Shameless (House of Rohan) [Mass Market Paperback]

(this review was originally posted on Secret HEA Society)

Shameless is the 4th book in the House of Rohan series. I am a big fan of this series and I just couldn't wait to read this last installment. It was on my Auto-read list, it was such a sure thing in my mind that I would read it that I didn't read the book synopsis. So when I started the book, I didn't really connect the dots. You see, the first 3 books followed the House of Rohan on 3 generations. So I was expecting Shameless to be about the kids of the previous heroes. Ah! Of course I should have read the synopsis! Shameless is set about 5 or 10 years (I can't remember the exact number!) after the end of Breathless and is about Miranda's (Heroine of Breathless, you still following?) oldest brother.

What a good surprise! When I finally realized who it was about and how it was situated , it all clicked together and I'm pretty sure I squealed. *wink* . Benedick, the hero was married during the set of Breathless and for some reason I didn't think he would get his story. I thought him safe in a somewhat good marriage. I also saw him as a stuffy lord. Oh what a delight it was to realize he was actually quite wicked and such a cynic person.So what? Yes I love my heroes wicked, evil and dangerous, and Anne Stuart delivers! Each time! All the heroes of this series are wicked in their own way, they are all very different but each very delicious.

Benedick is a cynic but he has his reasons. He's been married twice and both wives died in childbirth leaving him without an heir. So he decided to find a wife to get that heir and a spare. He just wants a brooding mare, someone he can just forget all about outside the bedroom. As you can imagine, it won't work that way ;).

Melisande is not your typical lady. For once she lives with more than 20 former prostitutes! She's the widow of a wealthy elderly lord. Now with her money she tries to reform prostitutes and help them find a real respectable job. As you can imagine she's not really someone who would be invited to balls and party by Society. I found Melisande very likable, she's a good woman and she really wants to help save these girls. I found her devotion to her 'gaggle' very endearing.She might have been married but Melisande is still a near-virgin when it comes to the pleasures of sex. It was cute to see such an innocent woman leaving with women who enjoyed having sex so much and it made me laugh a few times.

When Melisande hears that the secrete society called the Heavenly Hosts has been revived and that now they started becoming very violent with prostitutes/young women she decides to act. Melisande knows Benedick's brother, Brandon, is a member of this secret society so she decides to warn Benedick about it and asks for his help. I really enjoyed seeing them together, they have such a chemistry! *swoon* They don't plan to get involved with each other but it's like it's out of their hands. The more they fight it, the harder it is. God, I loved Benedick, he's such a jerk! He has a vicious tongue, very cutting. The smex scenes are hot and very well written. Benedick is confident in his skills and I just love that in my heroes *g*.

If you read Breathless, you'll remember Brandon, the youngest Rohan. He was so young and cute and innocent. Really brave too. The man we meet in Shameless is just a shadow of his old self. Brandon has been to war and he's come back wounded both physically and in spirits. He gave up on life and he's become reckless. We get glimpses of him and what happened when he came back from war. Now, I have to tell you I'm REALLY hoping he's getting his book because if not I'll be pissed. Why? Because we get glimpses of his story and a possible romance and I couldn't believe it ended this way. Anyway, I can't say more but I am crossing all my fingers and toes we'll get his book. (I've spent 2 hours on the web searching for any indication there would be one but *sob* I couldn't find any info about it *sob*)

I LOVED that we got to see quite a lot of the HEA of Miranda and Lucien (Heroes from Breathless, yes I also do Cliffnotes as you can see *wink*). I remember raging at the ending of Breathless because it didn't have an epilogue. *squeeeeeeeeee* We get it in Shameless. Seriously I was grinning the whole time we got to see Lucien and Miranda. And we see them from Benedick's POV, which is pretty hilarious since he HATES his brother-in-law so much. I loved seeing their life through his eyes. I can't thank Anne Stuart enough for indulging us like that. *g*

I was ecstatic when I finished Shameless! It has an epilogue!!! *squeee* And a very good one. It's not cheesy I promise, because I'm not sure Anne Stuart can do cheesy. But it left me smiling and feeling very good. <3

Shameless is a wonderful book, it really does justice to this series. You want to root for the characters and it's hard to stop reading once you started. It keeps you enthralled and always wanting more while giving you some closure about the story (and about the previous book). I still feel pretty emotional about this book. It sure left his mark in my mind and in my heart (see? I can be cheesy!)

ps: I'm sorry about it being such a long review. And THIS is the short version ;)

I give Shameless 4 1/2 Stars.

With a Shiny HEA, full of hopes and happiness

This was the first historical romance by Anne Stuart that I have read, I had only read her suspense romance beforehand.

This was the 4th in the series, and I didn't realise this until about half way through, but it doesn't actually matter, you can read this as a stand-alone.

I really do enjoy a good historical romance and this was no exception.

I liked the character of "Charity" Melisande Carstairs and I liked the fact she did all of this charity work to help these "ladies of the night" (polite way of saying it). She does not want to be with another man in any intimate way, but Rohan attracted her in her first and only season but he never had eyes for anyone but his first wife. And without any other offers, she had to marry a man more than twice her age and care for him as he was dying.

Benedick Rohan, the hero was definately not your typical hero. Yes he was rugged, good looking etc etc but he had already had 2 wives...and he was quite obsessed in the beginning with just having lots of sex with lots of random women. Until he meets Melisande and he changes his mind as she arouses his curiosity. In truth, Rohan is a man who is afraid of loving someone again. He wants to meet and marry a young girl who he doesnt care two figs about, get her pregnant and leave her in the countryside whilst he gets on with his life. But meeting Melisande inadvertantly changes his plans.

I really enjoyed the dialogue between the two characters and the way they bickered with each other. I read this with quite a big smile in places. The timeline of this story wasn't very long, but it was done in a way that it didn't seem too short a time in which everything happened.

The storyline itself was quite good also but I did think that "The Master" was very obvious. Maybe it was just obvious to me but I had guessed it from the moment we met the character.

It had great characters and dialogue and a good story. It also had characters from what I assume are the previous books in the series but I would think that if you enjoyed the previous ones then you would also enjoy this. As someone who hasn't read the previous books I still enjoyed this and maybe actually go back to the previous ones at a later date and I will definately read the next one.

See my review on Dark Lord. Same goes for this one. Absolutely guaranteed to get all your sexy secrets to the fore!