ARC Book Review-Lord Of Wicked Intentions

Lord Of Wicked Intentions
Lost Lords Of Pembrook (3)
Lorraine Heath
Avon Publishing
E Book
Published April 30 2013
384 Pages
Regency Historical Romance
ISBN: 978-0-06-210003-0
Author's Website

Synopsis
Three young heirs, imprisoned by anunscrupulous uncle, escaped—to the sea,to the streets, to faraway battle—awaiting the day when they wouldreturn to reclaim their birthright . . .

Lord Rafe Easton may be of noble blood, but survival taughthim to rely only on himself and to love no one. Yet when he setseyes on Miss Evelyn Chambers, an earl's illegitimate daughter,he is determined to have her, if only as his mistress . . .

After her father's death, Evelyn Chambers never imaginedshe would be sold to the highest bidder, yet circumstancesgive her little choice but to accept the lord's indecent proposal. Rafe is wealthy, as well as ruthless. Yet his coldnessbelies deep passion and deeper secrets. If she must be his,Evelyn intends to lay bare everything the Lord of Pembrookis hiding. But dark discoveries threaten to destroythem both until unexpected love leadsthe last lost lord home . .

My Review
Summary 
When Evelyn's father dies from a illness that slowly killed him, she has little time to mourn. Her brother, immediately orders her to her room. Then he makes her go to a planned meeting, Evelyn thinking, it is to meet future suitors for marriage. Little does she know that her brother is trying to sell her to the highest bidder as a mistress, not a wife. She gains the attention of Rafe Easton. Rafe's only interest is to settle his debt with Geofrrey, where he see's the most gracious and elegant young woman, who stirs his blood like none other. When he see's the other men bidding on her, he knows he can't let anyone else have her but himself. So he takes her, only when her brother brings her to him, she has no inkling of an idea of why she is truly there. Evelyn, is shocked to the core, when she learns the truth she is devastated that her own brother would betray her this way. She knows that if she doesn't become Rafe's mistress, she will live a life on the streets with no home or food and any place to call her own. She knows that this is the only recourse available to her. First she doesn't expect for Rafe to give her time to get used to the idea, but she never thought he would be wooing her in a way. Rafe has a very tough exterior, but she knows that there is more to him than meets the eye. She finds herself falling in love with a man she knows would never love her in return...For he can only fight his demons.

The Hero (Rafe Easton)
Rafe, has only known a life of hardship and has managed to stay alive through the years by hiding who he truly is. At the age of ten, his twin brothers abandoned him to a workhouse. One where he was worked  and abused, until he managed to escape and finally leave and work his way to London. Where he has lived ever since, having to do terrible deeds just to survive, he know is the owner of a gaming hell, and damn proud of it. He makes no apologies, especially with his brothers return that past few years. When he claims Evelyn as his own, he has no clue as to what he is doing. She is his first mistress, but there is something about her that he finds irresistable. But then he begins to soften his heart the more he is around her, but he knows he must truly face his inner demons before he will ever have a future with her.

The Heroine (Evelyn Chambers)
Evelyn, was born on the wrong side of the blanket as it were, also known as a bastard. Her mother was mistress to her father. Her father shielded her through the years, protecting her but in the end making her too innocent and naive about the world. She dearly loved her father, but he trusted her brother way too much. When he died, he had no idea the lengths her brother would go to to be ride of her. She had always though he respected her, but when he sells her to Rafe to be his mistress, she feels so used and betrayed. Like she is worth nothing. She now realizes that Rafe is her only hope. At first she has no idea how to be a mistress, but she starts to see past Rafe's tough exterior and straight to his heart. All she wants is to love him, prove to him that he deserves it, because he has shown her what it is like to be cherished and truly cared for.

My Thoughts 
Lord of Wicked Intentions is the third installment in the series by Lorraine Heath. After reading the first two, I had been looking forward to reading Rafe's story. Rafe is very different I think from his brothers. He suffered in a way they never did, he barely managed to survive. He resists his brothers attempts to befriend him, and always rejects their offers for family gatherings. Rafe is a hardened man, who on the outside appears to care for nothing and for no one. He feels alone, always has since he was ten years old, when his brothers abandoned him. He didn't understand the why for it then, and now that he does, he can't seem to forgive himself for the horrible things he has had to do, so he is unable to forgive family. But when he meets Evelyn, his life changes. He see's his life in a whole different light. She brings laughter, hope and love into his life. I truly adored Rafe, I found his to be utterly irresistable, dangerous and sexy in a way that just appealed to me. He is the kind of hero you just ache for, but admire for his strengths. Evelyn, hasn't suffered like Rafe has, but she doesn't judge his past life. She see's something good in him, and in her own way fights for him. I love the inner strength and will she possess to not run from her circumstances that she has been dealt. She handles it very well, and I loved her courage at times. Overall a heart wrenching, that just had me in tears at various times through the book. There were so many moments that I had to stop and control my emotions. A Magical read that had me from the first page, a story that will pull at your heart strings and leave you aching for more. Another great work by a talented author that has never let me down!!! A exciting read filled with romance, love, and take you on a journey with these characters...one you will never forget.

First Line 
Lord Rafe Easton waited, unmoving. 

Favorite quotes

"I have particular needs. The first is that you are to never wrap your arms around me."
"Why not?" She whispered 
"Because it's what I require." He lowered his lips to hers, and she realized that if he hadn't menacled her wrists that her arms would have twined about him of their own accord, simply to ensure that she remained standing when her knees grew so weak. 
His tongue toyed with her mouth, painting it, outlining it as though he wanted to be intimately familiar with it. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For a moment in his mind, all th eglobes he'd collected over the years spun. More than a hundred, spinning, spinning. He'd been searching for someplace better that where he was.
He'd finally found it, the best place of all--wrapped tightly in Eve's arms. 

My Grade
4.5 Blossoms

Heat Rating 
Steamy

Other Books In The Series 
She Tempts The Duke
Lord Of Temptation
Deck the Halls with Love

Book Review-She Tempts The Duke

She Tempts The Duke
The Lost Lords of Pembrook
Lorraine Heath
Avon Publishing
Mass Market Paperback
Published February 2012
355 Pages
Regency Historical Romance
ISBN: 978-0-06202246-2
Author's Website

Synopsis
Three young heirs, imprisoned by an unscrupulous uncle, escaped--to the sea, to the streets, to faraway battle--awaiting the day when they would return to reclaim their birthright.

Sebastian Easton always vowed he would avenge his stolen youth and title. Now back in London, the rightful Duke of Keswick--returning from battle a wounded, hardened, changed man--cannot forget the brave girl who once rescued him and his brothers from certain death.

Lady Mary Wynne-Jones paid dearly for helping the imprisoned young Lords of Pembrook, and she remembers well the promise she made to Sebastian all those years ago: to meet him once more in the abbey ruins where they shared a bold, forbidden kiss. While Mary is now betrothed to another, a friendship forged with dark secrets cannot be ignored. Unexpected passion soon burns dangerously between them, tempting Sebastian to abandon his quest for retribution and fight for a love that could once again set him free.

My Review
Summary 
Sebastian once had to leave England at a young age when his father died, and his uncle tried to kill him and his brothers off. Barely escaping with their lives, he made a decision that may have saved their lives, but he has felt guilty over that decision ever since. Now he is back to claim what is his from their Uncle. Sebastian has suffered much over the years, and has battle scars that haven't just scarred him on the outside...but on the inside as well. When he, along with his brothers, arrive at a ball to claim back what was theirs, he comes face to face with the one woman who saved them all...Mary Wynne-Jones. Mary has never forgotten her childhood friend, whom she roamed the hills with as a young girl. Now she is engaged, but when she see's Sebastian and his two brothers very much alive, she is determined to see that they are accepted as they should have been. Even though her affection should lay elsewhere she can't help but feel a pull toward Sebastian. From the first moment she lays her eyes on him again, she only desires to be held in his arms. Soon though a passion soon erupts between them, a desire that could turn into a powerful love.

The Hero (Sebastian Easton)
Even though Sebastian is a twin, he far looks it, and doesn't even have the playful nature of his twin Tristan. Sebastian has changed much over the years...years which have hardened him into a shell of a man. When he was but fourteen years old, he knew he had to make a choice for his brothers, that could very well ruin them all. He sold his twin to a sea captain, and his younger brother Rafe to a workhouse...to this day his decisions have haunted him day and night. When he see's Mary again, he is overwhelmed with a broad range of emotions, all of which focus on her. He knows he will have to make a choice between his duty to his lands and title, and that of duty to his heart.

The Heroine (Mary Wynne-Jones)
Mary, had always felt a friendship with the three brothers. But most especially with Sebastian whom she played with many a time as a child. She has never forgotten her first kiss with him, right before he disappeared. However she couldn't keep what she knew a secret, and her father punished her by sending her to the convent for all of these years. Only recently let her come to London, so that she could find a honorable match and marry. Now she is engaged to a good man, but she is drawn to Sebastian, in a way that she finally begins to feel alive once more.

My Thoughts 
She Tempts The Duke is the first in the Lords of Pembrook series. It has been a while since I have read from this author, and she has always been a personal favorite of mine. She never disappoints...and I found myself falling in love once more. The characters here are unforgettable, ones that are so endearing and climb their way straight into your hearts. Sebastian is a tortured hero--very much tortured, more than I have seen in a while. He is heavily scarred on the outside and the inside. We see evidence that he has suffered much over the years, but I really loved the way he is with his brothers and Mary. We see that he really cares for Mary, even if he doesn't admit it right away. I enjoyed seeing the gentleness he displays with her, even though he has only known a life of roughness and abuse and hardship. Mary is very strong willed and fights for what is right more than what is easy. Mary is the one who saved the three brothers when she was a mere girl. We see through differect acts of courage, how she continues to protect them even at costs to herself. She accepts Sebastian for who he has become, and see's past the scars and into the man. I love a heroine that doesn't judge, but accepts and loves Sebastian for who he is now. There is a danger side to the plot, one full of intrigue and mystery, there is also some sensual moments that keep you totally immersed into the story. A True Gem of a story that will steal its way into your heart.

First Line 
Tonight was the night they would die. 

Favorite Quotes 
"What do you want?"she asked with equal part tenderness and challenge. 
How often had he done things only to prove something to her? Let her see now the sort of man he was. What the years had transformed him into. 
"To forget,"He thrust a hand into her hair, cradled his palm against her cheek, moved her farther into the shadows. 
"Mary," he whispered like a soft benediction and hoped to God that she didn't connect the two sentences and think it was she he wished to orget. Never her. She was the only thing worth remembering. 
He tilted up her face and covered her mouth with his. He wasn't gentle. He wanted to replace horrendous memories with something worth remembering. 

My Grade
5 Blossoms

Heat Rating 
Steamy

Other Books In The Series 
Lord of Temptation
Deck The Halls With Love
Lord of Wicked Intentions