Lord of Scoundrels

I loved this book. Thank you to everyone who recommended it to me. What a wounded soul Dain is. I love how Jessica healed him. It was just amazing to read a book from the man's point of view. To read all about his insecurities, not from her perspective, but from his. And he has a boatload. I think to continue with the quotes is the way to go, since they say it all...

Dain kept his gaze on his plate and concentrated on swallowing the morsel he'd just very nearly choled on. She was possessive... about him.

The beautiful, mad creature - or blind and deaf creature, or whatever she was - coolly announced it as one might say, "Pass the salt cellar," without the smallest awareness that the earth had just tilted on its axis.

And this one... they are speaking about a wrestling match they are going to go to, and Jessica wants to keep all the other women away from Dain...

"You are well aware of your effect on women, and I'm sure it gratifies you no end to watch them sigh and salivate over your magnificent physique. I do not wish to spoil your fun, Dain, but I do ask you to consider my pride and refrain from embarrassing me in public."

Women...sighing and salivating...over his magnificent physique. Maybe the brutal bedding had destroyed a part of her brain.

And Chase's trademark banter...

"Jessica, you are a pain in the arse, do you know that? If I were not so immensely fond of you, I should throw you out the window."

She wrapped her arms about his waist and laid her head against his chest. "Not merely 'fond,' but 'immensely fond.' Oh Dain, I do believe I shall swoon."

"Not now," he said crossly. "I haven't time to pick you up."

And..

"We've been wed more than a month. Since it appears you mean to stay, I might as well give you leave to call me by my christian name. It is preferable, at any rate, to 'clodpole.'"

The true break for Dain comes when Jessica accepts without reservation, his illegitimate son. She shows him through her love for his child, the love that he wanted from his own mother. Shows him, in fact, that maybe his mother left him behind, not because she didn't love him, but because she thought it was the best thing for him. This breaks open his heart and allows him to love his son and Jessica both without reservation.

I don't know if it's because the book is a totally different perspective on poor self-image, or because we get from the beginning why Dain has his poor self-image, but I found myself much more forgiving of Dain's insecurities about himself than I would be if he were the heroine suffering the same. Our poor men - we just want to cuddle them and fix them.

Sigh. Fantastic book. Not much else to say, except if you haven't read it (and I think I was one of the very few), go read it now.