When Sophie Jordan does a slowish burn she does it RIGHT!

Gwen is hanging on to her livelihood by an inch so the last thing she needs is a man who could ruin her reputation…except he could also save her the same way she saved him.

This series just keeps getting better and better. And this time around we get an engagement of convenience between two people who desperately need someone to love and have their love in return.

I loved Gwen so much and Kellan was the perfect partner for her and their chemistry was 🔥 The almost times were as steamy as when they finally gave into the inevitable. And I can’t wait for an update on them in book 4!

I received a complimentary review copy of this book but all opinions are my own.

Thank you #NetGalley for an advanced copy of #TheScoundrelFallsHard by Sophie Jordan in exchange for an honest review.

This was a lovely book. We got to know Gwen in the 1st two books in this series and here we get her story. As the lady blacksmith in town, life hasn't always been easy for Gwen but she's not complaining. She works hard and can take care of herself but she is lonely especially since her father and uncle have both passed away and her two best friends have found true love. Kellan and his father have lived the life of con artists and while life may not always be easy, they are doing just fine until they aren't or at least Kellan isn't. Enter Gwen as a Knight in Shining Armor or at least in pants. Sparks fly between the blacksmith and the conman that's for sure. This book is part of a series but could be read as a standalone. After reading this entire series, I know I need to check out more of Sophie Jordan's books. They are a fun read for sure.

I was instantly intrigued about Gwen’s story when I met her in the previous book.

I really really liked Gwen. She’s strong and capable and such a good person. I kept picturing Gwendoline Christie and it was everything. Kellen is charming and charismatic and learning the error of his ways. Together there’s honesty, a willingness to learn, and chemistry.

Plot wise, it was mostly good. The story is enjoyable and moves at a great pace and then it just ends. It felt abrupt and unfinished. There were a few things that were never really addressed (smarmy rival blacksmith and sons, I’m looking at you) and I truly thought I was missing something in my digital copy.

Overall, these characters were a lot of fun and they deserved a bit more, even if the epilogue was fantastic.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**

This original story is about a tall, strong girl (Gwen) who is a blacksmith trying to keep her small business going while protecting a big, charming guy (Kellen) who is a swindler. His father leads the con of posing as a duke, and leaves the village quickly when the real duke returns. Kellen has known no other life. He learns that a marriage of convenience to Gwen is preferable to the alternative. Gwen believes he will quickly leave her flat and ruined unless she makes him a bargain.

I found the premise of them being non-aristocrats very unusual. The female had the job and the male had none— not too unusual in the slums. It was good to have a different point of view from the lead characters. Their relationship turned steamy in the last third of the book. There are some funny parts when Kellan’s father returns to see them and a little angst towards the end.

All in all, an enjoyable third book in The Duke Hunt series. I loved the cover of this book with the girl as tall as the guy.

I received a copy of the book for my honest opinion.

The scoundrel turns a new leaf in “The Scoundrel Falls Hard” by Sophie Jordan! In book three of The Duke Hunt series, female blacksmith Gwen Cully hears a commotion outside and finds someone hiding in her smithy. Her fellow villagers eventually search her shop and find the imposter duke’s son. The villagers are outraged for being duped until the real duke came along. Kellan Fox is dragged out of the shop and the wants him unalive. Gwen finds the consequence horrendous and announces her feelings for the person she just met and Kellan even kisses her. As grumbling villagers figure out what to do next, the real duke steps in with a suggestion. Gwen facing ruination and Kellen facing death, they prove their love by announcing an engagement and marrying after the banns have been posted for three weeks. Then they agree on a marriage in name only, but can they keep their attraction and lips to themselves?

This is a low angst story, but there are punches thrown. It fits the nature of the two main characters, they each are kind yet fierce when warranted. Gwen does have a vile competitor who needs a lesson though. Hitting is frowned upon however the events lead to touching via first aid and the growth of their desire.

I love their journey towards the idea that marriage is not all bad. Gwen sees Kellan’s eagerness to help her with chores so she can focus more time on her business and she is more relaxed. Kellan reflects about this criminal ways and he cannot fathom going back to what he was brought up to do with his father who abandoned him to the angry villagers. They get into a new routine that contributes to their lives in different and many ways.

Kellan’s father is not a dad. When they met up again, you hope that the scene will be one way, but of course not. The scene drives the story forward and you will need to finish the book right away. I could not handle a broken Gwen!

If you love close proximity, fake relationship, new friendship, protective friends, backstabbing, and partnership to name a few, I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to Net Galley, Avon, and Harper Voyager US for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

The premise of this book is fantastic, the execution not so much. Sophie is a hit or miss for me and this one was a miss. I absolutely loved the previous book and was so excited for Gwen’s story since she is so unusual and is paired with another unusual individual. My biggest issue was that there was not much depth to the story. It is a very nice fluff piece and I am sure lots and lots of people will love that in this book. While I really liked both main characters it was not enough to make me love the story. Sophie’s writing is really great but this story was not for me. I hate that and hope the next book (might have been a hint) is up my alley.

Such a cute book! I was hooked from the start! I really liked the plotline. Kellan is the perfect thief with honor. Gwen is perfectly stubborn. Admittedly there were a few holes in the story that were never filled. The ending also felt kind of rushed, but it was an all-around great book!


Thank you, Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the ARC! The book comes out August 23rd!

The Scoundrel Fall Hard Is another great book by Sophie Jordan. Ever since book one in the Duke hunt series I’ve been wanting a story about Gwen, the resident blacksmith. Loved having the story of a female blacksmith and how she saves the rogue from an angry mob of villagers. Marriage of convenience for one year plot ensues and the rest is just pure fun and easy reading. Love this series!

Ohhh Sophie Jordan you continue to impress me and surprise me! I loved the first two books in this series and had high expectations for The Scoundrel Falls Hard. I was not disappointed! Somehow Sophie Jordan makes each of her books unique and puts a twist on the expected romance tropes.
Gwen Cully is tall, strong, competent, and caring. She's focused on keeping the family blacksmith running when she meets Kellan. I'm a sucker for a scoundrel with his own morals and internal "rules". I loved watching Gwen and Kellan's relationship grow and Kellan allowing himself to fall for someone and finally break free from his conniving father. This book was an unconventional marriage of convenience and I loved the break from the more traditional romances involving the "ton".
In typical Sophie Jordan fashion this book was great chemistry, sexual tension, and steamy scenes. The cover alone is incredible! I highly recommend this book and will continue reading this series and all of Sophie Jordan's books.
Five stars!

Thank you Avon for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Duke Hunt series by Sophie Jordan returns with The Scoundrel Falls Hard and is more fun than ever. With this marriage of convenience romance between a female blacksmith and a charming scoundrel!

Gwen Cully finds herself alone, trying to run her family forge and home after she is left orphaned. In runs Kellan Fox, the man who has beef masquerading as the local Duke’s heir! With a mob at his heels and a bleeding heart, Gwen can’t help but put everything she had towards keeping this man alive against the crowd out for blood… even profess her undying love!!!

Now, in order to keep his neck, Kellen and Gwen must marry after their banns are read!

Obviously, these two are strangers, so they have some fun hiccups as they navigate this situation and decide to wed or not.

I had a lot of fun with this quick, light hearted story that had minimal angst and lots of fun banter. I got a real 90’s teen romance vibe from this story that included the extremely handsome hero that could have anyone falling for the girl that no one else wants. She too tall and works at a male occupation- definitely not wife material! But, Kellen works to sweep her off her feet and make her feel like the desirable woman she is to him, and was therefor it! Especially when he shows his affection through deeds and respecting her abilities.


#TheScoundrelFallsHard #SophieJordan #NetGalley #pinkcowlandreads

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for an eARC of this title for review. All opinions are my own.

In The Scoundrel Falls Hard, blacksmith Gwen Smith and scoundrel Kellan Fox find themselves find themselves in a marriage of convenience as Gwen seeks to avoid marriage to a villainous blacksmith rival and Kellan seeks respectability and protection after his family’s fraudulent claims to aristocracy are discovered. As their chemistry ignites, Gwen and Kellan’s convenient arrangement quickly becomes more real than either could have anticipated, and they must decide whether they can trust in making their marriage real.

Sophie Jordan always comes up with the most innovative premises, and The Scoundrel Falls Hard is no exception. I’ve never read a regency romance with a blacksmith heroine before, and I loved how TSFH explored how Gwen and Kellan are both finding their own way in the world. Did the actual novel succeed in fulfilling this premise? I would say yes—mostly. As always, here Jordan writes a fast-moving, gripping book with unique characters. However, I did struggle a bit with this premise as straining credulity, and the second half of the book moves so quickly that a few threads are dropped that would have added overall to the richness of the story if they had been more developed (Gwen’s villainous rival, on-page resolution to Gwen and Kellan’s misunderstandings, Kellan’s relationship with his father and his threat to Gwen and Kellan’s relationship). Additionally, while I always felt Kellan and Gwen’s physical chemistry, sometimes I didn’t always feel that connection emotionally. All in all, a solid read and still a worthy addition to our digital collection, but not my favorite by Jordan. 3.4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon for an advanced copy of this book!

The Scoundrel Falls Hard starts with an insane premise that the Duke we've heard so much about for two books is actually a fake and has skipped town, leaving his son to deal with an angry mob, a mob that somehow is quelled by the idea that Gwen, the local blacksmith, is in love with him. I laughed at how ridiculous this whole thing sounded, but Sophie Jordan pulls it off!

I loved reading Kellan and Gwen's story, especially as they move closer and closer to the wedding. Gwen is so fierce and Kellan does a great job of building trust and caring for her, it was almost sweet. At times it felt like the pace was a little off and there is a villain (a fellow blacksmith) introduced who sort of falls away at the end and I wish there had been more of a confrontation there. Things moved quickly at the end and I think we deserved a bit more. Also, the epilogue was kind of odd. I don't want to spoil it but was all of it necessary? It came off as super creep and not at all a solution to a problem I didn't care about.

Regardless, I enjoyed this book and will definitely be adding Sophie Jordan to my must read list in the future.

Now on its third installment, the Duke Hunt series is just pure regency fun. Sophie Jordan takes what could be absolutely ridiculous setups and meet-not-so-cutes and makes you root for these couples, no questions asked. In this book, female blacksmith Gwen saves professional scoundrel Kellan from a public hanging by claiming they are betrothed. The rest of the novel plays out as they go from strangers to friends to much more, all while trying to convince the whole village they’re madly in love.

There’s much to like here – Kellan is swoony and has a heart of gold underneath it all. Gwen is clever and independent, and I loved seeing how comfortable she was in her own skin in a profession that was normally only performed by men. Their chemistry makes the outlandish plot work, and I really enjoyed seeing Gwen come to realize that asking for help and letting someone take care of her doesn’t make her weak. I think that’s a lesson we all need to learn sometimes.

Still, the pacing of the novel felt off. I’m a fast reader, and I read it quickly even by my own standards. So when the ending felt rushed, it came off even more abrupt than normal, because Jordan had the room to let it breathe.

I loathe a third act conflict based on a stupid misunderstanding, so trust me that it’s a big deal when I say this: The third act conflict shouldn’t have been resolved so quickly. We needed to see Gwen and Kellan talk it out more. We needed to see how it was fixed on page rather than know it happened off page. Even if it was only one chapter more, I think this would have given the ending more depth and been a more fitting conclusion for Gwen and Kellan’s story.

I’m going to keep this brief as this was a relatively short novel. This is the second Sophie Jordan book I’ve reviewed, and I was not disappointed. As with the other Jordan novel I’ve read, The Scoundrel Falls Hard, employs one of my favorite tropes, the hero #fallsfirstfallshard. Additionally, we have a strong, unconventional heroine that it’s almost impossible not to like.

A Little Bit Of Plot
Spinster and solitary blacksmith, Gwen Cully, is finding her smithy business at a financial downturn. With the passing of both her father and uncle, she finds it difficult to keep up with the demands and turning over completed pieces in a timely fashion. Kellan Fox’s whole existence is a lie; one that when we meet him, is coming to an abrupt end. Upon being caught impersonating a local duke the townsfolk find the best recourse is to hanging. Taking pity on him before an angry crowd, Gwen falsely confesses her love and urges the mob to release Kellan. This lie leads the pair to form a pact to not only marry but stay that way for one year. Attraction shouldn’t play into this at all, right?

The Compliment Sandwich
The Top Bun (Pro)
TROPES!
We have so many of my favorite tropes packed into one little novel: marriage of convenience, forced proximity, one bed, fake relationship, wallflower gets the hero, hero falls first, insta-infatuation (hero)... You name it, this book has it. Plus it’s a historical romance with an exceptionally strong woman and dreamy scoundrel, it’s got Leia and Han written all over it.

Let’s also not forget that Gwen is tall; at times, Kellan refers to her as a Viking.
“He suddenly found himself with a penchant for Viking queens who punched as hard - harder - than a man”. On a number of instances throughout the book, Gwen defends herself physically. “Kellan waited for her in the kitchen, fingering his abused lip and fighting a smile. She packed a hell of a punch. Of course, she did. His lady blacksmith was no delicate miss.” Having the vocation reserved for men put Gwen at a disadvantage. Being imposing and knowing how to handle others helps her to keep her business thriving and standing her ground.

The Meat (The Con)
While we witness Kellan being in love with Gwen from almost jumpstreet, her side is more fraught with indecision. We have a moment of “aha!” for Gwen when she realizes her love almost at the end of the novel. While I understand her hesitancy, Kellan is being exceptionally wonderful throughout the book with nothing more than a cold or often affronted response. To buy in that their connection is more than just attraction, we need to see something from Gwen's perspective of the affection building for her.

The Bottom Bun (The Pro)
What I’m discovering from Sophie Jordan books is that they are hot as hell. This book is no exception. If you are looking for some steam to go along with your marriage of convenience, then you’ll find it here. We have a number of spicy scenes, one in particular featuring a moment of voyeurism leading to fingering.
“As she watched the lovers strain and groan and peel off each other’s clothes, it felt the most natural thing in the world to have the man behind her fondling her breasts…His arm wrapped around her waist, hauling her even closer. He cupped her sex over her trousers, molding his big hand there, curving it along her pulsing mound. He rubbed and squeezed her sex as she watched the couple work against each other wildly.”
Weeeeellll….I’m done. That was…I can’t think…my brain is overloaded… I may have short circuited. Please send help.

After finishing this book, I fell down a Sophie Jordan rabbit hole. I also read her “All The Ways to Ruin A Rogue” and I’m telling you, it’s one of the best friend-to enemies-to lovers that I’ve read in a while. The banter is through the roof and it lasts through the entirety. I also adore Jordan’s writing style and find her to be accessible without the anachronism of other writers of historical romance. I’m recommending all of Sophie Jordan’s catalog, if you enjoy sexy historical romances, you can’t go wrong.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this. I enjoyed the Rake Gets Ravished so much, and was really looking forward to this. Unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me. I truly enjoy Sophie Jordan's writing, there was just too much build up and not enough pay off for me. I loved the premise, but the ending felt way to rushed for everything that had been built up. Sophie is an auto read author for me. and I do look forward to more of her work.

I really enjoyed Gwen and Kellan. Be prepared that your copy might have a lot of back matter (preview of another book). Gwen is a female blacksmith and has a lot of vulnerability while not being weak. Kellan is a charming scoundrel who is attracted to Gwen from the start. This is a very slow burn with a lot of humor. I really enjoyed the banter between Kellan and Gwen. I didn’t love the ending so this is 3.5 but I am rounding up.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s a massively quick read - I finished it in a day. Jordan does a wonderful job with the marriage of convenience trope. The book starts of with a bit of a bang and then slows down to give the characters time with each other. I loved getting a little more insight into Gwen. She was such an interesting side character in the other books.

This story about Gwen Cully and Kellan Fox is the first I’ve read in this series. Gwen is a blacksmith. She ended up with the business after her uncle and father died. She is threatened by a rival town blacksmith. Kellan is a scoundrel and is impersonating a duke. While he and his father were in town the real duke shows up. Kellan’s father leaves town quickly and Kellan hides in Gwen’s blacksmith shop. When found the townspeople want to hang him but Gwen tells them she and Kellan are engaged to marry. Thus begins their road to romance. They are drawn to one another and there is some chemistry between the two. I felt there was quite a bit of unnecessary detail in the book which for me took away from the romance aspect. I would have like more of just Kellan and Gwen. The story was a bit hard for me to get in to. I found it a little boring because I was not drawn in to the story. I did manage to get through it but not one of my favorites. I received an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher. Thank you for the opportunity to review.

*scroll to the bottom for content warnings*
Trope: "forced" marriage
Cover rating: fitting for the storyline, except there is no anvil scene
Book description accuracy: I don't feel it's accurate, it just references H's hard life not that he's a CON MAN
General review: (1) I love Sophie Jordan (2) I just finished the second in the series and absolutely loved it (3) I'm very particular about how I get my happy ever after- very picky about the characters. I'm okay with some tortured souls, some building up their lives... but I'm not a fan of redeemed criminals. I passed over the first in this series because I knew I wouldn't be a fan of the "losing the title" trope, and DNF'd this one because I could tell I wasn't going to like the H. If you don't mind redemption stories then go for it- Jordan's writing is amazing and funny and such easy reading. I just wasn't a fan of this particular story or series (where she focused on unconventional women and men). Each book can be read and enjoyed standalone.

Content warnings: sexism, hanging
I recieved an ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review.

My goodness. This book has tension and emotion from the start. Right from the first chapter, there is a chase, a break in, and a near hanging. Kellan has been impersonating the local Duke's heir while his father acted as Duke and the town is not happy. When literally running from a mob, he takes shelter in Gwen's shop. Before they know it, these two find themselves in an engagement of convenience.

I adore historical romance but will admit that at times the books can feel the same. This one completely breaks the mold. Kellan has lived his whole life as a thief and a fraud and really doesn't apologize for that. Gwen is proud to be the town's blacksmith and despite being female. She even wears - gasp - pants. I loved how Gwen and Kellan both go from being completely set in their ways to willing to do things slightly differently to help one another. There is serious chemistry with some steamy scenes. This book has engagement of convenience, only one bed, voyeurism and times when each helps to heal the other. I loved their relationship but could have used slightly more depth. They really don't share too much of their backstories or get to know one another as well as I felt was needed to believe the HEA in the end. That being said, I couldn't put this down and devoured it in one sitting.

Sophie Jordan doesn't hold back and her books thrive from it. I have enjoyed this series and that you see characters from previous books while each reads fine on its own. Fans of Sarah MacLean and Lisa Kleypas would love this book. I definitely recommend you read it ASAP.