting it.
ReplyDeleteMy dating rules included having to have the guy approved of/met by my parents (which of course I found many ways around). Also I always heard the saying the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, which might explain why I am still single! lol
manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com
My mom is a old hippy chick. She never really said much except to always use protection and don't give out to much milk for free! That sounds horrible! Oh, I really hated my teen years!LOL!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing today!
evjochum[at]aol[dot]com
A boy would have to get permission from my father to take me on a date...and he better not get me home late if he knew what was good for him! That seems like a similar rule as in a Regency courtship.
ReplyDeletemamabunny13 at gmail dot com
My dating rules were that the boy had to pick me up at home and meet my parents first!
ReplyDeletekpuleski at gmail dot com
The rules I had were:
ReplyDelete1. Don't date till you're 16.
2. Only kiss the man once you are engaged.
3. Keep physical contact under control until marriage.
ruthaw_1974@yahoo.com
The main "rule" is that the man has to be respectful. thanks for the giveaway
ReplyDeletemarlenebreakfield(at)yahoo(dot)com
I wouldn't put up with anyone who didn't respect me from the get go. If common courtesy, like coming to the door to get me, wasn't pervasive throughout the date, it was no more dates to come. I know I sound harsh, but these things are the basis for so many things that matter greatly. I believe there are some similarities, but there doesn't seem to be many.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gloria
geschumann at live dot com
I'd love to read these
ReplyDeleteKim
bookbutterfly9 at gmail dot com
My rules were so old-fashioned but I was not allowed to call boys and they always had to come to the door (never honk). I like that last one!
I don't think there's really any dating rules handed down to me... my parents weren't overly strict or anything. I also don't really see similarities between modern dating and Regency courtship though I do wish most guys nowadays would have those more romantic and gentlemanly gestures towards their dates.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
chibipooh(at)gmail(dot)com
I was never given any rules for dating-my mother would tell me never to expect a man to pay, that it should be equal...and to never lose my head. Thank you! edysicecreamlover18ATgmailDOTcom GFC Krystal Larson
ReplyDeleteCould you guess how old I am if I say that one dating rule for my generation was that a girl never, never asked a boy out, never called him up on the phone, never made the first move...given how clueless teenage boys were/are, times have definitely improved a bit since then.
ReplyDeletequiltlady44-bks2@yahoo.com
Well my dating rules include meeting the parents and (hopefully) winning their approval.
ReplyDeleteruby95660@yahoo.com
The only rules I had for dating is that I had to let my parents meet the guy I went out with first and I had to double date with a friend. Men today expect a wam bam thank you mam and that's about it. Men no longer feel like they have to court you.
ReplyDeleteklmc_37@yahoo.com
GFC follower - kimmyl
Thank you for this giveaway opportunity.
ReplyDeleteRules of dating passed down to me?
I was always told to respect myself, and the guy I was dating should respect me as well. I never dated a guy that mistreated me, but I know my parents would've never allowed me to.
I don't see any similarities between Regency courtship and modern dating. Modern dating isn't about courtship. I think it's less personal.
-Carly Waid
carlymartellowaid(at)yahoo(dot)com
Thanks so much for the awesome giveaway. I am following Vicky around trying to win this book!
ReplyDeleteMary_Reiss @ hotmail.com
The big rule I remember was I wasn't allowed to date until I was 16. I don't know that modern dating relates to dating of old because most of them were married before some are allowed to date now.
ReplyDeleteseriousreader at live dot com
My parents rules were they had to meet the boy I was going to date first before I could go out. IF plans changed I had to call home and tell them what was being changed and when I would be home. Glad they and I tell my boys the same thing when they start dating I am meeting the girl first.
ReplyDeleteOld follower ( Barbara Hightower )
thanks for the great giveaway
bhitwr at gmail dot com
Learn how to cook...still learning.
ReplyDeleteheadlessfowl at gmail dot com
No boys were allowed in the house OR in the yard if my parents were not home.
ReplyDeleteI follow via gfc as mamabunny13
mamabunny13 at gmail dot com
When my daughter started dating I wanted to know how she met the boy and was always happier to know that she was introduced by a friend.
ReplyDeletemce1011 AT aol DOT com
The rules that were handed down to me when I was dating.
ReplyDelete1. No sex
2. No drugs, drinking, or smoking.
3. Be home by 9:00 P.M.
Anita Y
ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net
1) Do nothing you don't want to
ReplyDelete2) Don't always let him pay, 50/50
3) Don't go anywhere too secluded
4) Be home before midnight
edysicecreamlover18ATgmailDOTcom Thank you!
I tried to leave a comment on your post, but couldn't. Thank you, it was most informative.
ReplyDeleteI was in the Peace Corps, and the social rules in the country where I was assigned were similar.
- Young women did not go with a man without a chaperone. If she did, her reputation suffered and she was "fair game." Boys would be boys and pretty much went unpunished for behavior with an unsupervised female.
- They were expected to ask the family for permission to date their daughter.
- No smoking or drinking in public.
- Women did not travel alone.
- If you accepted a gift from a man, you "owed" him and they expected favors, usually sexual. This was for things as minor as paying your bus fare.
- The same rules applied to females of other nationalities in the country. If you did not, you were considered a loose woman.
librarypat AT comcast DOT net
What a unique and wonderful story. I love this author's writing and this book was very well done. There are three storylines that intertwine and connect and each woman has such a powerful and emotional story to tell. I was completely captivated from the first page!
ReplyDelete