LADY BE BAD

Author: Candice Hern ISBN: 0451221915 8/2007 HISTORICAL Publisher: NAL/SIGNET ECLIPSE
Time Period: London 1818

The widow of a famous bishop, Grace Marlowe is both shocked and intrigued by the amorous adventures of her fellow Merry Widows. Though she agreed to their pact, she can't imagine giving herself over to passion—until the most notorious libertine in London sets his sights on her. John Grayston, seventh Viscount Rochdale, has never refused a wager, especially one that involves enticing a beautiful woman into his bed. Now he's willing to stake his most prized possession that there's not a single woman in all England immune to his charms. But when the object of the wager is the prim and proper Grace Marlowe, he has to turn on the full force of his seductive allure. Grace's stalwart virtue is put to the test when the infamous rake shows an unexpected interest in her. Outraged, flattered, and reluctantly attracted, she soon finds herself falling under the spell of the man behind the scandalous reputation. Rochdale, in turn, is delighted to discover a fiery passion beneath the widow's prudish facade. But when hearts and lives become tangled in the gamble, the truth of his seduction could ruin everything...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Perfect! Absolutely, positively, without a doubt, LADY BE BAD is an utterly perfect read! Candice Hern's third book in her Merry Widows trilogy is a diamond in a sea of rocks. I have been waiting patiently for Grace Marlowe's story to be told, and here it is! If you have read the other two books in the trilogy, IN THE THRILL OF THE NIGHT and JUST ONE OF THOSE FLINGS, then LADY BE BAD must be on your list of books to read—NOW!

I found LADY BE BAD to be a bit of a different read than the previous books. This book focuses on the relationship between Grace and John (Lord Rochdale), and how they go from hardly knowing one another to forming a beautiful and loving bond between each other. Don't think it's all that simple and romantic in the beginning, however. The only reason Lord Rochdale even wanted to get to know Grace was due to a wager. He wagered his best mare that he could get her into bed.

Lord Rochdale is scrumptious, even if he is a rake and a libertine. He has his reasons for treating women the way that he does, and Grace finds out that there is more to John than just those terrible rumors about him. The more time that they spend in each other's company, the more they begin to learn and admire each other. It doesn't take long for John to realize that his wager could hurt Grace terribly, and he realizes that hurting her is the last thing in the world he wants to do.

Grace is a wonderful woman whose passion has been dampened by her deceased husband, Bishop Marlowe. She soon finds that everything the Bishop has told her about passion is untrue, and John helps her rediscover the passions that have been dormant inside of her for so long. Grace accepts that sleeping with John is inevitable, and something to look forward to!

I just loved LADY BE BAD. I could go on and on talking about how wonderful this book is. Lord Rochdale has become one of my favorite heroes. He is the ideal reformed hero that all ladies dream about. Well, at least I dream about those charming reformed rakes that end up doting on their wives. If you love Lisa Kleypas' St. Vincent from THE DEVIL IN WINTER, then you are going to fall madly in love with Lord Rochdale!

LADY BE BAD by Candice Hern, is the ultimate romance reader's love story! This book and the love story between John and Grace is the reason why I'm proud to say that I love reading romance novels. What more can I say? LADY BE BAD is simply a wonderful book, written by the immensely talented Candice Hern!

Julie Kornhausl