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The Last Hellion (Scoundrels #4)

by Loretta Chase

3.99 · Rating details · 5,447 Ratings · 313 Reviews

A ferocious conflict of wills...

Vere Mallory, the Duke of Ainswood, has everything--he's titled, he's rich, he's devastatingly good looking--and he seems determined to throw it all away. Disreputable, reckless, and wild, the last of the Mallory hellions is racing headlong to self-destruction...until a mind numbingly beautiful blonde Amazon knocks him off his feet--literall ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, 379 pages

Published April 1st 1998 by Avon Books

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Community Reviews

(showing 1-30)

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Feb 03, 2009 Dina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-romance, dik

When I was first introduced to Vere Mallory, the Duke of Ainswood, in 'Lord of Scoundrels', I was less than impressed with him and I couldnt see him as the hero in any book. After reading 'The Last Hellion', I stand corrected. And it didnt take long, he had me right at the Prologue. Loretta Chase did a wonderful job showing how much he was affected by the row of deaths that took away his family, up to his beloved 9-year-old cousin, and even before I read the rest of the book, I KNEW he was one o ...more

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Dec 31, 2014 Mo rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

She was a breathtaking firebrand, and Vere Mallory, the notorious Duke of Ainswood, had never seen anything like her. Although he thought he was rescuing Lydia Grenville from the cluches of a renowned wastrel, he quickly discovers she is angry at his interference! Amused by the sultry hell-cats's fury, Mallory vows to teach her some humility -- in life and in love.

I really enjoyed the previous book in the series and wondered if anybody could top Dain. We met, Vere, Duke of Ainswood in the pr ...more

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Jan 10, 2009 Eastofoz rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Readers who like love/hate romances with great wit and dialog a la Kleypas or Enoch

Shelves: favourites, historical-regency

What a fabulous love/hate romance from beginning to end! Fantastic dialog between the h/h was what made the love/hate so good and not turn into silliness.

Vere, the Duke of Ainswood, is a quintessential bad boy who couldn’t care less about what anyone thinks of him or how he behaves especially when it comes to women. Lydia is a great foil to his nasty devil may care attitude. She gets him to tow the line and he doesn’t even realize it until he discovers that he can’t live without her.

The build-u ...more

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Oct 23, 2016 Viri rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Me fascinó Vere, me encantó ella y su forma de ser.
Lo siento, pero tengo debilidad por los Duques HAHAHA y su historia ha sido muy bonita. Un libro divertido y muy al estilo de la autora. Totalmente recomendable

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Apr 01, 2017 Natalia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

¿Sabes esas veces, cuando estás leyendo un libro, estás pensando todo el rato “cuando lo acabe, lo leo de nuevo”? Pues es lo que me ha pasado con este libro. O cuando piensas “¡¿Por qué no lo he leído antes?!”. Además de unas ganas enormes de leer el libro anterior ahora mismo (y leer después éste).

Huelga decir, que está espléndidamente escrito, con unos personajes diferentes, complicados pero tan bien construidos, que te lo crees a pies puntillas. En cuanto los personajes, son geniales, tremend ¿Sabes esas veces, cuando estás leyendo un libro, estás pensando todo el rato “cuando lo acabe, lo leo de nuevo”? Pues es lo que me ha pasado con este libro. O cuando piensas “¡¿Por qué no lo he leído antes?!”. Además de unas ganas enormes de leer el libro anterior ahora mismo (y leer después éste).

Huelga decir, que está espléndidamente escrito, con unos personajes diferentes, complicados pero tan bien construidos, que te lo crees a pies puntillas. En cuanto los personajes, son geniales, tremendos, con una fuente inagotable de ocurrencias, frases demoledoras que disfrutas como una enana. Solo como ejemplo, Vere, se refiere a ella, con unas comparaciones, unos epítetos, que no paras de reír desde el momento que lo lees.

Vere, es como ver el hermano gemelo de lord Belcebú. No en el aspecto físico (son totalmente diferentes) sino en su actitud, comportamiento y pensamientos (y en cómo te calientan los dos, ffjdlñfjañjslkf). No se corta ni un pelo, dice lo que piensa sin un ápice de sutileza, más bien derrocha sarcasmo. Tiene un pensamiento bastante pésimo por las mujeres. Y tiene mucho más que contar de él, pero mejor leerlo (yo lo haré de nuevo en este año fijo). Lo que sí tiene es unos sentimientos que le marcan mucho en su comportamiento, que definen lo que hace y el porqué lo hace. Y por supuesto, te mantiene con las enaguas calientes, a punto de ebullición, durante todo el santo libro.

Lydia, es una mujer que se ha hecho así misma, se ha criado en los bajos fondos de Londres (no hay que olvidar que estamos en el siglo XIX, y como eran esos bajos fondos), que conoce muy bien las miserias humanas y lucha para mejorar, aunque sea solo un poco, las vidas de algunas persona. Es una mujer muy bella, alta,rubia, como una Valquiria la define Vere, pero por su altura poco convencional, ella se ve poco atractiva (claro, que si se lo preguntas a Vere, te contestaría que está a punto de sufrir priapismo). Pero lo que mejor define a Lydia, es un valor inmenso, una generosidad apabullante y un corazón más grande que una catedral. Ante esta mujer, Vere no tiene nada que hacer, ya que se queda prendado desde el minuto uno en que se encuentra con ella.

He disfrutado conociendo los bajos fondos de Londres, porque nos da una imagen muy real de esa época. En este libro no vais encontrar ni una escena de baile, o un día de compras, ni momento de tomar el té, ni paseo por Hyde Park. Aquí veréis, donde acaban las mujeres jóvenes y cómo acaban, como se puede morir por inanición. Es duro, pero real y merece la pena leerlo.

Y he disfrutado muchísimo con las apariciones de Lord Belcebú (grrrrrrr), como adoro a este hombre. (pensamiento profundo: estaría más que encantada de compartir algo de “tiempo” con Lord Belcebú y Vere a la vez, fdasfdjfdfañec,mncalweoi). Pero también he adorado, disfrutado y amado leer una historia de amor para mi hermano putativo Bertie. Que me ha parecido preciosa.

Lo he dicho, lo leeré este y el anterior este año otra vez. Los dos seguidos, para así padecer un proceso de caliento global y sufrir una fallo multiorgásmico. Dfjlfjalñfjdfñdjfñjafljkjaldjlsk.

P.D. Mi guerra por las traducciones de los títulos al español, la cagan pero bien. ...more

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Jan 06, 2012 Erika rated it it was ok

Shelves: historical, gone-with-the-wind, romance, auto-buy-author

2.5 stars

~~Will write the review. But not before~~ I'm done counting how many epithets Vere has for Lidya.

It's 28 .

1. Miss Boudicca Grenville
2. The gorgon
3. Madam Insolence
4. The dragon lady
5. Miss self-appointed guardian of public morals
6. The amazon
7. Miss Attila the hun Grenville
8. Miss guiding the light of civilization
9. The blue-eyed dragoness
10. Mistress Thespian
11. Lady Grendel
12. The blue-eyed gorgon
13. Miss devious sneak attack Grenville
14. Miss Ivan the terrible Grenville
15. The Grenville ...more

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Apr 05, 2012 Caz rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: romance-regency, 4-and-5-star-books, favourites, audiobook, romance-1800-1850, 2015-mt-tbr

I've given this an A+ for narration and A- for content at AAR.

The Last Hellion is the last of the four books in Ms Chase’s Scoundrels series, which are linked via a number of recurring characters; and it can perhaps be seen as a sequel to the wonderful Lord of Scoundrels. We met Vere Mallory, Duke of Ainswood, in that story when, drunk as a lord (!), he mistook the newly-married Lady Dain for a light skirt and was immediately pummeled into the dirt by Lord Beelzebub himself, and forced to apol ...more

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Apr 20, 2014 KatieV rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: heroine-virgin, genre-historical, locale-england, era-regency, hero-manipulative, hero-brooding-tortured, hero-i-love, hero-titled, lolz

What can I say? I just loved this. I loved the heroine, I loved the hero, I loved the dog. I really don't have anything bad to say.

Loretta Chase has a talent beyond romance. She took a very unpleasant fact of life in the 18th century - one that is rarely addressed in romance novels - and created the base for a great pairing. At its core this book deals with the fact that dealing with death was very much a part of everyone's daily lives during this time in history. In particular the death of chil What can I say? I just loved this. I loved the heroine, I loved the hero, I loved the dog. I really don't have anything bad to say.

Loretta Chase has a talent beyond romance. She took a very unpleasant fact of life in the 18th century - one that is rarely addressed in romance novels - and created the base for a great pairing. At its core this book deals with the fact that dealing with death was very much a part of everyone's daily lives during this time in history. In particular the death of children.

Of course children die today, but in wealthy countries it's almost as infrequent as to be blessedly rare. There are the tragic accidents and some cancers/birth defects we haven't cured yet, but overall most children do make it to adulthood. We have antibiotics and vaccinations now. For many of us, death is something that mostly stays in it's place and visits the old. Honestly, it's hard to imagine how people made it through the things that were facts of life in those days.

Both the hero and heroine had their own little ghosts as well as the loss of various older (but not old enough to die) loved ones to shoulder. The heroine lost her young sister to tuberculosis and the hero his young ward to diphtheria. Both of them dealt with their losses in vastly different ways, but the courses of both of their lives were deeply affected.

Was this book depressing? NO! It wasn't. That's what's great about this author. She sees both the tragedy and the comedy in life and, despite what has happened to the characters, manages to make you laugh as well as cry and the tone is overall very positive and fun.

I really don't know what to say. I have nothing snarky to add. The narrator was fabulous. Revisiting Dain and Jessica was fabulous. Jessica's goofy brother from the previous book even turns out to be a pleasant surprise with more depth than expected.

I highly recommend this and plan on going back to the first 2 novels in the series. Obviously, these don't need to be read in order to be enjoyed or followed. ...more

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Feb 24, 2016 Beatriz rated it liked it

https://beahreads.blogspot.com.br

"O Último Canalha" é a famosa continuação do livro "O Príncipe dos Canalhas" (clique no título da obra para ler toda a negatividade que eu senti durante a leitura desse livro) e eu confesso que a mera ideia de tentar ler novamente qualquer palavra escrita por Loretta Chase apavorava-me.
Porém como boa brasileira, que não desiste nunca, resolvi ignorar a voz do bom senso dentro da minha cabeça e ler essa sequência. No entanto, antes mesmo de iniciar a leitura dess https://beahreads.blogspot.com.br

"O Último Canalha" é a famosa continuação do livro "O Príncipe dos Canalhas" (clique no título da obra para ler toda a negatividade que eu senti durante a leitura desse livro) e eu confesso que a mera ideia de tentar ler novamente qualquer palavra escrita por Loretta Chase apavorava-me.
Porém como boa brasileira, que não desiste nunca, resolvi ignorar a voz do bom senso dentro da minha cabeça e ler essa sequência. No entanto, antes mesmo de iniciar a leitura dessa obra, abaixei o máximo possível todas as minhas expectativas; praticamente tomei um chá de camomila para ficar bem calminha; respirei fundo e finalmente abri o livro.
Infelizmente, nem com todo esse relaxamento intensivo, foi possível aguentar algumas ideias e as 100 últimas páginas desse romance, No entanto vamos ao breve resumo do enredo e posteriormente irei expressar todos os gostos e desgostos que senti com relação a narrativa de Loretta Chase.
Seguindo a temática de libertinos incorrigíveis a autora apresenta agora a história de Vere Mallory. Um canalha de 34 anos que simplesmente não deseja fazer nada da vida a não ser dormir, beber e ocasionalmente dormir com alguma mulher. Como todo bon vivant, nosso protagonista evita todas as damas virtuosas, já que o trabalho (e a dor de cabeça) de deitar-se com uma virgem é enorme demais (e para não fugir do clichê ele também tem aversão a ideia de casar-se).
Eis que todas suas convicções vão por água abaixo quando encontra a jornalista Lydia Grenville numa situação inusitada que acaba ferindo o orgulho e a reputação de macho man do nosso duque de Ainswood (sim, além de tudo isso ele ainda possui o título de duque).
Óbvio que após toda a humilhação do encontro, Vere teve que vingar-se da mocinha. Seu plano maligno consistia em seduzir a moça, destruir sua credibilidade perante a sociedade e consequentemente tornar-se o único homem que conseguiu domar o dragão (apelido carinhoso que foi dado à Lydia).
Basicamente o enredo do livro resume-se a isso, não há grandes acontecimentos ou reviravoltas. E até a página 150 da obra eu estava realmente divertindo-me com as peripécias dos protagonistas (ainda que muitas delas fossem irreais para a época), contudo a autora conseguiu destruir toda minha escassa simpatia após ultrapassar a metade do livro.
Sinto em informar à vocês que a partir do parágrafo seguinte essa resenha conterá vários spoilers e também será levemente negativa. Então agora a leitura desse texto fica por sua conta e risco.
(view spoiler)[ Inicialmente vamos a parte boa e positiva dessa resenha (notícias boas primeiro). Em comparação com "O Princípe dos Canalhas", Loretta Chase realmente evoluiu em sua escrita e elaboração dos personagens e romance.
Vere é o típico libertino que têm todos os defeitos possíveis, porém a autora humaniza o personagem ao mostrar seu relacionamento com Robin (o sexto duque de Ainswood) e como o rapaz sofreu ao ver o pequeno garoto morrer.
Mallory também não hesita em deixar seu coração aberto e nem de apaixonar-se por Lydia. Na realidade de "canalha" nosso mocinho não tinha nada, já que ele só sabia falar (sad but true).
Porém foi graças a esse falatório todo que a autora conseguiu desenvolver diálogos inteligentes e carregados de sarcamos entre Lydia e Vere. O que salvou o livro foi a comicidade da interação entre os protagonistas, pois mesmo depois de casados um continuou provocando o outro e soltando comentários indesejados sempre que possível.
Além disso, a heroína da narrativa também faz sua parte e cativa o leitor com sua personalidade forte. Lydia é a mocinha mais girl power já existente nesse gênero. A garota de 28 anos não é boba ou iludida e muito menos depende de homem para sustentar-se. Seu trabalho de jornalista para a revista Argus permite que ela alcance toda liberdade e influência que uma mulher no ano de 1800 poderia ter.
Admito que gostei de Lydia, o fato dela ser uma mulher mais madura talvez tenha auxiliado no quesito autoestima que tanto vem me incomodando em alguns romances de época (visto que a moça era bem mais resolvida), porém verdade seja dita a Srta. Grenville é bem irreal para a época (e começa assim os aspectos negativos).
Doeu na alma (sintam o drama) ler algumas coisas feitas por Lydia. A moça comportava-se muito como homem e esse fato desnecessário acabou tirando toda a veracidade e ambientação histórica do romance.
Logo no começo é difícil acreditar em todo o seu prestígio perante a sociedade de época e a autora piora as coisas quando faz a moça beber e fumar charuto em um bar numa reunião de trabalho da revista (século XXI encontra século XIX). Não bastasse isso, a moça ainda sai distribuindo soco em todo mundo (em plena via pública), além de discutir seus desejos sexuais bebendo um conhaque com uma prostituta amiga.
Acrescente também na lista a resposta mais masculina de todos os tempos ao pedido de casamento feito por Vere.

"- Obrigada - respondeu em seu tom mais frio e decidido -, mas casamento não é para mim.
Ele se afastou da porta e se postou diante dela, do lado oposto da mesa.
- Não diga! Você tem algum princípio elevado contra o casamento.
- Na verdade, tenho (...) - Eu gostaria de saber por que sou a única mulher que precisa se casar com você para obter o que você paga para dar a outras. Milhares de outras"

Adoro ler mocinhas feministas que lutam pelos direitos das mulheres e não acreditam no ideal de que precisam se casar com alguém para serem felizes ou completas, porém na minha opinião a autora extrapolou um pouco ao criar tal personagem (Lydia era praticamente um Robin Hood de saia) o que prejudicou toda a caracterização da obra. Talvez se esse romance fosse ambientado nos dias atuais, tal problema nem existiria e os leitores conseguiriam aproveitar melhor a leitura.
Problemas à parte, eis o que afundou de vez a obra: aquelas 100 páginas finais de pura enrolação familiar e investigação de desaparecimento das tuteladas de Vere.
Desculpe-me pela grosseria, mas sinceramente não poderia estar ligando menos em descobrir se Lydia era parente de Dain ou se seu pai biológico foi Grenville ou outro homem qualquer. Não tenho paciência para esse drama de novela mexicana em que cada hora a protagonista descobre que é filha de alguém diferente ou que fulano é seu primo perdido. É romance de época e eu quero muito passar o final do livro, lendo romance e não investigar a árvore genealógica dos personagens.
Outro momento em que vou ser extremamente insensível é com as personagens Emily e Elizabeth (as famosas tuteladas). Não tenho nada contra as moças e também não tenho nada a favor, ou seja, na minha experiência de leitura elas foram completamente desnecessárias à essa obra. Por que então fui obrigada a ler umas 30 páginas de enrolação e investigação para encontrar as garotas desaparecidas? (era o que eu me perguntava o tempo todo). Elas não faziam parte da trama principal e o vínculo criado entre elas e o leitor (pelo menos no meu caso) foi tão inexistente que não consegui me preocupar com elas ou seu destino (é eu sei, estou meio bruxa má nessa resenha).
O dilema da prostituta Coralie e sua rixa com Lydia foi o único conflito mais suportável, já que a cena em que Vere e Grenville resolvem entrar na casa da mulher para pegar as joias roubadas da cortesã foi a mais cômica do livro (tirando aquela em que o duque de Ainswood ficou pendurado na carruagem de Lydia só para seguir a moça).
Em resumo, se a obra tivesse acabado na página 150 eu teria classificado esse livro com 4 estrelas, já que ele havia conseguido me fazer rir e distrair um pouco. Porém, a quase mudança de gênero no final da narrativa me fez classificar "O Último dos Canalhas" com 3 estrelas.
Com uma escrita mediana e muitos problemas de execução temática, admito que estou hesitante sobre continuar com a leitura dessa série. Talvez, por ser cabeça dura, opte por ler em ebook o próximo livro de Loretta Chase, pelo menos desse modo ocupo menos espaço na minha estante. (hide spoiler)]
...more

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Jun 22, 2017 Jan130 rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical

Vere unexpectedly became a duke after a series of tragedies in his family. But he doesn't really care about the title or the money he now has. Grieving bitterly, and angry at life, he shuts himself off from the remaining members of his family. He lives a wild and carefree life - wine, women and song - he is 'the last hellion' in his family.

Lydia Grenville had a difficult childhood, but she is reinventing herself as a successful journalist and writer of serials in the newspaper.

Both Vere and Gre ...more

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May 09, 2015 Lady Wesley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fave-favorites, listened, rhr, 2015-faves

January 1, 2016
One of my five 2015 favorites on Romantic Historical Reviews. Please follow the link to see favorites from Caz, Wendy, Claudia, Natalie, Sara, and moi.

May 9, 2015

Kate Reading's audio rendition of The Last Hellion is every bit as good as Lord of Scoundrels. Full, gushing review to come.

June 16, 2015

And here it is . . .

Like thousands of others, I count Lord of Scoundrels as my favorite historical romance, but The Last Hellion is justthisclose to topping my list. I have read them b ...more

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Jun 16, 2014 Wendy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I ADORE THIS BOOK! Don't take any notice of the first part of my review, I've left it there as a lesson to myself! I've listened again and again and THE LAST HELLION is simply superb....

I can't believe that The Last Hellion was written by the same author who wrote the magnificent Lord of Scoundrels, if it were not for characters from the previous book appearing in this one I would not have believed it. I read the two books back to back having only just discovered Ms.Chase's work and was rubbing I ADORE THIS BOOK! Don't take any notice of the first part of my review, I've left it there as a lesson to myself! I've listened again and again and THE LAST HELLION is simply superb....

I can't believe that The Last Hellion was written by the same author who wrote the magnificent Lord of Scoundrels, if it were not for characters from the previous book appearing in this one I would not have believed it. I read the two books back to back having only just discovered Ms.Chase's work and was rubbing my hands together ready for another wonderful feast of a story, I was disappointed.

I did like The Duke of Ainswood's character although I couldn't reconcile him with the Duke described in Lord of Scoundrels. It seems to me that when writing the previous book, Ms. Chase didn't have any idea that she would develop this character further. Vere Mallory, to the outside world is a tall, handsome, dissolute, scruffy, drunkard, always ready for a fight. On the inside he is a soft, kindhearted, sensitive soul, carrying out his good deeds in a self deprecating manner, almost as though he is embarrassed to allow the outside world to see he has a heart and cares. He does care though, and deeply, he has become The Duke of Ainswood by default as a result of a series of deaths in the Mallory family, not least 9 year old Robin, whom he loved and cared for after the death of Robin's Father. Vere blames himself for not being able to save the child and abandons his responsibilities and embarks on his own ruination....as he is The Last Hellion.

So far so good, I was absorbed up to this point. Vere meets Lydia Grenville (known as Lady Grendel when wearing her journalist hat) and is drawn to her, she is a journalist of some repute and a woman ahead of her time, a fighter for women's rights....I like strong women...normally I am attracted to them. Lydia did not strike a cord with me, the description of her conjured up a cold, bossy, dictatorial woman. Beautiful, tall, statuesque, Amazonian, but I could not warm to her character, no matter how many souls she saved with her incredible talents. She is just too perfect, too brave, too independent! Grenville...as Vere keeps calling her - and it really grates on me to hear a woman continuously referred to by her surname - is dealing with her own personal issues, but whereas with Vere Mallory his problems manifest themselves into loveable, roguish and misunderstood, hers did not touch my heart, I felt no empathy.

I was also confused by how many characters were introduced randomly and had to keep backtracking to see what I had missed. The plot is long and convoluted, I grew tired of it but kept plodding on. I do hate being so negative, Loretta Chase is an excellent writer, as proven by her outstanding third book in this series. I have awarded 3 stars (now changed to 5) because there are moments of deep tenderness and humour, the narrative had the potential to be good if it were not so complicated, I also really liked Vere's character, but mainly because I enjoyed Lord of Scoundrels so much. I will persevere in the hope that Loretta Chase regains her mojo in novels of hers I have yet to read, there must be another tale out there written to the standard I know she is capable of. Slaps head here every time I see what an idiot I was!!.

I've reviewed my review! May 2015

I really can't understand what I was thinking! This is a wonderful story and so beautifully written; perhaps my change of heart has something to do with the fact that I have just re-visited it but the audio version this time with the amazing Kate Reading performing it. I only know that this time around I adored it, it was funny, witty and the interaction between the protagonists was fascinating with an absorbing and very clever plot. I Loved it, Loretta Chase has not lost her mojo...I think it's possible that I did - briefly...5 stars....sorry Ms. Chase I did you a disservice in my original review. ...more

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Apr 08, 2012 Jane Stewart rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-romance

Weak 3 stars. This barely kept my interest.

This was written three years after Lord of Scoundrels (LOS) which I loved and gave 5 stars to. I was hoping this might be similar. The two main characters sounded similar. Lydia in this book is competent, smart, and not afraid of Vere. They have multiple spats. But the magic is not here the way it was in LOS. The LOS dialogue was witty and creative. But here the dialogue, events, and relationship felt too much like most other romance novels - nothing to ...more

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Sep 23, 2010 Ƥʋиʏα [Punya Reviews...] rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, loretta-chase, oh-honey-shag-me-silly, sweetnsexy-beta, omg-was-it-fun-or-what

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. My reviews are mostly my thoughts as I went with the book...

Vere was first featured in "Lord of Scoundrels", as Dain's childhood friend. These two were two peas in a pod with their debaucheries, well, almost. Needless to say, I wasn't AT ALL impressed by him (sharing whores? YUK!!) in LoS so, was a bit apprehensive about his book. But, wow didn't he won me over! He certainly did, so did the heroine, Lydia. She was GREAT; a 'really' spunky heroine, a spitfire and I quote real because a lot of the My reviews are mostly my thoughts as I went with the book...

Vere was first featured in "Lord of Scoundrels", as Dain's childhood friend. These two were two peas in a pod with their debaucheries, well, almost. Needless to say, I wasn't AT ALL impressed by him (sharing whores? YUK!!) in LoS so, was a bit apprehensive about his book. But, wow didn't he won me over! He certainly did, so did the heroine, Lydia. She was GREAT; a 'really' spunky heroine, a spitfire and I quote real because a lot of the times, the heroine is said to be those things but ultimately, they either turn out to be TSTLs or ... let's just say don't fulfill my expectations. I had such fun reading Lydia, especially when she punched Vere on the face! Yah, that's right, no missish slap or tap; a solid punch! The scene of their meeting was thus one hell of a scene. ;) And, then there was the name callings, oh God! LOVED it. Afterwards, they met again and again, Lydia being a female reporter and Vere, who's seen his share of tragedies in life (the prologue was heart wrenching) couldn't seem to get her out of his mind. I was totally for Vere because I kinda understood the sadness that always seem to be a part of his life. Their relationship started as less than friendly but not exactly a foe kind of way. Then Vere helps Lydia with her current assignment and it bloomed to something solid in the process. There is this particular scene in a brothel (yah I know, it was funny and hot ;p), where the villain of "Captives of the Night", Francis the boor, was also featured, (setting wise, CotN takes place after the other three, since the villain dies there). You have to read it, I simply loved that scene. Also, another one was with one of Lydia's friends, a courtesan's house. All I can say, these two had some adventures together, then they marry in a whirlwind and boy oh boy, made my head spin! I seriously loved this book. One of my most favorite LC and I hope others would enjoy it as much as I did. :D FYI: This book also takes place somewhat simultaneously with LoS, as the Dain and Jessica are seen in the later part of the story, as married 6 months or so before. Also, there's a twist about Lydia's parentage that took me by surprise. And, yes, these two made some hot lovin' I loved reading! ;)

These are some random comments:

Just read 1st 2 chps, liked the scenes with Vere and his cousin. Really sad. I didn't find many positive things abt him in LoS so ........
**************

Aaaaaaaaa I'm SO loving Lydia! :p She is just abt what I needed to read these days lolzzzzzz and Vere too, but I still love Lydia much better, despite the fact that I'm never partial to blonde and/or amazonian heroines (obvious cause I'm none :p lolzzz)

Lydia, keep it up! ;)
**************

*sigh* ... Ok, nothing new to add, I'm simply hooked! ... I loved the race, thereafter ... The marriage and the love scenes ... Well, now have to see how Lydia manage the girls' disappearance. And for Vere, I love him lovesick and he's kinda funny too, sometimes reminds me of Leo. And, I love Leo. :p
**************

*sighh* some more. Well, I didn't expect that twist in the end but it was surely quite twisty! lolz Otherwise to surmise LOVED it, both Lydia and Vere. End of another LC series (minus the novella which I forgot to read, wasn't sure if it was the part of this or the Carsington series! :p ... Reading it now BTW)

5 stars without a doubt. :D

PS: Did I mention I loved the nicknames they called each other, specially Vere. I LOVED THOSE!!! hahahahaha :D ...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Miranda Davis rated it it was amazing

Shelves: keeper, audio-book

Mr. Impossible, Knave's Wager or this is my second favorite L. Chase Regency. Cannot decide.

In my initial Loretta Chase binge-read years ago, I somehow glossed over the manifest wonders of this story. Having just heard the new audiobook, I now realize it's an utterly terrific Chase read. The title hellion is a complicated man, wracked by guilt, discouraged by grief, punishing himself for the crime of surviving too many of his loved ones. The other hellion, an uncommon woman of many parts, is his ...more

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Nov 06, 2011 Lady Wesley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, bluestocking, rhr, aar-top-100-2010

6 Nov 2014. Just finished reading this book for the third time, and I love it even more. Loretta Chase is just amazing!

6 Nov 2012. Upon rereading -- I've moved this from 4 to 5 stars. It isn't quite as good as Lord of Scoundrels, but it's right up there. The hero's tragedy and redemption is moving, and the heroine is a delightful atypical Regency miss.

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Feb 13, 2008 Julianna rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Fans of Love/Hate Romances, Strong Heroines, Loretta Chase

Shelves: historical-romance, read-2010

Reviewed for THC Reviews
I've seen a number of Loretta Chase fans say that The Last Hellion is equally as good if not better than her incomparable Lord of Scoundrels which is part of the same series. Before I had even finished the first chapter, I could see why. It began with a prologue which explored the hero's background, creating a sympathetic character right from the start who had some pretty good reasons for being a hellion and a dissolute rake. Then readers are introduced to a highly unconv ...more

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Aug 05, 2015 Laura (Kyahgirl) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, humour, romance-historical, part-of-a-series, favorites, fiction-with-animals

5/5; 5 stars; A+

I am so glad that this book is available at Audible. It has long been one of my favorite historical romance books but with the addition of Kate Reading as a narrator, it becomes even better.

The Last Hellion can be read as a standalone but its definitely more fun to read it in conjunction with Lord of Scoundrels. Two of the best in this genre.

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Oct 14, 2014 Deniz rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-romance, alpha-hero, virgin-heroine

I would recommend this book for anyone wanting to read a fun regency
It was funny and entertaining from front to back
Well worth reading!

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Jan 03, 2012 Aly is so frigging bored rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Aly is so frigging bored by: Catherine

Shelves: historical, favorites

I had so much fun reading this book. Thank you Catherin for tempting me with it.

Here are some quotes that I loved:

He gave her a wounded look. "I was not trying to pay any scores. I was consumed by curiosity."
Her eyes narrowed. "About what?"
"How you did it." He let his gaze fall to her manly chest. "It isn't binding, is it? What have you done with your breasts?"
She opened her mouth, then shut it. She looked down at herself, then up at him. Then her jaw set and between her teeth she said, "It's a ...more

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May 16, 2010 Ruth rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-romance, regency-victorian, bad-boy-badass-s-o-b-rake-hero, butt-kickin-spitfire-heroine

I really enjoyed this one. It's not fluff, but has some nice entertaining fluffy bits in it, and all the main characters are incredibly likeable.

It kind of lost its' way a bit towards the end, which is why I marked it down, but it hit all the right buttons for me: heroine that is a serious scrapper and can fight dirty, hero that is more of a Peter Pan combined with 6 ft of sex god, and a cast of fabulous sidekicks (wonderful to see Bertie Trent make a reappearance). I even like the dog, and I'm ...more

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May 16, 2016 Nadia rated it liked it

Shelves: best-hero-ever, heroine-is-my-idol, glad-it-s-over, my-feels-are-all-over-the-place, it-s-so-fluffy-i-m-gonna-die, hell-yeah

I thought if I sleep on it, my mixed feelings will probably untangle themselves and I'll be able to write something similar to a review.
Did not happen.

This book is so overwhelming. So much going on. So many characters and their stories. And we have to see them all through. I felt like the main characters and their love story were almost suffocating under the weight of the plot and all that was happening. I couldn't care less about Lydia's heritage and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why ...more

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Oct 27, 2016 Kimberly Carrington-Fox rated it really liked it

Shelves: sinvergüenzas-melofó, machotes-que-se-mean-en-grey, traumados, enaguas, strong-women, lol, tiempos-pasados, top-100-aar

Nuestra reseña en A la cama con... un libro

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Jan 31, 2013 Iliada rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, loretta-chase, reformed-rake, enemies-to-lovers, tortured-hero, favorites, regency-georgian-victorian, 5-stars

My second book by Loretta Chase and what a fabulous read! And here I was thinking I could not love another of her books as much as Lord of Scoundrels. There is an expression in my country that goes something like: "Have a big bite, but do not say a big word", roughly translated as "Be careful what you say, because you never know what happens". How appropriate to the situation!

The hero, Vere Mallory, Duke of Ainswood is Dain's friend from LOS. Yes! The one who mistook Jessica for a harlot resulti My second book by Loretta Chase and what a fabulous read! And here I was thinking I could not love another of her books as much as Lord of Scoundrels. There is an expression in my country that goes something like: "Have a big bite, but do not say a big word", roughly translated as "Be careful what you say, because you never know what happens". How appropriate to the situation!

The hero, Vere Mallory, Duke of Ainswood is Dain's friend from LOS. Yes! The one who mistook Jessica for a harlot resulting to being beaten by Dain. What are you saying? You can't picture him as a hero?! Yeah! Neither could I until I read the prologue of TLH! Seriously, the guy had me from the prologue! Go figure! As a matter of fact, the prologue did the same thing to me as the one of Lord of Scoundrels. You have a very problematic hero, that's been drinking heavily and sleeping with half of England's prostitutes, but because of the prologue you already love him more than you care to admit and you can forgive him anything. In this case, all of Vere's family, all the people he cared about, died one by one, resulting to him becoming the Duke of Ainswood. So he hates his guts and his position and his life and you couldn't have hated him in a million years.

It's strange how I've always pictured him like this enormously tall guy that you could keep punching until your hand hurt and he wouldn't feel a thing and at the same time as one of the most sensitive heroes. Oh he was such a sweetheart, really! You can't but love him! He did so many good things in the book and not even once admitted that he was a nice person after all, despite all his efforts to be exactly the opposite! And he was really clever, too, even when he was drunk, which was all the time (at least at the beginning). Big surprise here because I took him for a complete idiot when I read LOS!

Now, Lydia, the heroine, is equally tortured. She's lost her mother and sister at a young age and her father was a worthless scoundrel, a drunkard and a third-rate actor that'd even been in prison for debt, before abandoning his daughter. So Lydia was left to fend for herself and she works as a journalist and a writer.

Lydia is too tall for a woman (almost six feet) and very pretty (though I'm not quite sure she has realised that)! She's one of the most quirky, fiery, feisty heroines I've ever read about and definitely not the TSTL type! She's courageous, confident, strong, impossibly intelligent and I love her as much as I love Vere,which is a lot!

Throw Ainswood and Lydia together and what do you get? BOOM! The Last Hellion! Witty banters, quick dialogues, fast pace and many you-will-lough-to-death and also many you-will-cry-your-eyes-out scenes. I will say only this. The first time the h/h met she punched him in the face and knocked him on his "arse". Of course, they have this wonderful love/hate relationship, but they're both aware of the attraction between them and the heroine does not try to hide from it, which was quite refreshing, actually. The first half of the book (view spoiler) is funny and fast and just so good that you can't leave the book from your hands. The second half is sweet and tender and lovesick Vere is wonderful and funny! I wanted to hug the man and squeeze him real hard!

There's a bunch of interesting secondary characters in the book, mainly Tamsin, a girl Lydia saved and took under her wing, and Bertie Trent (Jessica's stupid brother who is not so stupid after all). Dain, Jessica and Dain's son, Dominick, (from Lord Of Scoundrels) make an appearance, too.

IMHO this book is every bit as good as LOS and I really can't understand why it is not as popular. If you like Loretta Chase's humour and style and if you love LOS, pick up The Last Hellion and have a nice time reading this amazing book! ...more

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Feb 14, 2016 Ivana Azap Feješ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-romance

It began with a prologue which explored the hero's background, creating a sympathetic character right from the start who had some pretty good reasons for being a hellion and a dissolute rake. Then readers are introduced to a highly unconventional heroine who is his match in both wit and intelligence. Lydia was a bluestocking journalist, an independent, working woman of the middle-class. It kind of lost its' way a bit towards the end, but it hit all the right buttons for me: heroine that is a ser It began with a prologue which explored the hero's background, creating a sympathetic character right from the start who had some pretty good reasons for being a hellion and a dissolute rake. Then readers are introduced to a highly unconventional heroine who is his match in both wit and intelligence. Lydia was a bluestocking journalist, an independent, working woman of the middle-class. It kind of lost its' way a bit towards the end, but it hit all the right buttons for me: heroine that is a serious scrapper and can fight dirty, hero that is more of a Peter Pan combined with 6 ft of sex god, and a cast of fabulous sidekicks (wonderful to see Bertie Trent). I even like the dog. It starts out with our hero, Vere, or Duke of Ainswood. He's 32 years old, extremely tall and good-looking. There have been many, many deaths in his family - [ the most painful being his 10-year old ward and second-cousin, Robin, whom he spent six months with and dearly loved. Vere has decided to live a very debauched lifestyle with little care for responsibilities or other people. It had two strong leads that I truly adored and it involved runaway wards, unsafe carriage races, big giants mutts named Susan, stolen jewlry and the satisfying unraveling of Lydia's birth (I loved so hard when it turned out she was Dain's cousin.)

Oddly enough, I felt that the narrative focused a little more on the heroine than the hero, which is rather unusual for a romance. I really enjoyed this one. It's not fluff, but has some nice entertaining fluffy bits in it, and all the main characters are incredibly likeable. This book was a treat. The characters were completely endearing, and boy howdy, was it action-packed. In fact, I wish someone would have sat down and enjoyed a nice cup of tea, or a nap. It was a bit exhausting at times, but also charming and fun. Great story from Ms. Chase with strong willed and flawed characters who are just so endearing and entertaining. Satisfying. Satisfying is the only word I can think of when I closed this book. It was perfect. ...more

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Sep 21, 2014 Laura V. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-historical-romance, nook-read, serie-terminada, con-reseña-viene-la-cosa, 2015, quotes-quotes-quotes, desafio-romance-historico-2015

"Y él se preguntó qué maligno poder había creado a un monstruo tan extraordinariamente bello."

Vere es un animal con una muy mala opinión del género femenino, hasta que una le hace caer de culo y atrapa su atención. Obviamente, Lydia no es como las demás así que él rápidamente mete mano y se propone atraparla.

"[...] contemplando aquel desastre humano que tenía por marido."

A mí me pareció que Lydia es quién lo atrapó. Son dos animales, Lydia prefiere ir saltando y pegando golpes a diestra y s ...more

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Nov 28, 2010 Laura (Kyahgirl) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: humour, romance-historical, favorites, fiction-with-animals, re-read

4.5/5; 5 stars; A

Well, this is a re-read of a much loved historical romance. Since I listened to Lord of Scoundrels last week I thought I'd go dig up the rest of my Loretta Chase books.

I really enjoyed the role Lydia Grenville played in this story. Some authors can portray the bluestocking as a bit of a harridan. Not so, here. As a Journalist, she was in a very unconventional profession for the time but she approached it with courage and dignity. She was devoted to her 'cause' but was funny and ...more

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Jan 29, 2015 Kusanagi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, regency, 19-ème, the-duke-and-i

Soyons honnêtes, il n'est pas parfait.... mais j'ia mis 5 étoiles parce qu'il est limite bigger than life....

On a un héros qui pourrait être sombre mais qui a choisie la voie de "youpi roulons nous dans la débauche, les bagarres et l'alcool pour oublier tout ça" en mode "un cerveau, pourquoi faire?" .... en gros Ruru Carsington mais en pire.

Une héroïne qui est.... une valkyrie journaliste et féministe et qui va te mater tout ça d'une poigne de fer. Parce que j'adore Lydia Grenville, qui prend de ...more

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Mar 11, 2016 Flavia (OddCloud) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance

Rating: 4

I don't think I've read another 'historical romance' before this one... But I've enjoyed it surprisingly much! The storyline is decently paced and the intrigues were enough to capture my attention. The main characters were also well portrayed and I found myself snickering every now and then at their exchange of lines.

Another nice aspect was the multiple storylines (if I can call them that), including the very story that Lydia was writing. It was nicely executed, by this I mean I wasn't ...more

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Nov 16, 2009 Kathy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-romance, 2009, lords-dukes-etc, kindle, favorites

I really liked this one. I enjoyed Chase’s sense of humor and the bantering between Vere and Lydia. Although I’m not a big reader of humor, when I have it included in something I’m reading, it just compels me to stay up later than I should to giggle some more. So, yes, I stayed up too late last night and my focus on my job is close to nil today.

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About Loretta Chase

Loretta Lynda Chekani was born in 1949, of Albanian ancestry. For her, the trouble started when she learned to write in first grade. Before then, she had been making up her own stories but now she knew how to write them down to share. In her teenage years, she continue to write letters, keep a journal, write poetry and even attempt the Great American Novel (still unfinished). She attended New Engl ...more

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Scoundrels (5 books)

Books by Loretta Chase

Silk Is for Seduction (The Dressmakers, #1)

Mr. Impossible (Carsington Brothers, #2)

Scandal Wears Satin (The Dressmakers, #2)

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Quotes from The Last Hellion

“If you try to find a replacement, you'll be sadly disappointed, I can't be replaced. I'm the only man in all the world who possesses the right combination of qualities for you.You can turn your Ballister stare upon me all you like, but you can't petrify me. You can knock me about to your heart's content without worrying about doing any damage. You can perpetrate any sort of outrage your wicked mind conceives and be sure I'll join in, with a will. You're a troublemaker, Lydia. A Ballister devil. Nothing less than a Mallory hellion would ever suit you."
- Vere Mallory -” — 39 likes

“We're of one mind, Grenville and I, and the mind is hers, on account of my being a man and not having one.” — 22 likes

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