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The Last Hellion
(Scoundrels #4)
by
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
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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Showing 1-30
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 ...more
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 ...more
You’ll read 50 historical novels with the rake/bad-ass independent chick pairing and not coming across any done this well. I don’t love everything Chase writes. But I do respect it.
Lydia and Vere kept me on my toes. Even with a storyline I’ve read 3 dozen times, I didn’t know what to expect from them next. And they frequently had some odd reactions - that ended up making sense. But threw me in the moment.
Most of the book was a 3 star read. Vere was so funny and obtuse. I thought the book was c ...more
Lydia and Vere kept me on my toes. Even with a storyline I’ve read 3 dozen times, I didn’t know what to expect from them next. And they frequently had some odd reactions - that ended up making sense. But threw me in the moment.
Most of the book was a 3 star read. Vere was so funny and obtuse. I thought the book was c ...more
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 ...more
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 ...more
Jan 03, 2012
Aly is so frigging bored
rated it
it was amazing
Recommended to Aly is so frigging bored by:
Catherine
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
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
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
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
A light fun historical, with a thrill or two provided courtesy of villainous ‘bawds’ and miscellaneous others.
Both the h/H have emotionally scarring pasts but that doesn’t really impact on the present.
I love the strong characterization of the h – physically (a veritable amazon) and mentally (very opinionated). She’s a strongly independent journalist-writer (the characterization seems a bit stretched historically/factually but then…) who’s also into social service and reformation.
The H seems wea ...more
Both the h/H have emotionally scarring pasts but that doesn’t really impact on the present.
I love the strong characterization of the h – physically (a veritable amazon) and mentally (very opinionated). She’s a strongly independent journalist-writer (the characterization seems a bit stretched historically/factually but then…) who’s also into social service and reformation.
The H seems wea ...more
4,5 stars
Lydia is a wonderful heroine! She is unconventional (which is not my favorite trope), but she does it in an unaffected way. She is fearless, loving, caring and make the best out of life's worse experiences. Vere is a rake, friends with Lord Dain ("from Lord of Scoundrels"), a man who made the worse of life's trials and succumbed to vice in all its forms in order to avoid facing reality and its shortcomings. He is sweet in the inside though, and it is impossible not to fall for him strai ...more
Lydia is a wonderful heroine! She is unconventional (which is not my favorite trope), but she does it in an unaffected way. She is fearless, loving, caring and make the best out of life's worse experiences. Vere is a rake, friends with Lord Dain ("from Lord of Scoundrels"), a man who made the worse of life's trials and succumbed to vice in all its forms in order to avoid facing reality and its shortcomings. He is sweet in the inside though, and it is impossible not to fall for him strai ...more
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 ...more
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 ...more
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
A lovely 4.5 stars.
Fabulous narration by Kate Reading and a terrific story, as only Loretta Chase can write when she is on fire.
This book finally deals with Vere, now the Duke of Ainswood, the best mate of that awful man Dane in Lord of Scoundrels (who I never liked. I felt the same about this man Vere- don't get me started) (view spoiler) ...more
Fabulous narration by Kate Reading and a terrific story, as only Loretta Chase can write when she is on fire.
This book finally deals with Vere, now the Duke of Ainswood, the best mate of that awful man Dane in Lord of Scoundrels (who I never liked. I felt the same about this man Vere- don't get me started) (view spoiler) ...more
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
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
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.
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.
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!
It was funny and entertaining from front to back
Well worth reading!
Feb 13, 2008
Julianna
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
Fans of Love/Hate Romances, Strong Heroines, Loretta Chase
Shelves:
read-2010,
historical-romance
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
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
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
All right! My favourite in this series remains book 1, The Lion's Daughter, because I so believed in the passion between Varian and Esme. The Last Hellion's Vere and Lydia are good at the start, but they lose their sharpness (view spoiler) in the middle, and then it eventually descends into the usual "we were haunted by the tragic ghosts of our past but in each other we found hope and love" tripe, which I find unbearably cloying.
One thing I've noticed with ...more
One thing I've noticed with ...more
OK. I loved the book. I loved the bantering between the main leads. The way the romance was handled was quite true to the characters and was hilarious and poignant at the same time. What I didn't like about this book was the number of secondary characters and side stories that were going on. The book was really hard to get into for the first 30% because of this issue. It was great to read about Jessica and Dain again. I generally love Chase's stories because of the female leads in her books....b
...more
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 ...more
The hero, Vere Mallory, Duke of Ainswood is Dain's friend from LOS. Yes! The one who mistook Jessica for a harlot resulti ...more
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
...more
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
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
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
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
The H is a good man who has lost his way due to grief. He seems childish at first but lucky for him, the h comes along to help him. I liked how horrified she was when she realises that she's falling for him. It was not in her life plan at all. They marry midway through this complex story and I thought the plot meandered a bit with the search for her family, but it was still interesting and there were a few sweet romances other than the 2 main characters. Sweet.
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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
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“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 -”
—
43 likes
- Vere Mallory -”
“We're of one mind, Grenville and I, and the mind is hers, on account of my being a man and not having one.”
—
23 likes
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