Beyond Scandal and Desire by Lorraine Heath

Jan 12, 2018 WhiskeyintheJar rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical, series

3.5 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Mick grew up knowing he was illegitimate and experienced all the society pitfalls because of it. All he has ever wanted is for his father to publicly acknowledge him but when his father refuses, he decides to ruin his half-brother heir.
Aslyn has been the Duke of Hedley's ward for most of her life after her parents died. With it understood that she woul ...more

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Feb 12, 2018 Mei rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical

Lately, I have problems with HR... Here they were not big, but I was still annoyed occasionally while reading.

What I have problem with is the insta-part, being it insta-lust or love or attraction. I like my MCs to become attracted, yes, but not blindly. There should be some developing, some growth…

Here we have a very sheltered heroine, Aslyn, who never ventured beyond the gilded cage here guardians have set for her. I cannot believe that a woman of 21 never had any hint of rebellion, but meekly Lately, I have problems with HR... Here they were not big, but I was still annoyed occasionally while reading.

What I have problem with is the insta-part, being it insta-lust or love or attraction. I like my MCs to become attracted, yes, but not blindly. There should be some developing, some growth…

Here we have a very sheltered heroine, Aslyn, who never ventured beyond the gilded cage here guardians have set for her. I cannot believe that a woman of 21 never had any hint of rebellion, but meekly stayed where they put her. They even decided that she will marry their son and when Aslyn try to tell them that she will not, they just ignore her. And she still justifies them!

She grew during the book, but I still didn’t like her. She was too stiff, too sheltered, too a useless being for me to like. Maybe it is that I’m bored with heroines who attract the hero only because they’re a lady with soft hands, with perfect bearing, with perfect pose and coiffured hair and nothing more. I prefer my heroines to be a little bit different, a little bit rebellious, a little bit more!

She herself admits that she’s useless and in the second half of the book my esteem of her grew and at the end I tentatively liked her.

As far as Mick is concerned, I admired his love for his mum and his brothers and sisters and his desire to help the less fortunate, but I didn’t like his conviction that he’s always right. I understand that he’s a self made man, but he didn’t took into consideration anyone else’s opinion but his own. He is always convinced that what he does is what’s right. It was a bit OTT for me.

During the book he changes his aim from revenge to love and I appreciated that he was ready to sacrifice for the heroine’s love, but it came a little bit late for me.

Aslyn’s guardians story plays a big part here and, while I’m first to admit that the duke’s love for his wife was immense, I wanted to smack both of them for sheer stupidity and cruelty. (view spoiler)

With all the things that irked me in this book, the characters did grow and evolved, so I liked how the author managed that, thus a 3 star.

I will read Gillie's story because she seems more like a heroine I could like! She's dressing however she likes, she's managing a tavern and doesn't mince her words!!! :-) ...more

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Jun 19, 2017 Caz rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: aar, 4-stars, arc, romance-1850-1900s

Lorraine Heath kicks off her new Sins for All Seasons series with Beyond Scandal and Desire, the story of a man intent on revenge upon the father who abandoned him and the young woman he intends to use as part of the scheme he has concocted in order to achieve that end. I’m not a great lover of the heroine-as-instrument-of-revenge trope, but I trust Lorraine Heath to deliver an engaging and emotionally rich story and know that she has the writing chops to turn a hackneyed plotline into some Lorraine Heath kicks off her new Sins for All Seasons series with Beyond Scandal and Desire, the story of a man intent on revenge upon the father who abandoned him and the young woman he intends to use as part of the scheme he has concocted in order to achieve that end. I’m not a great lover of the heroine-as-instrument-of-revenge trope, but I trust Lorraine Heath to deliver an engaging and emotionally rich story and know that she has the writing chops to turn a hackneyed plotline into something a little different. She certainly manages that here and crafts an intense, sensual character-driven romance with a final twist I didn’t quite see coming.

Mick Trewlove has known for many years that his mum isn’t his biological parent, and discovered the identity of his father, the Duke of Hedley, when he was fifteen. Knowing he had been consigned at birth to the not-so-tender mercies of a baby farmer (a terrible practice whereby women took in illegitimate children of the nobility and often ensured they did not live), Mick – who has worked hard to make something of himself and is now a successful businessman – is still fuelled by anger at the man who threw him away like so much rubbish. He is determined that his father should publicly acknowledge him, admit him to be worthy and regret his decision to cast him aside, but other than one unequivocal refusal, Mick’s written requests have all gone unanswered. Furious at the duke’s dismissal, Mick sets in motion his plan to destroy Hedley’s legitimate son and heir, the Earl of Kipwick and ruin his ward, Lady Aslyn Hastings – who happens to be Kipwick’s intended. “She’d be to him (Mick) whatever the woman who had given birth to him had been to his father, and he’d throw the similarities into the duke’s face.”

Lady Aslyn’s parents, the Earl and Countess of Eames, were killed in a train crash when she was just a girl. She has led a very sheltered life with her guardian and his wife, who rarely goes out into society and is of a delicate constitution. The two are clearly devoted to one another, and Aslyn can’t help but hope that her own marriage will prove equally felicitous. Although nothing is official, it’s widely known that Aslyn has been destined for Kipwick since the cradle. But Aslyn has become rather restless of late, and is chafing at the restrictions that are constantly imposed upon her by her gender, her position and the duchess, who dislikes going out and encourages Aslyn to remain home as often as possible. Thinking that perhaps an evening visit to the Cremorne pleasure gardens will yield a glimpse of something exciting, she hopes to persuade Kipwick to remain there until after dark, when, according to the gossip rags, the naughty undertakings that have titillated her imagination are… undertaken. Sadly however, it seems as though the place is rather staid, and she has just owned to Kip that Cremorne isn’t quite what she expected when a young woman accidentally bumps into them and promptly introduces herself as Miss Fancy Trewlove. When a tall, handsome, dark-eyed gentleman emerges from the shadows and is introduced as her brother, Aslyn – whose ‘understanding’ with Kipwick means she has never been courted or even experienced the mildest of flirtations – is struck by the sheer force of his presence and shocked at the strength of her physical reaction to him.

While Mick hadn’t planned for his sister to engineer the meeting, he makes the most of the opportunity, rather surprised to find that Lady Aslyn is not what he expected; unlike most young ladies of her class, she is approachable and easy to talk to. She is also, Mick notes with satisfaction, intrigued by him and has hardly taken her eyes off him since he first appeared – which is all to the good as far as his plans go.

This is the first of many encounters Mick contrives with Aslyn, over the course of which he finds himself growing reluctantly fascinated by her mix of intelligence, innocence and curiosity about the world around her. Before long, his desire for the woman herself far outstrips his desire for revenge against his father – but even if Aslyn were not promised to Kipwick, there is no possibility that the daughter of an earl and a bastard – even one with noble blood running through his veins – can have a future together.

The revenge plot hums along in the background but Ms. Heath focuses firmly on the developing relationship between Aslyn and Mick, whose immediate fascination with each other soon goes beyond infatuation and physical attraction and turns into a deep emotional connection that neither had expected. Both are engaging, well-rounded characters and I particularly enjoyed watching Aslyn coming to realise that while she cares for Kip, he is not the man who makes her heart race and her blood pound. Even before meeting Mick, she had begun to question the nature of Kip’s feelings for her and wonder why he’s never attempted to steal so much as a kiss – but her visceral reaction to Mick makes her start to question her situation even more. Mick is good-looking, self-assured, solicitous and charming; he’s like no-one else Aslyn has ever met but just as important as the physical attraction that draws her to him is the way he actually converses with her frankly, opening up a world of which she has largely been ignorant and showing her just how narrow her world-view really is. More than that, he listens to her and encourages her in her own opinions, something the men of her own class never do.

Mick is a sexy, diamond-in-the-rough hero who is perhaps just a little too good to be true in spite of his plan to use Aslyn, bring down Kipwick and force Hedley to recognise him. Everything Mick has, he’s worked bloody hard for, and his many business interests encompass housing, hotels and shops, the latter two providing badly-needed employment for people living in the less prosperous areas of London. He is devoted to his ‘family’ – other illegitimate children ‘farmed’ out to Ettie Trewlove – and believes everyone deserves a chance. But Mick doesn’t see himself as a philanthropist or benefactor – he just thinks he’s a bloke who did what he needed to do to get on in life, and is touched when Aslyn calls his achievements – calls him – remarkable. The trouble is though, that I couldn’t quite credit that a highly successful, self-made man of thirty-one with so much going on in his life would still be craving validation from someone who had made his disinterest so clear. I suppose one could argue that revenge is never rational, but Mick’s determination to get the duke to acknowledge him didn’t really ring true, and as that’s the driving force behind plot, I’ve knocked my final grade down a notch.

In spite of that, however, I enjoyed the book, and am intrigued enough by Mick’s ‘siblings’ to want to continue with the series. Beyond Scandal and Desire is a solid, if slightly flawed start, and I’m sure fans of the genre and the author will enjoy it. ...more

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Sep 15, 2017 Christie«SHBBblogger» rated it it was amazing

Shelves: tortured-hero, jan2018, advanced-copy, historical-romance, part-of-a-series, top-shelf-quality, revenge-is-sweet, set-in-england

Title: Beyond Scandal and Desire
Series: Sins for All Seasons #1
Author: Lorraine Heath
Release date: January 30, 2018
Cliffhanger: No
HEA(view spoiler)

She was no longer the means to an end, but had become the end itself.

This is my first book by Lorraine Heath, and right out of the starting gate, she landed herself a spot on my auto-read author list. I was so impressed that I'm now on a mission to get through some of her backlist this year, to explore what I've been missing out o ...more

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Nov 03, 2017 Pavlina Read more sleep less blog rated it really liked it

Shelves: best-cover, arc, historical

4 STARS

This was a fantastic start to a new series and now I'm excited for the rest books!I enjoyed a lot this one,the premise was great and there was a twist that I wasn't expected!

Mick and Aslyn’s romance was fun and flirty! I fell in love with Mick , He wanted the best for Aslyn!I like them together, and they make me smile a lot!

Overall it was a great story , There was so much to love about the story and the characters were lovable!

...more

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Nov 25, 2020 Missy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1-overdrive-audio, 2020-series-challenge, 1-overdrive-ebook, revenge, class-difference, hero-nonaristocratic

3.5
I enjoy reading about the hero and heroine spending time together and getting to know one another. Because this a revenge trope, one can argue that he manipulated these encounters to occur, but I think he truly wanted to spend time with our heroine and get to know her. If you can get past the revenge part of the story, seeing them spend time together and falling in love is quite romantic. This is my second time listening to the audiobook and my rating's gone up half a star.

Plus, Kate Readin ...more

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Jan 18, 2018 Lover of Romance rated it really liked it

Shelves: character-bluestocking, character-brooding-hero, character-heiress, publisher-avon, theme-secrets, genre-historical-romance, theme-tear-jerker-romance, setting-england, trope-revenge, character-spirited-heroine

This review was originally posted on Addicted To RomanceI received this book for free from Avon in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Lorraine Heath introduces us to a sensual love affair that takes us back in time to the spicy Victorian Era in London, England. A time of growth in the sciences, politics, and human rights. These two people come together and learn to fight with having all of society against them being together...

H ...more

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Aug 28, 2018 Jultri rated it it was ok

Shelves: promised-to-another, love-at-first-sight, secret-identity, hero-is-working-class

2.5/5. This took me a relatively long time to finish, but I was determined not to DNF a Lorraine Heath book. It's not the worst of hers that I have read, but damn, it came a close second. Let me say it loud and clear: I detest insta-lust in HRs, especially when an extremely sheltered, virginal girl suddenly has sexual awakening at first glance and immediately starts to have lubricious fantasies of a touchy-feely nature, she could not possibly have any knowledge of. Of course women are entitled t ...more

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Sep 22, 2017 Esther rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, angst, excellent-plot, heroine-rich, virgin, safe, arc-edelweiss, excellent-epilogue, some-angst, family

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review to come.

Enjoyable read. Great character development, storyline and pacing.

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Jan 31, 2018 Lady Wesley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: rhr, arc-rev, rhr-update, arc-edelweiss

Deliver me from revenge plots! I usually find them unpleasant and unbelievable. In the capable hands of Lorraine Heath, however, Mick Trewlove's desire for revenge against his noble father becomes a moving story of love and courage, leading not only to his redemption but also the deliverance of those who have wronged him.

Mick is the bastard son of the Duke of Hedley, given away at birth to a “baby farmer.” (This was the dreadful practice of impoverished women taking in by-blows for money and ca Deliver me from revenge plots! I usually find them unpleasant and unbelievable. In the capable hands of Lorraine Heath, however, Mick Trewlove's desire for revenge against his noble father becomes a moving story of love and courage, leading not only to his redemption but also the deliverance of those who have wronged him.

Mick is the bastard son of the Duke of Hedley, given away at birth to a “baby farmer.” (This was the dreadful practice of impoverished women taking in by-blows for money and causing their deaths by starvation or neglect.) In Mick's case, Ettie Trewlove had lost her own children to typhus and in her loneliness kept Mick and several other babies to raise as her own. It was a loving but desperately poor family, which led Mick to begin working at the age of eight. Through his native intelligence and capacity for hard work, at age thirty Mick is a wealthy man engaged in various commercial endeavors, his most recent being the opening of a grand hotel and shopping area in a formerly blighted section of London.

Mick deeply desires to be acknowledged as Hedley's son, even though he would still be considered illegitimate. Hedley has rebuffed all of Mick's pleas for recognition, so Mick has devised a plot to get revenge by ruining Hedley's heir, Lord Kipwick, along with Hedley's ward, Lady Aslyn Hastings. Kip and Aslyn have been raised together after the deaths of Aslyn's parents; they and everyone else expect the couple to marry. Mick intends to use his charms on Aslyn, ruin her, and blackmail the duke into admitting publicly that Mick is his son. To that end, Mick arranges an “accidental” meeting among Kip, Aslyn, Mick's charming young sister, and himself at Cremorne pleasure gardens.

The attraction between Mick and Aslyn is immediate, and thus begins a series of similar “accidental” encounters where Mick discovers that Aslyn is not silly, stuck-up young lady typical of her class, and Aslyn comes to see that Mick is a gentleman of substance despite his birth and upbringing. Mick also realizes that Kip has a weakness for gambling and that he is not very good at it. When Mick arranges for Kip to be admitted to an exclusive gambling den owned by Mick's brother, all the elements of Mick's plan begin to fall into place.

At this point, however, the revenge element of the plotline begins to recede, and the romance takes center stage. Heath does not rush her fences, and I took great pleasure in watching their attraction grow. Aslyn had been so protected by her guardians that she literally had never left the house without two maids and two footmen accompanying her. Although she moved about in society, she had virtually no friends and given that she was intended to be Kip's wife had never been courted by any eligible gentlemen. It was invigorating to watch Aslyn emerge from her cocoon and sprout wings. Again, Heath tells this part of the story gradually and quite believably.

As Aslyn begins losing her heart to Mick and Kip loses his fortune to Mick's brother, the book became a page-turner for me. I was caught up in Mick and Aslyn's romance, along with the lives of all the secondary characters, and although Heath was clearly setting the scene for future installments in this new series, I never got that feeling of sequel-bait. I do feel, however, that events toward the end, while wonderfully clever and surprising, were rushed a bit, and I wouldn't have minded reading an extra fifty or so pages.

Beyond Scandal and Desire was very close to a five-star book for me, but as I said, revenge plots give me trouble. I suppose that my having the sensibilities of a 21st century American makes it particularly difficult to appreciate Mick's desire for recognition from his father and the nobility, especially given that Mick was immensely wealthy and respected among the business class. And while I developed a rather strong tendre for the man, he was just a bit too good to be true. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book, staying up late one night to finish it, and am certainly looking forward to the next installment in the series.

Note: I see that Audible has the audiobook version, narrated by Kate Reading, who is just about my favorite female narrator. There goes one credit. ...more

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Jul 09, 2021 NMmomof4 rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: hr, safe, unlikely-couple, freebie-or-loan, 3-5-star, famous-wealthy-popular

3.5 Stars

Overall Opinion: This was enjoyable. I liked it all up until the very end (like 5ish%) because it was way too rushed and ends right after the conflict is resolved. I’m greedy! I wanted to experience them as an actual outed couple! I liked both characters, I liked experiencing their development of feelings, and I liked their connection. I also liked that this didn’t feel like anything else that I had read and had a uniqueness to it that I appreciated. Overall I liked this but felt rippe ...more

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Oct 09, 2021 Nicolette rated it really liked it

“You intrigue me, Lady Aslyn, but I can’t call on you for two reasons—you are already betrothed, and I sincerely doubt your guardians would welcome me into their home.” Mick Trewlove is a bastard. A Duke's by-blow. He suffered a great deal from it. Now a self-made man, he possessed a great wealth, but what he wanted most is for his Duke father to acknowledge him as his son. And he also wants to see the Duke's downfall. He would start with his father's legitimate heir and his betrothed. He'd ruin “You intrigue me, Lady Aslyn, but I can’t call on you for two reasons—you are already betrothed, and I sincerely doubt your guardians would welcome me into their home.” Mick Trewlove is a bastard. A Duke's by-blow. He suffered a great deal from it. Now a self-made man, he possessed a great wealth, but what he wanted most is for his Duke father to acknowledge him as his son. And he also wants to see the Duke's downfall. He would start with his father's legitimate heir and his betrothed. He'd ruin his brother, and he'd ruin the lady too. But the more time he spends with the lady, the more Mick is fascinated with her as she is with him.

Beyond Scandal and Desire is the first book from Lorraine Heath's historical romance series, Sins for all seasons. This book is quite good! it had all the right elements that I enjoy in a book. I see myself reading more books from the series in the near future.

Meet Lady Aslyn Hastings, orphaned and sheltered. Her parents died when she was a mere child, so she's been the Duke and Duchess of Hedley's ward for a long, long time. She has been trained to behave like a proper lady all her life, been prepared to be Lord Kipwick's countess, soon to be Duchess. She is very naive. The Duke and Duchess loved her and she loved them in return. She'd be an official member of the family the moment she marries their son. She was a girl who already had her future before her. She'd never been courted by gentlemen as they all knew she was already spoken for. She found no problem with this, but the moment she met Mick Trewlove, there is something inside her that yearns for an adventure, and yearns for the very improper man who she seemed to think about a great deal but ought not to.

Mick Trewlove is the Duke of Hedley's bastard. He had great anger for the man. He spent a great deal of his life working in order to survive, worked hard to acquire great wealth. At thirty one years, he's a man in possession of a good fortune, but a man no one of proper birth should be acquainted with because of the circumstances of his birth. Set on getting revenge, he had thought of the perfect plan. He would ruin his father's legitimate heir, ruin the heir's betrothed. He would take everything away from him, would prove to his father that he was the better son. One he needed to acknowledge. Although, at first, his intentions were manipulative at best, he grew to care for the lady.

I loved the heroine. I was annoyed with her at first, she is so naive. It's like she does not make decisions for herself, she lets the Duke and Duchess make those for her. She also seemed to think that she was in love with Lord Kipwick, which she later on realized was more of a brotherly affection. Her character development was satisfying and I grew to love her, seem to understand why the hero was so enamored by her. Moving on, I had great love for the hero of the story as well. What can I say? I love reading about the Lords and the Ladies of the historical romance genre but I also have a soft spot for self-made men. Mick was supposed to be using the lady as an instrument for his revenge plan but very early on in the book, he's already quite taken with her. Not insta-love though. It was more attraction and curiosity.

It had a slow start but when things started to get interesting, I was fully hooked. Hated that I had to attend classes because I could not focus on reading the book. What you must know about me is that I love the illicit affair trope. I love the forbidden romance trope. I love the revenge trope. I love bastard-lady trope. It hits all the right spot for me. I love it. The angst is unmatched. Those tropes are all present in this book so of course I enjoyed reading this one.

Aslyn is already spoken for, and around somewhere in the book, Lord Kipwick finally proposed to which she accepted. Though she was highly intrigued by Mick Trewlove, she knew there was no future for the two of them. Ladies did not consort with bastards. There was the social class division, her charge, and all of society would turn their back on her the moment she lets things get serious with a bastard, a commoner at that. A lady of her standing had been trained to be proper and to marry titled gentlemen, otherwise, those who were not aristocrats had no right to call on her, should not even be breathing the same air as her. Harsh, but that's how it was.

What I loved about Aslyn is that when she realized that she loved Mick, she was willing to marry him and did not care anymore what the people would say or how many would raise their eyebrows. She was ready to risk it all so she was devastated when she discovered that at the beginning, she was merely a means to an end. I loved seeing her growth from a naive lady to a woman who does not let other people decide for her and to fight for what she wants in her life.

As for Mick, I loved him as a hero. He had a hard childhood and who is to blame but his own father. I loved Ettie Trewlove and how she raised many children not her own even though she did not really have the means to. She's a brave and strong woman, I wish we got to see more of her. I did not really see the plot twist coming. I thought the Duke had a mistress that's why he had to dispose his child but turns it out it was not what it seemed. As for the Duchess, I feel sorry for what she had to go through. I was very mad at her at first because she had a weird behaviour and was oddly against those who she deemed below her - though I do not believe that justifies her distaste for commoners, it does explain why she is the way she is.

I loved the ending but I wish we had more of Aslyn and Mick as a couple! Also liked how The Duchess and Ettie became friends. That was really fun to read about. The "turns-out-he-is-a-Duke's-heir" plot might be cliche but I ate it up nonetheless. I do not know how I feel about him turning down the title though, I believe he deserved it better than Kipwick seeing as he is actually the first son and way more responsible than his wastrel of a brother. Maybe I am a petty person but I never disliked Mick, even when he was plotting revenge. I think he has a right to be mad at the people who made his life hard. He did not deserve to go all through that so no one can really blame me if I was cheering on the side whenever his revenge plan seem to go well.

Was this cliche? yes! Did I love it? Double yes! It reminded me of Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean, though that story was angstier. This was angsty but not very much, I wish it was though. I live for the angst. I love getting my heart broken, just be sure to put it back together. I enjoyed this quite well. There's only so much stories and tropes in historical romances but I love it every time.

Over all, I loved Mick and Aslyn together. Seeing them fall in love and realize their love for each other was satisfying and it was pretty romantic. And my! those explicit scenes! this man is hot! As someone who rather dislike reading too much smut on romance books, though this one was mild, it was pretty hot. Loved it! Girly is getting that D word everyday!

I am glad I decided to read this book because it had all the right ingredients and Lorraine Heath managed to make it work. Will definitely be reading more of her books. Really enjoyable, though not a favorite I had a pretty great time reading this book. ...more

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Nov 07, 2021 Mo rated it liked it · review of another edition

3.5 stars ...

I love Lorraine Heath's books. This one could easily have been a four star. It has the hero I usually love, the Commoner who rises from his lowly upbringing and takes on the aristocrats who are so quick to snub him.

I can see the attraction that Asylyn had for Mick ... she, a well-bred young lady whose future is preordained and she will some day become a duchess. I honestly thought that she was a bit too forward and independent in some of her characterisation ... she has led a shelt ...more

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Dec 08, 2021 Luana ☆ rated it liked it

Whaaaaaaat? What? Just wait a sec, what the heck? I know Lorraine Heath loves her twists but what was that end???? I am so mad right now that I am speechless. I can only think the word: what?

If I explain myself I would have to talk about the twist and give spoilers so I won't, but I am so mad. Ughhhh. It is not the twist I hate, it is what they did about it that has me fuming. It is the reasons behind it all. Just no. No no no no. The hero is a much bigger person than everybody put together and ...more

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Feb 02, 2018 Vashti rated it really liked it

Very strong 4 stars!!!!
Will review soon.

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May 01, 2018 kris rated it it was ok

Mick Trewlove, bastard, wants REVENGE and/or Lady Aslyn Hastings. So he sets about wooing her and ends up wooing himself? And then there's a confrontation with his bio father and setup for what will probably be a bunch more books including one about some guy named BEAST???

1. This wasn't very well edited and it felt like a rush job. I guess my feeling is that just because you can release multiple books a year is...should you release multiple books a year?

2. Mick was your stereo-typical "rich comm Mick Trewlove, bastard, wants REVENGE and/or Lady Aslyn Hastings. So he sets about wooing her and ends up wooing himself? And then there's a confrontation with his bio father and setup for what will probably be a bunch more books including one about some guy named BEAST???

1. This wasn't very well edited and it felt like a rush job. I guess my feeling is that just because you can release multiple books a year is...should you release multiple books a year?

2. Mick was your stereo-typical "rich common man struggles with his need for revenge"—which is absolutely a fine trope!—it's just...so done. He's just so driven and so rich and SO GOOD because he helps others and has an orphanage and loves his mother... Yeah, and he's also planning to ruin a perfectly innocent woman just because she happens to be engaged to the legitimate child of his father, not to mention his destruction of Kip (legitmate child) just because he's...legitimate. I mean, these are not good things??

And while Heath leans hard on the "society views bastards as less than human" theme (including the near-drowning OF A CHILD), it felt almost too much like a PBS special. Especially paired with the "and she started a home for illegitimate children and he adopted a bunch of illegitimate children and THEY ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER" ending.

(I do want to say that the ending revelation was handled in an interesting fashion, though! Like, I honestly didn't expect things to fall where they did and was pleasantly shocked that they did.)

3. Aslyn (WHAT IS THIS NAME THE FU-) is fine? I didn't particularly like her, but looking back I'm not sure why. She's sheltered but with ~dreams of experiencing things. And then she begins to step outside herself, and then she kind of goes a bit over the top but in retrospect it doesn't seem all that egregious. But I was bored while reading her, and bored with her development, and bored with the final outcome. (She, IDK, "teaches" Mick an Important Lesson About Family or some shit and UGH.)

4. The twist was decently twisty except it was telegraphed a bit too loudly so I was a bit too ready for it. ...more

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Feb 10, 2021 Lisa (Remarkablylisa) rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-romance-i-own, february-2021

I just didn't get the chemistry i wanted nor did I get the fluffy parts I really crave from lorraine! ...more

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Oct 11, 2019 Book Wonderland rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical, romance, 4-stars

I love Lorraine Heath's books a lot, I prefered the Hellions of Havisham Hall series a little better, but this one was really good too.
Mick and Aslyn are both great and lovable characters, and I even liked Kip too.
I didn't expected that twist in the end of the story. ...more

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Jan 24, 2018 Mandi rated it it was ok

Shelves: historical

First of a new series, and I always love to try out new series but I might not continue with this one. Beyond Scandal and Desire has a great set-up, but it fell flat for me.

In the prologue, we have a gut wrenching seen as our hero takes his newborn son, born to his mistress, away in the middle of the night to a common woman who for a small payment, who will raise him in a good home. Or as good enough as she can provide. This woman takes in several children this way, supporting herself with the First of a new series, and I always love to try out new series but I might not continue with this one. Beyond Scandal and Desire has a great set-up, but it fell flat for me.

In the prologue, we have a gut wrenching seen as our hero takes his newborn son, born to his mistress, away in the middle of the night to a common woman who for a small payment, who will raise him in a good home. Or as good enough as she can provide. This woman takes in several children this way, supporting herself with the money the rich pay her when they hand over their unwanted children.

Thirty-one years later, Mick, that unwanted baby, is an adult, and a pretty wealthy one at that. He rose up from being dirt poor, to opening up businesses and investing in real estate. When he was just eight years old, he found the blanket with the Hedley ducal seal buried in the backyard. He knows this seal comes from his birth father and from this day on, he wants acknowledgement from his birth father, the duke. He sends him letters, and never gets a reply. When he is an adult, with money, he decides to go a new route. To get close to the duke's legitimate son, Kip, and steal away the woman he loves as revenge.

Lady Aslyn Hastings parents died when she was young, and she was taken in by the Hedley's (Mick's birth parents) and has grown up with Kip. Everyone just assumes the two of them will wed, since they 've been fond of each other for most of their lives. But Aslyn wants adventure in her life. Kip on the surface is very prim and proper, not even trying to kiss her once during their courtship. She is extremely protected by her guardians. And then she meets Mick. As he is "stalking" Kip, and as those two men start to get closer, Aslyn can't keep Mick out of her mind. He is the danger and the naughtiness that she wants to experience. When Kip's gambling obsession becomes known and continues to grow out of control, Aslyn turns to Mick for help and an eventual romance.

I like that Mick knows who is real father is, and that he has built this life for himself of riches and he is very close with his other "adopted" siblings. I wanted him to be fierce and ready to burn down London for his father to acknowledge him. But I waited and waited and his personality just didn't come through. It was like he was played too safe. He couldn't decide if he was going to be a gentleman or a hell raiser. I wanted some passion out of him - instead he fell flat.

Aslyn too just didn't have a lot to offer. She isn't in love with Kip, although in a relationship with him for at least half the book. She desires something a little more dangerous - and Mick is supposed to provide that. But this want didn't transfer to any type of passionate romance. Too slow for me.

Grade: C- ...more

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Jan 29, 2018 Simply Love Book Reviews rated it it was amazing

Shelves: simply-love-shadow

This was a most unusual Regency Romance-yes, there's the requisite lady, but her lover isn't a member of the aristocracy-in fact, he is quite literally a bastard, and he's not above using others to get his father to acknowledge him.

Lady Aslyn Hastings is betrothed to the son of the Duke who took her in and raised her after she was orphaned-but she feels that there must be something more out there than the tepid interest he takes in her- and definitely more than the life she lives as the sheltere

This was a most unusual Regency Romance-yes, there's the requisite lady, but her lover isn't a member of the aristocracy-in fact, he is quite literally a bastard, and he's not above using others to get his father to acknowledge him.

Lady Aslyn Hastings is betrothed to the son of the Duke who took her in and raised her after she was orphaned-but she feels that there must be something more out there than the tepid interest he takes in her- and definitely more than the life she lives as the sheltered daughter of a house where the Duchess never stirs foot outside the home and insists that Aslyn take two footmen and two maids with her whenever she does venture out for a bit of shopping.

When Aslyn finally coerces her fiance to take her to the park for a visit, they run into Mick Trewlove, the illegitimate son of a Duke who was raised by a woman who took in the upper classes by-blows. Mick was fortunate to escape the death that awaited many children in similar circumstances and has risen literally from the ashes to become a wealthy businessman. But his ultimate goal is to have his father acknowledge him,-and he plans to ruin the Duke's legitimate heir, using Lady Aslyn as part of his plot. But what neither Aslyn nor Mick counted on was the fiery heat that drew them to each other, nor the admiration each had for the other-attraction that only grew as they spent more stolen time together. Things are not always as they seem, however, and a happily ever after seems more distant than ever when old secrets come to light. Can Mick forego his revenge and find a way to be with Aslyn?

Very seldom is the issue of the base-born aristocracy dealt with in books of this era, but it had to be a significant social problem. As is mentioned in the book, many of such children died or were killed in clandestine settings. The book doesn't deal directly with, but implies the case for nature versus nurture. If Mick weren't the son of a Duke, would he have accomplished what he did?

All in all, a very enjoyable read, with admirable characters, an intricate plot, and a real feel for a fascinating time in history.

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Dec 06, 2020 Topastro rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, audio-book, illegitimate-hero, working-class-hero, class-difference, 2020-reads, historical-romance, forbidden-love

This my first Lorraine Heath read and I was happily surprised by how much I loved it. I was sure this was going to be a 2 star book because of how naïve and annoying Aslyn was but Lorraine Heath was able to develop her character wonderfully. Mick was perfection, one of my favorite heroes hands down. As always Kate Readings narration was brilliant.

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Jan 28, 2018 Tracy Emro rated it it was amazing

Shelves: top-picks-2018, edelweiss

WOW, Just WOW! Anyone who follows my reviews knows I read A LOT of books, but rarely do I want to cry at the end of book as much I as did this one - not because it was sad, but because it was over! I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book! Ms. Heath has a way with words, she has the ability to draw a reader in and force them to become invested in her characters - their joy is your joy, their pain is your pain, their troubles become your troubles - it is a rare treat to find an author who has this talent WOW, Just WOW! Anyone who follows my reviews knows I read A LOT of books, but rarely do I want to cry at the end of book as much I as did this one - not because it was sad, but because it was over! I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book! Ms. Heath has a way with words, she has the ability to draw a reader in and force them to become invested in her characters - their joy is your joy, their pain is your pain, their troubles become your troubles - it is a rare treat to find an author who has this talent and an amazing gift for anyone lucky enough to read the book.

This is the first book in the Sins for All Seasons Series, the series is centered around the Widow Ettie Trewlove and the children she raised, who are all illegitimate cast-offs. Ms. Heath sets up the series and introduces us to the future characters, but never does it feel like this book is just a set up for the series, Mick Trewlove and Lady Aslyn Hastings are truly the stars and the main focus of the book.

Mick knows that the Duke of Hedley is his father and wants to be acknowledged as such. He is a wealthy self-made man who literally pulled himself from the gutter and forged an empire. But he longs for the respect and acceptance of the nobility, he is sure if his father would acknowledge their connection, doors would be opened to him. He has written to the duke several times, but after responding that he has no bastard to the first letter, the duke has ignored him. Mick wants his acknowledgement more than anything in the world and hatches a plan. If the duke won't accept him, Mick will ruin his heir.

Lady Aslyn Hastings in the orphaned daughter of an earl and the ward of the Duke of Hedley. She has lived with the family since she was a young child and though it has not been officially announced, she and everyone in society assume that she will marry Hedley's son and heir, the Earl of Kipwick and affectionately known as Kip. Aslyn has been sheltered and knows little of the world, the duchess is a recluse and extremely over protective of her. Aslyn longs for excitement and begs Kip to take her to Cremorne Gardens. This is where Mick and Aslyn meet for the first time.

Mick along with his sister Fancy are at the gardens and "happen" to run into Kip and Aslyn. Kip knows of Mick and longs to gain entrance to his brother Aiden's club - The Cerberus Club. After a bit of friendly chatter, Mick tells Kip, he will take him to the club. Meanwhile, Aslyn is mesmerized by Mick, never has she had such a reaction to a man and it makes her question her feelings for Kip.

Over the next few days, Mick enacts his plan and plays on Kip's weakness for gambling, he also begins to "woo" Aslyn. He plans to steal her from Kip and bring Kip to ruin, thinking he will then be able to force the duke's hand. What he didn't plan for was Aslyn or his reaction to her.

This is an amazing story, it is well written, flows wonderfully, there are secrets, betrayal, moments of wonder and joy, moments of immense heartache, steamy love scenes, shocking twists that have even bigger shocking twists and a truly beautiful soul-mate type love. I cannot recommend this book enough, I will definitely be re-reading this one and cannot wait for the next book in the series.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an uncorrected eARC that was provided to me by Edelweiss and the publisher*
...more

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Apr 15, 2022 gloria ◦○ ° marked it as to-read

Recommended to gloria ◦○ ° by: Nicolette

Shelves: online-tbr, recommended-to-me, romance-historical

(need to push through this one bc rest of the series is better i've heard) ...more

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Dec 10, 2021 ~**Anna**~ A Romance Reader rated it really liked it

I love Mick! He’s amazing! Really liked this book.

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Jan 08, 2022 ♥Sharon♥ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: scribd, audible

Enjoyed this one. Fabulous characters. I especially loved Mick! ❤️

Wonderful narrator too! 🤓

If you are a fan of Lorraine Heath, you should check this one out. ✅

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Mar 08, 2018 Chelsea rated it really liked it

Shelves: can-be-read-as-standalone, historical

3.75 Stars

I would like to rate this book in two parts.

The first part - 5 stars , when everything that occurred was meticulously planned by Mick to seek revenge and to be acknowledged by the Duke. However, he didn't expect to start feeling something for Lady Aslyn.

I love how he came to be successful in life. How he love his brothers and sisters even if they really weren't blood related. How he makes effort for every illegitimate child to be well taken care off.

I can't say that Lady Aslyn has ...more

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Jan 11, 2021 Christy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I found a new series!! Put everything else aside..

Soon after starting this story it showed potential of being a new favorite. It continued to get better and better even when a part of me expected to be disappointed at any point halfway through then on.
“She’d never seen anyone look so marvelously masculine... He looked up and pierced her with his blue gaze. It was like the one time she dared to climb a tree, fallen from her perch, and hit the ground HARD. She struggled to draw in breath; thought ...more

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Feb 16, 2018 Zoe rated it liked it · review of another edition

This was a plain offer from Lorraine Heath.

Lorraine Heath's new series centers around a group of by-blows. This is a very similar setting to her famous series of the Scoundrels of St. James. The first book is about the oldest brother of this group, Mick Trewlove, who was given away as a newborn baby by his father, who thought Mick was going to meet a certain demise, because this was what happened when you "farmed out a baby" back then. The reason of him doing so was revealed later in the book, This was a plain offer from Lorraine Heath.

Lorraine Heath's new series centers around a group of by-blows. This is a very similar setting to her famous series of the Scoundrels of St. James. The first book is about the oldest brother of this group, Mick Trewlove, who was given away as a newborn baby by his father, who thought Mick was going to meet a certain demise, because this was what happened when you "farmed out a baby" back then. The reason of him doing so was revealed later in the book, which was not what I had expected but dealt with with less emotional weight than I had expected. But that is the whole book, it had little emotional weight.

I like Lorraine Heath's style and have read many books from her. I do not always love them. In fact, I rarely loved them, except for a handful few. But they were all readable stories. She has a masterful way with words and is an experienced writer. Not too flashy or overdone. She has a calming tone and tells a gentle story, which I appreciate a lot, especially in this time of Romancelandia, where writers aim to shock us with blatant sexual details. She does write intimate scenes in details though. It is just they are usually moderate.

That being said, I have to return to my opening line: this was a rather plain offer from Lorraine Heath.

Mick Trewlove was on a path to revenge. He wanted to make his father pay for the suffering he had caused Mick by assigning Mick to death. Honestly, the way Mick was portrayed, I thought him petty. Not about revenge, but about his goal. He wanted his father to publicly acknowledge him. To what end, I do not know. It made him look wanting in my eyes. I couldn't get this image of a child wanting recognition out of my head. Not exactly heroic, but I suppose, it was only human.

With every revenge plot, there is a poor woman to be sacrificed in all this male drama. Aslyn Hastings was the fiancee of Lord Kipwick, Mick's half brother, aka the heir who wasn't really the heir. Aslyn also happened to be the ward of the "evil" duke who intended to kill his bastard son (Mick). So of course, Mick had nefarious plans with Aslyn, ruination and all that. And he set his eyes on her, he got to know her, yada yada yada, he was in love.

This is a tried plot. There is nothing wrong with a tried plot. One of my favorite books had this exact plot. But Mick and Aslyn didn't cut it for me. This is really bad because they are my kind of characters. Mick was the rough-around-the edge, self-made commoner/nobleman with a commoner history (if there is such a thing). And Aslyn was the sensible highborn lady who was calm and collected. But somehow Mick's roughness wasn't very attractive (his beard did not help) because he accepted very early that he liked Aslyn a bit too much for his original plan. So there was no or little emotional struggle on his part. Aslyn, while being a proper lady and never having a TSTL moment, seemed boring and silly. Here was another highborn lady being suffocated by all the rules in society, who wanted a little passion and adventures. Later in the book she was written to have developed some interests in charity, but it seemed too little and too insincere to me. That development was not properly done so it just seemed forced. The emotional struggle just wasn't there. There was no urgency, no desperation, no wants. Just 2 rather plain characters circling each other and readily admitting that they were attracted to each other. Throw in some sibling rivalry between Mick and Aslyn's fiance, the rude awakening of Mick's revenge and the real reason why Mick's father gave him up for death. This was a anti-climatic story with 2 characters I should have liked a lot but didn't.

Since this was the first book of the series, we are introduced to Mick's siblings so that the series could be mapped out. I immediately knew that I was not going to like Gillie, Mick's mannish sister, whose book is the next in the series. Others did not stand out either but at least I remain open to reading their books, provided that the women don't turn out to be some women who are afraid of being women so they pretend to be men.

I am slightly disappointed at this book because I had high hopes in the beginning. It wasn't difficult to get into the story so I thought this just might work out. But as I read on, Mick and Aslyn bored me. Their relationship was very similar to that of Luck and Catherine from In Bed with the Devil, a book I love from Lorraine Heath. But Mick was not Luck. He had none of Luck's charms. And Aslyn had none of Catherine's grace. I see what Lorraine Heath wanted to do here, but I regret to say that her attempt to recreate Luck and Catherine was not successful. Mick and Aslyn as a couple is a bad copy of their originals. If you want a true redemption story, try Luck and Catherine. ...more

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Jan 28, 2018 Bambi Unbridled rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, avon-addicts, dtb, million-page-challenge, read-2018, romance-historical

Beyond Scandal and Desire kicks off a new series from Lorraine Heath, Sins for All Seasons, featuring a family of unwanted by-blows sent off to a baby farmer as infants. I love that Lorraine has taken this sad and tragic historical detail and given it a lighter spin, while staying true to the life that faced bastards and the lower classes of the day.

Historically and most notoriously in the Victorian era, baby farmers would accept custody of unwanted children, usually by-blows, in exchange for a description

Beyond Scandal and Desire kicks off a new series from Lorraine Heath, Sins for All Seasons, featuring a family of unwanted by-blows sent off to a baby farmer as infants. I love that Lorraine has taken this sad and tragic historical detail and given it a lighter spin, while staying true to the life that faced bastards and the lower classes of the day.

Historically and most notoriously in the Victorian era, baby farmers would accept custody of unwanted children, usually by-blows, in exchange for a fee. Unfortunately, a good number of baby farmers pocketed the payment and killed the infants. Lorraine has put another spin on this baby farmer and matriarch, Ettie Trewlove. Rathering than planting the babes in her garden, Widow Trewlove raised five bastards to the best of her ability, and they are to be our adult heroes and heroines of this series.

The hero of this first book, and head of the family of societal outcasts, is Mick Trewlove. Mick has risen above his circumstances and become a self-made man, but doors are still closed to him due to the stain of his birth. There was some great imagery involved in Mick's character that got my imagination going... he approaches through encroaching darkness like the fog rolling in... with midnight locks, thick beard, and dark eyes. I could totally see this in my head. It was great. Mick has learned that his father is a duke, and he concocts a plan to force the duke to acknowledge him. Unfortunately this plan would end up hurting at least one innocent person, if not more. I normally do not like deception in my romances... but I found myself being somewhat forgiving of Mick. I guess this just proves what a heroine hater I am, because I would not have accepted this behavior from a heroine. I understood Mick's anger and pain and some of his justifications, but I always held out hope that he would abandon his plan. I did think he was a good hero despite his nefarious plans.

I was not a heroine hater in this particular book. I actually liked our heroine, Lady Aslyn Hastings. Asyln was orphaned as a child and became the ward of the Duke of Hedley, who raised her in his household with his legitimate son and his frail duchess. I don't think a person could really hate Aslyn if they tried... she was genuinely a good person. She wasn't a snob and didn't look down on people who were a victim of their circumstances, and she displayed good moral character. Despite being a good person to begin with, there was still room for Aslyn to grow as the story progressed, and she did so with grace and maturity.

The relationship between these two took some time to unfold. Mick was intent on seducing Asyln for his own purposes, and Asyln was intrigued by the mystery and freedom that Mick could offer her. I really liked watching this relationship unfold. I particularly enjoyed the contrast of Aslyn and Mick's characters. Asyln was a representation of light (fair and good) whereas Mick represented the dark (broody and dangerous). I thought this worked really well within the confines of the story.

I'm not always a fan of the aristocratic lady being paired with the commoner love interest, but I think I am going to like the dynamics of this series. The Trewloves were all interesting characters in their own right, and I think every character was engaging enough to warrant their own story. I am looking forward to following along with each new release.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, Avon. ...more

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Feb 07, 2018 Amanda rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2018, reviewed-books, clashes-of-class, covergasm, the-feels-were-real, historical-romance, sexual-awakenings, heroines-of-my-heart, all-about-the-slow-burn, competence-porn

“She loved him. It was that simple, that complex. Their road would not be an easy one, but all the same she wanted to travel it.”

3.5 stars

Beyond Scandal and Desire marked my first time reading a full length Lorraine Heath book and it contained A LOT of tropes I often despise: revenge plot, deceitful hero, heroine is engaged to someone else, etc. And yet, every time I put the book down, I couldn’t wait to pick it back up again. There was even a day I had to go without because I had a migraine and ...more

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