Lord of Wicked Intentions by Lorraine Heath

 

Lord Rafe Easton may be of noble blood, but survival taught him to rely only on himself and to love no one. Yet when he sets his eyes on Miss Evelyn Chambers, and earl's illegitimate daughter, he is determined to have her, if only as his mistress.

After her father's death, Evelyn Chambers never imagined she would be sold to the highest bidder, yet circumstances give her little choice except to accept the lord's indecent proposal. Rafe is wealthy, as well as ruthless. Yet his coldness belies deep passion and deeper secrets. If she must be his, Evelyn intends to lay bare everything the Lord of Pembrook is hiding. But dark discoveries threaten to destroy them both until unexpected love guides the last lost lord home.

*****

 Lord of Wicked Intentions wraps up Lorraine Heath’s The Lost Lords of Pembrook trilogy with Rafe’s story, and what a poignant, romantic, passionate, beautifully told story is it!

I haven’t read the first two books – yet – but I can’t imagine either of Rafe’s brothers had a harder life than he did. The youngest of the three at the time, he was left at a workhouse while his brothers went off to do what they had to do in order to return to Pembrook one day and reclaim their inheritance. Workhouses were horrid places and my heart broke for Rafe as we learn some of what he had to endure, just to survive the years spent waiting for his brothers return.

I adore Rafe – the boy he was, and the man he became. And Evelyn – Evie – what a wonderful woman she is! Strong, loving, compassionate… the kind of woman I would want to be, living in her era. One of my favorite “quotes” comes from Evie, and speaks to her determination to not just survive, but to live.

He had revealed only bits and pieces of himself but she was beginning to gain a sense of the whole. Like her, he had been left with no one to see after him. But he had managed to make himself into a successful man. He had not relied on his heritage, but on himself. He was to be admired.

Perhaps someday she would meet a man who would respect her for doing what she had needed to in order to survive.

As I said, I did read this story first, and I can tell you it does work well on its own. That said, I’m so intrigued by Sebastian’s and Tristan’s stories, that I immediately purchased their books and will be reading them soon. If you haven’t yet purchased Lord of Wicked Intentions, or even if you have, grab She Tempts the Duke and Lord of Temptation too, so you can read them all in order. And don’t forget the charming Christmas novella, Deck the Halls With Love.

The bottom line: Lorraine Heath is a truly talented writer and one of my few go-to authors when I need a guaranteed feel good story. Her characters are always amazing people with such an incredible capacity for love, whether giving it or receiving it, whether deserved or not. Though, in the end, their happily ever afters are hard fought, and always deserved.

My thanks to Avon Books and Edelweiss for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.