I loved this one! I had so much suspense and twists that it kept me on my toes! Lorraine Heath is an automatic buy author for me! She can never do no wrong, although the spice level was low in this one!

The Counterfeit Scoundrel is a sultry, captivating, and emotionally resonant novel that provides a fulfilling reading experience. The epilogue alone is one of the most heartwarming and exquisitely crafted scenes I have ever encountered. The Chessmen: Masters of Seduction is sure to be another enthralling series from the incomparable Lorraine Heath.

Sleuth Daisy takes a post in the home of a rake, known as Bishop, looking for evidence that her employer's wife is having an affair. She's shocked to learn the truth behind Bishop's scandalous reputation. When the husband of one of his reputed paramours is murdered, Bishop is set up to take the fall. Can Daisy uncover the real killer in time to save him?

This book is entertaining and emotional with a passionate love story and strong mystery elements. I love Lorraine Heath, but I could have done without Daisy's mental shaming of Bishop's alleged lovers. Otherwise, the novel was a delightful, engrossing read.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I'm a huge fan of historical romances and I definitely think Heath's book is worth reading, however I was not a fan of the romance arc between Daisy and Bishop. I found it unbelievable when Bishop likely sees beautiful women all the time (albeit they're married women seeking divorce, but still beautiful women nonetheless), but is immediately lusting after Daisy within 5 minutes of meeting her when she appears a maid. That itself feels problematic as presumably she's employed under him, although we find out really quickly she's moonlighting as a maid, but really a private investigator. Also, he literally just got over an inner monologue about how he'd never be with anyone and then Daisy shows up less than 30 seconds into the novel. I did enjoy Daisy being a more independent heroine, although the romance between her and Bishop seems secondary to the later murder mystery whodunit of a client of Bishop's who is murdered. I will definitely read the other two books in the series and I was interested, but didn't get enough of the rest of the Chessmen.

I really enjoyed reading the latest new book by one of my favorite authors. Ms Heath has written an enchanting and fun tale of romance. The characters were fully developed with thoughts and feeling of their own. The series name is The Chessmen: Master of Seduction where three men are not what they seem to be. It's a very interesting story line of guys who will do whatever it takes to win.
Daisy Townsend is from a titled family and is tired of being like the rest of the ton. She wants to be a person in control of her own life. She is a investigator and is hired by a man to look into his wife's love affair with David Blackwood. Daisy is hired at the man's home as a maid and starts snooping around.
David Blackwood is a man on a mission. He is known as the Bishop, who saves women from their circumstances of being abused by their husbands. When the new maid begins her work she is always around where she shouldn't be. He can't figure if she knows her duties or just being nosy.
As the story goes, a man is murdered and David is the suspect. He finds he needs help from Daisy when he finds out what she does. David and Daisy find themselves seeking answers to who did the deed. They also find a love that will be everlasting and true.
I appreciate Net Galley for this ARC title in which I gave an honest review.

CW: Domestic abuse; death of a parent; references to child abuse & infidielity; drug use & addiction (off-page)

If you know me, then you know that The Duchess Hunt is my all-time favorite historical romance novel, and Lorraine Heath is one of my favorite authors. So it should come as no surprise that The Counterfeit Scoundrel was my most anticipated read of 2023.

Unfortunately, I didn’t love this one, and it fell short of my expectations. This book leaned way more into detective fiction than I expected, which meant the romance took a back seat. I wanted more swoon-worthy feelings that I know Heath can deliver.

Born in an aristocratic family but yearning for freedom, Marguerite “Daisy” Townsend is trying to make her way as a private investigator. When she’s hired to obtain proof of a wife’s infidelity, she secures a position as a maid in the house of David Blackwood, known widely as Bishop. Little does Daisy expect to be lured into Bishop’s arms herself. With Bishop, there is more to him than meets the eye. With a reputation as a scoundrel, he has a secret – all his affairs are chaste. After witnessing his mother’s abusive relationship, Bishop now helps desperate wives escape unhappy marriages. However, when he’s accused of murdering the husband of a paramour, he’s forced to rely on Daisy’s help to clear his name.

First off, let’s start with the plot, as I think that’s what hampered my ability to love this book. This book went in a very different direction than I was expecting. It leaned way more into the murder mystery plot than I anticipated from the blurb. I also thought it would take longer for Bishop to figure out that Daisy was a private investigator, adding to the tension in their relationship, but he figured that out very quickly.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good detective fiction/murder mystery romance, but the mystery needs to be balanced with the romantic relationship development. In this book, the murder mystery dominated, so much so that the romance felt left behind. I also felt like I predicted the murder mystery conclusion, even though there was a fun twist toward the end. The pacing also felt a bit off in terms of the plot. Some things were wrapped up quickly, while others lingered, making it feel disjointed.

However, I wanted more from the romance in this book. So much more. The potential was there, but I felt we didn’t get to really see the relationship between Bishop and Daisy progress. The romance is based on insta-lust, and there is some delicious tension at the beginning when Daisy is masquerading as a maid in Bishop’s house. But that tension dissipated as they got more wrapped up in the murder mystery. Bishop also slightly frustrated me in his insistence on why he cannot be seen with Daisy even though Daisy didn’t give a fig about his reputation and what others think. The “I love you” declarations came on very quickly at the end, and I felt like it was a blink-and-you-miss-it type moment before they agreed to get married. I know Heath can deliver on the emotions and make your heartache in the best possible way, and I just didn’t get that from this book.

Bishop wasn’t my favorite Heath hero, but I did find him interesting. His whole reputation as a scoundrel is a lie. He’s so devoted to helping women escape terrible situations through divorce because of demons in his past and his inability to help his mother. I thought he was noble in his pursuit to help women seek a divorce, especially considering how hard it was for women to be granted a divorce at that time. However, he gets a bit too wrapped up in his own head sometimes and fails to see that Daisy doesn’t care about his reputation.

Daisy was interesting. I feel like I struggled to get a read on her a bit at the beginning, but she grew on me. I liked how independent she was – that was one of her biggest strengths. She is a terrible spy, though. My god, she was so distracted by her feelings towards Bishop that she failed to do basic sleuthing or pay attention to details she needed to do her job. She’s also got some serious baggage from her past, which has set her on the path she’s on, much like Bishop. They complement each other well in that regard.

For the first book in The Chessmen: Masters of Seduction series, we don’t see much of the Chessmen. A few glimpses here and there, but that’s it. I don’t feel like I know Rook and Knightly any better than I did coming into this book. I was VERY excited, though, to see Kingsland again, along with Griff and Aiden. I love Heath’s extended universe as it is always so FUN to see previous characters pop up, and I truly fan girl at the cameos.

Unfortunately, The Counterfeit Scoundrel fell short for me. It pains me so much to say that, as I genuinely adore Lorraine Heath and was so excited about this book. Even though this was not my favorite Heath novel, I am still greatly looking forward to book 2 in the series, The Notorious Lord Knightly, which we will be getting in a few short months in June 2023.

Thank you to Avon/Netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts, ideas and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Bishop has a terrible reputation as the worst sort of rake and he cultivated it very carefully because it serves a purpose. Different women flow in and out of his home like a conveyor belt. Enter plucky new housemaid Daisy, who immediately raises Bishop's suspicion because she looks and talks nothing like a maid. Daisy is Marguerite who is a private investigator working on behalf of a husband who believes his wife is having an affair with Bishop. He's intrigued and attracted by his mysterious maid. So he plays along because he can't allow her to discover his closely guarded secret. Bishop isn't at all what he seems.

I adore Lorraine Heath and have many of her books on my shelves. I didn't adore this book. I found both MC's a little on the dull side. Daisy was a terrible private investigator since she gave herself away almost immediately lol Bishop's secret was disclosed to the reader pretty early so there was no plot tension or romantic tension for that matter. He was attracted to her and she was to him but he pushed her away because of his secret work. It was also a bit of a slow burn and was very low angst. Anyone who knows my tastes knows that those two things can cure my insomnia 😴 I did love the private investigator aspect and the historical note at the end made it even more enjoyable. Now I want more PI's in my historicals. The steam was decent for LH and Bishop had his swoony moments but he never grabbed my attention. Overall, an easy read but very forgettable.
For fans of any modern HR author

Tropes
Fake Identity
Forced proximity

⭐⭐⭐/5
🔥🔥/5

The publisher provided me with a free copy in exchange for a review. All thoughts are my own.

The Counterfeit Scoundrel
The Chessmen: Masters of Seduction Series - Book 1
By Lorraine Heath

Avon - February 2023

Historical Romance


David Blackwood was on a mission. Not to seduce married women, as everyone thought, but to help them leave marriages. The only way to do that was through an affair, or at least the illusion of one. It may not make him welcome in polite society, but he was able to help women who had nowhere else to turn.

Marguerite "Daisy" Townsend too was on a mission. She had been hired by a husband to prove that his wife was having an affair with David. So she had finagled a position in his household. There was open acknowledgement with the staff of David's visitors, but she needed definitive proof of the affair. Unfortunately, that put her in closer contact with David, and started to arouse his suspicions.

When David needed an investigator to help him, there was only one person he trusted to turn to. The only question was whether he'd realize that she was also the one person he should trust with his future, before it was too late.

The Counderfeit Scoundrel is an enjoyable romance by an author who always delivers a memorable read. Daisy is an interesting heroine, working a fascinating career. David is a dedicated hero whose personal mission might make him miss out on his own perfect heroine. Although part of a series, and tied to the previous, it stands alone. I enjoyed every aspect of this story, and look forward to the next.

Kathy Andrico - KathysReviewCorner.com

4 1/2 stars Lorraine Heath is one of my favorite authors! She never fails to delight with her fun, sexy, romantic plots/characters. I loved the premise of this one with a female private detective and a hero helping women escape bad marriages. So unique!

Every time I crack open a Lorraine Heath romance I know exactly what I’m getting — crackling chemistry, a story I rarely see elsewhere in histrom, and a willingness to go there in terms of twists and surprises. (To quote the Fated Mates podcast, LH is a real take-the-finger author and I love that about her.) I was already looking forward to this series knowing that it was about the Chessmen we got a peek at in her previous books, and Bishop’s did not disappoint. A “notorious rake” who really just pretends to have affairs with women so that they can divorce terrible husbands more easily + the sleuth hired by one of said husbands who disguises herself as a maid in his house to verify the truth for her client. But even once they discover each other’s secrets, the story is just getting started! A great start to a new series and exactly what I needed after some less-than-satisfying reads this month.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a great addition to this series. I loved that Daisy is a private investigator, it's definitely something I haven't read before in a historical romance, and something I really enjoyed. Also, the Duke helping women escape their unhappy marriages was different as well, well at least the way he goes about it. He makes it look like the wives are having an affair with him. Which so far has only resulted in some scandalous things being said about him in the paper, and a few lawsuits from the husbands. At least until he falls for a particular someone...

Bishop was very swoon-worthy, I love how determined he is to help these women, even if the way he goes about it is quite unorthodox. Daisy is a pretty great detective, she actually investigates and helps the duke when he comes under suspicion. They have some great chemistry, and along with that, there are some great twists and turns that had me flipping pages to see how it would all play out.

I really enjoyed seeing the characters from the other books in this series and seeing how they are all doing. And I can't wait to see what we will get next from Lorraine Heath.

Thanks to @avonbooks for sending me an advance copy of The Counterfeit Scoundrel by Lorraine Heath, out 2/21!.

The Chessmen are getting their time to shine, and I absolutely loved getting to return to the world of one of my favorite series: Once Upon a Dukedom! Though you don’t need to have read her previous series to enjoy this book, longtime fans of Heath’s will appreciate cameos from beloved characters and locales like the Kingsland and the Fair and Spare!

I thought the premise of a female private eye in a historical was so much fun. I love detective stories and TCS gave me Nancy Drew meets Veronica Mars meets Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries vibes!

Bishop is a swoon worthy hero and I really enjoyed watching him and Daisy find their way to each other. This story so easily could have veered into miscommunication territory and I’m grateful to Heath for taking it in another direction and really doing these characters justice. I’m obviously looking forward to Knight’s upcoming book, and can’t wait for more info about its release!

CW: physical abuse, drug abuse, loss of a paren

The Counterfeit Scoundrel was an absolute delight! We begin in the book in a game of cat and mouse. Daisy is undercover as a maid in David "Bishop" Blackwood's home. Both characters have been seen before in the world of Lorraine Heath. Daisy was friends with a previous main character (I'm blanking on who, but I'm definitely familiar with her) and Bishop is best friends with the duke from The Duchess Hunt. Daisy has started a business as a private detective, and has been hired to investigate whether Bishop is having an affair with a specific woman. However, Daisy soon realizes that the situation is more complicated than it seems. Bishop isn't having just one affair, but many, and they're all fake. When things go sideways with one of the affairs, Bishop ends up hiring Daisy to clear his name. I won't say more as to avoid spoiling the plot of the book.

Daisy and Bishop have some instant chemistry. Even while she believes he's having multiple affairs, Daisy finds herself attracted to him. For his part, Bishop's attraction to Daisy distracts him from the women he means to help. One thing I loved was the women he helped. Several of them noticed his attraction to Daisy and encouraged it, which was so much fun.

I also enjoyed the side plot with Daisy's aunt. She has a complicated history that we learn about throughout the book, and I loved watching her get her own happy ending. After all, romance is for everyone, not just main characters!

The Counterfeit Scoundrel was really fun and I can't wait to read the next book!

The Counterfeit Scoundrel
Book 1 in The Chessmen: Masters of Seduction Series
Rating: 5 stars!!
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC given through NetGalley for review, All opinions are my own.

I loved The Counterfeit Scoundrel!! It was a little insta-lust, which is not one of my favorite tropes, but this one really worked for me. They had a great attraction from the start, but then it turned into this slow burn and high tension attraction between them.
I enjoyed every moment these two were together. They had great witty banter and soon realized that they were not the person who they pretended to be. Though they were omitting some truths from each other their feelings towards each other were always true and it showed just by looking at each other.
One of my favorite scenes in the book, which I fell in love with Bishop, is when he requests a piano player to play a certain song for Daisy. This song has a very special meaning for her and I think that's the exact moment they fell for each other.
This story also has an added mystery in which Daisy and Bishop work together to uncover a truth that will determine their future happiness.
I loved what he did to help out women and that she was very independent and had a business of her own.

I can't wait to read more of this series!!

4.5 stars, rounded up

David Blackwood better known as Bishop is a scoundrel, or at least that is what most of London believes about “Blackguard Blackwood”, as he has been cited in at least 3 recent divorces and is completely unrepentant. But what they don’t know, in fact, no one knows, not even his three best friends, known as “the Chessmen”. His secret is that he doesn’t really have affairs with these women, but he lets society believe he does so the ladies can obtain a divorce. He is driven to help them escape unhappy marriages after watching his father abuse his mother and being unable to help her, she died of a “fall” when he was only fourteen and he has never forgiven himself or his father. That is another reason he helps these women because he knows it drives his father crazy when Bishop is written up in the papers. Is his reputation tainted beyond redemption? Probably, but he doesn't care, he has no plans to marry and would rather continue to help unhappy wives than have one of his own. But that was before he met Marguerite “Daisy” Townsend while meeting with another woman looking to use him to get a divorce. He is immediately captivated by her but is certain she is not what she appears to be.

Despite being born into a noble family, Marguerite “Daisy” Townsend, has never felt that she fit into society. Her parent's marriage was a misalliance, her father was the youngest son of an earl, and her mother a lady's maid. Her mother died from an opium overdose and her father died a few days later, leaving her an orphan. She was raised by her Aunt Charlotte, who has never married and she has decided that marriage is not for her. Instead, she had become an Inquiry agent and opened her own agency, she hopes to make enough to live independently. Her current job has her posing as a maid in Bishop’s home to gather evidence of an affair between him and her client’s wife. She can see why women flock to him, he is gorgeous and kind, but clearly, he is having affairs with married women, but is her client’s wife one of them? Despite her best efforts, she is drawn to him and feels that something is not right with his affairs. That feeling is amplified when they meet at the Fair and the Spare club, the connection between them is electric, but just when she thinks he is going to kiss her, he leaves. The next day she catches him kissing her client’s wife and has the proof she needs to end her charade. After a passionate encounter and then a confrontation between them, she walks away, determined to forget him. But when the husband of one of his ladies turns up dead, Bishop is the prime suspect and she can’t refuse to help him clear his name. But she is risking more than her reputation, she is risking her heart.

What a great start to a new series! I loved Daisy and Bishop, I felt the connection between them immediately and it never wained, I did think they both were a bit jaded and cynical, but given their pasts, it was understandable, however, I have to agree with my blog partner, Bishop’s dedication to his mother’s memory was a bit too much and while it didn’t give me the same “creepy” vibe it gave her, I did feel that he needed to crank it down a notch. Besides that, this book was pretty much perfect, it has secrets, lies, a slow-burn romance that ignites an inferno, murder, deception, betrayal, heartache, familiar faces, steamy love scenes, shocking twists, surprising discoveries, and finally a sigh-worthy ending complete with an epilogue that will require a tissue or two. I do wish the “Chessmen” were a bit more prominent in this book, but otherwise, I loved this book and can’t wait for the next book! This is the first book in a spinoff series, the Chessmen were introduced in The Duchess Hunt, which is part of the Once Upon a Dukedom series, and that is when the first Chessman “King” found his HEA. I would venture to say these books are going to be very loosely connected and can be read as standalone titles.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

Marguerite (Daisy) Townsend has been hired by the husband that her employer is having an affair with. Her Employer, David(Bishop) Blackwood also know by the nickname Blackguard Blackwood seems to be having affairs with quite a few woman What she doesn’t know is the Bishop is just pretending to have an affair to help these women get a divorce. What Bishop doesn’t know is that his employee is just pretending to be a maid and is in fact an investigator. So begins a tangle that will require our main characters to sort out while battling almost instant attraction for each other.
I have to say that I was/am really excited that the next series Ms Heath was writing would involve the “Chessmen” that were introduced in her book The Duchess Hunt.
They were an interesting group of school friends who got together and worked toward making money through investments. But the Chessman are barely referenced except for a few lines at the beginning and end and I sort of missed them. As for the story between Marguerite and Bishop, well it was…. Kind of a let down. It wasn’t until the last 1/3 of the book that I really felt any connection to them and the story.
Maybe it was me, I have read most of Ms Heath’s books and have loved most of them so maybe I when in with really high expectations. The story is good, although I did feel it drags bit at the beginning, and I did like the mystery parts and the revaluations at the end, but I just didn’t feel invested in the story like I usually am, which was a disappointment. Will I stop reading this series? Absolutely not!! I may just listen to the audio book when it comes out at my library, maybe I just need Kate Reading’s wonderful narration to give me the “feels” I need. So I may up date this review at a future date.
But for now…. I was kindly given an ARC of this book by NetGallery for my honest review.

Marguerite "Daisy" Townsend is the orphaned daughter of an earl's younger son who has been brought up by a loving spinster aunt. Smart and determined, she has hung her own shingle as an inquiry agent. A client hires her to confirm if his wife is having an affair with David "Bishop" Blackwood, a man who has a reputation for having affairs with married women and being willing to admit them in court (thus helping women to secure divorces). Daisy manages to be hired into Bishop's household as a maid in order to complete her investigation. The sexual attraction and tension between Bishop and Daisy is evident immediately, but Daisy has trouble reconciling her physical response with her knowledge of Bishop's alleged actions with multiple married women. The pair eventually learn the truth about each other, just in time to pair up to help solve a murder in which Bishop is the main suspect.

I loved this book. Daisy and Bishop are lovely characters with great growth arcs. Daisy is confident in herself, her abilities, and her worth. Through time with Daisy, Bishop realizes that holding on to old hurts only gives those old hurts more power over his current and future existence. He walks away from his place on a chessboard the other player didn't even know he was on, which is such a great allegory inside the series being called the Chessmen. The mystery was easily unraveled, though I must admit that I did not see the final plot twist coming. Lorraine Heath is a master romance author who is able to give her characters both substance and spice. I can't wait for the next installment in this series!

4.5 stars, rounded to 5. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.

The Counterfeit Scoundrel is book one in Lorraine Heath’s new series, The Chessmen, BUT we met these dashing heroes in a previous series. King was the hero of the second book The Duchess Hunt, from the Once Upon a Dukedom series. Now Knight, Bishop and Rook are getting their own books and I could not be happier. How fantastic and over the top are the names!

Marguerite “Daisy” is masquerading as a servant in Blackguard Blackwood “Bishop” house in order to spy on him. Bishop has a reputation of seducing married women but is he really or is he helping them out of bad marriages? While Daisy is snooping she sees there is more to this handsome, rake than meets the eye. When Bishop is accused of a crime he turns to Daisy to prove his innocence.

It took me a minute to get into the beginning of the story- between keeping the women straight, the Chessman and what Daisy was up- you are dropped in right in the thick of it. But after that I was invested. I loved Bishop getting knocked on his behind over Daisy, her sassiness to him and their sexual tension is top notch. I adored that Bishop was doing the right thing for women but he still made dumb man choices leading to the perfect amount of grovel. Lorraine Heath doesn’t usually have the most explicit sex scenes but she brought it in a carriage and with some chocolate in this one and I am here for it.

There is some mystery as to who would frame Bishop but I figured that out pretty early on. Of course there was a bonkers twist towards the end that I would have been disappointed without. Lorraine Heath can’t have a new series without dropping characters from others- Aiden Trewlove and King plus visiting clubs others opened, The Fair and Spare, The Twin Dragons. I love how interconnected these are without taking away from our main couple.

The Counterfeit Scoundrel starts off what promises to be another fantastic Lorraine Heath series that I can’t wait to read more of!

*I received an e-arc from Avon Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The Counterfeit Scoundrel has a publish date of February 21, 2023.

I enjoy books by Ms. Heath and I loved the first half of the book. Daisy's occupation as a female detective is unique and I really loved Bishop. He was so honorable and always willing to sacrifice his reputation to help a lady in need. The sexual chemistry between Bishop and Daisy was great, but then the whole murder mystery kind of dragged for me. I was happy to see that they eventually got their HEA.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. The first half of the book involves Bishop and Daisy keeping secrets from each other but nevertheless being intrigued by the other person. I really liked the fact that neither secret was kept until the very end of the book.
The second half of the book is a murder mystery plot, not my favorite but it wasn't too bad. I really enjoyed both the hero and the heroine in this book and can't wait for the next installment in the Chessmen Series!