HOW TO STEAL A SCOUNDREL'S HEART

A ruined debutante finds herself back in society—as a mistress.

Leo Ramsgate, Lord Savage, has a reputation to match the name of his marquessate: He’s a serial monogamist, but he stays with no mistress for more than four months. To avoid misunderstandings, he even signs a contract with each woman before beginning their affair. He’s just bringing his current liaison to a close and looking for the next when a woman chases a dog in front of his carriage: Lady Prudence Thorogood, a woman who barely made her debut before she was ruined by an indiscretion. She’s only going back to London in order to recover a few items from her inheritance via, well, larceny, so when Lord Savage offers her the same deal he offers other women, she turns him down gracefully. But several weeks later, when her attempts at subterfuge have fallen short, she returns to his house to accept the contract. Having been ruined, Prue suspects her reputation can’t get much worse, and she already knows how to grit her teeth and get through sex. But as Leo is happy to show her, intimacy can be fun, and she has a lot to explore. When Leo discovers she is actually a virgin—or, rather, was a virgin until a lengthy and steamy scene between them—he marries her in a quiet ceremony, but they still expect to go their separate ways after the four-month contract is up. As the end date approaches, both find that they don’t want their time together to end but also that they don’t know how to tell each other as much. After an entire series inspired by Prudence's banishment from society, readers will be glad to finally meet her and to see her learn to take control of her life. Prue and Leo are well matched despite seeming like opposites at the start, and Lorret draws out their explorations of the carnal arts beautifully. Though this book is different from the earlier volumes of the Mating Habits of Scoundrels series, it will charm Lorret’s fans thoroughly, combining classic Regency tropes and storytelling with contemporary sensibilities.

A compelling marriage-of-convenience story in a beloved series.