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Scandal at the House of Russell #3
Never Marry a Viscount
She’s crept back into the home she lost. He’s crept into her heart.
Sophie Russell was once society’s darling. But after the disgrace and death of her father, she now finds all doors firmly shut to her—including those of her family home. To discover the secrets now hidden within its beloved walls, she’ll pose as a cook and spy on the estate’s new owner, a broodingly handsome viscount, who may have schemed against the Russells. Instead of dishing up the truth, the viscount tempts Sophie with delicacies of his own…
Viscount Griffiths suspects that there is more to his new cook than meets the eye—especially since it was a mistress he hired sight unseen, not a cook. With the hope that her passion in the kitchen will extend to his bedchamber, he humors the beautiful interloper. But when that passion burns to brightest love, revelations may shake both of their wary hearts…
The final sensuous book in the Scandal at the House of Russell trilogy will lay the truth bare.
Sophie Russell was once society’s darling. But after the disgrace and death of her father, she now finds all doors firmly shut to her—including those of her family home. To discover the secrets now hidden within its beloved walls, she’ll pose as a cook and spy on the estate’s new owner, a broodingly handsome viscount, who may have schemed against the Russells. Instead of dishing up the truth, the viscount tempts Sophie with delicacies of his own…
Viscount Griffiths suspects that there is more to his new cook than meets the eye—especially since it was a mistress he hired sight unseen, not a cook. With the hope that her passion in the kitchen will extend to his bedchamber, he humors the beautiful interloper. But when that passion burns to brightest love, revelations may shake both of their wary hearts…
The final sensuous book in the Scandal at the House of Russell trilogy will lay the truth bare.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 23, 2014
167 people are currently reading
1131 people want to read
About the author
Anne Stuart
203 books2,062 followersAnne Stuart is a grandmaster of the genre, winner of Romance Writers of America's prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, survivor of more than thirty-five years in the romance business, and still just keeps getting better.
Her first novel was Barrett's Hill, a gothic romance published by Ballantine in 1974 when Anne had just turned 25. Since then she's written more gothics, regencies, romantic suspense, romantic adventure, series romance, suspense, historical romance, paranormal and mainstream contemporary romance for publishers such as Doubleday, Harlequin, Silhouette, Avon, Zebra, St. Martins Press, Berkley, Dell, Pocket Books and Fawcett.
She’s won numerous awards, appeared on most bestseller lists, and speaks all over the country. Her general outrageousness has gotten her on Entertainment Tonight, as well as in Vogue, People, USA Today, Women’s Day and countless other national newspapers and magazines.
When she’s not traveling, she’s at home in Northern Vermont with her luscious husband of thirty-six years, an empty nest, three cats, four sewing machines, and one Springer Spaniel, and when she’s not working she’s watching movies, listening to rock and roll (preferably Japanese) and spending far too much time quilting.
Anne Stuart also writes as Kristina Douglas.
Her first novel was Barrett's Hill, a gothic romance published by Ballantine in 1974 when Anne had just turned 25. Since then she's written more gothics, regencies, romantic suspense, romantic adventure, series romance, suspense, historical romance, paranormal and mainstream contemporary romance for publishers such as Doubleday, Harlequin, Silhouette, Avon, Zebra, St. Martins Press, Berkley, Dell, Pocket Books and Fawcett.
She’s won numerous awards, appeared on most bestseller lists, and speaks all over the country. Her general outrageousness has gotten her on Entertainment Tonight, as well as in Vogue, People, USA Today, Women’s Day and countless other national newspapers and magazines.
When she’s not traveling, she’s at home in Northern Vermont with her luscious husband of thirty-six years, an empty nest, three cats, four sewing machines, and one Springer Spaniel, and when she’s not working she’s watching movies, listening to rock and roll (preferably Japanese) and spending far too much time quilting.
Anne Stuart also writes as Kristina Douglas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 166 reviews
August 21, 2016
This is a fluff filled, cotton candy, rainy day with a cup of hot chocolate AND marshmallows kind of read. The hero is dark, misunderstood and guarded. The heroine is likable, flirtatious and somewhat silly at times. I loved the play on words used and laughed more than once at the different scenarios that happened. This book made me feel happy and at a page count around 250 it is a light and easy kind of read. Note: This is the third book of a series but I hadn’t read the first two and didn’t have any issues. This can be read as a stand-alone.
Sophie Russell and her sisters have been cast out of society since the death of their father and the embezzlement that he was accused of losing everything they had. Convinced that the true culprit is one of her father’s associates Sophie’s sisters have left her to investigate two of the men they think most suspect of the crime. Sophie has been left on the family estate living in the cottage of her former nanny and spying on the last suspect Viscount Alexander Griffiths from afar. The best part of her day is watching the swim he takes every day.
The linen of his underdrawers clung to him, outlining that part that a proper young lady was supposed to pretend didn’t exist until it got slammed into her on her wedding night.
With his new Viscount Title and inheritance Alexander has women falling all over him in hopes of marriage. Since his first marriage didn’t go so well he is determined to stay a bachelor, but a man has needs. To solve this problem he has ordered an escort from London to come be his mistress. Through a misunderstanding when Sophie takes on the position as cook for the estate he believes her to be the mistress he has ordered and the double entendre fun begins.
“I promise to fill my position to the absolute best of my abilities.” She swallowed, then continued doggedly onward. “But I have my own ways of doing things. I promise you will have nothing to complain about with what I offer you.” She was feeling reckless—….. “I swear to you that by the time I’m finished, you will be struck silent with awe and admiration.”
Sophie is trying to discover if Alexander is responsible for the death of her father, Alexander is trying to figure out why Sophie isn’t behaving like a mistress for hire and keeps being aloof and acting extremely innocent to all of his advances. I enjoyed the unintentional teasing and foreplay between them as they dance around one another.
Let’s face it we all know this is going to be a HEA and since this is the end of this series the bad guys will be brought to justice. Still I had a great time reading it and will probably go back and read the other stories in this series as I really liked the glimpses of the couples from those that were included.
Thank you to Montlake Romance via Netgalley for the arc
Sophie Russell and her sisters have been cast out of society since the death of their father and the embezzlement that he was accused of losing everything they had. Convinced that the true culprit is one of her father’s associates Sophie’s sisters have left her to investigate two of the men they think most suspect of the crime. Sophie has been left on the family estate living in the cottage of her former nanny and spying on the last suspect Viscount Alexander Griffiths from afar. The best part of her day is watching the swim he takes every day.
The linen of his underdrawers clung to him, outlining that part that a proper young lady was supposed to pretend didn’t exist until it got slammed into her on her wedding night.
With his new Viscount Title and inheritance Alexander has women falling all over him in hopes of marriage. Since his first marriage didn’t go so well he is determined to stay a bachelor, but a man has needs. To solve this problem he has ordered an escort from London to come be his mistress. Through a misunderstanding when Sophie takes on the position as cook for the estate he believes her to be the mistress he has ordered and the double entendre fun begins.
“I promise to fill my position to the absolute best of my abilities.” She swallowed, then continued doggedly onward. “But I have my own ways of doing things. I promise you will have nothing to complain about with what I offer you.” She was feeling reckless—….. “I swear to you that by the time I’m finished, you will be struck silent with awe and admiration.”
Sophie is trying to discover if Alexander is responsible for the death of her father, Alexander is trying to figure out why Sophie isn’t behaving like a mistress for hire and keeps being aloof and acting extremely innocent to all of his advances. I enjoyed the unintentional teasing and foreplay between them as they dance around one another.
Let’s face it we all know this is going to be a HEA and since this is the end of this series the bad guys will be brought to justice. Still I had a great time reading it and will probably go back and read the other stories in this series as I really liked the glimpses of the couples from those that were included.
Thank you to Montlake Romance via Netgalley for the arc
September 7, 2016
This, the final book in Ms Stuart’s Scandal at the House of Russell trilogy, focuses on Sophie, the youngest of the three Russell sisters who were left destitute after the sudden and suspicious death of their father.
Determined to prove that he was innocent of embezzling all the funds from his successful shipping company, and to identify his killer, the eldest of the ladies, Bryony, came up with the plan of infiltrating the households of the three prime suspects: The Earl of Kilmartyn, Captain Thomas Morgan, and Viscount Alexander Griffiths, whose family estate, Renwick, had become home to the Russell family after Mr Russell won it in a card game from the previous viscount.
With Bryony now married to Kilmartyn (and out of the country) and Madeleine somewhere in Plymouth investigating Morgan, Sophie has had enough of waiting out her days in the company of their old nanny in a cottage on the edge of the massive Renwick estate. It reverted to the possession of the Griffiths family on her father’s death, and the new viscount has recently taken up residence there. From the rumours circulating to the effect that he killed his first wife a decade ago, and her own fondness for gothic novels, Sophie has taken to thinking of him as “The Dark Viscount”, believing him to be brooding, haunted and quite possibly completely bonkers. But once she sets eyes on him, Sophie has to admit that while he’s certainly darkly brooding, the likelihood of his being a raving maniac is slight. He’s far too self-possessed, not to mention far too stunningly gorgeous to have taken to re-animating corpses or locking up madwomen in the attics.
(Personally, I don’t see that being gorgeous precludes that sort of thing - but I digress.)
When an opportunity presents itself for Sophie to take a leaf out of Bryony’s book and infiltrate the house of “her” suspect – she takes it, turning up at Renwick’s kitchen door at a time of complete chaos due to the presence of visitors in the house and the sudden departure of the cook. Sophie lets the staff believe she’s the replacement - she might not have done a day’s work in her life, but one thing she does know how to do is cook, and she throws herself into the new role with gusto.
Having already spent a few weeks ogling the masculine loveliness that is Alexander Griffiths from afar, Sophie is disturbed to find that he’s even more beautiful close-to, and is further unsettled by the air of dangerous sensuality he exudes and the keen interest he immediately takes in her. He might have an unsavoury reputation, but he’s never been one for bedding the females in his employ. Sophie is even more puzzled when he questions her as to her suitability for the position of cook, and insists on making certain that she has been sent there by one Mrs. Lefton, whom Sophie assumes must be the name of someone from the employment agency used to search for a replacement.
But Alexander isn’t at all concerned with Sophie’s culinary abilities and the position he’s talking about isn’t one in his kitchen. Mrs. Lefton is in fact the name of the madam he asked to find him a mistress, and Sophie’s repeated confirmations that Mrs. Lefton sent her leads to a series of misunderstandings and double entendres worthy of a Carry on Film.
"I never undertake something without throwing myself into it completely, and I promise you that you will have absolutely no complaints about my … my cooking.” She stammered over the words. So they were going to speak in code, were they?
“Oh, I expect you’re an excellent … ah … cook. Mrs. Lefton would never have sent me a candidate who was unqualified. But there seems to be a certain lack of enthusiasm for some of the duties the job entails.”
“Oh, no, my lord… You will find that your faith in Mrs. Lefton’s judgment is not misplaced,” she continued. “I will stop at nothing in my efforts to please you. I am very creative and I promise to astonish your senses with delights you haven’t even dreamed of.”
Alexander obviously doesn’t realise she’s talking about her vol-au-vents!
The heat of the attraction between these two characters is intense, even when they’re at cross-purposes. Sophie is wary of her Dark Viscount, but completely unable to resist the strong pull she feels towards him; and Alexander, world-weary and still reeling from the impact of the death of his younger half-brother, finds himself quickly in the grips of a lust-crazed obsession for his new “cook”.
He’s not a particularly appealing character to start with; – sarcastic and domineering and when it comes to Sophie, concerned only with slaking his own powerful physical desires. But even when he’s being arrogant and obnoxious, he’s sexy as sin and when push comes to shove, and it’s time for him to polish up his rusty armour and get out the white charger, he doesn’t make a bad job of it.
I’m a fan of Ms Stuart’s, and while it pains me to say that this series has perhaps not been her best work, I did enjoy this book a lot more than the previous one (Never Trust a Pirate). This is mainly due to the strong chemistry between the central couple and because, in spite of his initial unpleasantness, Alexander still managed to charm my socks off. He isn’t as dark as some of Ms Stuart’s gamma heroes and has good reason for his cynicism, yet his arrogance and ruthlessness are eventually balanced by an innate sense of honour he can’t ignore, no matter how much he might want to think he’s not that sort of man.
Sophie is the youngest and most indulged of the three sisters, but she’s got a backbone of steel, and the determination to go with it. She’s well aware of her own attractiveness and knows its effect on men, but is level-headed enough to know that she can’t take credit for her looks and clever enough to know how to put them to good use. The cat-and-mouse game towards seduction is well-crafted, and the double-entendres come (see what I did there?) thick and fast (and there?), but fortunately the misunderstandings behind it all aren’t allowed to drag on for too long.
Being the last book in the series, Never Marry a Viscount brings back Sophie’s sisters and their respective spouses and neatly ties up the mystery surrounding Mr Russell’s death. The characterisations of Alexander’s step-mother and half-brother smacked somewhat of cartoon villainy. Sophie’s actions in the later stages of the plot don’t make much sense, and while the attraction between her and Alexander is undeniable, I wasn’t totally convinced that either of them had actually fallen in love. That said though, by the end of the story, it was clear they were well on their way to it.
Never Marry a Viscount is entertaining and stylishly written with a pervading sensuality to it that drew me in completely. Despite the issues I’ve mentioned and a couple of other, more minor inconsistencies, I enjoyed it; daft denouement, camp villains, and all!
Determined to prove that he was innocent of embezzling all the funds from his successful shipping company, and to identify his killer, the eldest of the ladies, Bryony, came up with the plan of infiltrating the households of the three prime suspects: The Earl of Kilmartyn, Captain Thomas Morgan, and Viscount Alexander Griffiths, whose family estate, Renwick, had become home to the Russell family after Mr Russell won it in a card game from the previous viscount.
With Bryony now married to Kilmartyn (and out of the country) and Madeleine somewhere in Plymouth investigating Morgan, Sophie has had enough of waiting out her days in the company of their old nanny in a cottage on the edge of the massive Renwick estate. It reverted to the possession of the Griffiths family on her father’s death, and the new viscount has recently taken up residence there. From the rumours circulating to the effect that he killed his first wife a decade ago, and her own fondness for gothic novels, Sophie has taken to thinking of him as “The Dark Viscount”, believing him to be brooding, haunted and quite possibly completely bonkers. But once she sets eyes on him, Sophie has to admit that while he’s certainly darkly brooding, the likelihood of his being a raving maniac is slight. He’s far too self-possessed, not to mention far too stunningly gorgeous to have taken to re-animating corpses or locking up madwomen in the attics.
(Personally, I don’t see that being gorgeous precludes that sort of thing - but I digress.)
When an opportunity presents itself for Sophie to take a leaf out of Bryony’s book and infiltrate the house of “her” suspect – she takes it, turning up at Renwick’s kitchen door at a time of complete chaos due to the presence of visitors in the house and the sudden departure of the cook. Sophie lets the staff believe she’s the replacement - she might not have done a day’s work in her life, but one thing she does know how to do is cook, and she throws herself into the new role with gusto.
Having already spent a few weeks ogling the masculine loveliness that is Alexander Griffiths from afar, Sophie is disturbed to find that he’s even more beautiful close-to, and is further unsettled by the air of dangerous sensuality he exudes and the keen interest he immediately takes in her. He might have an unsavoury reputation, but he’s never been one for bedding the females in his employ. Sophie is even more puzzled when he questions her as to her suitability for the position of cook, and insists on making certain that she has been sent there by one Mrs. Lefton, whom Sophie assumes must be the name of someone from the employment agency used to search for a replacement.
But Alexander isn’t at all concerned with Sophie’s culinary abilities and the position he’s talking about isn’t one in his kitchen. Mrs. Lefton is in fact the name of the madam he asked to find him a mistress, and Sophie’s repeated confirmations that Mrs. Lefton sent her leads to a series of misunderstandings and double entendres worthy of a Carry on Film.
"I never undertake something without throwing myself into it completely, and I promise you that you will have absolutely no complaints about my … my cooking.” She stammered over the words. So they were going to speak in code, were they?
“Oh, I expect you’re an excellent … ah … cook. Mrs. Lefton would never have sent me a candidate who was unqualified. But there seems to be a certain lack of enthusiasm for some of the duties the job entails.”
“Oh, no, my lord… You will find that your faith in Mrs. Lefton’s judgment is not misplaced,” she continued. “I will stop at nothing in my efforts to please you. I am very creative and I promise to astonish your senses with delights you haven’t even dreamed of.”
Alexander obviously doesn’t realise she’s talking about her vol-au-vents!
The heat of the attraction between these two characters is intense, even when they’re at cross-purposes. Sophie is wary of her Dark Viscount, but completely unable to resist the strong pull she feels towards him; and Alexander, world-weary and still reeling from the impact of the death of his younger half-brother, finds himself quickly in the grips of a lust-crazed obsession for his new “cook”.
He’s not a particularly appealing character to start with; – sarcastic and domineering and when it comes to Sophie, concerned only with slaking his own powerful physical desires. But even when he’s being arrogant and obnoxious, he’s sexy as sin and when push comes to shove, and it’s time for him to polish up his rusty armour and get out the white charger, he doesn’t make a bad job of it.
I’m a fan of Ms Stuart’s, and while it pains me to say that this series has perhaps not been her best work, I did enjoy this book a lot more than the previous one (Never Trust a Pirate). This is mainly due to the strong chemistry between the central couple and because, in spite of his initial unpleasantness, Alexander still managed to charm my socks off. He isn’t as dark as some of Ms Stuart’s gamma heroes and has good reason for his cynicism, yet his arrogance and ruthlessness are eventually balanced by an innate sense of honour he can’t ignore, no matter how much he might want to think he’s not that sort of man.
Sophie is the youngest and most indulged of the three sisters, but she’s got a backbone of steel, and the determination to go with it. She’s well aware of her own attractiveness and knows its effect on men, but is level-headed enough to know that she can’t take credit for her looks and clever enough to know how to put them to good use. The cat-and-mouse game towards seduction is well-crafted, and the double-entendres come (see what I did there?) thick and fast (and there?), but fortunately the misunderstandings behind it all aren’t allowed to drag on for too long.
Being the last book in the series, Never Marry a Viscount brings back Sophie’s sisters and their respective spouses and neatly ties up the mystery surrounding Mr Russell’s death. The characterisations of Alexander’s step-mother and half-brother smacked somewhat of cartoon villainy. Sophie’s actions in the later stages of the plot don’t make much sense, and while the attraction between her and Alexander is undeniable, I wasn’t totally convinced that either of them had actually fallen in love. That said though, by the end of the story, it was clear they were well on their way to it.
Never Marry a Viscount is entertaining and stylishly written with a pervading sensuality to it that drew me in completely. Despite the issues I’ve mentioned and a couple of other, more minor inconsistencies, I enjoyed it; daft denouement, camp villains, and all!
October 2, 2014
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life
I received an advance reader edition of this book from Montlake Romance via Net Galley for the purpose of providing an honest review.
4 Stars!
This book was so much fun to read! I had a fantastic time reading it and found the dialog to be amusing. I had a grin planted on my face during much of the book. This is actually the book that I decided to read during a road trip and I think it was the perfect book to make the miles disappear.
This is the first book that I have had a chance to read by Anne Stuart, although I think I have read at least one of her short stories. This is the third book in the Scandal of the House of Russell trilogy and I did not feel lost even for a brief moment. This story reads remarkably well as a stand alone novel even though I am sure that the conclusion of this book ties up a few loose ends from the first two books.
Sophie finds herself displaced when her former nanny is injured and can no longer provide a place for Sophie to stay. Rather than looking for her older sisters, she decides to go to her former home and pose as the new cook. Alexander believes that she is actually the mistress that he has hired. The conversations between the pair are simply delightful to read with double entendres galore.
This book had a wonderful cast of characters including the butler and kitchen staff who watch out for Sophie, Alexander's step-mother from hell, and Sophie's sisters and their husbands. All of these pieces add to this wonderful story. I really enjoyed the fact that Sophie was not afraid of hard work and she proved that when necessary she could take care of herself.
I would recommend this book to other readers who enjoy historical romances. I plan to read other works from this author in the future and simply can't believe that I have missed her work prior to this book.
I received an advance reader edition of this book from Montlake Romance via Net Galley for the purpose of providing an honest review.
4 Stars!
This book was so much fun to read! I had a fantastic time reading it and found the dialog to be amusing. I had a grin planted on my face during much of the book. This is actually the book that I decided to read during a road trip and I think it was the perfect book to make the miles disappear.
This is the first book that I have had a chance to read by Anne Stuart, although I think I have read at least one of her short stories. This is the third book in the Scandal of the House of Russell trilogy and I did not feel lost even for a brief moment. This story reads remarkably well as a stand alone novel even though I am sure that the conclusion of this book ties up a few loose ends from the first two books.
Sophie finds herself displaced when her former nanny is injured and can no longer provide a place for Sophie to stay. Rather than looking for her older sisters, she decides to go to her former home and pose as the new cook. Alexander believes that she is actually the mistress that he has hired. The conversations between the pair are simply delightful to read with double entendres galore.
This book had a wonderful cast of characters including the butler and kitchen staff who watch out for Sophie, Alexander's step-mother from hell, and Sophie's sisters and their husbands. All of these pieces add to this wonderful story. I really enjoyed the fact that Sophie was not afraid of hard work and she proved that when necessary she could take care of herself.
I would recommend this book to other readers who enjoy historical romances. I plan to read other works from this author in the future and simply can't believe that I have missed her work prior to this book.
January 21, 2019
Reread in December 2018/January 2019 on Audiobook:
This was great on audiobook. Xe Sanders has a great voice for both male and female voices. She makes the hero sound purringly sexy and her accents are great too. Listening to this reminded me of how fantastic a writer Anne Stuart is. I can never get enough of her writing.
This is a nice sort of homage to "Like Water for Chocolate" or "Simply Irresistible" but without magic. I love that Sophie's thing is cooking. In the kitchen and in the bedroom with the sizzling hot Alexander. As always the banter and flirting is superb, but then it's an Anne Stuart romance. When all three of the couples (Russell sisters and their spouses/beaus are together, it's magic).
My Casting Choices:
Henry Cavill and Alexander, Lord Griffiths
Clare Bowen as Sophie Russell
I loved this book from beginning to the end. I was so excited to get this as a review ARC, even though I haven't had a chance to read the first two books in this series yet. Alexander is a scoundrel, but you definitely want him to catch Sophie. Great chemistry, and wonderful romance. A five star read!
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine in the September 2014 issue. http://affairedecoeur.com.
This was great on audiobook. Xe Sanders has a great voice for both male and female voices. She makes the hero sound purringly sexy and her accents are great too. Listening to this reminded me of how fantastic a writer Anne Stuart is. I can never get enough of her writing.
This is a nice sort of homage to "Like Water for Chocolate" or "Simply Irresistible" but without magic. I love that Sophie's thing is cooking. In the kitchen and in the bedroom with the sizzling hot Alexander. As always the banter and flirting is superb, but then it's an Anne Stuart romance. When all three of the couples (Russell sisters and their spouses/beaus are together, it's magic).
My Casting Choices:
Henry Cavill and Alexander, Lord GriffithsClare Bowen as Sophie Russell
I loved this book from beginning to the end. I was so excited to get this as a review ARC, even though I haven't had a chance to read the first two books in this series yet. Alexander is a scoundrel, but you definitely want him to catch Sophie. Great chemistry, and wonderful romance. A five star read!
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine in the September 2014 issue. http://affairedecoeur.com.
April 6, 2025
2.75
First half: A case of secret identity (heroine pretending to be a cook in the hero’s home) and mistaken identity (hero thought she was sent there to be his mistress) and the misunderstandings/double entendres.
2nd half: They slept together, the truth of her identity is revealed, and he feels duty bound to marry her. Somehow they’re already in love, they just refuse to admit it to the other party. They travel to London to marry by special license.
Both villains are cartoonish and unoriginal.
The sisters reunite.
Some of the dialogue is modern:
- “He and I go way back.”
- “What else can we bond over?”
- Was drinking coffee over tea that common?
First half: A case of secret identity (heroine pretending to be a cook in the hero’s home) and mistaken identity (hero thought she was sent there to be his mistress) and the misunderstandings/double entendres.
2nd half: They slept together, the truth of her identity is revealed, and he feels duty bound to marry her. Somehow they’re already in love, they just refuse to admit it to the other party. They travel to London to marry by special license.
Both villains are cartoonish and unoriginal.
The sisters reunite.
Some of the dialogue is modern:
- “He and I go way back.”
- “What else can we bond over?”
- Was drinking coffee over tea that common?
January 3, 2015
3.5 stars
Thought it was the best in the series but had a very slow start, fantastic feisty biting chemistry between leads in middle, and a (tad) wacky wild rushed ending.
Thought it was the best in the series but had a very slow start, fantastic feisty biting chemistry between leads in middle, and a (tad) wacky wild rushed ending.
November 9, 2014
The author shows an example of how a misunderstanding between the H/h can be cleverly engineered to deliver a good balance of romance, banter and likable characters. I really enjoy it!
May 5, 2018
An Anne Stuart Hero Who Is Actually A Hero
Wow. Who would have thunk it? I liked this hero. He had moments that were a little annoying but honestly this was a good read. I liked the heroine and the hero. I loved the staff though! They were so wonderful and made the book that much more enjoyable. I liked that the hero actually loved her pretty much right away! It was funny when he kept asking her 'are you sure Mrs Lefton sent you'? And She kept saying yes. Mrs Lefton was supposed to be sending a courtesan but the heroine thought it was an employment agency and that was just priceless! I loved the banter between them too. This tied all three stories together but unfortunately I started with this one. I don't think I will read one and/or two because Anne Stuart scares me and I like this Happily Ever After reunion. The villains were a little over the top but justice was served. An excellent read and I am so glad the hero was not like the normal ones Anne Stuart writes. That was a total win for me!
Wow. Who would have thunk it? I liked this hero. He had moments that were a little annoying but honestly this was a good read. I liked the heroine and the hero. I loved the staff though! They were so wonderful and made the book that much more enjoyable. I liked that the hero actually loved her pretty much right away! It was funny when he kept asking her 'are you sure Mrs Lefton sent you'? And She kept saying yes. Mrs Lefton was supposed to be sending a courtesan but the heroine thought it was an employment agency and that was just priceless! I loved the banter between them too. This tied all three stories together but unfortunately I started with this one. I don't think I will read one and/or two because Anne Stuart scares me and I like this Happily Ever After reunion. The villains were a little over the top but justice was served. An excellent read and I am so glad the hero was not like the normal ones Anne Stuart writes. That was a total win for me!
February 20, 2016
This is a fluffy silly book, which was exactly what I was looking for.
This is your stereotypical historical romance. It features a brooding, handsome male lead and a beautiful spunky heroine. It has a simple straightforward plot and a happily ever after.
I give it an extra star because I laughed out loud at some of our silly heroine antics. And because there's a Sleeping Beauty scene, where she's humming and dancing and suddenly Prince Phillip... I mean, Viscount Alexander! is there dancing with her.
Now that I think about it this is very Disney-ish. There's even an evil stepmother!
This is your stereotypical historical romance. It features a brooding, handsome male lead and a beautiful spunky heroine. It has a simple straightforward plot and a happily ever after.
I give it an extra star because I laughed out loud at some of our silly heroine antics. And because there's a Sleeping Beauty scene, where she's humming and dancing and suddenly Prince Phillip... I mean, Viscount Alexander! is there dancing with her.
Now that I think about it this is very Disney-ish. There's even an evil stepmother!
April 5, 2017
listened to on audio and the reader was quite good.... the romance... welllll...
Sophie, the girl in a tight spot who normally lands on her feet, until she meets Alex, the crushing asshat.
Maybe it's just me as I haven't much cared for this author in the past.
I did not read the first two books and I don't think it mattered to the story. Sophie and her sisters are tossed out into the street when their father dies after supossedly embezzaling his own company. Each sister is to clandestinely investigate a possible suspect. Sophie's suspect happens to live in her old home. She starts work there as a cook, but Alex believes her to also be a whore sent to him by a service in London. The whole first half of the book is their byplay which was a lot of funny but clever innuendo. I was so looking forward to the 'big reveal', but no... the book totally changes gears. Now the MCs are constantly bickering, and imho not a nice way. To carry of successful love/hate bickering, the MCs have to be evenly matched. But Alex has all the power and whenever she seems to get the upper hand even a little, he says something cruel to her. Belittling her for her lack of sexual experience, (like she sucks in bed) or the fact that she gave in to him sexually in the first place (slut shaming). Just what a girl wants to hear from a man infamous for the number of whores he's screwed over the last decade.
Anyways, the bad guys were obvious and I have to wonder why this author writes intrigue books if that's the best she can do. In fact it was so obvious that I started to wonder if I'd guessed wrong! The ending was not very romantic imho.
Sophie, the girl in a tight spot who normally lands on her feet, until she meets Alex, the crushing asshat.
Maybe it's just me as I haven't much cared for this author in the past.
I did not read the first two books and I don't think it mattered to the story. Sophie and her sisters are tossed out into the street when their father dies after supossedly embezzaling his own company. Each sister is to clandestinely investigate a possible suspect. Sophie's suspect happens to live in her old home. She starts work there as a cook, but Alex believes her to also be a whore sent to him by a service in London. The whole first half of the book is their byplay which was a lot of funny but clever innuendo. I was so looking forward to the 'big reveal', but no... the book totally changes gears. Now the MCs are constantly bickering, and imho not a nice way. To carry of successful love/hate bickering, the MCs have to be evenly matched. But Alex has all the power and whenever she seems to get the upper hand even a little, he says something cruel to her. Belittling her for her lack of sexual experience, (like she sucks in bed) or the fact that she gave in to him sexually in the first place (slut shaming). Just what a girl wants to hear from a man infamous for the number of whores he's screwed over the last decade.
Anyways, the bad guys were obvious and I have to wonder why this author writes intrigue books if that's the best she can do. In fact it was so obvious that I started to wonder if I'd guessed wrong! The ending was not very romantic imho.
October 2, 2014
The following opinions are my own. I realize that other readers will disagree with my rating. Fair enough.
~~POSSIBLE MINOR SPOILERS~~
If I had to grade this, I would give it a D for Dumb. Dumb dumb dumb.
First time in a long time I've run across a heroine that I felt was TSTL. A real ninny. 20 yrs old going on 12. If only she had died at the end, I'd have felt some sort of vindication for having read through this twaddle.
The "heroine" in this book decides to become a servant to an aristocrat she suspects of having killed her father. This way she can snoop around, maybe find out if indeed he is the culprit. Conveniently, a newly hired cook never shows up at the home in question, and the heroine (though gently bred) has somehow learned to be a great cook, so thus begins the subterfuge...In the meantime, the "hero"--who we are told is a really good guy, but who almost never displays any extraordinarily admirable qualities during the story--has also ordered himself a mistress from a brothel. Conveniently, the mistress also arrives days later than expected.
In a ridiculous ongoing plot point, the hero assumes the cook is really the mistress (because she's beautiful, doesn't quite seem like a servant, etc.), but he never asks her outright. Instead, he keeps asking (throughout the book, I mean), "Are you sure Mrs. So-and-so sent you"--Mrs. So-and-so being the brothel owner--and she, assuming he means an employment agency, keeps answering "yes". So he feels justified in trying to bed her, while she is outraged by this, but also excited, because she is falling for him.
I know, right?
They fall in love with each other, even though each admits to himself/herself that he/she does not quite know why. I, as the reader, did not know why either.
And anyway, our heroine decides that, even after the hero has compromised her, and he wants to marry her, he has not actually *said* that he loves her, and she will only marry for love. So she spends the remainder of the book trying to escape, so she can become a cook somewhere else and all will be well, la la la. She'll find a husband, or maybe not. It will all work out. She will worry about it later. The important thing is to escape from this wealthy, handsome man who she admires and who apparently did not kill her father but who also hasn't said I love you.
Really. Too stupid to live. I can't even. I made myself finish the book so I could give a review based on the whole book. But if it had not been Anne Stuart, I'd have thrown the book against the wall at page 50.
Oh, BTW, the gently bred heroine throws around the word "whore" pretty freely. No embarrassment there. And also, at one point the hero says "you and what army?", which struck me as pretty, well, modern.
If you absolutely must read this book--I understand it's the last of a trilogy--I would suggest you check it out of the library to try before you buy. Again, judging from other reviews on this site, your mileage may vary.
~~POSSIBLE MINOR SPOILERS~~
If I had to grade this, I would give it a D for Dumb. Dumb dumb dumb.
First time in a long time I've run across a heroine that I felt was TSTL. A real ninny. 20 yrs old going on 12. If only she had died at the end, I'd have felt some sort of vindication for having read through this twaddle.
The "heroine" in this book decides to become a servant to an aristocrat she suspects of having killed her father. This way she can snoop around, maybe find out if indeed he is the culprit. Conveniently, a newly hired cook never shows up at the home in question, and the heroine (though gently bred) has somehow learned to be a great cook, so thus begins the subterfuge...In the meantime, the "hero"--who we are told is a really good guy, but who almost never displays any extraordinarily admirable qualities during the story--has also ordered himself a mistress from a brothel. Conveniently, the mistress also arrives days later than expected.
In a ridiculous ongoing plot point, the hero assumes the cook is really the mistress (because she's beautiful, doesn't quite seem like a servant, etc.), but he never asks her outright. Instead, he keeps asking (throughout the book, I mean), "Are you sure Mrs. So-and-so sent you"--Mrs. So-and-so being the brothel owner--and she, assuming he means an employment agency, keeps answering "yes". So he feels justified in trying to bed her, while she is outraged by this, but also excited, because she is falling for him.
I know, right?
They fall in love with each other, even though each admits to himself/herself that he/she does not quite know why. I, as the reader, did not know why either.
And anyway, our heroine decides that, even after the hero has compromised her, and he wants to marry her, he has not actually *said* that he loves her, and she will only marry for love. So she spends the remainder of the book trying to escape, so she can become a cook somewhere else and all will be well, la la la. She'll find a husband, or maybe not. It will all work out. She will worry about it later. The important thing is to escape from this wealthy, handsome man who she admires and who apparently did not kill her father but who also hasn't said I love you.
Really. Too stupid to live. I can't even. I made myself finish the book so I could give a review based on the whole book. But if it had not been Anne Stuart, I'd have thrown the book against the wall at page 50.
Oh, BTW, the gently bred heroine throws around the word "whore" pretty freely. No embarrassment there. And also, at one point the hero says "you and what army?", which struck me as pretty, well, modern.
If you absolutely must read this book--I understand it's the last of a trilogy--I would suggest you check it out of the library to try before you buy. Again, judging from other reviews on this site, your mileage may vary.
September 29, 2014
Oh boy. What a mediocre end to this trilogy. Very disappointing.
This is the third book in Stuart’s “Scandal at the House of Russell” trilogy. The first two books were good. Not great, but pretty good. But this one almost seems like the author had run out of idea and was fulfilling a contract. If it had been a novella it might have been okay, but it was so heavily padded with inner thoughts and pages and pages of rumination that I know I never would have finished it if I hadn’t skimmed.
Sophie is the third of the Russell sisters who were left destitute when their father supposedly embezzled from his own shipping company and then got himself killed in a carriage accident while he was – again, supposedly – trying to run away with his ill gotten gains.
Sophie’s the one who always complains about not having their fortune or status anymore in the first two books. She’s also the one who likes to cook and bake. So, she manages to finagle her way into the home of their third suspect – the Dark Viscount – as the new cook. A contrived misunderstanding creates some hijinks that are somewhat amusing, but with such an insubstantial story otherwise it just feels like fluff.
Alexander Griffiths is the viscount of the title. He’s got a dark past having been accused and standing trial for the death of his first wife. He’s got a cringe-worthy stepmother and a stepbrother who is straight up crazy. And that’s another problem; the contrivance of the whackos who are so twisted and evil that anyone who doesn’t see it is really pretty, darn dense.
But there must be blindness in the face of obvious evil and/or madness or we can’t have things happen! Well, that’s not true, but it seems to be the go to in this book.
I liked Sophie. She had the potential to be a heroine who was much more than she seemed. I also liked Alexander even though he behaved like a complete ass much of the time.
Ultimately, the use of the TSTL contrivances to forward action ruined this story. The love scenes were Stuart-worthy, but the story itself was downright lame. One thing that would have made it much better would have been a long and detailed epilogue that told us what the future held for our heroines and their hubbies, but we got something far, far less than that. So, all in all, this book felt nothing more than phoned in. And for it to be the end of the trilogy made it that much more disappointing.
This is the third book in Stuart’s “Scandal at the House of Russell” trilogy. The first two books were good. Not great, but pretty good. But this one almost seems like the author had run out of idea and was fulfilling a contract. If it had been a novella it might have been okay, but it was so heavily padded with inner thoughts and pages and pages of rumination that I know I never would have finished it if I hadn’t skimmed.
Sophie is the third of the Russell sisters who were left destitute when their father supposedly embezzled from his own shipping company and then got himself killed in a carriage accident while he was – again, supposedly – trying to run away with his ill gotten gains.
Sophie’s the one who always complains about not having their fortune or status anymore in the first two books. She’s also the one who likes to cook and bake. So, she manages to finagle her way into the home of their third suspect – the Dark Viscount – as the new cook. A contrived misunderstanding creates some hijinks that are somewhat amusing, but with such an insubstantial story otherwise it just feels like fluff.
Alexander Griffiths is the viscount of the title. He’s got a dark past having been accused and standing trial for the death of his first wife. He’s got a cringe-worthy stepmother and a stepbrother who is straight up crazy. And that’s another problem; the contrivance of the whackos who are so twisted and evil that anyone who doesn’t see it is really pretty, darn dense.
But there must be blindness in the face of obvious evil and/or madness or we can’t have things happen! Well, that’s not true, but it seems to be the go to in this book.
I liked Sophie. She had the potential to be a heroine who was much more than she seemed. I also liked Alexander even though he behaved like a complete ass much of the time.
Ultimately, the use of the TSTL contrivances to forward action ruined this story. The love scenes were Stuart-worthy, but the story itself was downright lame. One thing that would have made it much better would have been a long and detailed epilogue that told us what the future held for our heroines and their hubbies, but we got something far, far less than that. So, all in all, this book felt nothing more than phoned in. And for it to be the end of the trilogy made it that much more disappointing.
October 26, 2014
A bit better than the second one but still this series is way, way under par for Anne Stuart. I keep on going for the supposedly mystery and it really was a lukewarm effort. Nothing dramatic, even though the villain was really impossibly lucky. Maybe he would be saved too if there is a fourth one?
September 28, 2014
I’ve been an avid fan of the Scandal at the House of Russell series ever since the first book was published in 2013. Well, lets face it. I am an avid fan of Anne Stuart regardless. The House of Russell series follows in the wake of the three girls left orphaned by the death of their father, a death that the girls believe was murder. One by one, they set out on a quest to find the truth and end up finding the love of their lives and then some in each of these deliciously spun stories.
Never Marry a Viscount is the third and final book in the series, the story of the youngest of the three, Sophia Eulalie Russell. Left behind at home while the other two sisters had ventured out, Sophia is determined to have her own adventure and takes a bold step towards finding a place for herself in the home from which she and her sisters were removed upon the death of her father, a property now under the ownership of Viscount Griffiths; Alexander Montgomery Griffiths.
Sophia is determined to find out whether the man with the body of a semi-god that she had been spying on for weeks had anything to do with the death of her father and proceed on her way. Alexander is a man as bored and cynical with his life as most come. Guarded with his heart and emotions, Alexander believes Sophia to be the mistress that he ordered from London while Sophia believes she has been hired on as replacement of the cook that was fired from the household.
Though the initial start to the book was a bit slow, the pace and the trademark Anne Stuart banter between the hero and heroine picked up towards the second half of the book. And I loved every single bit of it. Sophia, the woman who believes herself to be stronger than those that succumb to a pretty face finds herself doing just that every single time Alexander steals a kiss from her, taking away her very breathe and sliding over senses making her falter in her determination to seek the truth.
Not much gets done in the way of finding out whether Alexander had anything to do with the death of their father as Sophia makes up her mind to escape from the clutches of Alexander before its too late for her heart and soul. But then again, where would the fun in that be? Alexander’s passion for Sophia is one that unnerves him, though he would rather die than admit to the fact. Sophia charms his jaded heart, makes him possessive in an almost animalistic manner and makes him conjure up fanciful notions of a life with her that he’d have believed his first marriage had cured him of.
There is this particular bit in the story where Sophia’s thoughts had a profound effect on me. Before she had totally succumbed to the power of the heady physical attraction between her and Alexander; and I just had to go and include that bit in the review itself because I think as women, we have all been cautioned against men who would try and get in our pants just for the sake of it. But no one ever tells us or can really describe to us what it is that makes us abandon every reasoning power that we have and just give in, because sexual attraction and desire is that powerful. And I quote:
Anne Stuart has a formula that works beautifully in each of her novels. And it never gets old. Though Alexander turned out to be quite a milder version of her usual fanfare for bad boy, ruthless heroes, he nevertheless managed to charm the socks off of me and then some. Fans like myself, who read Anne Stuart because of her ruthless heroes might be just a tad disappointed that Alexander didn’t offer some of that. Sophia bears the hallmark characteristics of the usual Stuart heroines. Headstrong, stubborn and determined, Sophia remained resolute against the web of desire that she had been ensnared in until every time Alexander proceeds to take her in his arms and shows her just how good they are together.
Never Marry a Viscount ties up all the loose ends in the trilogy and gives fans the closure they need. Recommended for fans of the series, fans of Anne Stuart and fans of historical romances with heroes who can make you swoon.
Rating = 4/5
For more reviews & quotes, visit www.maldivianbookreviewer.com
Never Marry a Viscount is the third and final book in the series, the story of the youngest of the three, Sophia Eulalie Russell. Left behind at home while the other two sisters had ventured out, Sophia is determined to have her own adventure and takes a bold step towards finding a place for herself in the home from which she and her sisters were removed upon the death of her father, a property now under the ownership of Viscount Griffiths; Alexander Montgomery Griffiths.
Sophia is determined to find out whether the man with the body of a semi-god that she had been spying on for weeks had anything to do with the death of her father and proceed on her way. Alexander is a man as bored and cynical with his life as most come. Guarded with his heart and emotions, Alexander believes Sophia to be the mistress that he ordered from London while Sophia believes she has been hired on as replacement of the cook that was fired from the household.
Though the initial start to the book was a bit slow, the pace and the trademark Anne Stuart banter between the hero and heroine picked up towards the second half of the book. And I loved every single bit of it. Sophia, the woman who believes herself to be stronger than those that succumb to a pretty face finds herself doing just that every single time Alexander steals a kiss from her, taking away her very breathe and sliding over senses making her falter in her determination to seek the truth.
Not much gets done in the way of finding out whether Alexander had anything to do with the death of their father as Sophia makes up her mind to escape from the clutches of Alexander before its too late for her heart and soul. But then again, where would the fun in that be? Alexander’s passion for Sophia is one that unnerves him, though he would rather die than admit to the fact. Sophia charms his jaded heart, makes him possessive in an almost animalistic manner and makes him conjure up fanciful notions of a life with her that he’d have believed his first marriage had cured him of.
There is this particular bit in the story where Sophia’s thoughts had a profound effect on me. Before she had totally succumbed to the power of the heady physical attraction between her and Alexander; and I just had to go and include that bit in the review itself because I think as women, we have all been cautioned against men who would try and get in our pants just for the sake of it. But no one ever tells us or can really describe to us what it is that makes us abandon every reasoning power that we have and just give in, because sexual attraction and desire is that powerful. And I quote:
“Her sisters hadn’t told her about this. No one had. She’d been advised on the technical details of mating, which was far more warning than most girls received, but she had two older sisters to fill her in, though to her knowledge neither of them had firsthand experience. And they’d talked about love, and shared interests, and companionship, and comfort.
But no one had said anything about a fire in your blood that burns away any common sense you might have once possessed. No one said you could want a man’s touch so much that your body was in an uproar, parts that you didn’t even name seemed to be aching with longing. No one had said you would throw everything away for a man who mocked you and teased you and then spoke to you in clipped tones like you were a servant, and yet all he had to do was touch you . . .”
Anne Stuart has a formula that works beautifully in each of her novels. And it never gets old. Though Alexander turned out to be quite a milder version of her usual fanfare for bad boy, ruthless heroes, he nevertheless managed to charm the socks off of me and then some. Fans like myself, who read Anne Stuart because of her ruthless heroes might be just a tad disappointed that Alexander didn’t offer some of that. Sophia bears the hallmark characteristics of the usual Stuart heroines. Headstrong, stubborn and determined, Sophia remained resolute against the web of desire that she had been ensnared in until every time Alexander proceeds to take her in his arms and shows her just how good they are together.
Never Marry a Viscount ties up all the loose ends in the trilogy and gives fans the closure they need. Recommended for fans of the series, fans of Anne Stuart and fans of historical romances with heroes who can make you swoon.
Rating = 4/5
For more reviews & quotes, visit www.maldivianbookreviewer.com
February 3, 2016
3.75 Delicious Misunderstanding Stars
Although I may be wrong, I reckon this is my first book by Anne Stuart. The series follows the 3 Russel sisters who's lost their home & father through a mysterious scandal leaving them to bunk with their old nanny.
This is Sopia Russel's story. A beautiful blond with a extra ordinary skill in the kitchen & who was the toast of her season before their lives changed. She is the youngest of the three and with her sisters have gone on their own adventures, each targeting an individual they suspect would be responsible for the loss of their father & their inheritance, she was the last one left alone at the cottage they shared with their nanny, located near their previous home. Better part of her days is spent hiding & waiting at a hidden ledge to watch the new owner Alexander Griffiths have his usual swim at the lake beside the house.
The story starts to pick up after a few scenarios which leads to Sophia deciding to check out the 'Dark Viscount' and have an adventure of her own much like her sisters.
He thinks she's a prostitute masquerading as a Chef as part of a kinky game & she thinks he's talking about food!
Sophie says.."I will stop at nothing in my efforts to please you. I am very creative, and I promise to astonish your senses with delights you haven't even dreamed of."
Needless to say the outcome is a funny yet sexy read with identity deception, misunderstandings & family secrets and the mystery that started in Never Kiss a Rake is completely solved in this final book of the series.
My Sophie
I quite liked the author's writing and enjoyed the funny banter between the characters. Al thought the book was over 5 hrs (not a big fan of long ones!), didn't feel it was dragging on on unnecessary scenarios that tends to happen to the best of them. However, I did find the mystery abit unreal, predictable and confusing as the Villain seemed wishy washy at times.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed how Sophie & Alex came together. The heroine was strong and stubborn while the hero was dark, misunderstood & a slut! But no, no cheating involved.
Definitely recommend this to my pals who love New Age Historical Romance with abit of sexy scenes (my fav kind!) Look forward to read other books off Ms. Stuart.
Although I may be wrong, I reckon this is my first book by Anne Stuart. The series follows the 3 Russel sisters who's lost their home & father through a mysterious scandal leaving them to bunk with their old nanny.
This is Sopia Russel's story. A beautiful blond with a extra ordinary skill in the kitchen & who was the toast of her season before their lives changed. She is the youngest of the three and with her sisters have gone on their own adventures, each targeting an individual they suspect would be responsible for the loss of their father & their inheritance, she was the last one left alone at the cottage they shared with their nanny, located near their previous home. Better part of her days is spent hiding & waiting at a hidden ledge to watch the new owner Alexander Griffiths have his usual swim at the lake beside the house.
The story starts to pick up after a few scenarios which leads to Sophia deciding to check out the 'Dark Viscount' and have an adventure of her own much like her sisters.
He thinks she's a prostitute masquerading as a Chef as part of a kinky game & she thinks he's talking about food!
Sophie says.."I will stop at nothing in my efforts to please you. I am very creative, and I promise to astonish your senses with delights you haven't even dreamed of."
Needless to say the outcome is a funny yet sexy read with identity deception, misunderstandings & family secrets and the mystery that started in Never Kiss a Rake is completely solved in this final book of the series.
My Sophie
I quite liked the author's writing and enjoyed the funny banter between the characters. Al thought the book was over 5 hrs (not a big fan of long ones!), didn't feel it was dragging on on unnecessary scenarios that tends to happen to the best of them. However, I did find the mystery abit unreal, predictable and confusing as the Villain seemed wishy washy at times.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed how Sophie & Alex came together. The heroine was strong and stubborn while the hero was dark, misunderstood & a slut! But no, no cheating involved.
Definitely recommend this to my pals who love New Age Historical Romance with abit of sexy scenes (my fav kind!) Look forward to read other books off Ms. Stuart.
January 7, 2016
Anne Stuart creates some seriously addicting stories, but sometimes I'm so put off by how ridiculous and campy they can be.
In this specific case, I could not enjoy the story because the plot was literally everywhere, like as if someone threw up a plot and it somehow ended up on paper. There was zero consistency to the story and nothing that happened was remotely grounded in reality.
It also doesn't help that the heroine sucked monkey balls. Actually, she was probably the main reason why I really didn't like this book. She was vain, selfish, entitled and incredibly arrogant - which makes NO sense given the premise of this book. She should have understood the pain of falling so far in society, of being ostracized, but instead she's like "Ha! What a lark! I'll pretend to be a poor person" Except that she actually IS poor.. (and apparently she hasn't realized that yet)
This isn't the first book I've read where the heroine is like "I'm going to get revenge!" by somehow posing as a servant, but then they don't know how to act like servants... It drives me crazy. If they were really as smart as the book claims, they would do some freaking research.
It's really frustrating when books tells me that their female characters are intelligent and witty, when they've really been acting so ditzy and naive. I mean, is this what the author thinks of women? She's so strong!... except she's actually TSTL.
There are better Anne Stuart books to read. This was not worth my time.
In this specific case, I could not enjoy the story because the plot was literally everywhere, like as if someone threw up a plot and it somehow ended up on paper. There was zero consistency to the story and nothing that happened was remotely grounded in reality.
It also doesn't help that the heroine sucked monkey balls. Actually, she was probably the main reason why I really didn't like this book. She was vain, selfish, entitled and incredibly arrogant - which makes NO sense given the premise of this book. She should have understood the pain of falling so far in society, of being ostracized, but instead she's like "Ha! What a lark! I'll pretend to be a poor person" Except that she actually IS poor.. (and apparently she hasn't realized that yet)
This isn't the first book I've read where the heroine is like "I'm going to get revenge!" by somehow posing as a servant, but then they don't know how to act like servants... It drives me crazy. If they were really as smart as the book claims, they would do some freaking research.
It's really frustrating when books tells me that their female characters are intelligent and witty, when they've really been acting so ditzy and naive. I mean, is this what the author thinks of women? She's so strong!... except she's actually TSTL.
There are better Anne Stuart books to read. This was not worth my time.
November 11, 2021
Didn't love this one as much as the other books in the series.
November 11, 2018
Oops. Don't read this one first. Now I already know what's up with the other two. Cute, fluffy story. Low on angst. Did chuckle some. Nothing heavy.
May 27, 2015
Its been awhile since I've read an historical romance and was I pleased Never Marry a Viscount had all the tropes I like in an historical- the hero was wealthy; edgy baddass; uber alpha and the heroine was likeable, ordinary a bit of a shrew but not annoying.
The story was told in a way that reminded me of Catherine Coulter, Julie Garwood early hisotricals. Quite over the top drama and romance. Very memorable.
This is the last book in the House of Russell trilogy. Its not necessary to read the other books but I plan to as I read the last book first!
The story was told in a way that reminded me of Catherine Coulter, Julie Garwood early hisotricals. Quite over the top drama and romance. Very memorable.
This is the last book in the House of Russell trilogy. Its not necessary to read the other books but I plan to as I read the last book first!
September 13, 2017
The last book in this trilogy, was definitely my favorite!
August 24, 2024
Review from 2014
B for both narration and content.
Never Marry a Viscount is the third in Anne Stuart’s Scandal at the House of Russell trilogy which tells the story of three sisters who are left destitute upon the sudden death of their father, a wealthy shipping magnate. Led to believe his death was no accident, they are determined to discover the identity of the person responsible not only for their father’s murder, but also for embezzling all the funds from his company. In Book 1, Never Kiss a Rake, Bryony (the eldest) comes up with the idea of infiltrating the households of the three men who are the prime suspects.
Eustace Russell won the Renwick estate from its owner, Viscount Griffiths, in a card game years earlier, and the girls grew up there. On Russell’s death, the ownership has reverted to the new Viscount, Alexander Griffiths, a man rarely seen in society because he has lived mostly in the North – but who has recently taken up residence at Renwick.
Sophie is the youngest of the sisters and the acknowledged beauty of the family. Petite and blonde, her angelic appearance hides a woman of great determination who is well aware of the effect of her looks on men, and who is fully prepared to use them to her best advantage. Her fondness for gothic novels, added to the rumours circulating that Griffiths killed his first wife a decade ago, have led to Sophie dubbing him “the Dark Viscount”, as she believes him to be darkly brooding, haunted and dangerous. When Sophie finally claps eyes on him, she sees nothing to dispel her imaginings; the viscount is certainly dark and brooding – and quite the most beautiful man she’s ever seen.
When circumstances afford Sophie the chance to join the Griffiths household, she grabs it. Arriving at the kitchen door of Renwick at a time of uproar, she is immediately assumed to be the replacement cook and welcomed with open arms. Sophie might not have done a day’s work in her life, but the one thing she does know how to do is cook, and she throws herself into her new role with enthusiasm.
Working below stairs, she hasn’t expected to have a great deal to do with her new employer, so meeting the Dark Viscount in the flesh proves an unsettling experience. Not only is he even more handsome close-to, he exudes an air of dangerous sensuality the like of which Sophie has never experienced; and worse, he takes a very keen interest in his new cook, something she is keen to dispel at all costs.
What she doesn’t know is that Alexander believes her to be the mistress he’s asked a London madam to find for him. He asks Sophie repeatedly if she has been sent by Mrs Lefton – whom Sophie assumes to be someone at the domestic agency used to find new staff. This misunderstanding makes for some amusing exchanges and double-entendres between the two:
She obviously doesn’t realise that when she tells Alexander about all the things she can do with whipped cream, his brain doesn’t automatically scream “syllabub”!
I enjoyed this book much more than the previous one ( Never Trust a Pirate ), which I think is principally due to the scorching chemistry between the leads. Sophie is wary, yet completely unable to resist the pull she feels towards the sarcastic, overbearing and brain-meltingly gorgeous viscount, and he is completely unnerved by the fierceness of the lust he feels for his new “cook”.
Alexander isn’t an especially attractive character to start with, but while he’s not as dark as some of Ms Stuart’s gamma heroes, he’s sexy as all hell and somehow still manages to be charming. He’s hard and cynical – with good reason, it has to be said – but look beneath the surface and he’s witty and considerate, his less attractive qualities balanced out by an innate sense of honour that might be a bit rusty, but which is deeply ingrained, nonetheless.
Being the last book in the trilogy, this one wraps up the mystery by revealing the identity and motivations of the murderer – although anyone following the stories will have already worked out who it is. Overall, Never Marry a Viscount is entertaining and stylishly written, although the characterisation of the villain(s) is a little cartoonish; and while there is plenty of heat between the central couple, I didn’t quite buy into their being in love rather than in lust. That said, by the end of the book, I was starting to believe that there was the basis for a deeper relationship between them.
When it comes to the performance, I have to say up front that one of my principal niggles with the audiobook is actually not the narrator’s fault – I’m just not a fan of British-set historicals being narrated in American accents. Xe Sands is one of a very small number of narrators I can bear to listen to doing this, but I do find the switch between the American-accented narrative and the British-accented characterisations to be quite jarring.
Otherwise, though, her performance is very good. Her British accents are consistent, and she differentiates well between all the characters. I remember saying in my review of Never Kiss a Rake that I had at times found the way she voiced the hero to be a little indistinct, and I’m pleased to say that isn’t the case here. Alexander’s voice is suitably deep and masculine, oozing sarcasm and sex in equal measure. It sits at the lower end of Ms Sands’ vocal range, and through that and her microphone technique she creates an atmosphere of powerful intensity and intimacy; not just between Alexander and Sophie, but also between Alexander and the listener. Her portrayal of Sophie is just as good – Ms Sands conveys both confidence and vulnerability very well – and sometimes simultaneously – by means of a simple inflection or a very slight waver in her voice. She successfully utilises a few regional British accents for various minor characters, and I was impressed with the way she voiced Alexander’s brother, because he sounds sufficiently similar as to believably be related to Alexander, but different enough so there is never any question as to which of them is speaking in their scenes together.
If you’ve enjoyed the other audiobooks in this series, then I think you’ll enjoy this one, as it’s possibly the best of the three. The dénouement is a bit over-the-top, but it’s an enjoyable listen overall, and Xe Sands brings the sexy in spades!
B for both narration and content.
Never Marry a Viscount is the third in Anne Stuart’s Scandal at the House of Russell trilogy which tells the story of three sisters who are left destitute upon the sudden death of their father, a wealthy shipping magnate. Led to believe his death was no accident, they are determined to discover the identity of the person responsible not only for their father’s murder, but also for embezzling all the funds from his company. In Book 1, Never Kiss a Rake, Bryony (the eldest) comes up with the idea of infiltrating the households of the three men who are the prime suspects.
Eustace Russell won the Renwick estate from its owner, Viscount Griffiths, in a card game years earlier, and the girls grew up there. On Russell’s death, the ownership has reverted to the new Viscount, Alexander Griffiths, a man rarely seen in society because he has lived mostly in the North – but who has recently taken up residence at Renwick.
Sophie is the youngest of the sisters and the acknowledged beauty of the family. Petite and blonde, her angelic appearance hides a woman of great determination who is well aware of the effect of her looks on men, and who is fully prepared to use them to her best advantage. Her fondness for gothic novels, added to the rumours circulating that Griffiths killed his first wife a decade ago, have led to Sophie dubbing him “the Dark Viscount”, as she believes him to be darkly brooding, haunted and dangerous. When Sophie finally claps eyes on him, she sees nothing to dispel her imaginings; the viscount is certainly dark and brooding – and quite the most beautiful man she’s ever seen.
When circumstances afford Sophie the chance to join the Griffiths household, she grabs it. Arriving at the kitchen door of Renwick at a time of uproar, she is immediately assumed to be the replacement cook and welcomed with open arms. Sophie might not have done a day’s work in her life, but the one thing she does know how to do is cook, and she throws herself into her new role with enthusiasm.
Working below stairs, she hasn’t expected to have a great deal to do with her new employer, so meeting the Dark Viscount in the flesh proves an unsettling experience. Not only is he even more handsome close-to, he exudes an air of dangerous sensuality the like of which Sophie has never experienced; and worse, he takes a very keen interest in his new cook, something she is keen to dispel at all costs.
What she doesn’t know is that Alexander believes her to be the mistress he’s asked a London madam to find for him. He asks Sophie repeatedly if she has been sent by Mrs Lefton – whom Sophie assumes to be someone at the domestic agency used to find new staff. This misunderstanding makes for some amusing exchanges and double-entendres between the two:
“You will find that your faith in Mrs Lefton’s judgment is not misplaced,” she continued. “I will stop at nothing in my efforts to please you. I am very creative and I promise to astonish your senses with delights you haven’t even dreamed of.”
She obviously doesn’t realise that when she tells Alexander about all the things she can do with whipped cream, his brain doesn’t automatically scream “syllabub”!
I enjoyed this book much more than the previous one ( Never Trust a Pirate ), which I think is principally due to the scorching chemistry between the leads. Sophie is wary, yet completely unable to resist the pull she feels towards the sarcastic, overbearing and brain-meltingly gorgeous viscount, and he is completely unnerved by the fierceness of the lust he feels for his new “cook”.
Alexander isn’t an especially attractive character to start with, but while he’s not as dark as some of Ms Stuart’s gamma heroes, he’s sexy as all hell and somehow still manages to be charming. He’s hard and cynical – with good reason, it has to be said – but look beneath the surface and he’s witty and considerate, his less attractive qualities balanced out by an innate sense of honour that might be a bit rusty, but which is deeply ingrained, nonetheless.
Being the last book in the trilogy, this one wraps up the mystery by revealing the identity and motivations of the murderer – although anyone following the stories will have already worked out who it is. Overall, Never Marry a Viscount is entertaining and stylishly written, although the characterisation of the villain(s) is a little cartoonish; and while there is plenty of heat between the central couple, I didn’t quite buy into their being in love rather than in lust. That said, by the end of the book, I was starting to believe that there was the basis for a deeper relationship between them.
When it comes to the performance, I have to say up front that one of my principal niggles with the audiobook is actually not the narrator’s fault – I’m just not a fan of British-set historicals being narrated in American accents. Xe Sands is one of a very small number of narrators I can bear to listen to doing this, but I do find the switch between the American-accented narrative and the British-accented characterisations to be quite jarring.
Otherwise, though, her performance is very good. Her British accents are consistent, and she differentiates well between all the characters. I remember saying in my review of Never Kiss a Rake that I had at times found the way she voiced the hero to be a little indistinct, and I’m pleased to say that isn’t the case here. Alexander’s voice is suitably deep and masculine, oozing sarcasm and sex in equal measure. It sits at the lower end of Ms Sands’ vocal range, and through that and her microphone technique she creates an atmosphere of powerful intensity and intimacy; not just between Alexander and Sophie, but also between Alexander and the listener. Her portrayal of Sophie is just as good – Ms Sands conveys both confidence and vulnerability very well – and sometimes simultaneously – by means of a simple inflection or a very slight waver in her voice. She successfully utilises a few regional British accents for various minor characters, and I was impressed with the way she voiced Alexander’s brother, because he sounds sufficiently similar as to believably be related to Alexander, but different enough so there is never any question as to which of them is speaking in their scenes together.
If you’ve enjoyed the other audiobooks in this series, then I think you’ll enjoy this one, as it’s possibly the best of the three. The dénouement is a bit over-the-top, but it’s an enjoyable listen overall, and Xe Sands brings the sexy in spades!
November 16, 2014
After being unceremoniously kicked out of her Nanny's cottage Miss Sophie Russell knows exactly where she is going to go. Straight back to the family home she lived in - till her father's untimely and suspicious death and the terrible scandal that resulted in ruination of both her and her sisters life's. The house is now occupied by one of the chief suspects in her father death and Sophie is determined to see if the Viscount is guilty. Posing as the cook Sophie infiltrates the house ready to find any evidence of his involvement; however, what she wasn't read for was the instant attraction and chemistry with the wicked and darkly handsome Viscount.
This is the last book in the Scandal in the House of Russell series and I am afraid to say I find myself underwhelmed by it and indeed by the series, although I did prefer the previous two books in the series to this one. I have found the romances to be enjoyable, however, they have neither been original nor intense enough to really capture my attention as previous series by her have. The mystery that has threaded through this series has been good, but I did find the conclusion to be slightly anti-climatic and almost cartoonish in its villainy.
A bug bear of mine in romance is when lust seems to be mistaken for love and this is what happens in Never Marry a Viscount. Anne Stuart has written some red hot chemistry between Sophie and Alexander, and you can feel their desire for one another pouring off the page. What I never felt was any affection or love or deeper understanding of one another beyond the physical, so I was completely baffled when they started thinking they were in love. Sometimes insta-love works, in this case it didn't and it just left me feeling confused and annoyed.
Never Marry a Viscount also brings the over all story arc regarding their father's killer to its conclusion. I was disappointed with this part of the story as I have enjoyed this aspect of the series in the previous books, but it all turned out to be quite ordinary in the end. This book also brought the three sisters back together again, and I did enjoy seeing the happy couples together and all focused on helping Sophie.
This series isn't something I would read again, and probably wouldn't recommend as there are much better series out there. If you would like to read something by Anne Stuart, please try the Wicked House of Rohan, which is one of my favourite Historical Romance series and shows this author at her best.
September 28, 2014
Review posted at: Swept Away By Romance
4 stars!
I adore Anne Stuart. Period. My commitment to this author will keep me reading whatever she publishes for as long as I live. She has my devoted allegiance, and she is single handedly responsible for some of my most pleasurable reading experiences I’ve ever had. With that being said, I am not a huge fan of this series. In my opinion it lacks the mesmerizing heroes that many of her other books feature. Because of this, I have to admit that I went into this book not expecting much. Thankfully, Ms. Stuart managed to end this series on a high note. I loved Never Marry A Viscount!
The Scandal at the House of Russell series features three sisters who are bound and determined to find the man who killed their father and took everything from them. The two previous books feature the eldest and middle sisters who both ended up falling for the men who they were convinced were responsible for their father’s death. This book features the youngest daughter who is destined to the same fate as her sisters.
Alexander Griffiths, the Viscount, is a delicious hero and is much closer to the heroes written by Anne Stuart that I love the most. He is sarcastic, alpha, at times crabby, and ALWAYS sexy. The banter between the strong-willed Sophie and the Viscount is witty and wild at times. There is a hilarious mistaken identity crisis in this book that had me laughing out loud. He thinks she is the prostitute that he has “ordered” to service his needs. She thinks that He thinks she’s the cook. This misunderstanding creates some frustrating moments for our poor viscount, and some confusing moments for our heroine.
By the time everything is figured out, our two leading characters are so smitten with one another that the highly anticipated love scene is a huge payoff! No one can write a love scene quite like Anne Stuart, and the love scenes in this book are alone worth the time reading.
A huge plus of this book is that it nicely, neatly, and appropriately brings all the sisters and their now spouses back together in a reunion that perfectly completes this series and ties up all the loose ends. I finished this series happy and satisfied, which in itself shows the talent and miraculous writing ability of the incomparable Anne Stuart.
I give this book 4 stars, and 3 ½ stars for the series as a whole.
****Thanks to Montlake Romance via Netgalley for providing a copy of this book for review.****
4 stars!
I adore Anne Stuart. Period. My commitment to this author will keep me reading whatever she publishes for as long as I live. She has my devoted allegiance, and she is single handedly responsible for some of my most pleasurable reading experiences I’ve ever had. With that being said, I am not a huge fan of this series. In my opinion it lacks the mesmerizing heroes that many of her other books feature. Because of this, I have to admit that I went into this book not expecting much. Thankfully, Ms. Stuart managed to end this series on a high note. I loved Never Marry A Viscount!
The Scandal at the House of Russell series features three sisters who are bound and determined to find the man who killed their father and took everything from them. The two previous books feature the eldest and middle sisters who both ended up falling for the men who they were convinced were responsible for their father’s death. This book features the youngest daughter who is destined to the same fate as her sisters.
Alexander Griffiths, the Viscount, is a delicious hero and is much closer to the heroes written by Anne Stuart that I love the most. He is sarcastic, alpha, at times crabby, and ALWAYS sexy. The banter between the strong-willed Sophie and the Viscount is witty and wild at times. There is a hilarious mistaken identity crisis in this book that had me laughing out loud. He thinks she is the prostitute that he has “ordered” to service his needs. She thinks that He thinks she’s the cook. This misunderstanding creates some frustrating moments for our poor viscount, and some confusing moments for our heroine.
By the time everything is figured out, our two leading characters are so smitten with one another that the highly anticipated love scene is a huge payoff! No one can write a love scene quite like Anne Stuart, and the love scenes in this book are alone worth the time reading.
A huge plus of this book is that it nicely, neatly, and appropriately brings all the sisters and their now spouses back together in a reunion that perfectly completes this series and ties up all the loose ends. I finished this series happy and satisfied, which in itself shows the talent and miraculous writing ability of the incomparable Anne Stuart.
I give this book 4 stars, and 3 ½ stars for the series as a whole.
****Thanks to Montlake Romance via Netgalley for providing a copy of this book for review.****
September 8, 2015
The third and last book in the series, where the bad guy's motives are finally revealed and the mystery solved.
Sophie, the youngest of the three Russell sisters, is left behind when the other two go off to try to find out who framed their father and clear his name. Forced to leave her sanctuary and with few choices left to her, she decides to follow in their footsteps and investigate the third and last suspect, the Dark Viscount, Alexander Griffiths.
Using her talent for cooking and baking, and with luck on her side, she becomes his new cook, but in a case of mistaken identity he thinks she is .
A game of cat and mouse begins, with the two giving off sparks whenever they're in the same room, until they finally succumb to their attraction. Their problems do not end there, however, as .
Sophie's sisters with their significant others make their appearance, and so does the bad guy, who .
The mystery is finally solved, the bad guy finally faces justice and the Russell name is finally cleared.
I particularly enjoyed the banter and relationships between the men and Alexander's confession of love. The conclusion redeemed the slightly less than satisfying endings of the first two books, giving all three Russell sisters their undeniable happy endings.
Very engaging, enjoyable series, with a dark undertone.
Sophie, the youngest of the three Russell sisters, is left behind when the other two go off to try to find out who framed their father and clear his name. Forced to leave her sanctuary and with few choices left to her, she decides to follow in their footsteps and investigate the third and last suspect, the Dark Viscount, Alexander Griffiths.
Using her talent for cooking and baking, and with luck on her side, she becomes his new cook, but in a case of mistaken identity he thinks she is .
A game of cat and mouse begins, with the two giving off sparks whenever they're in the same room, until they finally succumb to their attraction. Their problems do not end there, however, as .
Sophie's sisters with their significant others make their appearance, and so does the bad guy, who .
The mystery is finally solved, the bad guy finally faces justice and the Russell name is finally cleared.
I particularly enjoyed the banter and relationships between the men and Alexander's confession of love. The conclusion redeemed the slightly less than satisfying endings of the first two books, giving all three Russell sisters their undeniable happy endings.
Very engaging, enjoyable series, with a dark undertone.
December 30, 2014
(Dec) 3.5* Sophie has been left alone with her nanny after her sisters took off to try and find out what happened to their father and their money. After Nanny has an accident and is laid up for a while, she decided to go spy on the man now living in her family's home, one who she believes may hold the key to her family mystery. Alexander is living with his hated step mother, mourning the loss of his half brother. When Sophie arrives in the guise of a cook, he believes she is in fact the mistress he's ordered from a well known procurerment house. There are several witty lines between the two, as Sophie promises to deliver satisfaction beyond his wildest dreams - she meaning food, he thinking sex! Sophie is not a very good spy, as she does not really ever get a chance to search the house for evidence that Alexander had something to do with her family's misfortunes. She is also horrified at herself as she falls deeper and deeper under the Dark Lord's spell.
This was the ending of this series, and it left me feeling a bit unsatisfied. While the first book in the series, Never Kiss a Rake, was a bit dull and felt incomplete, and the second, Never Trust a Pirate, was so much fun, this one fell somewhere in between. I did like Alexander, even though he was a jerk. I didn't really feel the love between them - I never saw him as truly being in love with Sophie, nor she with him. And the ending, like many I've read recently, was rushed and again felt incomplete. I did like the banter between Adrian and Luca (Adrian is more enjoyable in this book than in his own, ditto Bryony), I just feel like more of a wrap up was needed. But, the villian got his nasty ending, and love surrounded all 3 Russell girls, so while not totally satisfied, it was good enough.
This was the ending of this series, and it left me feeling a bit unsatisfied. While the first book in the series, Never Kiss a Rake, was a bit dull and felt incomplete, and the second, Never Trust a Pirate, was so much fun, this one fell somewhere in between. I did like Alexander, even though he was a jerk. I didn't really feel the love between them - I never saw him as truly being in love with Sophie, nor she with him. And the ending, like many I've read recently, was rushed and again felt incomplete. I did like the banter between Adrian and Luca (Adrian is more enjoyable in this book than in his own, ditto Bryony), I just feel like more of a wrap up was needed. But, the villian got his nasty ending, and love surrounded all 3 Russell girls, so while not totally satisfied, it was good enough.
March 10, 2017
This is a good one....
I haven't liked many historicals recently so I find myself going back in time to try and read ones perhaps I've missed. So far, so good. This is one of the better ones. If you like mystery, dark heros, chemistry and sex, a great female h you'll like this. After reading this series, this one is my favorite and I really do think you can read it as a standalone.
I haven't liked many historicals recently so I find myself going back in time to try and read ones perhaps I've missed. So far, so good. This is one of the better ones. If you like mystery, dark heros, chemistry and sex, a great female h you'll like this. After reading this series, this one is my favorite and I really do think you can read it as a standalone.
May 5, 2015
This is a great historical fiction. The characters are strong, endearing, and consistent throughout the series. I really enjoy how this author is able to set the stage and back story so effortlessly. This book is delightful and you will want to read in one sitting. A good read.
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March 18, 2020
I really liked this one. The last in the series, it's also the best, featuring a believable and mildly humorous connection between the protagonists. The heroine is pert and oh-so-beautiful, but she's also smart and resourceful, so it amused me rather than annoying me. The hero totally didn't know what hit him when it came to her.
On another note, it's clear that the three sisters in the series don't reeally give a damn about each other... oh well.
[Blog] - [Bookstagram]
On another note, it's clear that the three sisters in the series don't reeally give a damn about each other... oh well.
[Blog] - [Bookstagram]
March 6, 2022
The last book in the Scandal at the House of Russell series and it's Sophie and Alexander's story. I really enjoyed reading it. All the characters from the previous books made an appearance and the ending was quite extreme to tell you the truth but still a happy one!
July 9, 2025
This one got better in the second half. You best believe Anne Stuart will have the MMC who falls somewhere on the morally grey spectrum, but I do love a good character arc (well more of a gentle slope) so I keep coming back for more
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