When the Scoundrel Sins
Capturing the Carlisles, 2
Anna Harrington
Forever
August 29, 2017
Six years ago, a childish prank perpetrated by the reckless Quinton Carlisle ruined Annabelle Greene's reputation and any chance she had at securing a successful marriage. Incensed, she moved to her beloved estate on the Scottish border and has reveled in the solitude...until now when the contents of a family will are revealed. Suddenly, Belle's single status may cost her the only home she's ever known. Now, with her only marital prospect a horribly greedy and completely undesirable man, Belle knows just the person to rescue her-the one person who owes her for his bad behavior...
There's nothing Quinn Carlisle wants more than to get out from his older brother's shadow and make a name for himself abroad. So when a mysterious letter arrives, promising adventure, he rushes to the Scottish border...only to find that Belle laid a trap for him. The awkward, shy bluestocking whom he so enjoyed tormenting is gone, replaced by a graceful, elegant woman who ignites a desire in him he can't resist. Can Quinn help her save her home-and win her heart in the process?
My Thoughts:
I have to say When the Scoundrel Sins was a fairly fast read and a little heart-breaking. Quinton has a bit of a hero complex, you see it in the prologue. So, he gets offended when they start making fun of Annabelle. Now Belle knows her place, so tries to get Quinton to leave the situation along, but the hero complex gets in the way basically ruining any chance of a good marriage. She basically saves him from marrying her. Jump ahead to where time is running out and she needs to find a husband to save her from losing her home. One and simple way would be Quinn marrying her righting the wrong and they live separate lives. Sounds like the ideal situation for Quinn, but the man is stubborn and refuses. We see the beginning of the husband hunt. Quinn and his brother Robbert scare off any guy who isn't going to make a good match for Belle in four weeks. Totally sounds like a simple task.
Anyway, I like how the story is broken-down. Every few chapters we see how much time is left until Belle's wedding announcement. She's kind of moping around, but who can blame her. She started off at 18 with the world waiting to be taken over by her, but as she approaches 25 she sees everything that was her security slowly crumbling. You have Quinn doing everything in his power to save her, without getting leg-shackled. One of the main reason's he doesn't want to get married is he doesn't want to find love. Quinn is a stubborn guy when it comes to his logic of love. I truly felt for Belle, because she loves the land and her people, and is willing to sacrifice herself to save them all. Belle and Quinn have a lot in common, but when you first see them together you don't see it until the story starts to unfold.
I can go on and on about this story. There are so many demissions to When the Scoundrel Sins. Like I said it's a fairly fast read, that you want to know what is going to happen to Belle and Quinn. I seriously thought Quinn wasn't going to get his head out of his butt. Fortunately, he manages to get it out there and realize everything he wants is still in England. When The Scoundrel Sins has a great balance of emotion and humor. Quinn and Belle seem to get egg one another on, but it's kind like their foreplay. Overall, a pretty good read that I couldn't put down.
Copy provided by Forever Romance via NetGalley
Excerpt:
“You look much more like your
father now,” she commented, nervously licking her suddenly dry lips but only serving
to draw his attention to her mouth. Which made her even more nervous, so
nervous that she couldn’t stop the trembling of her fingertips as they wrapped
into the skirt of her night rail. “But you’re still a troublemaker.”
A faint smile played at his
mouth. “And you’re still a bluestocking,” he countered. Unintentionally
simmering a slow heat low in her belly, he reached up to tuck a stray curl
behind her ear. “Still retreating to the sanctuary of your library.”
“Because books are usually more
pleasant than most people,” she answered, swallowing hard when he trailed his fingers
down the side of her neck. She forced out, not at all as firmly as she’d hoped
beneath the soft touch of his fingers,
“And more trustworthy.”
Ignoring that jab, he slid his
hand lower to let his fingers play at the edge of her shawl. “Yet there are
things that people can do that books can’t.” His fingers tugged gently at the shawl
and pulled it down her shoulder to reveal the scooped neck of the nightdress
beneath. His gaze flicked to the small patch of revealed skin at the base of
her throat, then back to her eyes. “All kinds of interesting things.”
She should stop him, swat his
hand away, shove him back—but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Just as she couldn’t
hold back the hot shiver that swept through her or the gooseflesh that formed
on her skin. His touch was proving to be as equally intoxicating now as that
night six years ago.
“Then I have no interest in
learning them,” she countered, although from the way her blood hummed, her body
was very interested.
Madness—that after what he’d
done to her, she could ever want to be in his arms again. Yet she desired just
that, although that could never happen. Kissing him once had ruined her
reputation. Kissing him again might destroy her entire future.
She thrust her chin into the
air. “I know of your reputation.”
“Thank you,” he half purred.
His finger hooked beneath the
wide shoulder strap of her sleeveless nightgown and slid it slowly down her
arm. But this time, with a stretch of bare shoulder revealed to his eyes, he
didn’t bother feigning propriety by looking away and instead flamed a prickling
heat beneath her skin everywhere he gazed.
She pulled in a deep breath to
steady herself. Oh, why did she always go light-headed when she was
alone with him?
“That was not meant as a
compliment.”
“Wasn’t it?”
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ABOUT THE
AUTHOR
Anna Harrington fell in love with historical romances--and
all those dashing Regency heroes--while living in London, where she studied
literature and theatre. She loves to travel, fly airplanes, and hike, and when
she isn't busy writing her next novel, she loves fussing over her roses in her
garden.
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