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Lady Viper and the Bastard
From USA Today Bestselling author Eva Leigh comes a tale of two wicked villains finding unexpected lust—and love
Lady Violet “Viper” Hampton is known for her fierce reputation in the ballroom and the bedroom, but her vicious reputation is nearly matched by her rakish rival, Ian “the Bastard” Molineaux. When Violet and Ian are separately hired by families seeking to tear a loving couple apart, the two enemies must work together. The bastard and the viper use every weapon in their seductive arsenal to emerge the victor, yet the passion between them is as explosive as it is dangerous…
Lady Viper and the Bastard was originally published in the Villain I'd Like to F... anthology.
Lady Violet “Viper” Hampton is known for her fierce reputation in the ballroom and the bedroom, but her vicious reputation is nearly matched by her rakish rival, Ian “the Bastard” Molineaux. When Violet and Ian are separately hired by families seeking to tear a loving couple apart, the two enemies must work together. The bastard and the viper use every weapon in their seductive arsenal to emerge the victor, yet the passion between them is as explosive as it is dangerous…
Lady Viper and the Bastard was originally published in the Villain I'd Like to F... anthology.
Kindle Edition
Published June 11, 2023
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About the author
Eva Leigh
27 books1,478 followersEva Leigh is a USA Today bestselling romance author. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, her books have been featured by the New York Times, NPR, Oprah Daily, the Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus, Booklist, Self, Paste Magazine, and many more. Her work has also been translated into numerous languages. She lives on the Central California coast with her husband and cats. Visit her on the web at evaleighauthor.com.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 15, 2023
Lady Viper and the Bastard was originally published in the Villain I'd Like to F... anthology.
Lady Viper and the Bastard is officially my least favorite book by Eva Leigh. It wasn't like it was a super awful story or anything but unlike with Two Rakes for Mrs. Sparkwell and An Education in Pleasure (also originally part of anthologies), I just didn't vibe with this one.
This story featured Violet Hampton a.k.a. Lady Viper and Ian Molineaux a.k.a. the Bastard. Without knowing it, they both get hired by families who are trying to keep their daughter and son away from one another. Now it seems that Violet and Ian have to work together to accomplish the goal. If only they weren't getting distracted by each other.
What I did enjoy about this book was that Violet and Ian both were in their 40's, which isn't an age that I often see in historical romances, at least not with the female main character. It was also a hate-to-love or enemies-to-lovers romance. This is one of my favorite tropes usually, but I wasn't feeling it with these two characters. I think if this had been a full-length novel and had a little more backstory about both Violet and Ian that I would've liked it more.
Lady Viper and the Bastard was a sexy historical romance but other than that it didn't have a whole lot that I enjoyed. Not enough characterization and backstory due to the number of pages but it's fine for a one-time read. I'm sure other readers will like it more than I did, but it wasn't for me this time around.
Lady Viper and the Bastard is officially my least favorite book by Eva Leigh. It wasn't like it was a super awful story or anything but unlike with Two Rakes for Mrs. Sparkwell and An Education in Pleasure (also originally part of anthologies), I just didn't vibe with this one.
This story featured Violet Hampton a.k.a. Lady Viper and Ian Molineaux a.k.a. the Bastard. Without knowing it, they both get hired by families who are trying to keep their daughter and son away from one another. Now it seems that Violet and Ian have to work together to accomplish the goal. If only they weren't getting distracted by each other.
What I did enjoy about this book was that Violet and Ian both were in their 40's, which isn't an age that I often see in historical romances, at least not with the female main character. It was also a hate-to-love or enemies-to-lovers romance. This is one of my favorite tropes usually, but I wasn't feeling it with these two characters. I think if this had been a full-length novel and had a little more backstory about both Violet and Ian that I would've liked it more.
Lady Viper and the Bastard was a sexy historical romance but other than that it didn't have a whole lot that I enjoyed. Not enough characterization and backstory due to the number of pages but it's fine for a one-time read. I'm sure other readers will like it more than I did, but it wasn't for me this time around.
May 6, 2025
This isn't just a super steamy novella, it's also funny, emotional, and totally unique.
Two cynical rakes, Lady Violet and Mr. Monileaux, both in their mid-40s, are employed by warring families to tear apart two young lovers.
Part of the Villains I'd Like to F... anthology, both the hero and the heroine are villains in this, and they made the perfect match. I especially loved the way that the young couple taught them about love.
Two cynical rakes, Lady Violet and Mr. Monileaux, both in their mid-40s, are employed by warring families to tear apart two young lovers.
Part of the Villains I'd Like to F... anthology, both the hero and the heroine are villains in this, and they made the perfect match. I especially loved the way that the young couple taught them about love.
July 6, 2023
I devoured this delicious book! Serious Dangerous Liaisons vibes, and I loved every minute of it. Their banter was absolute perfection and the steam - in typical Eva Leigh fashion - does not disappoint. Will read again!
July 26, 2023
Actual rating 2.7. It was OK but lacked depth of character and I did not see any action, just two people that lust after one another going in circles.
September 27, 2024
Far from her best work, the main characters are despicable and there is certainly a very strong nod to the idea behind Dangerous Liaisons. The story lacks charm or conviction for me.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews