Lord of Scoundrels
Jessica Trent arrives in Paris with one goal: rescue her weak-willed half-brother from the dissolute clutches of Sebastian Ballister, the Marquess of Dain, a hulking, notorious rake whose size and temper have earned him the nickname "Beelzebub." She expects to despise him. Instead, Jessica finds herself matching him insult for insult, and increasingly aware of the man beneath the monstrous reputation.
Dain has spent his life convinced he is exactly the beast society believes him to be, and Jessica's fierce independence and refusal to be intimidated infuriate him precisely because they intrigue him. Their sparring escalates from a country house party into an entanglement neither intended, forcing Dain to confront the self-loathing that built his armor and Jessica to decide whether she can love a man who does not believe himself lovable.
A classic of the historical romance genre, the novel is known for its witty, combative dialogue and its unusually vulnerable, self-aware "beastly" hero.
The Marquess of Dain, a massive, notorious rake known as "Beelzebub" who hides deep self-loathing behind his monstrous reputation.
A tough-minded, independent woman who travels to Paris to free her brother from Dain's influence, and ends up clashing with the marquess instead.
Jessica's genial but none-too-bright younger brother; his ruinous friendship with Dain in Paris is what draws Jessica into the marquess's orbit in the first place.
It's the third book in Loretta Chase's Scoundrels (Débauchés) series, following The Lion's Daughter and Captives of the Night. The books are loosely linked romances with different couples, so Lord of Scoundrels can be read and enjoyed as a standalone.
It's a historical romance with explicit, "open-door" love scenes between Jessica and Dain.
Yes — like all of Loretta Chase's Scoundrels novels, it's a traditional romance that guarantees a happily-ever-after for its leads.