Once a Scoundrel

By Candice Hern

Book Overview

When Anthony Morehouse wins The Ladies' Fashionable in a card game, he thinks it's piece of furniture. But he soon learns that it is actually a women's magazine. He plans to sell it to the editor, but when he sees the beautiful Edwina Parrish behind the desk, he changes his mind. Edwina was his childhood Nemesis, besting him in many competitions and winning from him a family heirloom. He's never forgotten it and so proposes another wager: If she wins, he'll give her the magazine; if he wins, he keeps the magazine and gets his heirloom back.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 006050563X
• ISBN13: 9780060505639
• Release Date: July 2003
• Publisher: Avon Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Strong wills collide with happy results

Tony, the scoundrel of Once a Scoundrel, has learned to be a charming rogue to live down to his father's expectations. He can't resist a wager, carries his betting book with him everywhere, and wins more often than not. When he wins a ladies' magazine run by the brainy, beautiful self-reliant Edwina, he's finally met the person who can push him to become the man he was meant to be. He, in turn, can help Edwina, who has tightly leashed her passionate energy, to let go and soar again. This is Candice Hern's sexiest and most character-driven book yet. Funny and moving, a page-turning pleasure.

Once a Scoundrel

Laugh out loud funny, excellent historical detail, wide range of intriguing characters. Clever plot with subtle message. Mature heroine and hero with lots of sparks and sparring as they wager their way past their deep-rooted rivalry. Candice is a wonderful writer who has outdone herself in this second installment of her current trilogy. I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel and subsequent offerings.

the perfect regency romance!

This book is so good! The author Candice Hern really knows how to evoke the Regency period and weave a romantic spell. The characters Tony and Edwina are passionate people you root for from the beginning. You also learn a little history - all of it very fun - about the politics and mores of the period. Hot romance, too!

A Wonderful Romantic Twist!

Candice Hern has really hit her stride with this sexy, fast-paced historical. I love the fact that the heroine always won her early contests with the hero, particularly in a setting where women are supposed to be demure and fragile. It makes their later challenges VERY highly charged. No one does historicals better than Ms. Hern. This is the perfect summer escape!

Wonderfully entertaining

This book was so much fun. I loved Edwina and Anthony -- they made a perfect pair. They were so well-matched, both having very strong personalities. The verbal sparring between them was delightful, especially as it was accompanied by an almost palpable sexual tension. The attraction between these two was sizzling. When they finally made love, this reader was fanning herself. To me, this was a perfect historical romance. The political background and magazine publication setting were very interesting and new to me (so I learned something, always a plus), the romance proceeded at a perfect pace, and the ultimate conflict between Anthony and Edwina was believable. All this put together with beautifully written prose. I've been a fan of Candice Hern since her earliest short Regencies, and this is by far her best book yet. In fact, this the best romance I've read all year. I can't wait for her next one.