Book Review: Miss Hillary Schools a Scoundrel by Samantha Grace

This is a light historical romance with the tables turned on a carefree bachelor.

Miss Hillary Schools a Scoundrel

by Samantha Grace

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (February 7, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402258313
• ISBN-13: 978-1402258312

Genre: Historical Romance

 My Rating: 3.75 of 5.0

 Book Description

Publication Date: February 7, 2012

HE'LL NEVER SETTLE FOR ONE WOMAN...

Debonair bachelor Lord Andrew Forest lives for pleasure and offers no apologies. But he receives a dose of his own medicine when his family's entrancing houseguest beds him, then disappears without so much as a by-your-leave. He'd like to teach the little vixen a thing or two about how to love and man...if he can find her..

AND SHE WON'T SETTLE FOR HEARTBREAK...

After the dashing man of her dreams is revealed as a lying scoundrel, heiress Lana Hilary is ready to seek a match with a respectable gentleman-if only they weren't so dreadfully boring. Unable to rein in her bold nature for long, Lana flirts with trouble and finds herself entangled with exactly the type of man she's vowed to avoid.

Review: I thought the blurb premise would make this a fun read.  It is light and fun but it didn’t quite meet my expectations.

Lana is a young heiress in her second season.  Her Mother is insisting that she find a suitable husband before she ends up “on the shelf.”  Lana doesn’t have the best self esteem as she perceives that her mother has always made negative comments about her fly away, bright red hair and her white skin that burns and freckles too easily.  Because Lana is an heiress she has had to avoid men who are clearly fortune hunters. Even if she doesn’t expect to marry for love, she longs to be cared for just for herself and not her wealth.  She discovers that she has an attraction to the wrong sort of men, or actually just one man - Lord Andrew.

Lord Andrew is clearly a scoundrel as Lana can tell when he rescues her from falling out of a tree to escape an overly eager, dull suitor. Andrew steals a quick kiss before they are interrupted by a widow who has come out for a rendevous. Lana’s beloved brother, Jake, also warns her away from Andrew whom he knows from the gambling halls and other places men visit.

Lana tries to stay away but Andrew is enchanted by her and continues his pursuit until he has captured her complete attention. When Andrew would back off, it is Lana that turns the tables on him by walking into a seduction and then walking away. 

There are several wrong assumptions and misunderstandings that create conflict, although some of these are predictable. There is also a sinister threat and a kidnaping that adds some needed action and excitement. 

The heroine and hero seemed a bit immature which may be understandable because they are rather young. Unfortunately I never totally warmed to them. Lana is young but trying to be worldly. She knows better than to become involved with a scoundrel but she decides to toss aside her good reputation for just the chance to be with him. Andrew is very charming and more so when he realizes that he is beyond the stage of finding pleasure in the night life and chasing skirts.  I really like the portion when he recognizes that he could have a ‘home’ with Lana.

It may have bothered me too that I didn’t see that the title truly fit the story.  This is an easy read and is my first experience with this author.  I think she has potential to improve on a nice, but slightly weak, beginning to this series. I am still interested in reading Jake's story in the next book.

A favorite passage: Andrew thinking to himself:

He had never believed himself capable of love, yet here he stood in a house he wished to make a  home for the one woman who had captured his heart.

Location 2587.

I received this book from Sourcebooks through NetGalley to read and review.
I will add this to my New Author and ARC challenges.
Please don't miss the interesting author interview and giveaway in the next post!