Danny has lived on the streets for as long as she can remember, masquerading as a boy. Far better be it for her to be thieving than whoring, though there would be no choice should Dagger, leader of her gang, find out her true gender. Attempting to steal from Jeremy Malory, she gets apprehended and is blackmailed into stealing for him! Having broken all the rules, she gets kicked out of the group. The boss had been looking for a reason to get rid of her for awhile for some unknown reason. Now she needs to find work, and has the knowledge to blackmail Jeremy into giving her a job. But when she ends up working as a maid in his household, will she be able to resist his seduction attempts?

Jeremy set a trap to catch a thief to help out a friend who had lost some valuable heirlooms gambling. He hadn't expected the thief to be a girl, though for some reason he is the only one to recognize that she is a female. Once the job is done, he doesn't expect to see her again, so he is shocked when she turns up on his doorstep and blackmails him into giving her a job! At least he'll have a chance of seducing her with her living under his roof, if he can avoid her right hooks and overcome her reluctance. But will his intentions towards her change from dishonorable to honorable?

A Loving Scoundrel is a marvelous addition to Johanna Lindsey's fabulous Malory series. Danny is an unlikely heroine, having been a street urchin since about the age of five. There is much mystery surrounding her background, providing several twits, which are in turn pleasant and suspenseful. Jeremy is a rake, as was his father and uncle before him. He doesn't intend ever to settle down, but something about Danny has caught his attention and he just might find himself going against his previous intentions, no matter that she is not of the nobility. I have thoroughly enjoyed Jeremy's tale, though he was but a scamp in the last Malory story – mischievous and well on his way to be a rake, but a scamp nonetheless. Indeed, catching up with several of the other characters was also fabulous. Re-meeting characters is part of why I am mad about series. There are sex scenes, and they do get described. The storyline is great, well paced and excellently written (though you cannot expect anything less from Lindsey). A Loving Scoundrel is definitely a brilliant read that will bring a smile to your face and surely one you'll reread.

Reviewed by: Elizabeth