This hero grew on me as the book progressed. I will admit jack is damanged and becasue of that I struggled to like him in the first book in this series. But i adored the female characer as both a widow and mother. I also really loved seeing the side characters again. I also loved the side mysery plot again, i think i like the first book mystery a tad more. But i am really excited to keep readin this series! ( )

This hero grew on me as the book progressed. I will admit jack is damanged and becasue of that I struggled to like him in the first book in this series. But i adored the female characer as both a widow and mother. I also really loved seeing the side characters again. I also loved the side mysery plot again, i think i like the first book mystery a tad more. But i am really excited to keep readin this series! ( )

Between the Devil and Desire
4 Stars

As the owner of a gaming hell, Jack Dodger is the last person one would entrust with the care of a small child. Yet, he not only inherits the late Duke of Lovingdon's fortune, but is named guardian to his young son. Olivia Stanford, the boy's mother, is not amused that a debauched scoundrel is living in her home and is not shy about voicing her opinion. The only problem is her incomprehensible attraction to the rogue...

While the plot twists are obvious from miles away, the journey toward the actual revelations is entertaining nonetheless.

Jack and Olivia have exceptional chemistry and their love/hate banter is fun. Jack is charming and witty, and his obvious affection for young Henry makes him all the more appealing. The fact that he is tortured to boot is icing on the cake.

Olivia is a likable heroine overall, but her preoccupation with society's dictates and tendency toward self-righteousness is tiresome at times. Thankfully, this doesn't last too long and she does eventually get over herself.

The romance and minor suspense plot deal with some darker issues, such as child abuse, poverty and the vagaries of social class, with tact and sensitivity.

In sum, another well-written and engaging story by Lorraine Heath and I really need to read more of her books.
( )

Rounded up. The narrative bounced around quite a bit, I prefer when it's just the two main characters switching back and forth every chapter or so. This one went about wherever and whenever it was convenient for the author. The heroine was over-dramatic, and it took quite a while for me to enjoy her (even then I don't think she'll be very memorable for me). The pieces didn't fit together quite as well as in the first book in the series, but it was still entertaining and I'm glad to be learning more about this group of friends from the streets. ( )

This was a nice quick one. Lorraine Heath has a great writing style, and I didn't see the twist coming at the end (which I'm still not sure how I feel about). ( )