The Hellion and The Heartbreaker

by Jennifer McNare

A master of seduction… seduced by an innocent…

Vowing never to fall prey to something as foolish and impractical as love, the sinfully handsome Duke of Worthe has long been regarded as one of London’s most profligate rakes. However, entering into a scandalous liaison with the sister of his closest friend is not something even he would consider, despite her breathtaking allure and his fierce, overwhelming desire to possess her. Or so he thought…

Raised by four doting older brothers, and possessing a reckless streak as bold as her fiery red curls, Scarlett McPhearson has long been accustomed to getting what she wants. After becoming acquainted with Alec Weston, the most sought-after bachelor in England, she discovers something she wants more than anything she has ever wanted before, to capture the heart of the man she has come to adore. Willingly surrendering her innocence to a man who offers her passion beyond her wildest dreams, but no false promises of happily ever after, Scarlett will risk pain, sorrow and devastating heartache to win his everlasting love...

Genres: Historical Romance, Historical, Romance, Regency, Historical Fiction, Second Chance, Ebooks

Nook

First published June 1, 2012

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read: 2015
Reread: 5/4/22
Reread: 5/26/25

I just reread only the 2nd half the book. The angst and the h's desperation make it a frustrating book. Alec uses her and then dumps her because she used the L word.

I really wish Scarlet (perfectly named) hadn't fallen so hard and allowed herself to be used. I think I needed more groveling from him.

I still enjoyed this strange book.

******************orginal**************
This is not JM best book! Alec is kind of a d****bag through most of the story. Though Scarlett climbed naked into his bed, he still should have resisted. He not only deflowers his bff sister, he keeps the sexual relationship going. Then, the moment she tells him she loves him, he breaks it off.

The last half of the book saves the story! Alec does redeem himself somewhat, and their son is so adorable 😍. Though the best part of the book is the humor. I Lol many times! I love how Scarlett adorably has her brothers wrapped around her fingers. Her childhood years are so funny!

All in all, JM book is different than I lot of her books. There is Bodice-ripper feel to the book. I'd rank this story somewhere between okay and good.

[Libby · Rating 1 out of 5]

Asshole Duke unknowingly knocks up his best friend's 18 year old sister and then dumps her. Oh, it's not a one time thing and, yes, she pursues him. Then again, she's had a crush on him since she was a child and he didn't refrain from having relations with her knowing that he had no intention of marrying her. Three years later she's back in town and the asshole Duke discovers his 3 year old son and is pissed. I seriously hated this guy. He's another one of those creeps whose life is just so good he has to be determined to never love. Who in the Sam Hill are these jerks and why in the name of all that is holy don't women have enough sense to run in the opposite direction when they come across one of these spoiled little boys. This guy has no honor or integrity. Frankly, after getting all huffy that he despoiled their sister, the brothers turned out to be huge jerks as well. Yep, they all pretty much blamed her because, sure, she was spirited and, obviously, how was he to resist her temptations. The way they sold her off to the guy who knocked her up and dumped her was disgusting.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF 76%
Hero sleeps with 'Numerous' other women during separation and don't you know it, heroine slept with no one else.
Hard to believe this guy even loves her.

[Lori ◡̈ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another pleasant surprise from this author! My second book of hers now, and I love how she writes her characters. So far they have all been very likeable and easy to root for.

This story has one of my favorite tropes, falling for her big brothers bff. I thought it was executed nicely, it held my attention the whole way thru, but....

If I was to criticise anything, I would have liked to have seen them have more screen time together. It did seem in order to follow the author's chosen storyline, it required the hero and heroine to be apart from each other a good chunk of the story. I felt that I kept speed-reading to get to the next part where they would be together and speak again, etc.

My second idea, since it was such a forbidden romance, being the bff's little sister, etc, it would have made it more exciting had their sexy times been more ....unscheduled and not so safe. They could have escaped to an alcove at a ball, or they could have slipped away during a visit to the opera. I don't know, just a bit more risky behaviour to match their risky relationship.

Other than that, I did enjoy the story. I could imagine the predicaments actually happening, and I could imagine the hero's reaction as being an honest reaction to a secret I felt bad for him too!

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scarlett meets Alec her brother’s best friend several times while she is still a child. Their chemistry is sizzling and even though she is too young she falls in love with him. Alec is a handsome, rich Duke. He doesn’t believe in love, in fact he is afraid of love and afraid of risking his heart. The problem is he can’t resist Scarlett. They end up sleeping together but Alec is against marriage and he tells her he has no intention of marrying her. Scarlett is heartbroken. She discovers she is pregnant and decides to go away and keep her baby a secret. 3 years later she is back in town with her adorable son Oliver.

OMG I adored this book! I adored this virginal heroine! She is the sweetest heroine EVER! Her courage, bravery and goodness made me cry. The man she had loved since she was 14 rejects her after making her fall for him but she never resents him or hate him. When she discovers she is pregnant she knows he doesn’t want to marry her so she keeps her pregnancy a secret because she doesn’t want to be a burden or an obligation. This is the first time I can forgive a heroine for keeping her child a secret from the hero. He was so afraid of commitment he gave her no choice. She loves Alec unconditionally, selflessly, with all her heart. Her love confession towards the end was heartbreaking. I wanted to hug her and protect her and adopt her. I loved Alec too. He was a cynical man but that’s what made him so perfect for Scarlett. She is full of love and light and she is exactly what this brooding man needs.

I want to thank my friend Esther for giving this book 5 stars and thus brought it to my attention. Best historical romance ever! I personally adore a martyr heroine and a cynical hero so this book is perfection as far as I am concerned. If you like super kind beta heroes and feisty heroines stay away from this book ;)

(I know some people are bothered by it so I must mention that hero sleeps with other women during separation and heroine slept with no one else.)

[Auj · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.6
I loved and admired Scarlett's determination to get Alec. She was so confident that she would get him and have him fall in love with her it was remarkable. It reminds me of how some heroes in other romance novels I've read recently were also so determined and confident that they would have the girl fall in love with them.
What detracted from the story for me was that Scarlett was so in love with Alec, and he just couldn't seem to love her back. It was kinda sad. And then the ending was so anticlimactic. They had spent so much time with each other in the past, but it's now that all of a sudden Alec finally falls in love with Scarlett. I didn't buy that part.

[Debra Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Purchase Amazon February 16, 2020

The Hellion and The Heartbreaker by Jennifer McNare
Genres: Adult, Historical, Romance
3.75 Stars

While I very much enjoyed this story, for me there were a few areas that I think could have been better.
The mc's were great and I really liked them and the h's brothers, etc.
There were some very sweet, adult, steamy scenes, but I felt they could have been taken up a few notches. I needed something More from the relationship between the mc's.
More intensity? Intrigue? More action from the H? 🤔 A bit of all 3 of those things would have upped my star rating.

There were also areas that were overly wordy and a bit boring.

I will admit to being emotionally invested. There were areas that got me teary and angry.
Other areas made me laugh out loud and grin from ear to ear.

All in all, a very good read. Well written.
I didn't find any typos, etc.

[Ivy H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg. This was perfect. Scarlett was awesome and the Duke was a hard hearted alpha, but I loved it ! And Scarlett's brothers were wonderful.

[Darbella · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 star. Scarlett and Alec. It was interesting having a spoiled, headstrong , beautiful character be the lead. Scarlett was able to have her way a ton by beguiling her brothers who obviously adored her even on things that would have enriched her life if she would have accepted her brothers advice.
The hero is not the kindest guy either. His mom and dad had a bummer of a marriage so he is all boo hoo sex without strings is the only way to go. HA! Alec is her equal in being a handsome, selfish, headstrong guy lead. For example: He is best friends with Scarlett's brother and he still has months worth of sex with Scarlett who if only 17 going on 18. To be fair, she wanted him real bad and due to her almost always getting her way both of them enjoyed the sex until he broke up with her because she told him she loved him.
Then the story took a weird turn because she finds out she is pregnant and convinces her brothers accept her plan that includes one of them paying for falsifying Scarlett a marriage certificate and her son's birth certificate. I guess it was easy to do in those times especially in Scotland?
So after being separated for almost 4 years. Scarlett, her 3 year old son, and her brothers (one is now married and has a baby daughter) head back to London to get Scarlett accepted socially. We find that Alec has went on his merry way and even though sex with Scarlett was the best he ever had he was not doing so bad sexually with others and now has his eyes on Vanessa. Then, he spots his son and BAM he wants his son so they must marry. In this story, he is going to adopt him and then make him his legal heir. I thought that was impossible for a Duke to do?
Some more stuff happen-like they attend some events together, Scarlett comes clean about loving him and tells him about her fake husband and such, and they have a huge wedding. However, I was not 100 percent convinced that Alec really loved her and just did not settle for enjoying the good sex with Scarlett and being able to be a parent to his son and future children. Vanessa was suddenly gone from the story and Scarlett new guy that was getting to know her was gracious in letting her go and promise to keep the secret about Oliver being Alex's real son.
I think if Alec had recognized internally that he loved her before seeing his son that would have made a bigger impact on me and probably my rating would have been higher. I loved Scarlett's brothers, Alec's mom and grandmother, and the epilogue.

[Lady Whitbrooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re Read. Loved it. Hated the “secret”

Oh my oh my. It was an excellent book the only thing that kept it from near perfection was the 4 year lapse in righting the wrong. I greatly disliked that part and the complications it could later cause for Oliver. However, even with that unsavory part it was still excellent. It was my first book by the author.

[Edwina " I LoveBooks" "Deb" · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZON HISTORICAL ROMANCE!! A KEEPER FOR RE READS!!

The Hellion and the Heartbreaker is one of the Best Historical Romance stories I have read in a long time. The book is a keeper and I look forward to re reading it many times. Jennifer McNare the author has written the perfect H/H Scarlett McPhearson is the perfect beautiful, rich, intelligent, smart virginal Character. Alex Weston Duke of Worthe is also written perfectly tall, dark, very handsome, very rich and powerful Duke. The only thing is at times I felt like hitting Alex over the head because of his views on love and the nonchalant way he treated Scarlett after there infamous affair. She was only 18 and he was about 28 they had know each other since childhood and he still walked away from the love of his life. But they do get there HEA 3 years later and they have a beautiful son together named Oliver. At times I didn't know if Alex would ever find out about his son, but toward the end he did. I loved the ending of this wonderful love story. I especially loved Scarlett's courage. The Epilogue was wonderful too. She was so brave and her brothers were jus wonderful characters too. I don't think these characters could have been written any better. This is what I call a Perfectly Written HR and I am so glad I had the opportunity to read it. Truly a page turner for me. I Highly Recommend The Hellion and The Heartbreaker for your reading pleasure. I hope we get stories for some of the other characters mentioned in the story!!

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't like the so called hero in this one.

[Karen Darling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good.

[Gilgamesha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book I was forced to like....I wanted to hate Scarlett...she was impulsive and spoiled...but she was also very kind and humble and down to earth....and boy did she love unconditionally.....I had a bit more success not liking Alec....he was selfish and arrogant...and a player. I just couldn't believe no matter how hard it was for him to refuse Scarlett that he would do that to his best friend....but nonetheless my stupid conscious made me realize that Alec's fear and insecurities came from his mom's nonstop advice about how love brought nothing but misery....I still wanted Alec to do alot of groveling but it made sense that he didn't....to me Scarlett is an amazing embodiment of what a women should be like.....unselfish...putting her love of family and Alec above everything for her.....but in the book she got her happy ending....in real life people like that end up miserable and used. I have learned through others experiences that if a woman wants something she has to fight for it....no amount of sacrifice and love and devotion will bring that....people will just take advantage of your sincere nature and in the end you end up with nothing but your goodness...I admired Scarlett for her courage and selflessness...I could never be her though :)

[Mina · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are comfortable with historicals that take inordinate license with the mores that are supposed to constrain their settings, this might be the book for you. It wasn't for me. Because there's no way a gentleman can bed his best friend's not-remotely-of-age sister (age of majority was at least 21; she was not-quite-17) for weeks on end and not consider himself an outright scoundrel. It's kind of cool that the heroine has such independence to act on her sexuality, except that it fits so poorly with the time period. Also, I can't respect a book with errors like using "illicit" for "elicit" and carelessness with titles (does the Duke have a barony that's older than his dukedom? Is there some other reason for him to be addressed as "Lord Weston"? How can the heroine be called Lady anything when her father was never an English peer? Why did only the incensed hero, and not everyone else, call her Mrs. MacKinnon after her fictitious marriage?).

[Al]

There are some books I loved, mostly because I liked the story. There are some books I hated because the story just didn't appeal to me. Then there are some books that just engages your emotions to the extent that good or bad you will never forget it.

This is that book for me.

The hero's absolute dick move was hard to take, I must admit, but as with all Romance novels all's well that end's well.

The last 60 pages? Gripping, at least for me it was.

[Tracyk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm it was alright - but everyone was so nice & thoughtful & understanding, even after Colin had beaten up Alec (his sister's lover) they still played happy families far to quickly & easily.

[✮ rach ✮ · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 75-ish %

Not worth reading the rest. No way the author can convince me this hero truly loves the heroine.

[Sangria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, I hated this book!

But in the end it was a beautiful story, beautifully written and the supporting characters were outstanding. It’s rare I find a book where I’m solidly on the heroines side. I loved her!

Our hero though........

Left a lot to be desired. Alec, was unworthy! I didn’t think he deserved her until the last couple chapters, I honestly could of used much more groveling. But, it was the sign of the times and at least Scarlett heard the words.....

Three cheers for Scarlett’s brothers! I need a Colin. I lived for their scenes.

BEST BROTHER EVER!

I swear, I don’t think I’ve ever read a historical where the brother of the heroine, wronged, did everything perfectly. Sigh....

Oliver was adorable. Alec’s mother and Duchy, hilarious. This book was old school, romantic, steamy, heartbreaking and heartwarming.

Recommend.

[Shar Nokes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was nearly very good. For me it failed because of the author's lamentable lack of research. This is a real problem with many American writers of historical romance and it is frustrating to English readers (and anyone who knows better). For example, we do not have wild turkeys in the UK and some of the foodstuff blithely described simply were not part of the national diet then, or not in the way described! Most irritating though was the idea that a title can be passed to a son born out of wedlock, even if the parents marry later and the father legally adopts him. Primogeniture simply does NOT work like that and the heroine would know that and be devastated that a male child would be forever denied their proper heritage. Of lesser importance is thinking that a Duke is EVER given the title 'Lord'. They are His Grace Duke of ... Christian and family name are not used. Servants and acquaintances would use 'Your Grace', friends and distant relations would use one element of the title e.g. 'Duke' or ' Wellington' as in the Duke of Wellington. Intimates might use the christian name if invited. I recommend any US author looking at the late author Jo Beverley's short piece on the internet explaining all this and more.

[Julie Keyser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointed

I struggled with rating this story. It had the basis for a really good book& that’s why i rated it with 3 stars ... however , I found the repetitiveness through out the story of Alec being such a ladies man a turn off. Honestly , I found him disgusting... having an affair with his best friends 17 year old sister , treating her like a Whore , then completely discarding her when she admitted she loved him. Years passed and when they run into each other again, we are reminded that Alec had not only moved on but had slept with many more women since ending his affair with scarlet. Basically Alec is the type “out of site out of mind”!!!
His character was such a huge turn off, a pig. And yet Scarlet still loves him, still wants him back , doesn’t hold him accountable for his selfish behavior & she has no ill will towards him, ugh the story was irritating

[Natalie T · Rating 5 out of 5]

To see Alec come face to face with his son pulled at my heart. He knew looking into the 3 year old eyes that he was his. Scarlett was very strong to walk away from Alec when he told her that nothing would come of there relationship even though she was in love with him. With only her pride intact she left and went back home only to find out later she was pregnant. I loved how her brothers rallied around her to protect her from the scandal even though it could have ruined them all. Alec and Scarlett got their HEA and the epilogue was beautiful to see them happy and with their children. I would also like to read more about her brothers Colin, Connor, Rory and Gavin. This would be nice if they had their own story.

[Jultri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite enjoyable but despite the emotionally charged plot in the second half, it did not wring tears from me like these books often do. The writing was rather factual and somewhat detached. The heroine was a spoilt child when they first met, of the instant gratification type. She remained this way for most of the book which could have contributed to my lack of empathy for her. The hero should have known better. Still an entertaining book.

[Zena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended!
Scarlett in this story reminded me very much of Scarlett O'Hara in 'Gone with the Wind'. Her temperament and the way she acts is so similar and it is quite beautiful. Both are Hellions of note!
Our Heartbreaker is Alec and he doesn't even realize what an impact he has had on Scarlett. His breaking up with her totally devastates her and then three years later, when he realizes something about her son, he does a complete turn-about and arrogantly makes demands of her. How I wanted to kick his backside then!
All the characters have been well thought out and nicely constructed so that they play their roles beautifully and I loved them all. I enjoyed the story very much too as it held my interest and I was nicely entertained.
I feel I can safely recommend this book!

[Sera · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[RedRedtheycallmeRed · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like your historical romances a bit more "modern", then you will probably like this one. Given the time period, a lot of what happened in this book was just too improbable, I had to suspend my belief quite a bit. That said, it was well written and I thought the story flowed well, I read it in an afternoon.

Scarlett was an entertaining character, she was smart (well, except when it came to men) and sassy. I loved the relationship she had with her four brothers, who were all good supporting characters.

I had a hard time with Alec, who spent the majority of the book acting like a selfish, insufferable jackass. Really, the book was 95% done before I stopped hating him.

[Casamore Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this historic romance! captivating!

This story sucked me in! I could not put it down. A lot of women can identify with Scarlett! When have we not been selfless in love!

[Jenny Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't quite forgive McNare for including an eligible man who was vastly superior to the heroine's love interest in every way.

[Bella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to give it 4 stars but I couldn't because it ended abruptly 😕 the content is lacking as it is not detailed

[Tisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this story of Scarlett & Alec's history, from childhood disagreements, to teenage pup love, to young adulthood desire and love.
Scarlett, is strong, determined, and has her brothers rapped around her little finger thru the years.
But at 14 she falls for the horse thief when he listen to her when they go for a morning ride with their horses. She loves that he listens to her and treats her like an equal when it comes to her knowledge of horses & life. She gets her first kiss.

Alec is handsome, family friend to Scarlett's brothers. He doesn’t believe in love, in fact he is afraid of love and doesn't want to risk his heart. Plus he cannot love Scarlett the sister of his best friends. They will kill him.
She falls for him hard & is determined to prove she is all woman when she turns 18.
He cannot believe this little brut that bit him when she was 12 for buying her horse has now gotten under his skin. He cannot, he just cannot.
Alec is now invited to her 18th birthday and he cannot believe how much Scarlett has changed physically. Scarlett needs to prove to her brothers & Alec that she is a woman and the only way to do that is to ace the proper lady, manners, finance, dresses Yuck!! But if she wants Alec to notice and love her she has to be a lady during Alec visit to their home. She wants her first kiss. Plus she will seduce him to get him to love and marry her. Scarlett always gets what she wants.

Read the love, passion, pain that Scarlett & Alec go thru to sacrifice for true love.