The Soldier's Scoundrel

I loved this book, I loved everything about it: the appealing characters, the way in which their relationship developed, the assured writing and the mystery elements of the plot. It tugged at my heart in a way that historical romance novels used to do all the time before I became jaded by reading the same old clichés over and over. There is none of that here. The soldier is Oliver Rivington, younger son of an earl, a recently returned veteran of ten years serving in the Napoleonic Wars. He is good natured, honourable and lonely. The scoundrel is Jack Turner, born into London’s criminal classes, formerly a valet not above pilfering from his employers, and now a private enquiry agent with sometimes shady methods of solving his clients’ problems.The two men meet because Jack helps Oliver’s sister with the problem of her domestic tyrant husband. Oliver thinks Jack is an outright villain, whilst Jack sees Oliver as a pampered aristocrat. One of the joys of this novel is seeing how their initial opinions of each other change with time spent in each other’s company. Jack has no great faith in a justice system designed to favour the aristocracy he despises, and he has no qualms about bending the law to achieve moral justice. But Oliver craves order and respect for the law in his peacetime world, after the bloodshed and anarchy he experienced during warfare. He is appalled by Jack’s cavalier disregard for society’s rules in his quest for information. Oliver involves himself in one…

The Soldier's Scoundrel is a really fun book. I didn't really know what to expect going into this book. I haven't really read a full length historical romance since Pride and Prejudice in high school (I think you can count P&P as romance). I've mostly read romance stories in the contemporary genre, so this was an interesting change of pace. I definitely wouldn't have picked up this book to read at all based on the cover, but I saw quite a few friends having read this series and loving the books, so I decided to give this a try. This book is about Jack Turner and Oliver Rivington. Jack grew up in the slums and now makes a living navigating among the world of the wealthy. He takes jobs from women of status who need assistance in ways that may not be...completely acceptable in polite society. When Oliver Rivington discovers his own sister has made an acquaintance of Jack and paid for his services, Oliver immediately goes to confront Jack. Unbeknownst to Oliver, Jack already knows Oliver and knows that Oliver prefers the company of men, much like Jack. This story is a combination of mystery and romance. Jack receives a lady into his office who wishes Jack to find some missing letters from her possession. The lady claims to find herself being blackmailed in regards to the missing letters and implores for Jack's services. Against his better judgement (or is it with a subconsciously amazing judgement?), Oliver finds himself tangled up with Jack in his pursuit to find the mystery…