- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Harlequin, Mills & Boon (18 July 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 026386586X
- ISBN-13: 978-0263865868
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.6 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 549,406 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
"Once again Cornick delivers a delightful journey to Regency England." - Romantic Times
Product Description
He could marry her - or ruin her! London, 1814. Lord Hawksmoor is the Lord of Scandal - celebrated by the pampered and paupers alike! Scandalous and seductive, Hawksmoor is a notorious fortune hunter. A man women want to bed - and men want to do away with. Now he has tasted the woman of his dreams, Catherine Fenton, and he will do anything to make her his.Though heiress to eighty thousand pounds, Catherine is trapped in a gilded cage, and bound to a man she detests. The ton has woven a fantasy around Ben, Lord Hawksmoor, that any woman would find hard to resist, but she senses there is more to the man behind the glittering facade.She believes he can rescue her - but has she found herself a hero, or made a pact with the devil himself?
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
One of the reasons Nicola Cornick writes some of the most entertaining historical romances set in the regency period is that you can't always predict what her characters are going to do next, and that is true in spades of this charming little story set at the time of the last "Frost Fair" in 1814 when for the final time the River Thames froze over solidly enough and for long enough to permit the citizens of london to set up booths, tents and entertainments on the ice.
This was a real historical event as the author describes in one of the notes in the back of the book: she has also done her homework on the social history of the period, including how the cult of celebrity operated in Regency times (it is not just a modern phenomenen) and the laws, customs and practice affecting public executions, grave robbers, and duelling.
The decade when this novel is set was towards the very end of the period when, although duelling was illegal, social pressure could still force the most powerful men in the land (including cabinet ministers such as the Duke of Wellington) who strongly disapproved of the whole idea of duelling to appear on the "Field of Honour" and give someone the chance to kill them. So much so that there was actually a word for the practice of firing into the air instead of at your opponent when forced into a duel against someone you had no intention of trying to kill or injure. It was the verb "to delope" and one of the characters uses it correctly in this book.
The heroine of this story is Catherine Fenton, daughter and grand-daughter of nabobs (e.g. adventurers who had made their fortunes in India) who at the start of the tale has been forced by her father into a betrothal to the detestable Lord Algernon Withers. Her fiance and father combine to insist that she attends the public hanging of Ned Clarencieux, who had been convicted of murdering one of her trustees. It would be extremely unwise and unusual for a respectable lady to appear at such an event, and Catherine soon finds herself in an awkward position, from which she is rescued by Lord Hawksmoor, a scandalous and infamous but handsome and popular fortune-hunter.
Hawksmoor is highly attentive to Catherine, but she realises that any association with him could be lethal to her good name. However, fate conspires to keep throwing her into his path ...
An entertaining story with flawed but mostly believable characters, this novel is set as much in the underbelly of Regency society as the ballrooms of the ton. The characters do sometimes step well outside the normal conventions of society at the time, but the book is reasonably honest about when this is happening, rather than expecting the reader to swallow a modern romance in regency costume, which happens depressingly often with some other writers.
I can recommend this book.
This was a real historical event as the author describes in one of the notes in the back of the book: she has also done her homework on the social history of the period, including how the cult of celebrity operated in Regency times (it is not just a modern phenomenen) and the laws, customs and practice affecting public executions, grave robbers, and duelling.
The decade when this novel is set was towards the very end of the period when, although duelling was illegal, social pressure could still force the most powerful men in the land (including cabinet ministers such as the Duke of Wellington) who strongly disapproved of the whole idea of duelling to appear on the "Field of Honour" and give someone the chance to kill them. So much so that there was actually a word for the practice of firing into the air instead of at your opponent when forced into a duel against someone you had no intention of trying to kill or injure. It was the verb "to delope" and one of the characters uses it correctly in this book.
The heroine of this story is Catherine Fenton, daughter and grand-daughter of nabobs (e.g. adventurers who had made their fortunes in India) who at the start of the tale has been forced by her father into a betrothal to the detestable Lord Algernon Withers. Her fiance and father combine to insist that she attends the public hanging of Ned Clarencieux, who had been convicted of murdering one of her trustees. It would be extremely unwise and unusual for a respectable lady to appear at such an event, and Catherine soon finds herself in an awkward position, from which she is rescued by Lord Hawksmoor, a scandalous and infamous but handsome and popular fortune-hunter.
Hawksmoor is highly attentive to Catherine, but she realises that any association with him could be lethal to her good name. However, fate conspires to keep throwing her into his path ...
An entertaining story with flawed but mostly believable characters, this novel is set as much in the underbelly of Regency society as the ballrooms of the ton. The characters do sometimes step well outside the normal conventions of society at the time, but the book is reasonably honest about when this is happening, rather than expecting the reader to swallow a modern romance in regency costume, which happens depressingly often with some other writers.
I can recommend this book.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
13 reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Much more than a typical romance
17 July 2007
Format:Mass Market Paperback
A young lady in need of a white knight and a devil-may-care lord who does not want to be a hero find themselves curiously drawn to one another in this involving and often dark romance. Heiress Catherine Fenton's life is falling apart. She is in a forced engagement with a vile and abusive man who may be involved in murder. The father who never loved her now has money troubles and is suspiciously beholden to her fiancé. And her miserably unhappy stepmother has turned to drugs and gambling. Dragged by her father to a public hanging, Catherine becomes separated from her group, and is almost trampled by a wild mob. She is rescued by Lord Ben Hawksmoor, who tenderly shields her in his arms. Ben was a close friend of the hanged man and is distraught, and Catherine is sickened by the gruesome spectacle and shows Ben her heartfelt sympathy. They share a soul-deep physical and emotional bond as they cling to one another for support and comfort amidst the pressing crowd.
Soon they must part, but neither can stop thinking about the other and inevitably they meet again. Due to a misunderstanding, Ben thinks Catherine is the mistress of the detestable man she left with (she is really the fiancée). Ben vows to take her away and make her his own. But nothing too permanent, he tells himself. Ben leads a selfish life and has no interest in being responsible for someone else. Although titled, he is virtually penniless. He survives by his gaming skills and by cashing in on his celebrity, all while flaunting his infamous courtesan. Catherine is aware of Ben's scandalous reputation, but he makes her feel cherished for the first time in her life. She senses a deeper and more giving nature beneath his shallow veneer, and starts to weave her hopes and dreams around him. Will it lead her to heartbreak, or will Ben come through for his damsel in distress?
I like darker romances like this one where the leads are beacons of hope for each other in an otherwise bleak world. This is true from the very first scene at the gallows, steeped as it is in a brew of death and decadence. Ben and Catherine zero in on each other across the maelstrom, she in her pale yellow dress and he with his fair hair, almost as if a beam were lighting their way. And each time they meet, the atmosphere is electric. Their need and desire for each other is so vital right from the start - and they are both so long overdue for happiness - that it is truly easy to root for this couple. I like how the bad people and the bad events are all interconnected, with a fine cast of unsavory characters. The murder of a friend near the end of the book does not sit well with me, and the first duel is a bit silly, but otherwise the story is quite good. I particularly like the way the villain gets his just desserts. The dark backdrop makes this much more than a typical romance without in any way detracting from the love story. Indeed, the lovers shine all the more.
Soon they must part, but neither can stop thinking about the other and inevitably they meet again. Due to a misunderstanding, Ben thinks Catherine is the mistress of the detestable man she left with (she is really the fiancée). Ben vows to take her away and make her his own. But nothing too permanent, he tells himself. Ben leads a selfish life and has no interest in being responsible for someone else. Although titled, he is virtually penniless. He survives by his gaming skills and by cashing in on his celebrity, all while flaunting his infamous courtesan. Catherine is aware of Ben's scandalous reputation, but he makes her feel cherished for the first time in her life. She senses a deeper and more giving nature beneath his shallow veneer, and starts to weave her hopes and dreams around him. Will it lead her to heartbreak, or will Ben come through for his damsel in distress?
I like darker romances like this one where the leads are beacons of hope for each other in an otherwise bleak world. This is true from the very first scene at the gallows, steeped as it is in a brew of death and decadence. Ben and Catherine zero in on each other across the maelstrom, she in her pale yellow dress and he with his fair hair, almost as if a beam were lighting their way. And each time they meet, the atmosphere is electric. Their need and desire for each other is so vital right from the start - and they are both so long overdue for happiness - that it is truly easy to root for this couple. I like how the bad people and the bad events are all interconnected, with a fine cast of unsavory characters. The murder of a friend near the end of the book does not sit well with me, and the first duel is a bit silly, but otherwise the story is quite good. I particularly like the way the villain gets his just desserts. The dark backdrop makes this much more than a typical romance without in any way detracting from the love story. Indeed, the lovers shine all the more.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Murder, Romance, Lies and Great Characters..... Great Novel!
20 July 2007
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This was a very good book. I liked all the mystery, strong character and great romance. Both of main character evolve so you believe that over time they do love each other and change. I think I found a new favorite author.
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful
A story with substance.
10 July 2007
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Nicola Cornick's Lord Of Scandal is no cookie-cutter Regency Romance. If you are growing tired of some of the lighter fare, or just want a love story with a wonderfully absorbing plot and richly drawn characters, look no further. I couldn't put it down.
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