Title: When the Viscount SeducesAuthor: Darcy Burke
Series: Rogue Rules #3
Pages: 316
Publication Date: July 9, 2024
Publisher: Zealous Quill Press
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Historical
Synopsis:
Rogue Rules When a young lady is ruined, her friends vow none of them will ever be ensnared by a scoundrel again. They will resist every gentleman’s charms even—and especially—if it means gaining a reputation for being impossible to woo. It will take extraordinary rogues to break their rules…From USA Today Bestselling Author Darcy Burke, author of The Untouchables and Phoenix Club series, comes your next Regency romance must-read. When the Viscount Seduces
After a disastrous Almack’s debut, bookish and clumsy Gwendolen Price is determined to improve her reputation and make her parents proud. The Viscount Somerton, her brother’s friend and one of Society’s most eligible bachelors, offers to help her, and she’s certain his attention will increase her standing—even though he’s exactly the kind of rake she has vowed to avoid. Lazarus Rowe, the eminently unserious and dashingly handsome Viscount Somerton, has spent a lifetime hiding his shameful he simply cannot read well. With a speech to Parliament looming, he’s desperate to remedy this deficiency. The chance to help his friend’s hopelessly bluestocking sister seems the perfect trade—his presence as her devoted escort in exchange for her help as his tutor. As sparks fly between them with every lesson, Gwen refuses to fall for a rogue while Lazarus, begins to reconsider his rakish ways. When a woman from his recent past makes a shocking revelation, Lazarus fears all is lost. Will Gwen retreat to the safety of her books, or do she and this almost-redeemed rake have a chance at a real life happily ever after?
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This is such a wonderful addition to the Rogue Rules series! The story follows a rogue and a bluestocking who make a pact and get so much more than they bargained for.
Gwen is a bluestocking and a bit clumsy, which has led to a disastrous season. Beautiful and intelligent, she lacks social and dancing skills and prefers reading and her friends to the marriage mart, but, eager to please her parents, she does the best she can. Enter Viscount Somerton, her brother’s friend and a reputed rogue, who proposes a deal. He will help her gain the interest of eligible men, and she will help him with a secret he’s hidden from everyone. It seems like the perfect arrangement since Gwen is determined to follow the rogue rules she and her friends created. But as they work together on a speech Lazarus wants to deliver to the House of Lords, they both must face their ever-growing feelings.
I adored Gwen and Lazarus and their swoon-worthy love story. They’re both compelling and layered characters with a lot of depth. Friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes, and this one is done so well! Their relationship is built on friendship and a strong affection for one another, and it’s filled with chemistry, great banter, and the perfect amount of angst. But what I love the most is how seen each feels in the other’s presence. It’s something neither has felt in a long time, and it’s very touching.
Lazarus is flirtatious, charming, and carefree, and he has quite a reputation as a rogue. However, with Gwen, he realizes he is so much more than that, and it’s something he hasn’t felt since his father, the only one who knew of Lazarus’s reading difficulties, died. With Gwen, he can truly be himself, as can she. Gwen is more than the clumsy woman she’s portrayed to be, and Lazarus sees that from the start. They’re both interesting and layered characters, and their unequivocal belief in each other is so lovely. Of course, they both know they can’t be together for many reasons, and this adds to the longing and growing feelings they share.
I also love the secondary characters. Gwen and her friends have such amazing relationships, and they have a fantastic new addition to their group. I can’t wait to get more of her story! And Lazarus’s friends, who are the MMC in the other books in the series, are fabulous too. There are some amazing found family vibes, and I’m eager to see these groups blend even more.
You can’t go wrong with a Darcy Burke historical romance. I’ve now read over a dozen books by the author, and each one has captivated me with its characters and love story. And this one even revisits The Phoenix Club and some of the beloved characters from that series, which was a delightful bonus to the story!
- The romance.
- The characters.
- The rogue rules. I need an embroidered copy! lol
- brother’s best friend
- opposites attract
- found family
- rogue/bluestocking
Darcy Burke is the USA Today Bestselling Author of sexy, emotional historical and contemporary romance. Darcy wrote her first book at age 11, a happily ever after about a swan addicted to magic and the female swan who loved him, with exceedingly poor illustrations. Join her Reader Club at http://www.darcyburke.com/readerclub.
A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her guitar-strumming husband, their two hilarious kids who seem to have inherited the writing gene, two Bengal cats and a third cat named after a fruit. In her “spare” time Darcy is a serial volunteer enrolled in a 12-step program where one learns to say “no,” but she keeps having to start over. Her happy places are Disneyland and Labor Day weekend at the Gorge.
Nice conversation