I loved how sweet and caring Bishop was to women, and how even though he always wants to protect Marguerite he respected her decisions. Marguerite is an independent society woman who wanted to do more than society expected of her. She becomes an enterprising sleuth and her family, especially her aunt, are very supportive of Marguerite's decisions. Bishop and Marguerite's banter when she was his maid was top notch. My favorite parts of this book was the investigating and suspense which I was pleasantly surprised to see. However some parts of this book seemed to drag for me, but overall I loved every single character in this book.

Another great Lorraine Heath novel, this one connecting to the larger Trewlove (Sins for All Seasons series) and Stanwicks (Once Upon a Dukedom series) universe via David "Bishop" Blackwood, friend of the Duke of Kingsland (The Duchess Hunt).

Bishop--known in the ton as Blackguard Blackwood--has been named in several divorce cases as the lover of unfaithful wives. The truth, though, is far more interesting: he helps unhappy women out of loveless or abusive marriages by pretending to have affairs with them and thus give their husbands grounds for divorce. Bishop was not able to help his mother escape his abusive father, but he can do this for other trapped women. Just as he's initiating another of his "relationships," he is arrested by the appearance of a new maid in his household, Daisy, who he quickly realizes is more than she seems. He's right, because Marguerite "Daisy" Townsend--orphaned daughter of the youngest son of an earl, who has been raised by her spinster aunt since her parents died of opium overdoses when she was a child--is actually an inquiry agent (a sort of private detective). She has been hired to spy on Bishop to determine if he is having an affair with the wife of his client.

Bishop and Daisy are as interested in each others as they are in their particular missions, though neither is able or willing to admit it. Oh, the flirtations, sexy looks, and hot kissing sessions! Someone get these two a room at the Fair & Spare. And just as Daisy has wrapped up her undercover mission in Bishop's household, she is brought back into Bishop's orbit when one of the abusive husbands that Bishop is "cuckholding" turns up dead--and Scotland Yard is looking at Bishop as a top suspect.

In the course of solving the mystery of that murder, Daisy and Bishop confront their pasts and determine what they are willing to do (and give up) to secure a future with one another.

The thing I love about Lorraine Heath books is that they are well-plotted and economical: everything on the page makes sense (including cameos from a Trewlove, a Stanwick, and Kingsland), and her characters are not stuck in manufactured conflicts that could be resolved with a quick and direct conversation. The layers in Daisy and Bishop's relationship were particularly interesting, because in the midst of their open and ongoing deceptions, they built a relationship on "complete honesty"--their oft-deployed phrase that cuts through artifice and begins to represent the love and trust they have for one another. Plus, they have pretty great chemistry on the page.

I'm excited to see this universe continue to grow with another entertaining couple, and I can't wait to see what comes next for the Chessmen.

I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley for an honest review.

I tried this one a few times and just couldn’t seem to make myself get into it. Which is a bummer because I’m loving historical romances right now!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC.

I usually really enjoy Lorraine Heath’s books, but this one didn’t feel quite the same for me. The overall premise of the book is fine, albeit not exactly in line with historical accuracy but fun nonetheless. A female “detective” is a pleasant departure. The instalust/instalove in this context didn’t work for me, and it left me feeling like the characters never really get to understanding one another until very late in the book. In that case, there’s just not enough emotional connection between the two for me to really be invested. Overall it was pretty entertaining and if you’re looking for a non-nobility historical romance with a self employed female lead, you’ll enjoy this. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

The Counterfeit Scoundrel is the first book in a new series by Lorraine Heath, The Chessmen: Masters of Seduction. We get a glimpse of the Chessmen series characters in her previous series, Once Upon a Dukedom, and I couldn’t wait to dive into this new series from my historical romance queen! This series follows the Chessmen, a moniker giving to Bishop and his 3 closest friends during their Oxford years because of their ruthless strategy when it came to investing. The others members are known as: King (Duke of Kingsland, his book is The Duchess Hunt), Knight, and Rook.

The story drops us right in, with Daisy already working as a maid in the hero’s house. Daisy was born into an aristocratic family, but always yearned for a life outside of Society. She’s been working as a sleuth and got hired to obtain proof of a wife’s infidelity and has been posing as a maid in the household of the woman’s supposed lover, the hero! But while there, Daisy finds herself quickly enraptured by the devilishly handsome David Blackwood, known as Bishop. We quickly find out that the hero is actually helping women out of unpleasant circumstances, with getting them out of bad marriages by making it look like they’re having affairs. Bishop and Daisy are both instantly pulled to one another and it’s a bit of a cat-and-mouse setup of him being on to what she is about. He does find out she’s been spying in his house and they end up working together when he gets accused of a murder of a husband of a woman he was helping.

The beginning did take me a bit to get into, since we were dropped into the story. But once the story gets going I was so invested and pulled in! By the halfway point and on, I was completely in for Daisy and Bishop! Daisy’s parents died when she was young and she was raised by her aunt (loved their relationship and they have some sweet moments later into the book), I loved Daisy’s independence and her standing up to Bishop (when she pours chocolate glaze over his head 😅), we do get some fabulous surprises and interesting plots (LH always delivers), and I loved his turn-around of pouring chocolate on her (for a much more fun time). Bishop has some lovely declarations towards the end of the book and this couple delivered on the swoon for me. I am so excited for the rest of the series and seeing Knight’s book next!

Since this is a LH read, we get lots of fabulous appearances of familiar places and faces: the Fair and Spare, Twin Dragons (previously Dodger’s Drawing Room), Cerberus Club, Griffith Stanwick (Scoundrel of My Heart), Duke of Kingsland (The Duchess Hunt), Aiden Trewlove (The Duchess in His Bed).

Thank you to the publisher (Avon Books) for an e-ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts in this review are my own. The Counterfeit Scoundrel has a publish date of February 21, 2022.

The employer/employee romance can be problematic but has an interesting and worthy twist here. The scandal the man is engaged in is far more interesting than the normal rake variety scandal, this is feminist and subversive and well done. Heath can be hit or miss but this is a hit.

A quick, entertaining read. I’m not usually a fan of insta-love, and I still wasn’t at the start of this book, but I stuck with it and eventually it totally made sense. There’s a mash-up of a number of different tropes, and I enjoyed it immensely.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

If you can totally suspend disbelief that a woman has become an inquiry agent and gone undercover in the house of a man with a reputation for having affairs with married women. And that man is actually acting out of the goodness of his heart to provide women in bad marriages with evidence to make their husbands demand a divorce. And he has insta-lust which soon turns into a form of insta-love. You have to buy all of that for this novel. I just didn’t. And I don’t like insta-lust for a plot.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Marguerite “Daisy” Townsend is an inquiry agent, and her current job has her masquerading as a maid in the home of David Blackwood, known widely as Bishop. She's been tasked with catching Bishop in a dalliance with her client's wife, but perhaps Bishop is not quite the callous rake he appears to be. Bishop secretly helps desperate wives escape unhappy marriages by staging an affairs; but when he is accused of murdering the husband of a “paramour,” Daisy’s assistance is vital in proving his innocence.

This is the first book in The Chessmen: Masters of Seduction series. The book stands alone, although the group of friends known as The Chessmen (King, Bishop, Rook, and Knight) were introduced in The Duchess Hunt, the second book in the Once Upon a Dukedom series.

This story gets off to a quick start with characters that have a lot of baggage and heaps of instant attraction. Despite a somewhat deceitful start, the characters really bond with their mutual rocky upbringing. Based on his parents' relationship, Bishop stands strong for women and, in particular, has issues with men who do not treat their spouses well. Daisy was born into an aristocratic family but wants to make her own way. Her parents were also an awful example of how relationships can sour and devolve.

Lorraine Heath is an absolute master at chemistry building. The characters are like two magnets held an inch apart, trying desperately to pull together. And when she lets them go...? Chef's kiss, it's delicious! Marguerite and Bishop create an employment contract to try to resist each other and keep things professional, but of course they fail miserably.

I think anyone who likes the show Miss Scarlet and the Duke (PBS) will love this book! It's another solid addition to Heath's catalogue, and I'm looking forward to getting to know the next Chessman. I liked the end of this book to bump it from 4.5 to 5 stars.

Tropes: Working Heroine, Disguised Character/Mistaken Identity, Forced Proximity, Hero Falls First

Steam: 4

* I received an ARC and this is my honest review. #LorraineHeath #TheCounterfeitScoundrel #NetGalley

Not a favourite but still a good time.
I think the main problem I had with the book was the pacing. The first half was super slow then the second half was fast paced. The ending was exciting and had plenty of twists and turns to keep me interested; it just took forever to get to the exciting bits.
The romance is insta-lust/insta-love but I didn't mind it too much. I love when the hero is gone for the heroine so I was loving their interactions. They also had good chemistry which is always a plus.
Fake identity isn't my favourite trope but I think Heath did a good job and it really doesn't last long. She gets found out pretty quickly actually haha.
Overall, the book was a fun time.

My heart 😭 This book wrecked me and put me back together again! As a long time reader of Lorraine Heath’s masterpieces (novels), you’d think I’d be accustomed to the rollar coaster of emotions her books put me through but I just keep coming back for more.

While I did think the protagonists did start off falling for each other a tad bit quicker than I’d prefer, the compelling story and their motives for not being together right away made up for that. I absolutely loved this story and can’t wait to see what next!

I really enjoyed this book. "Bishop",spends his time trying to help deserving women get divorces by pretending to have affairs with them. During one of these affairs, he meets "Daisy", who is working in his house as a servant, but is in actuality a private investigator trying to prove that a woman is having an affair for her husband. Bishop and
Daisy (aka Marguerite) run into each other off hours and strike up a flirtation. Meanwhile one of Bishop's ladies is not what she seems, and he is blamed for her husband's death. Daisy works to solve the mystery and also save his reputation. Another storyline is Daisy's aunt who raised her and her giving up a chance to marry to raise her.

The characters were engaging, the mystery was kind of to be expected but with a few twists, and Daisy's backstory was compelling. I especially enjoyed not only Daisy/Bishop's HEA, but a HEA for her aunt as well. I also enjoyed the historical context of divorce in that time and women detectives. I haven't read any of Lorraine Heath's books before but I'll definitely keep reading.

I received an advanced copy and am giving an honest review.

The Counterfeit Scoundrel is the story of Bishop Blackwood, better known as the Blackguard Blackwood. Bishop is known for having affairs with married women and providing their spouses with a method of divorcing the woman for infidelity. He has issues with men who do not treat their spouses appropriately based on the relationship of his parents. Bishop's mother died and he suspects his father of having caused her death. Marguerite, Daisy, Townsend, arranges a job in Bishop's home so that she can spy on him to see if he is having an affair with her client's spouse. As Daisy goes about her job in Bishop's home, she tries to find ways in which she can get information on him so that she can prove to her client that his spouse is actually an adulterer. As they get to know each other, Daisy has secrets that she cannot reveal to Bishop and he has secrets that he won't reveal to her. After a suspected abusive spouse of one of Bishop's clients is murdered, he hires Daisy to investigate his death and prove that he did not commit the murder, They get closer to each despite taking safeguards with an employment contract. A member of Daisy's past comes back into her life and causes problems for her and her Aunt Charlotte, who raised her from childhood after the death of her parents. A very evocative, steamy and page turning start to a new series. I am looking forward to the future stories of the other Chessmen.

I received this story as an ARC from Netgalley and I am voluntarily leaving this review.

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this book.
Daisy is a inquiry agent hired to find out if a man's wife is having an affair.
Bishop helps women divorce after the tragic death of his mother.
But when bishop is suspected of murdering one of the husband's he will.need daisy's help to clear his name.
I liked bishop and daisy as characters. Daisy was strong and independent while bishop was sweet and caring.
I liked the mystery of the murder but I loved bishop and daisy together.
This was an interesting book and I can't wait for the next one.

I can't believe this is my first ever book by Lorraine Heath. I love 19th century historical romance set in England with a bit of intrigue and adventure thrown in and that's exactly what I found here. The very wealthy and roguish Mr. Blackwood (usually called Bishop) has a reputation for having affairs with married women that lead to divorce. He's all over the scandal rags about it, and women who have used his services tell each other in whispers about how he can set them free from bad or unhappy marriages. The truth of the matter is that he doesn't actually sleep with any of them, just makes it very public that they are visiting him in his bedchamber, which would have been enough for a husband to accuse his wife of adultery and divorce her at this time. Meanwhile, his new house maid, Daisy (real name Marguerite Townsend) catches his attention, and he believes she is more than what she claims to be. He's not wrong, as Marguerite is a private inquiry agent (basically a private investigator) who has been hired by the husband of one of Bishop's fake paramours to gather intelligence about the infidelity. As their attraction grows and Marguerite's true purpose comes to light, Bishop is falsely accused of murdering the husband of a woman he was having a false affair with, and he hires Marguerite to help him clear his name. Lots of adventure and scandal and romance, and I immediately checked out a bunch of earlier romances by Heath from my library!

I loved this book!!! Lorraine Heath is such a fantastic author. This book was well crafted and delicious. I loved everything about this book and I would recommend to others.

The Counterfeit Scoundrel is the first in The Chessman: Masters of Seduction series by Lorraine Heath. I love Heath’s historical romances. They’re always so entertaining and engrossing, and the love stories are always super swoon-worthy! This one is no exception. It’s immersive and suspenseful, with great characters, a unique plot, and a wonderful romance.

For several years, Bishop has been shunned for having affairs with married women. Marguerite “Daisy” Townsend is hired to pose as a maid in his home so she can spy on him and uncover yet another affair. Daisy smart and independent, and she is really good at her job. So, as she spies on Bishop, Daisy realizes there is much more to him than meets the eye. She begins to see the man behind the façade, and he is nothing like the scoundrel everyone thinks he is. When Bishop needs help clearing his name, Daisy knows she must prove the innocence of the man who has grown dear to her.

I can see why Daisy falls for Bishop. He’s so dreamy! He is a champion for women, and he risks his own reputation to protect and help others. It’s hard not to love the man. He’s very different from the scoundrel he pretends to be. He and Daisy both have interesting and tragic backstories, and they are equally layered and compelling characters.

Daisy and Bishop have fantastic chemistry, and there is a spark between them from their very first meeting. Even though they cling to their secrets and masks, their feelings for each other keep growing, and Bishop finds Daisy hard to resist, even though she works for him and he never crosses that line. I love their banter and how they tease each other. It’s like they come alive when they’re together in a way they never have before. There is so much angst and longing between these two, which adds to the sexual tension! I think they have a great story filled with lies, secrets, yearning, chocolate, and steam.

The story also has a bit of suspense, as Daisy tries to maintain her cover in Bishop’s house, and Bishop is later suspected of murder and seems to have a target on his back. Daisy and Bishop prove how great they are together as they work to figure out who has framed Bishop. I was surprised at some of the unexpected twists and loved how the story concluded.

This is a great start to Heath’s new series, and I’m excited to read more about the Chessman. I would definitely recommend the book to readers who like historical romances with secret identities, strong, independent heroines, and swoon-worthy heroes. Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

Lorraine Heath's writing is always a pleasure however, I found myself bored with the story and characters. There was nothing really compelling about either MC. I spent much of the book comparing it to Miss Scarlet and the Duke since it had that scenario of a female detective in Victorian England.

As a long time reader of Lorraine Heath, reading her books always feels like coming home. I adore the fully formed world she's created in Victorian London. This most recent series has a wonderfully diverse array of heroine's in non-traditional roles. Marguerite (Daisy) is an inquiry agent - read Private Detective. She is investigating the possible infidelity of an Earl's wife with the notorious Bishop.

Bishop is a financial wizard and one of the famous kingsmen. For the last few years he has been shunned by society for his involvement in several divorce proceedings. What no one buy Bishop and the women know is that he hasn't actually been involved with the women - beyond helping them gather the evidence they need to show that a divorce is warranted.

When Marguerite's case and one of Bishop's women collide - resulting in her posing as a maid in his house - they make a strong connection. That connection only grows as Marguerite helps to show that Bishop isn't responsible for the murder of one of the women's husbands.

I loved the growth both Marguerite and Bishop show during this book - even the third act breakup works well to show that Bishop takes the steps necessary to be free of his baggage so that they can really have a healthy relationship.

Overall this is a a fun and bright addition to Lorraine Heath's Victorian world.

I received this as an ARC via NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

This book features Bishop (if you’ve read other LH’s you’ll recognize him from King’s book, The Duchess Hunt) and Marguerite “Daisy”.

Bishop a self made man with a mind of his own has dedicated himself, in memory of his mother and to spite his father, to helping women escape unwanted marriages. In so doing he has destroyed his reputation.

Daisy, a member of the ton with a sad family history, is opposed to marriage and has a burgeoning PI career. She takes a job in Bishop’s home as a maid in an investigation.

The attraction is almost instant. Bishop suspects Daisy is keeping secrets. Daisy suspects there is more to Bishop than his reputation. As they investigate each other secrets and desires are exposed.

When the husband of one of the women Bishop tries to help is murdered Bishop turns to Daisy for help.

It’s a workplace, friends with benefits, friends to lovers, feminist, suspenseful (the murder mystery plot is great), romantic, sexy story, with one of the best epilogues ever!

The twists are superb and the family dynamics are fascinating.