Vivienne Lorrett dependably writes entertaining historical romance, and How to Steal a Scoundrel’s Heart is no exception. The heroine, Prue, is a woman with drive and determination who maybe didn’t think through her plan to right the wrongs done to her beyond the first step. Leo, the hero, is a standard historical romance character who believes he has no heart and is capable of giving a woman only physical pleasure, but never his heart (because he doesn’t have one).

The story itself is engaging and entertaining. Ms. Lorrett excels at writing a conflict that is razor sharp and cutting, and there is plenty of that here. I thought the thread of the narrative lost a little of the tightness with the introduction of some 3rd act elements, but it hardly took away from my enjoyment.

Now, a moment to highlight one of the things that makes Vivienne Lorrett stand out from other historical romance writers. I’ve read many of her books, and she consistently approaches the Big Resolution with a more realistic feeling timeline. She is not one to allow deep hurts be resolved by token gestures within a 24 (48 max!) hour time span, as do so many others. Her resolutions are written such that the reader knows time has elapsed and that both characters are deep in the full range of feelings. I think that gives her writing a reliable depth that is often missing in the genre and I applaud it!

I was given an advanced copy of the book by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

📖 Q: rake hero or uptight hero? I can love them both but uptight is where my heart is.


(Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.)

I had never read Vivienne Lorret before but I took the leap after a trusted friend’s recommendation. How to Steal a Scoundrel’s Heart has a lot to offer with a former rake hero who’s all **this is just temporary, of course it’s not love** energy, a heroine who really tries to wrangle control over her “ruin” fallout, & a sweet & sensual love story that delights.

In the eyes of (most of) Society Prudence Thorogood has been ruined. She approaches known rake, Leo, Marquess of Savage, & asks him to shortlist her as a possible mistress option. They’ve met before though, & unbeknownst to Prudence Leo is so smitten (I mean it’s only lust, nothing more 🤣) with her that he agrees immediately.

She moves in with him & basically the rest of the book is them navigating that arrangement & their unexpected emotions toward the other.

The basic interactions between Prudence & Leo give me everything I’m looking for. I stan a resourceful, determined heroine who’s willing to do what it takes to survive in a society that wants her to crumple, to stay down.

& I’m all heart eyes for a hero who is gone from the word go but fights it every step of the way.

The friendship rep in here made me happy & intrigued (looking at you, Sterling), the hero’s protective streak is 👏🏻, & I love some heisting.

What doesn’t work for me so much is how a weightier topic is handled, specifically Prudence’s lingering trauma over her first sexual experience, which was painful physically & emotionally. Honestly I even felt unsettled about Prudence & Leo’s basic arrangement given that fact & Prudence’s feelings about having sex with someone again. I think it’s a matter of how it’s executed for me.

Setting aside that aspect of the plot, as well as the random dog on the cover which @angelareadsromance mentioned in earlier Stories 🤣, overall this romance is a lot of fun & I’ll definitely think about picking up another Lorret book in the future.

4 ⭐️. Release date: 05/24

CWs: Past traumatic sexual experience, including bruises & pain. “Ruined” woman. Abandoned by father & stepmother & shamed by family. Previous death of mother.


[ID: a white woman wearing a blue polka dotted dress holds an ereader outside, surrounded by grass, some logs, & trees.]

Received an advanced copy from the publisher.

I had a great time with this book! I loved finally seeing Prue come into her own after being a tragic figure in the other books. And Leo was a joy to get to know. Classic historical romance hero who has A Feeling for the first time and doesn't know what to do about it. I wish there had been a little more development of his backstory, which we only got in small bursts. I also wish we'd seen more of the women from the other books... it strained credulity that Meg would be the only one banging down the door to see if Prue needed rescuing when all of them were so devoted to her. But overall, I enjoyed this story, which was a little different than the usual fair. Can't wait for Meg's book next!

This is book 4 in the "The Mating Habits of Scoundrels" series.. This book can definitely be read as a stand alone.
This is the story of Pru and Leo. Pru has been ruined. In stead of standing beside her and supporting her after being compromised, her family throws her out, sending her to live with a puritanical Aunt and Uncle. Pru decided to take her life back and go to London and fight for what is rightfully hers. On the way she meets Leo who eventually ends up giving her a ride into London. Along the way they make a connection. Knowing she is ruined, Leo offers her a position as his mistress.
Leo, the Marquis of Savage, lives his life a certain way. He engages, signs a contract with a mistress for 4 months at a time and then moves on to the next. He refuses to commit to anyone beyond that time. Until Pru.
This is a very good love story. I enjoyed seeing the two of them, learning to trust and love one another. They are two very damaged soles who help heal one another.
I think that's also what I didn't like about the book. I think it had too much negativity in it. Both characters had suffered, not only at the hands of their parents but also by the person that they thought they had lived. These betrayals kept manifesting themselves through out the book.
4 stars.
I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

I’ve enjoyed every book in this series and this was no exception. I was expecting to be disgusted by Savage’s heartlessness, but the kindness and empathy he showed to Prue (especially regarding her father’s behavior) really made me adore him.
I’d recommend this to anyone who is looking for more Bridgerton-like stories, and who appreciates tough women taking on men with reputations.
There’s lots of historical romance out there, but I would argue that this series is one of the most delightful.

Prue was ruined and ousted from society, lost her inheritance, and worries that her very presence will in turn ruin her friends’ chances at a good life. Leo is a marquess who refuses to fall in love ever since a betrayal years earlier. But he will take a mistress, and Prue suddenly finds herself in need of protection, so they strike a deal. Four months, nothing more, and then she’ll leave London.

Of course, as in all good books, their agreement not to fall in love is easier said than done. They have swoony, sexy chemistry that neither of them can ignore, and their arrangement quickly becomes far less impersonal than either of them planned. Prue wants to use her four months to find the pieces of her lost inheritance, and Leo can’t resist helping her. He’s never been the helpful type, but Prue draws that out of him, just as he makes her bolder and braver. They’re a good match, and it’s fun to watch them realize what is so obvious to the reader.

Finding this book on Netgalley had me rushing to read the prior books in the series first (the whole series is fun and swoony, I’d recommend all the books), and based on their small appearances in the earlier stories, I didn’t expect to love Prue and Leo as much as I did. There’s so much more to both of them than we get to see earlier, and they’re so much better as a team than they are apart. They were so much easier to root for than I expected, and I loved Lorret for creating these characters that surprised me that way.

I will say I think they both had a bit of trauma and mistreatment in the past that didn’t really feel like it’s due. It’s not that I wanted a more serious book or a downer, but I do always appreciate when a smart, romantic read like this one already is can weave in the characters fully coming to terms with everything from their past. But that’s a small quibble, because I really did like this book.

This is part of a series but I think you don’t lose anything reading it as a standalone. Our heroine Prue is sweet and quite naive, our hero Lord Savage is quite the opposite. The book was cute, I got through it quickly and I felt quite engaged in reading it. I liked that this was not a typical mistress-to-love interest story, and that our hero and heroine really respected one another. The romance fell a little flat for me but overall I enjoyed the read.

Firstly, I would like to thank Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc of the book. This review is based on my personal opinion and enjoyment of the book.

If you read the prior books in the series, you absolutely will want to read this. I am very glad to finally read Prue's story and for her to have her HEA.

Prue - ruined by a terrible rogue and abandoned by her family meets Lord Savage, who offers her the position of his mistress in order to reclaim her inheritance.

The two "meh" things about this book -
1. The middle of the book was quite dry. I was a bit surprised by this. I worked to get through it.
2. I felt like Savage's role as a Marquess in society was really underplayed. He was a libertine, sure, but he was still a marquess and he and whoever he eventually married would have been accepted anywhere. The nobility had extreme amounts of power. I am always disappointed when a book fails to convey this.

I though Prue's reasoning to become Savage's mistress was a little thin, particularly when she had such powerful friends. But I enjoyed the consistency of the character. I think she went from someone who fell into a nefarious person's web to someone who kinda overcorrected and became suspicious and reserved. I completely understand how she got there.

I adored Leo. Give me all the bad boys. Thanks and more please. I loved that he was patient with Prue and that he was a bad boy but was not without honor.

I hesitate to give any book a 3 star rating, especially when it is from one of my favorite authors, because I don't want to discourage people from reading it. However, this book was not a smack you over the head great book.

I was given this book by Avon via Netgalley.

Oh Pekingese, (the heroine’s favorite expletive) I enjoyed this book. Prudence Thorogood (Prue) is considered ruined after being caught in a compromising situation. Her father abandons her and sends her to live with strict relatives in the country. She returns to London a year later determined to steal back her inheritance and live on her own in the cottage that once belonged to her deceased mother. After learning her inheritance will take longer to acquire back than she thought, she chooses a different path. The Marquess of Savage, Leo Ramsgate makes her an offer to help her regain her inheritance in exchange for being his mistress for four months. That is the normal amount of time that he contracts with ladies and means he doesn’t have to open his heart. Prue decides to accept when her friends who are sheltering her are starting to be ostracized for helping her.

This is the fourth novel in The Mating Habits of Scoundrels Series but can easily be read as a stand alone. I loved Lorret’s descriptions. Something as simple as the decorations in the room come alive as she not only covers the colors, the fabrics but even adds the texture of the rug being plush enough to leave a foot print. The feeling of the room described as feminine luxury, soothing, a balm for the senses. It made me want to be in that room with Prue. And I can’t count the number of times the comments by Leo and Prue had me chuckling as I read. The situations aren’t comical but the writing is witty and fun.

There is a serious under story. The original compromising situation is more of a sexual assault. I don’t think it got dealt with or acknowledged as well as it should. Leo is yummy as the hero with a heart of stone. He is very tender and patient allowing Prue time to enjoy kissing and becoming familiar with closeness and foreplay before proceeding further with their agreement. But I was annoyed that it was to make sure she wasn’t already with child and not to help her over her assault. (To be fair he didn’t know the details.) And I was doubly annoyed that there was no consequence or confrontation with Nethersole.

I absolutely enjoyed this novel except for what I mentioned above. I loved both Prue and Leo and knew they'd get their HEA. And I hope I don’t have to wait long for Meg’s story especially with the hints in the epilogue. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. (4.5 stars)

Well hello Lord Savage 😏🥵 it seems you have stolen my heart, it’s ok if yours is already taken.
This was my first Vivienne Lorret book and it will not be my last. I loved every second of it! I will be going back to read the first three books in this series and I can’t wait for Never Seduce A Duke, I have got to know what happens to Meg!
How to Steal a Scoundrel’s Heart begins when Lord Savage is escorting his latest mistress out of London and they run into Prudence who is a “fallen” or ruined debutant. Prue is so determined to take her life back that she is literally walking to London in order to lie, cheat and steal all of her inheritance back after her father disowned her.
Lord Savage instantly likes her, who wouldn’t she’s spunky and will not being falling for his charms or the inappropriate offer her makes her. Lord Savage is used to getting what he wants, he has stupid amounts of money and uses most of it on his mistresses.
When Prue becomes desperate she knocks on Lord Savage’s door one night and within 24 hours her whole life changes.

Prudence Thorogood has been ruined. After being caught in a compromising position with a man who refused to marry her, she is damaged goods, and her only hope for stability is to steal back the inheritance that was taken from her.

Leo Ramsgate, Marquess of Savage, needs a mistress. Refusing to fall in love or even engage in long term relationships, Leo takes a mistress under contract for four months at a time, and no more than that. Upon meeting Prue, he's immediately taken by her dignity and prim and proper nature (at odds with her reputation). So he offers her a deal: if she takes the role of his mistress for four months, he'll help her reclaim her inheritance. With no other options, Prue agrees. Her plan? To leave London as soon as the affair is over and she has what she needs. But her growing bond with Leo could threaten everything the two of them thought they wanted...

This! Was! So! Good! I've never read a Vivienne Lorret before, and God was this a great first impression. Right from the jump, Lorret tells us what her hero is about without mincing words. He's essentially dumping his current mistress in the first chapter, and quite coldly. He's a gentleman about it, giving parting gifts to the women he leaves, but there's no emotion involved. And Prue meets this very mistress (who I'd frankly love to see as the heroine of another book, shoutout to Lady Chastaine) and is told about all of the benefits of being a fallen woman and having a lover like Ramsgate. It's this embracing of the fallen women that I really appreciate. Because like... yeah. This is a sweet deal. Sure he won't marry you, but he's hot and great in bed and is going to show you an awesome time for four months, covering all of your expenses and buying you whatever you want during that time, before leaving you with the "parting gift" of... like... a house?

It's not bad! Seriously not bad!

And it's no wonder that Prue realizes this (though I appreciate the minor time jump in the book, as it emphasized how important her values were to her and what it meant for her to give them up). Her decision is completely rational... It's just made a bit sweeter by Leo being. Really hot. Like, I don't fuck around when it comes to sexy heroes--this is a sexy hero. Definitely in the vein of a St. Vincent more than a Craven if we're going by the Kleypas Scale--a bit of a reprobate, extremely charming and cultured, and smooth as fuck.

There's so much care taken regarding Prue's sexual comfort and experience, too. Just because she comes to Leo as a ruined woman doesn't mean he's presumptuous. His initial offer of making her his mistress is just that--an offer. Kind of like a job opportunity, to be honest. There's no pressure, no "where's my hug at" which has been the issue I've encountered with other "mistress" historical romance plots. When she initially turns him down, he's good with it. When she returns to see if he's still open to the idea, he actually honors his previous verbal agreement with another woman who he hadn't yet signed a contract with--though he doesn't get into a physical relationship with that woman yet, he continues to cover her clothing expenses as she'd assumed she would have his financial aid. It's... a call that gets him into some trouble, but it makes sense and it underscores the professionalism with which he treats these arrangements.

Which is why it's so satisfying and delightful when he starts to fall for her (which doesn't take long, of course, because Prue is delightful, but he's an idiot so he doesn't realize that just wanted to cuddle your mistress while she's on her period is like... falling in love with her... we love morons). Both Prue and Leo are set up so well as individuals that the way that they start to grow and compromise for each other is amazing. Prue initially approaches sex as something "dreadful" that women have to put up with--but eventually, she really, really wants it with this guy, even if she keeps telling him that she just wants to "get it over with". Leo claims that he prefers his mistresses to be detached, but he's immediately charmed by Prue being a complete mess around him. They can make all the excuses they want, but we the readers know they're falling in love--and isn't that the fucking point of these books? I just want to watch two damaged people who can't accept their feelings fall in love with each other while performing various sexual acts in a historical setting!!!

And yes, as I must always note, the sex is bomb. There's actually a fuckton of foreplay leading up to the actual sex, for plot reasons--but it's good foreplay. It's really good foreplay. And while it's made very clear that Leo WANTS this woman so badly, much of the sex is based on her pleasure. Not to the point that you feel deprived or concerned about him being into it (he is... into it) but to a point that makes sense. Prue begins this book truly skeptical about sex being pleasurable at all, and if she continued that attitude for long into the game as Leo's mistress... we would've had issues. Him truly seducing her in a drawn out manner is a great choice.

This is the book I mentioned involving a puppy. It is excellent usage of a puppy. And also! We have a stinger at the end of this one. Everyone is really killing me with these stingers leading into books that aren't out yet. This novel has a truly killer one--I'm dying for a release date for the next book. But I guess I have to put up with the wait by getting into Lorret's backlist. You know I will!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love how Prue stands up to Leo. She will not except anything from him that she hasn't earned. Leo is really taken with Prue from the first time they met. His whole demeanor changed. How to Steal a Scoundrels Heart, is a great book.

Although this book seems to be very light-hearted and humorous at the start, as it develops it delves into much deeper waters. The hero and heroine, although they seem to be completely different personalities, actually have more in common than either of them realize at first. Prue has been "ruined" by a blackguard she thought she loved who refused to marry her after assaulting her, but making sure society knew about her "wantonness". Leo is the scoundrel who goes through mistresses every four months or so. And yet when Prue walks out of an untenable situation and meets Leo while on the way to London, something changes for both of them. How they discover the shared wounds and how they help to heal the other makes for a very lovely story.

Fallen debutant, Miss Thorogood, takes scoundrel Lord Savage up on his offer to be his mistress. Leo discovers that she’s not like his typical mistress though as she constantly surprises him. I loved the witty banter between the leads. I did think there was more sex than usual in this book. Ms. Lorret gives us another good story in this series.

* Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.*

I’ve only read one book by Vivienne Lorret before, and it was a similar ‘taming the untameable rakehell’ sort of trope. I’m a sucker for this trope, so How to Steal A Scoundrel’s Heart was immediately added to my ‘To Read’ list on NetGalley. Prudence Thorogood is the daughter of a Viscount, banished to the country for the past two years due to her scandal of ruination. When she finds out that her stepmother has sold all her mother’s belongings, Prudence decides to go to London and get back all her mother’s things. It is in this journey to London that she meets Lord Savage. I wasn’t sure how the author would create the setting for Prudence’s ruination, because I am a bit particular about scandals. However, Prudence’s experience and her reconciliation with her friends in London was the right balance between realistic and tragic. I absolutely adore Savage and Prudence together, and how one person can make all the difference. Although this is pretty common and even clichéd, I love how only Prudence could get past Savage’s cynicism, and only Savage could Prudence the love that she didn’t get from her family. Another aspect that I liked was that Prudence didn’t consider herself completely worthless or sinful after her ruination. All in all, I love Vivienne Lorret’s character development. While this is not a super realistic, or out-of-the box Regency Romance, it’s a great book for its tropes, or for Regency Romance lovers in general. The story never felt boring and Vivienne Lorret’s writing style is a great balance between subtly humorous and emotional. I would give How to Steal A Scoundrel’s Heart 5 stars, and I’m definitely going to be adding this book to my Forever Library.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. These are my opinions. I loved the story between Prudence and Leo, Lord Savage. Prue's stepmother sold or gave away all of Prue's valued possessions. Leo offers to help her get them all back providing she becomes his mistress for 4 months. She agrees and they both find out how much they care for one another. It was a truly enjoyable read, with a very satisfying finish. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a great romance.

I read this just a few days ago and it was really forgettable. I liked it when I read it but the only things I remembered were triggers. TW should include PTSD and SA even though the SA happened off page there was a lot of mention of it. As well as PTSD from childhood trauma on the part of the heroine as well as our hero being poisoned in his past. That is what I remember and that has stuck with me for a week.

Two broken people find out what each other and love can do to change their life’s. It’s a very emotional story. I laughed at their sense of humor, and cried at their sorrow. It’s a great story that’s hard to put down!

Content warning: The heroine was sexually assaulted prior to the novel taking place.

After Prue was sexually assaulted by a man she thought wanted to marry her, her family abandoned her and her stepmother gave away or sold off all the items in her inheritance. Prue is determined to get them back. After some unsuccessful attempts at larceny, she approaches her acquaintance, the rakish Marquess of Savage, Leo. Leo engages in short-term relationships with fourth month contracts. Prue agrees to be his mistress if he helps her to steal back her inheritance, and Leo accepts.

I really struggled to connect with Prue. As her name suggests, she is very prudish, which I think has more to do with her upbringing than her sexual assault. Her constant insecurity in the bedroom just didn't do it for me, but other readers might appreciate this in a heroine as we don't often see it in romance novels. I liked the slowly developing relationship between Leo and Prue with lots of kissing and foreplay before the two sleep together in the figurative sense. However, when it came down to it, waiting was more about making sure Prue wasn't pregnant than honoring her anxieties when it came to sex.

There's more to my rant below that I think is a little spoilery, so I'll hide it under a tag...

I also didn't like the discussion of virginity in this one. Prue considers her sexual assault to be the loss of her virginity, but when she finally sleeps with Leo, she loses it in what many consider to be the medical sense; her assailant did not break her hymen. Leo immediately wants to do the "honorable thing" and marry Prue and surprises her with a wedding. After a little disagreement, she agrees to marry him that very day. He assures her that he took her virginity, not her rapist.

The writer lost me there. Some hymens break before the first time having sex. Some don't break until a few times in. It felt both progressive and outdated to suggest the breaking of a hymen was the true loss of Prue's virginity (which is just a concept in and of itself) rather than her assault. Yes, she gets to reclaim a positive memory as her first time, but Leo chooses that for her. I would have rather either Prue made that distinction herself or Leo, who recognizes Prue's other experience as assault, helped her reclaim this moment as the loss of her virginity because it was positive rather than because he broke her hymen. Gross.

Anyway, overall this was a fun read, though the end really dragged on. I had a lot of issues with the discussions of virginity in this title, but I can see why many of my friends enjoyed it anyway.