A Scoundrel's Kiss

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing plotline but too bad about the hero
Review: I love the story of an innocent Puritan-raised country miss thrust into the sinfully depraved courts of King George. Margaret Moore definitely manages to make me feel for Arabella and there is always danger lurking around in the forms of depraved gentlemen who thinks nothing of spoiling Arabella's vitue, including the King.

But the hero - let's be kind and not call him names but really! Trying to seduce an innocent miss to get back at his father is NOT hero material. And he never redeems himself well. He seduces her and when they were discovered, he tosses her to the sharks. Then he whines that she doesn't trust him enough. Hello? Throughout the whole story the hero never rises above being an immature, whining, complaining brat who wastes his life and time on women, wine, and song.

Rating:
Summary: A good Restoration romp
Review: To the Earl of Barrettshire, Cromwell and the King share in common the fact that both failed to change London from a cesspool of depravity to someplace decent. To the Earl, the worst aristocratic offender is his son Neville Farrington, who is a no good philanderer. Wary of his own blood, Lord Farrington adopts his neighbor Lady Arabella Martin, naming her and her future spouse as the prime recipient of his vast estates.

Neville believes she conned his father into naming her the beneficiary. Unbeknownst to Neville is the fact that Arabella has loved him for years, but concludes it is unrequited. Neville, who has spent as much time firming up the family finances as he has skirt chasing, decides to prove that Arabella is a fortune hunter. His campaign plan begins with kisses and caresses, but somehow fails as his target seems to remain immune to his advances. Though inside her heart she relishes the SCOUNDREL'S KISSES, Arabella desperately hides her feelings, not knowing that Neville is falling in love with her.

A SCOUNDREL'S KISS is an invigorating Restoration romance that demonstrates the magnificence of Margaret Moore's talent. The pleasurable story line entertains the reader from the onset and never lets up until the reader finishes the novel. The lead protagonists are an attractive, intelligent couple. Along with the support cast, the duo provides readers with an intimate look at a bygone era. When it comes to excellence in historical romance books, no one provides the audience with more than the award winning Ms. Moore.

Harriet Klausner