David Blackburn watched his loving mother subjected to his fathers abuse until she ‘fell down the stairs.’ He couldn’t protect her so he vowed to protect other women in her situation. Haphazardly, he found his way into a serving as halving a fake affair with married women who wished to get out of their marriage for one reason or another.

Marguerite ‘Daisy’ Townsend is a inquiry agent and is hired by a husband to determine if his wife is being unfaithful. She disguises herself as a maid in Blackburn’s home hoping to catch them in a compromising position. But she does not anticipate falling for Blackburn’s charms herself.

Blackburn and Daisy were so very cute and both had harsh childhoods that drove them to be the adults they are now, with no intentions of ever marrying. Their banter and flirting were so fun and I loved how shocked Blackburn was that Daisy stood up to him! He loved it! Seeing characters from other novels was also exciting to see where they are now! I can always depend on Ms. Heath to deliver a book I am sure to adore!

I normally love Lorraine Heath but couldn’t get through this. Daisy is not a good detective. Everything is super predictable. Their “chemistry” does nothing for me.

I enjoyed this book with the two unusual main characters.

There is a counterfeit scoundrel and a counterfeit maid. David Bishop is helping a woman gain a divorce by pretending to be her lover and Marguerite (Daisy) Townsend is pretending to be a maid when she is actually an investigator. She was hired to find out if the visiting woman is having an affair with notorious womanizer David Bishop. Who better situated than a maid who sees who visits, and even more important, how long they stay together behind closed doors? But just as there is more to the maid Daisy than meets the eye, David is not quite what he seems either.

This is the first book in a series about the Chessmen. So far, Bishop, Rook and Knight have been mentioned. Another member of the Chessman, King (the Duke of Kingsland), was introduced in The Duchess Hunt. I mention that because when I started this book, I was nagged by a feeling of familiarity, and kept wondering if I had encountered these characters before. I think they may have been in that book or at least mentioned. .

I received an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed it. These are my own opinions.

**Note to publisher: I had to change the review slightly in order to be acceptable to Amazon.

I'm always here for a new series from Lorraine and I was more than excited to see who it was going to be with.

I loved Daisy and Bishop. They both good people with strong beliefs and I loved reading their instant chemistry turn into something more. Of course seeing the brief scenes with the other Chessmen were great (especially the hint of King and Penny)

Plot wise, it was mostly good. It felt like there were a lot of moving parts, but not a lot seemed to happen until the end and then it was everything and done. I did want more conversation, more honesty, more of Daisy and Bishop existing instead of hiding, but I get that I'm being greedy. The epilogue was fantastic and I'm eager to see where the nest stories go.

Overall, it's always the characters that get me and these two were no exception.

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

I reviewed this title for All Abour Romance. My full review can be found at this link: https://allaboutromance.com/book-review/the-counterfeit-scoundrel-by-lorraine-heath/

The Counterfeit Scoundrel was one of releases I was most looking forward to this year and I'm a little heartbroken that I didn't love it. I'm hoping this is just a case of "First Book in a New Series Blues" situation.

The Once Upon a Dukedom series is phenomenal and I was eager to hear all about the Chessman that we meet in that series. The storyline was very disjointed - It felt like 3 separate books with 3 separate plots that all fell flat. There was no relationship build or insta-love but rather an insta-infatuation that somehow made a boring relationship that lacked any depth beyond being 2 hot people who liked having sex with each other. I wish we got to see more of the Chessman on page to get excited about the following books but they popped up maybe once for a brief moment and that was it.

I absolutely love Lorraine Heath's writing but I unfortunately didn't love this one. The Counterfeit Scoundrel is the first book in the new Chessman series. Daisy Townsend is hired to go undercover and find proof towards a cheating wife. She takes a position as a maid in the suspected "other man's" household only to find herself smitten with him herself and embroiled in a murder mystery. Bishop is your typical "fake rake" who secretly helps desperate women escape their terrible home lives. Although I adore Heath's writing (and will continue to pick up her books), I felt like it was more of a murder mystery than a romance. First books often have the tough job of setting up the series and I felt it did do a good job of that. I'm looking forward to continuing but hope the romance is more in the forefront in the upcoming books. I also want to add that I LOVE the cover on this one. The colors and modern font are *chef's kiss.

#netgalley #thecounterfeitscoundrel #avonharpervoyager
Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Harper Voyager and Lorraine Heath for this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

While I have several books by Lorraine Heath on my shelf, I have never actually read a book by her, so this was my first one. Lorraine Heath is a very good writer. I enjoyed this story so much, and her writing pulled me in. I loved both Bishop and Daisy's characters as well as found the plot to be intriguing.

Bishop is widely known as a rake. He has broken up several marriages and is known to have a rotating set of woman in his bedroom every night. But he has a secret: he never actually sleeps with them. He is just helping them get out of their unhappy marriages. Daisy has been hired by one of the husbands whose wife is visiting Bishop's bedchamber to uncover if his wife is really having an affair.

From the moment Bishop lays eyes on Daisy pouring tea, they were instantly attracted to each other. As they get to know each other more, they grow closer, but still try to fight their attraction.

As always, I went into this book blind, so I wasn't expecting the plot of this book at all. The first half of the book focused on Daisy trying to find out if her client's wife was having an affair. Then about 50% into the story, it became a murder mystery. To be honest, I'm not really sure if I loved the murder mystery aspect or not. It was fairly quick because it was only part of the books focus. While it was shocking to discover who the murderer was, I still thought it needed more buildup or to be the main focus of the book. But I overall did like the plot of the story.

For a book that talks about needing to be honest with each other to make a relationship work, I just wanted the author to acknowledge the fact that these two characters were lying to each other for half the book about who they really were. Daisy wasn't actually a servant, even though she lead Bishop to believe that. And Bishop was not actually a Rake, even though he was putting on a performance whenever she walked into the room. Lying about who you are is one of my least favorite tropes, just because I don't really like lying, but I did like this book overall and would recommend it.

Lorraine Heath is one of my favorite historical romance authors, and I was so excited to get an advanced copy of her newest book The Counterfeit Scandal! This books was such a fun read, and honestly, you really can’t go wrong with Lorraine Heath, so I should expect nothing less!

Daisy is a lady detective hired to go undercover as a maid in Bishop’s home. She’s looking for proof that her client’s wife is having an affair with Bishop. However, things aren’t as they appear, and Daisy finds there’s more to Bishop than his blackguard reputation. Things quickly change course when Bishop is accused of murdering the husband of one a woman he is assumed to have had an affair with, and he needs Daisy to help clear his name.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s different than the usual historical romances I’ve read. I love a strong heroine, and Daisy fits that description well! Bishop has a heart of gold, and while he sometimes got in his own way, I still found myself intrigued by him. My only issue with the book is that the romance develops almost immediately. I wish there’d been a bit more build up, as the tension between the two could have been really amazing once they got together if it was pulled out just a bit more.

Lorraine Heath is pretty much an auto-buy author for me, so of course I enjoyed this one. I’m really excited for the next book in the series coming this summer!

Thanks to Avon Publishing and Netgalley for the complimentary eARC. All opinions are my own.

You’d think that two individuals who make it their life’s work to be self-employed covert operatives might be a little better at it than they actually were?! They both showed their hands far too quickly but to be fair they did fall for each other at first sight so maybe they didn’t want to really keep their truths hidden. I liked the pairing and the copious amounts of chocolate but the steam left one wanting more. The romance was also lacking depth of emotion which kept me at arm’s length from fully immersing myself in their relationship. I didn’t see the twist in the mystery coming and I may have gasped so I can say I did enjoy the entire journey!

Steam: 🔥

Thank you to the publisher for the advance reader copy via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

dnf at 28%

I think this book just wasn't for me. I usually love regency romances but this one seemed to drag in the beginning and I just couldn't get into it. I also am not a fan of insta-love, so that turned me off as well.

This book has so great reviews so I highly encourage to give it a read as I think it just wasn't for me.

The Counterfeit Scoundrel is the first book in Lorraine Heath's new historical romance series The Chessmen: Masters of Seduction. It's a spin-off from her title The Duchess Hunt, in which the Chessmen were introduced. As that is one of my favorite books ever, I was very excited to get to know Bishop, Knight and Rook. It started off a bit slow for me, but I stuck with it, and I am so glad I did! It became the wonderful and exciting romance I have come to expect from Ms. Heath.

Though she's a member of an aristocratic family, Marguerite "Daisy" Townsend wanted to do more than attend balls and shop, so she became an inquiry agent. Hired by a man to prove his wife is cheating on him, Daisy enters employment as a maid in the woman's lover's house. David Blackwood, known as Bishop, quickly comes to the conclusion that his new "maid" is actually there to expose him for his misdeeds. Bishop can't let that happen; his affairs aren't actually affairs. After watching his mother be abused by his father, Bishop helps wives who need to divorce to escape bad marriages. However, when Bishop is accused of murdering the spouse of one of his "lovers", he turns to Daisy to help prove his innocence. Can they get over their histories and secrets to be together, or will the past win and tear them apart?

As stated earlier, this one was a slow start for me. However, when Bishop is accused of murder, things really took off and flew by; and then I didn't want it to end! Both Bishop and Daisy were extremely likable characters. Daisy's parent's died of opium overdoses, and she went to live with her unmarried Auntie Charlotte. Daisy she resolved to become a successful inquiry agent, as the life of an aristocrat had no appeal to her. She also wanted to help people. When she began to work for Bishop, she quickly became attracted to him; but she was there to find proof of an affair, and she was determined to get her evidence! Bishop couldn't help but notice his attractive new maid, but he suspected she was a lot more than a servant. Bishop absolutely hated his father, who horribly abused his mother and maybe even worse, so he was bound and determined to help woman in abusive marriages get a divorce; and since infidelity was grounds, he provided "proof". I loved when Daisy started to become jealous of Bishop's paramours. In one case she dumped a bowl of chocolate sauce over the top of Bishop's head! Their attraction was really intense; once they got together you just knew there would be plenty of steam, and there was. Then Bishop was suspected of murder, and he knew he needed someone he could trust to prove his innocence: Daisy. That's when things really picked up speed and became unputdownable. (Is that even a word?) We learned more about Bishop's past. It was Daisy's actual past that came to light during their investigation that totally blew her world apart. Nothing was as she had known. Bishop was there for her. But was he willing to give up his own crusade to save woman to be with Daisy? I think you know the answer to that! I truly loved these characters, and I can't wait to read Knight's book, which comes out next.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

David Blackwood, despite his wealth is definitely not welcome in the ton's drawing rooms thanks to being named as the other party in various noble divorces.  Daisy is a PI who masquerades as a maid in David's household seeking to expose David's relationship with her client's wife. She finds that David is quite the philanderer with a different woman every night and she can't help but be amused at his shorthand descriptions of his lady loves when she finds his calendar. 
The plot thickens as Daisy finds a way to enter David's bedroom when he's entertaining and is puzzled by the activities that she observes. Having been helpless to extract his mother from her poisonous relationship, David is now determined to help other women who are victimized by their husbands. Each encounter as it turns out is just for show and he engages in platonic activities with each of the women.  Daisy's musings about his sex drive and capacity are quite amusing when they both show up at a club that caters to people exploring sexual relationships. 
There is no question, the maid and the master have a connection and despite his butler's admonitions, David is helpless to resist Daisy. Fortunately, he finds out that she is a PI and of noble birth and therefore eligible for his advances. But things are going to get very complicated before the path of true love can run smooth.  There is a murder and David is the key suspect plus his father is up to no good as well.  The plot thickens and there are a lot of crossed wires and tangled lines before the truth will be out. 
Overall, a good story but not a compelling one. I felt that the romance takes second fiddle to all the action and adventure. I am interested to see where the author will take this new series though.

The plot took me places I didn’t expect, the heroine Daisy is a strong, straight-talking woman who isn’t afraid to use chocolate when she needs to, and Bishop is super sexy and charming. They are so horny for each other in a way that feels really natural and realistic to the first throes of love. A small thing, but I love that Heath shows Bishop working out and gives a reason for why he’s so built. In so many historical romances, the men are “massive” but for no reason.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! This book took me a little bit to get into, but I loved the swoony ending and the mystery element, as well as the sweet build of the main characters' relationship. Marguerite or Daisy is a spy, working on a case involving Bishop, a rake who seems to be having affairs with married women. Bishop is actually helping women out of bad marriages, but gets caught up in a murder plot. Their attraction is evident, but can this pair get past the intrigue, scandal, and murder to find their way to each other? The first half of this book was hard for me to get through, I think because Daisy is an awful spy and there is a lot of just watching Bishop pretend to have affairs, but around 60 percent in, this book picked up pace. I liked the murder mystery element, and I thought the ending was great and very sweet. I really like Lorraine Heath, and I think this will be good for fans of hers, but maybe not the best one of her works to start with if you're new to her books. I think the power of Heath is in her smaller descriptions of the characters falling in love, such as a slight feeling, the way they touch, and smiling at each other across the room. She’s so good at this genre! Overall, I recommend this book for fans of Heath, historical romance, intrigue, and swoon worthy endings.

What a disappointment! Lorraine Heath is so hit or miss and "The Counterfeit Scoundrel" is definitely a miss.

Flat and vapid, with a side of insta-lust. Features the classic, "she's like no one else ever before," at first sight. Also, they kept smelling each other having been in the room recently or in the hallway last night or around the corner yesterday?? Like a couple of sex bloodhounds.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Lorraine Heath is always a prolific and inventive writer, especially when it comes to breathing fresh and interesting takes to historical romance. Heath’s writing is eloquent, thoughtful and beautifully crafted. Heath knows how to poetically weave together words to perfectly describe the heartache and lure of love. The Counterfeit Scoundrel is the first in her new series-The Chessmen, and this novel is a lovely example of Heath’s strengths. Lorraine Heath’s characters are always the heart and center of her novels, and our hero and heroine in this novel are built with care and understanding. When looking for a historical romance with rich and real characters, an interesting and intriguing plot, and a romance to swoon for, then look no further than Lorraine Heath!

This novel can be read as a standalone, but Heath has done a really interesting job of growing and expanding the world she is writing in, that most of her English Victorian romances build and expand upon each other. Heath starts this book off with the fascinating plot line of an aristocratic young woman working undercover as a maid the house of an intriguing gentleman she believes to be the lover of her client’s wife. The heroine is industrious, bold and independent. I love that she wants more out of her life and she is not afraid to work hard to make her dreams of being a sleuth a reality. I adore the hero, he is kind hearted and smart, and he is using the past trauma of witnessing his mother’s abusive relationship to fuel is passion in helping other women escape this reality. These two both start of their relationship on high alert of the other, they are both attracted and suspicious of the other which creates some early interactions fueled with wit and banter. Lorraine Heath is a master at building tension and chemistry between the hero and heroine and watching these two dance around each other, then learn to trust and work together is proof of Heath’s genius.

The romance between these two builds steadily throughout the novel as they try to resist temptation. As they begin to embrace the chemistry between them, they enter into a physical relationship. Through these interactions the reader is able to see the trust and understanding these two are building together. I just adore how the relationship progresses and how it our heroine and hero both learn what a marriage between them could be. I love that the hero also leaves a lot of the progression and decision making to the heroine when it comes to the stages of their relationship, it really shows a beautiful layer if consent and openness.

Lorraine Heath is always a must read author to me and someone I will always highly recommend. I think any truly romance lover will find something to love in a Heath novel. Definitely pick this novel up, as well as any Lorraine Heath work!

I seriously love the kinds of intrigue and mystery that historical romances are able to get away with, things that would never work now because of modern technology. A man who pretends to be a rogue having affairs with married women to help them obtain divorces from their terrible husbands? That would never work now for multiple reasons, but it’s a fantastic Victorian plot because it simply takes the work of one woman pretending to be a maid to uncover the truth behind the lie.

Bishop and Daisy start their acquaintance with a whole pile of lies, but it’s a lot of fun watching them sift through to the truth of each other. There’s instant attraction and heat that they’re both trying to ignore, and they both think the other is doing something shady, which makes their banter even better. And when all of that truth is uncovered, the book morphs into a murder mystery as she tries to prove him innocent of killing a man. Insane plot twists follow. Written out like that, it should be Too Much, but honestly, it all works so well. I was all in on this wild ride.

My only real issue with the book is minor: the series is called the Chessmen, and I wish we had seen more of that group of Bishop’s friends in this story. From the few scenes we get, their closeness is obvious, but if readers haven’t read the book in a previous series that introduces them, they might not understand the full impact of their friendship.

Still, I really enjoyed this, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the rest of the Chessmen get up to!

There is so much to love in this one. The heroine is a spunky, independent woman set on making her own way despite society's expectations. The hero is a growly teddy bear willing to put with society's censure as long as it helps women stuck in horrible marriages. They're both insistent that marriage is the last thing they want. But when interest turns to attraction and then to passion and unexpected feelings, it's not just society they'll have to face but the secrets and motivations of their past.
I really enjoyed reading Daisy and Bishop's love story and seeing how each interaction changed them just a little and allowed them to open up. And that's not even touching on the murder mystery and the great plot twists that Heath throws at readers with excellent skill.
Overall, it's a great historical romance with mystery elements that excels at both angles of the story.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the wonderfully romantic read!

Despite being the daughter of an earl’s younger son, Marguerite “Daisy” Townsend longs to make a name for herself outside of polite society and establish herself as an inquiry agent. Her latest case, finding proof of a wife’s infidelity, necessitates obtaining a position as a servant in the household of her lover, but Marguerite never expected to find herself attracted to the blackguard.

David Blackwood, more routinely called simply by the name Bishop, is as well known for his handsome face as for his rakish reputation. It doesn’t take him long to realize the new maid isn’t what she seems, but tempted as he is by her alluring beauty, he can’t allow her to get close enough to learn the truth that his many supposed affairs are faked. Having witnessed his mother’s trials at the hands of his abusive father, Bishop has made it his life’s work to help wives obtain divorces to escape unhappy marriages.

When the husband of one of his fake lovers turns up murdered, Bishop is accused of committing the crime and seeks Daisy’s assistance to exonerate himself. As they search for the truth together, they unearth a web of deceits and find themselves unable to deny the attraction broiling between them. But when secrets are revealed, the biggest question is whether Bishop will give up the games he hasn’t even realized he was playing to entrust Daisy with his heart permanently.

Bishop’s story was a fresh twist on both the fake rake and reformed rake tropes, and I found it to be very well done. His only purpose in life was to thwart his father and help women obtain divorces and up until meeting Marguerite and being subsequently bowled over by his newfound feelings for her, he’d only seen one way to go about achieving this goal. She helped him realize that he was still allowing himself to be controlled and his actions dictated by his awful father, and to break free of that to at last seek some happiness for himself. Marguerite showed him that not only was this possible, but that it was what he deserved to find in life. Bishop helped Marguerite establish and maintain the independence she longed for while simultaneously demonstrating that it was also okay for her to accept the help of a partner. I especially loved that, in the end, it is Marguerite comforting and assuring Bishop of the permanence of her feelings for him and solidifying their relationship and shoring up his confidence when he is still a bit uncertain of himself, his worthiness, and the depth of her feelings for him. There were quite a lot of ups and downs in this story and no small amount of emotional upheaval and reflection, which kept me invested in the story. Bishop and Marguerite established a truly lovely partnership after facing quite a few challenges together, both from outside sources and within themselves, and I found both characters to be very endearing. The only thing I missed in this story was Bishop spending more time with the other Chessmen, but based on the interactions they did have, I’m very excited for the rest of this series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.. :