Early Review of The Scoundrel's Seduction (House of Trent, #3) by Jennifer Haymore

Title: The Scoundrel's Seduction: House of Trent: Book 3
Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: House of Trent
Format: Paperback; 416 pages
Publisher: Forever (May 27, 2014)
ISBN-10: 1455523356
ISBN-13: 978-1455523351
Author's Website:  http://www.jenniferhaymore.com/
Notes: Received an eARC loan from the publisher

He was sent to assassinate her husband for his treasonous ways.

She was in the wrong place at the wrong time and witnessed said crime.

He could not see his way to kill her.

Now, thrown together by extenuating circumstances, hostage and captor find themselves unreasonably attracted to one another.

While Élise's marriage had been far from a love match, can a relationship survive such a questionable start?

Unbeknownst to Élise Sam may be the key to her survival.

This is the third book in the House of Trent series. While you can probably get by without reading the previous books, there are a couple of facts you may wish to be aware of before starting this one. Sam's mother, the Dowager Duchess of Trent, has been missing for a year and he and his siblings have been desperately searching for her ever since. Since her disappearance, rumors and accusations have been flying regarding their mother and some of Sam's sibling's parentage. He and his siblings are desperate to find their mother and lay to rest the gossip that has been drifting about. Even if the rumors prove to be true, their number one priority is their mother's safe return. So if any information surfaces about her, they'd pretty much drop everything to find her. I'm happy to say, the mystery surrounding her disappearance will finally be revealed in this book.

One of the things I love about Ms. Haymore's books is the delightful characters she creates. Élise is a surprisingly strong young woman who, because of the time in which she lives, has been stifled by her husband. Trapped in a loveless marriage, she'd tried to make the best of it, but living in a country that is not on the friendliest of terms with your homeland is not easy. While many think she'd be loyal to France, the country unto which she'd been born, she holds no love for it. The majority of her family, former aristocrats, had been sentenced to the guillotine and she had barely escaped a similar fate. When Sam kills her husband she guiltily feels relief because at times, when he wasn't ignoring her, her husband could be quiet cruel. The dynamics of her marriage were unknown to outsiders and to many they had appeared to be an ideal loving couple.

Sam may be a bastard by blood, but he's a gentleman by nature. He works for a secret government agency and does the deeds they don't want to get caught doing--like assassinating well liked citizens who've been found to have committed treason. Over the years the job has satisfied Sam and he's never had a problem doing it. You'd think he'd be a cold hard killer, but he can't seem to bring himself to murder a woman and ends up kidnapping her instead. Waiting for the agency he works for to hand down its judgment on her, he and Élise come to know each other better and an overwhelming attraction develops which they each try to deny. With a the murder of her husband lying between them, a relationship is the last thing either wants, and it is the sexual tension created by their circumstances that makes this book so much fun. 

Overall, I gave this one 4 out of 5 roses. There was plenty of action, suspense, drama and steam. I enjoyed how the initial attraction between Sam and Élise was strong, and while each was tempted to give in to their feelings, they proceeded with caution and took things slow. I liked how a mutual respect for one another developed before they allowed a relationship to form and grow. Each had good reasons not to trust the other and they had to get past that before moving forward. I liked how each had issues to work through and helped one another to do so. Plus, I loved the drama associated with Élise's fate. It made for a great story. Additionally, finally learning the details of Sam's mother's disappearance was also fun. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one received a STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed. I absolutely adored the chemistry between these two and look forward to reading more romances by Ms. Haymore.

Order of the series: