Review: "The Last Hellion" by Loretta Chase

The Last Hellion by Loretta Chase

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When I was first introduced to Vere Mallory, the Duke of Ainswood, in 'Lord of Scoundrels', I was less than impressed with him and I couldn´t see him as the hero in any book. After reading 'The Last Hellion', I stand corrected. And it didn´t take long, he had me right at the Prologue. Loretta Chase did a wonderful job showing how much he was affected by the row of deaths that took away his family, up to his beloved 9-year-old cousin, and even before I read the rest of the book, I KNEW he was one of the "good guys" and his "hellish" behavior was just an act.

As for the heroine, Lydia Grenville, she was a real hoot. A 6-feet-tall, 28-year-old spinster (even though she was NEVER referred as that in the book, which I found very refreshing), intelligent, self-confident and in possession of a sharp tongue - and quick fists - that had Vere doomed from the start.

The story flew very smoothly, with a series of "harmless" antics that threw Vere and Lydia together and kept building the sexual tension between them, up to the point where neither of them could deny their mutual attraction anymore - no matter how "annoyed" they felt about it. I loved their dialogue and the way one tried to outmaneuver the other. I loved the nicknames he called her. I even liked Bertie Trent in this book, LOL.

What I didn´t like was the way Dain kept calling his son Dominick. "Demon Seed" and "Satan´s Spawn" are NOT endearing terms! I had this problem with Dain when I read 'Lord of Scoundrels' and I didn´t expect to see him still behaving like that in 'The Last Hellion'. That´s a minor complaint of mine that I could easily overlook, considering that this book was not about Dain.

In summary, I really loved this book and recommend it to everyone who loves a very funny and not too-angsty romance. I lost count of the times I laughed at the witty and snappy remarks exchanged between Vere and Lydia, and I admit I had a silly smile on my face when I read the last line of the book.



View all my reviews