Three Nights with a Scoundrel by Tessa Dare

Three Nights with a ScoundrelNarrated by Rosalyn Landor

This is the final book in Tessa Dare’s Stud Club trilogy, and while I’ve enjoyed the others, Three Nights with a Scoundrel is the strongest of the three, and my personal favourite. The mystery that has run through all three books surrounding the death of Lord Leo Chatwick is satisfactorily concluded, the central romance is truly touching and the two protagonists make an exceptionally well-drawn and engaging couple.

The hero, Julian Bellamy, appeared as a secondary character in the other books, and was not an especially appealing one. Handsome as sin and twice as charming, he is arrogant and selfish, a trendsetter in matters of fashion and unrepentant over his seduction of the married ladies of the ton. One of his very few friends was Leo Chatwick, Marquess of Harcliffe, the founder of the Stud Club of which Julian, Rhys St. Maur (Twice Tempted by a Rogue) and Spencer, Duke of Morland (One Dance With a Duke) were members. Some months previously, Leo was murdered on the streets of London’s East End, and ever since then, Julian has been obsessed with discovering the identity of his killers. Julian was supposed to have been with Leo on that fateful night, but his guilt over his friend’s death is down to more than the fact he was unable to prevent it; Julian believes he was actually the target and Leo died instead of him.

WIth the marquess gone, Julian’s only true friend is Leo’s twin sister, Lily. She’s beautiful, vivacious, kind, and, owing to a severe illness almost a decade earlier, is completely deaf. At twenty-eight she is not married and not particularly interested in being so, knowing that any man who pays court to her is likely to be willing to saddle himself with a wife who cannot hear only because he wants her fortune.

Julian has been in love with her for years, but she sees him only as a dear friend. Knowing of Julian’s regular late-night visits to dangerous areas of London in his search for Leo’s killer, she is becoming increasingly concerned for his safety, but is unable to dissuade him from his investigations. Julian, the bastard son of a nobleman who seduced his mother whilst she was in service and then threw her out onto the streets, knows he can never be good enough for Lily, but his quest is a dangerous one and the time may come when he will not be around to protect her. He is determined that she should marry, and soon, so that he can at least be assured that she is safe.

Lily doesn’t plan to get married, and by this time has begun to see Julian as something other than a friend, but she eventually agrees to start looking about her for a husband – on one condition. As a way to keep Julian from his perilous activities for at least a short time, she insists that he accompanies her to three social events – any more, and his reputation would taint hers – and hopes that in the meantime, she can persuade him that Leo’s death was a random tragedy and to abandon his search.

I will admit to not having been particularly fond of Julian in the other books, but Tessa Dare does a fantastic job here of revealing the truth of the man behind the highly polished exterior and turning him into a swoonworthy hero. Born into poverty, his young life was one of constant struggle and he had to resort to trickery and theft just so he and his mother – a deaf mute – could survive. He never forgot the way she was treated by her seducer, and grew up full of bitterness and anger. He has worked hard to pull himself out of the gutter, and now his wit, charm and sense of style have gained him an entrée to the ton. Working his way through the beds of bored and unsatisfied wives, gambling and taking their husbands’ money and bringing some to ruin – all of it is his coolly calculated revenge on the society that so cruelly turned its back on him and his mother. The scene in which he finally owns this all to Lily is one of the most affecting in the book, and the part where he admits to not even knowing his given name, other than that it begins with a J is really heart-rending – and the part where yours truly fell for him hook, line and sinker!

Lily is a tremendous heroine, a woman of intelligence, wit and good sense, aware of her limitations but simultaneously refusing to let her deafness define her and keep her from doing the things she wants to do. Her gradual realisation that the feelings for Julian she had believed to be friendship are, in fact, much more than that is very well done and I loved that she isn’t afraid to show him that she is a strongly attracted to him as he to her, and that she openly admits her desire for him.

Rosalyn Landor gives another terrific performance in this audiobook, her mellifluous, cultured tones perfectly suited to portraying the two principals and the various other characters from the upper tiers of society. In the previous book, she gave Julian a languorous drawl, which perfectly fit the image of the bored rake that he projected to those around him, but here, when he can be himself, she drops that affectation and brings a warmth and tenderness to his tone, showing him to be a sincerely good man who is capable – and deserving – of love. Lily sounds exactly as I’d imagined she should when I read the book a while back; attractively youthful with a good sense of fun and a smile in her voice but with determination and strength of character lying just beneath the surface.  Ms Landor perfectly captures the hidden vulnerabilities of both protagonists and delivers an extremely fine and emotionally nuanced performance. All the minor characters – servants, city-dwellers and other, less respectable characters – are portrayed using a variety of suitable tones and accents, and the narrative is delivered perfectly in terms of both pacing and expression.

The combined strength of story and narration have propelled this audiobook straight on to my keeper shelf. Not only has Tessa Dare penned a beautiful romance, she also gives us a poignant look at what “might-have-been” for Leo, revealing him to have been a wonderful man, which, of course, makes it all the more sad that he will never get his own happy ending.

Caz


Narration: A

Book Content: A-

Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence: Fighting

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: Tessa Dare

3 thoughts on “Three Nights with a Scoundrel by Tessa Dare

  1. Thanks for the thoughtful review. I was on the fence about purchasing the audiobook, having read and enjoyed the book years ago. However, it sounds like the audio experience will be even more enjoyable!

Comments are closed.