Welcome to Ely and Mine’s second buddy read of the year discussion. Today we are talking about Never Seduce a Scoundrel (School For Heiresses #1) by Sabrina Jeffries. This is the first book in the series and one that both of us were very excited about it. You can check out last months discussion on The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski on Ely’s blog.

Never Seduce a Scoundrel (School For Heiresses #1) by Sabrina Jeffries

Pages: 376
Publish date: March 1st 2006
Publisher: Pocket Books
ISBN: 9781416516088
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Angel: I would just like to say first off that, I adored Never Seduce a Scoundrel so much. It’s one of my favourite Sabrina Jeffries books that I’ve read and I fell in love with it right away. I know you felt very similar to me?

Ely: Absolutely. I think this might be my favourite Sabrina Jeffries so far for a multitude of reasons. I don’t even know where to begin with this one.

And I suppose we should talk about how many Jeffries we’ve read in the past. This was my fourth of hers as I’m trying to read them in order, but I think you’ve read a few more?

A: I have! This is the seventh one I’ve read from her. Like you, I’ve read the Royal Brotherhood trio, and then I’ve also read the 3 books that are currently out in the Duke Dynasty. And I’ve loved every single one. But this is very high on my favourites list. 

Never Seduce a Scoundrel follows Lady Amelia Plume as she tries to find herself a husband, but none have caught her eye. Then comes Major Lucas Winter, an American who isn’t all he seems. I felt the tension between these two from the start and it got me hooked. And it wasn’t just the romance that I loved, but the characters themselves. What did you think of Amelia? 

E: I loved Amelia. She’s such a witty and fun character. I adore how she pretty much immediately works out just what Lucas is doing and is determined to basically stop him from getting what he wants… What did you think of her?

A: I adored her as well. She was just a fun character to read and get to know. Like you, she did not let Lucus get away with anything and basically turned everything on its head for him. That just made for even more excellent banter. I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next. Lucas was an interesting character that was for sure. There were times where I wanted to hate him for his reasons to get close to Amelia, but she broke his walls so quickly and turned him basically to mush. Even though he didn’t want to admit it. What did you think of him? 

E: I loved that about him—he’s all I’m a big surly, American soldier and I’m only here to do my job and then Amelia looks at him and he becomes a softie. Those are honestly my favourite type of romance heroes.

I think we have to mention the dear Charlotte Harris as well, don’t we? What did you think of her and her letters to and from cousin Michael?

Photo by Pixabay from Pexels

A:  YES!!! I think that is what I loved most about Never Seduce a Scoundrel, they basically turned each other inside out and it was just fantastic to see. 

I loved Charlotte so much. And I cannot wait to read more about her and her letters to cousin Michael. I’ve got all the books in the series and read all the synopsis so I kind of know what is coming. And that makes me so excited. 

While we have briefly talked about the romance in this one. What were some of your favourite things about Amelia and Lucas? 

E: My favourite bit about the whole Charlotte thing is how it feels sort of the Lady Whistledown bits in the Bridgertons series or other books that do that sort of interjection bits. I think they tell you even more about the story and I really enjoy that.

And I love that they’re both playing each other, but neither of them knows really what’s happening and why the other one is acting the way they are. I think it makes for a really interesting dynamic between the two of them.

A: Yes! That connection is absolutely spot on. And yes I think it’s a great way to let the readers know things without the protagonist having to tell us or it being jarring to the reader. It was done fantastically here. 

Have to agree for sure. I loved seeing the back of fourth both of them pulling and then pushing. But also not knowing what is happening, like you said it creates a fantastic dynamic between the two and the banter is fantastic. The plot for this one is really interesting at times I didn’t know where it was going to go and I loved that. What did you think of it? 

E: I think it has one of the most interesting plots that I’ve read in a while. Sabrina always managed to take tropes and storylines that we see in historical romance and somehow turn it on its head.

Historical romances are usually pretty fun and light and that’s why I enjoy them so much. I know you feel the same way—we both used them as pick-me-ups all the time when we’re not feeling the best or if we’re in a slump. What I like about this one is that it has that fun, light tone about it but it also deals with some pretty heavy topics.

This might sound weird to anyone not aware of the genre, but I liked that this made reference to real historical events. I feel like HR doesn’t often do that. Sometimes we get real historical figures showing up or events that made a big impact or that are relevant to the story—i.e. the marriage act/suffragette movement in Evie Dunmore’s books and so forth, but the event in here is not one that a lot of people know about. How did you feel about that?

Photo by Jonas Jaeken on Unsplash

A: Romance in general is my escape, but historical romance is the perfect read when I just want to have a fantastic time reading. Don’t get me wrong I’ve read some pretty emotional historical romances, but they don’t tear me into a million pieces – which I like.

No, I absolutely agree with you. I love history – a lot. So when I read a historical romance that makes me want to learn more – yes, please! And then when it includes an event. I think that is why I’ve really enjoyed reading Beverly Jenkins. And Sabrina really takes it another step in Never Seduce a Scoundrel. One of the main concepts on this series is the School For Heiress, and while it wasn’t featured really in this one. I enjoyed seeing some of it through Charlotte and Amelia’s relationship. What did you think of it?

E: I was a little sad that we didn’t actually get to see the school yet—I think there is going to be an incredible dynamic with the friendships between the girls and the romances. I believe book four takes place in the school? I just love the ideas of the girls all getting involved in one another’s lives and hopefully, we’ll get some really lovely friendships between them all too.

I’m also really excited to see Charlotte in her element. I think she’s a great character already and I’m excited to see her shine. How about you?

A: I think that is what I missed most in this one. Friendship. I felt that there wasn’t anyone there for Amelia except for Charlotte – who I love. But I feel that is what this book lacked. A good friend for Amelia and not just Charlotte who for the most part is her guardian. Do you agree with this? 

Oh and have to agree with you about Charlotte, I am so excited. 

Photo by Carli Jeen on Unsplash

E: Amelia really doesn’t have anyone but Charlotte until Lucas steps up. For all her talk of love and protection of her family, they really aren’t there for her. They are absent for most of the book and even when they are there, they’re wrapped up in their own world. I just hate it when families are like this, as you well know.

A: It is really strange that is for sure. I’m still not sure how I feel about it. They obviously came back when she was in need, but I still felt no connection between them. Like as much as Amelia talks about them, I didn’t feel the love. 

Enough about that, what was one of your favourite things about Never Seduce a Scoundrel to finish this up? I adored the banter between Amelia and Lucas and how they grew close without really trying. 

E: I think she really loved them, but I don’t know that they really cared about her to the same degree.

The banter is definitely amazing, but I think that real-life moment in history is really what hit it out of the park for me. It just made it feel that much more real and added a greater depth to it.

A: Well thank you for chatting with me. I hope you all enjoyed reading our chat about Never Seduce a Scoundrel by Sabrina Jeffries. Have you read anything from her yet? Have you read this series? Stay tuned for next month’s discussion on Ely’s blog!