'Lord of Scoundrels' Is on TIME’s List of the 50 Best Romance Novels

S ince the release of her first book nearly 40 years ago, best-selling author Loretta Chase has earned a reputation for crafting historical romances with feisty heroines that feel ahead of their time. With her 1995 novel Lord of Scoundrels, a steamy retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in post-Regency Paris , she created an enemies-to-lovers story for the ages. The much-reviled Marquess of Dain is known for his black eyes and even blacker heart. This devil of a man, a product of a feuding Italian mother and English father, gets off on mocking everyone he encounters. But he has met his match in Jessica Trent, a sharp-tongued and strong-willed intellectual who’s not afraid to tell him where to stick his haughty opinions. As their war of words ramps up, the unflappable heroine with progressive views on sex and gender finds herself increasingly intrigued by the immoral bachelor everyone else seems to hate. Is he a monster or just misunderstood? To find out, she may have to put more than just her no-nonsense reputation on the line. The third installment of Chase’s Debauchés series won Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award, has been published in 14 languages, and earned the top spot in All About Romance ’s Top 100 Romances poll five times between 2000 and 2015.

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