Three Nights with a Scoundrel by Tessa Dare

What a memory I have!!!
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I was dreading reading Three Nights with a Scoundrel, because the hero, Julian, was a big whiny, sulky baby in the other two books. But what a surprise - I think out of the three books in the Stud Club series, he's my favorite hero. I had another surprise. For some reason, and I'm not sure why, I thought the heroine was blind, so when I started reading this my mind was in the "blind mode" and I kept thinking, "boy she's doing pretty good for a blind girl." Turns out she's deaf. It's like biting into a cherry pie when you're expecting apple. Anyway, I loved this book and had only a minor qualm toward the end of the book.

Let's talk about Lily. What a strong, wonderful heroine who has learned to live with her disability... and does quite well with it. She's a tender, lovely, honest woman who is not above a little machination when it comes to protecting the man who has come to mean so much to her, Julian. Ah, Julian, what a guy! And even though we have a strong female lead, this book is really Julian's. There is so much that's he's hidden and it's a joy to watch each layer of his character eventually exposed. There's some really poignant writing in this book; what a great couple! It was fun to watch Julian blunder his way down the murky road of love. And by the way, they confess they love each other about half way through the book and there are still some personal demons that have to be conquered before they can have their happy ending. Also, I bet you'll never look at a piano the same way again.

The weakest part in the book for me was the murder mystery solution. I was a little disappointed, after all the secrecy of the previous two books, that it was resolved the way it was. Not that I didn't like the resolution and what we find out about Leo... but I had guessed Leo's secret early on so that wasn't a surprise to me either. I don't know, I just wanted something more dastardly.

We do get visits from the other characters from the previous books and they blend nicely into the story, not just for the wrap-up picnic that so many series books have. Overall, this is a fast-paced read, a nice ending to a trilogy, and I was sad to see this particular one end. Loved the two main characters. I'm hoping we will see more from Claudia and Farraday - but that might be wishful thinking.

Now, you don't have to read the other two books to enjoy this one, but it helps because there is the continuing mystery that runs through all books. I highly recommend this book and if you hated Julian in the other two, you are in for a wonderful surprise in this one. What a touching story.

Time/Place: Regency England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Hot!