Book One in an exciting new Regency Historical Romance series from bestselling author Scarlett Scott…A duke with demons and a governess with secrets collide in this passionate tale!Crispin Ashforth returns from battle the newly inherited Duke of Whitley with two sisters under his charge. Publicly lauded as a hero, he is haunted by the bitter mission that nearly saw him killed and cost the life … killed and cost the life of his best friend. He’s desperate to drown out the demons tormenting him by any means, regardless of how depraved.
All he needs to do is find a proper governess for his hellion sisters so he can drink and wench himself into oblivion. Enter Miss Jacinda Turnbow, who is as lovely as she is prickly. It doesn’t take Crispin long to realize he’s found precisely the sort of distraction he needs in the prim governess.
But Jacinda has secrets of her own, and she’s no ordinary governess. To save herself and her father from ruin, she has agreed to infiltrate the duke’s home and search for evidence that he’s a traitor.
Resisting his advances grows more difficult by the day, however, as she discovers there’s more to Crispin than the careless life of sin he’s cultivated. And the greatest danger she faces is losing her heart to the man she has no choice but to betray.
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Scarlett Scott has a new book out, and whew! I need a cold drink now! Scarlett has a great way of weaving a story that takes fantastic characters and puts them in page-turning situations that I can’t resist. Yum!
Crispin Ashforth returns from the Peninsula the newly inherited Duke of Whitley with two troublesome sisters under his charge. Publicly lauded as a hero, he is haunted by the bitter mission that nearly saw him killed and cost the life of his best friend Morgan. He’s desperate to drown out the demons tormenting him by any means, regardless of how depraved.
All he needs to do is find a proper governess for his hellion sisters so he can drink and wench himself into oblivion. Enter Miss Jacinda Turnbow, who is as lovely as she is prickly & has secrets of her own, and she’s no ordinary governess. To save herself and her father from ruin, she has agreed to infiltrate the duke’s home and search for evidence that he’s a traitor.
This is the first in a new series & what a starter! The attraction between Crispin & Jacinda is electrifying. I love a tortured hero & Crispin was haunted by his period as a soldier but gradually he came alive again around Jacinda. She is being blackmailed & coerced but is a strong, feisty woman. The story is well written, flows effortlessly, the storyline is captivating & grabbed me from the first page to the last. I can’t wait to read Duncan’s story.
Scarlett Scott has given us an aspect into the world of the Duke of Depravity’s life of darkness; and how he transformed himself with the help of caring and loving people. Crispin Ashforth never wanted to be a Duke, let alone have two little hellion sisters to look after. He was a solider surviving some of the bloodiest conflicts of the war with France, while losing his best friend. Crispin had been left for dead; when he came to, all he found of his friend was his bloody hand and signet ring. His life now was mainly terrible dreams, when he could sleep, and plenty of drink to keep the dreams away. People said he was a Hero, but to him it was all rot. Darn his brother to die; now he needed a governess, a proper governess that would not run away as the others had. Jacinda Turnbow came into his and his sisters’ lives; as the governess that seemed to have the sense about her too tame the young ladies. But Jacinda was not who she seemed, as she was sent on a mission that would save her and her father from ruin. What an adventure awaits the readers of this book.
Crispin, the Duke of Whitley, is living a life of complete debauchery as a result of survivors guilt. He came back from the war, but his best friend did not. He does have the responsibility of his estates and more importantly, his two unruly younger sisters, who are still in the school room.
Jacinda is a young woman, newly widowed, as she lost her soldier husband to battle. She lives and assists her aging father in his work as a message decoder for the English government. As her father becomes less able to perform, she must do more, and keep that from their superiors. One powerful peer has threatened Jacinda’s father’s position if she doesn’t perform a task. She must pose as a governess to the duke and spy on him.
Crispin has a reputation as a rake, and he definitely lives up to it. (His internal monologue had me laughing as his thoughts were often raging with lust at the most inappropriate of times.) He is dark, and sexy in a reprobate sort of way, that just might be too hard for Jacinda to resist. But is he as bad as she’s been lead to believe? She has a job to do, and she must , to protect her father, but as the days go by she is finding it increasingly difficult to justify her actions.
This story is a sizzling, lusty thriller that’s hard to put down. The plot has intrigue and a cast of characters that provide color and humor as well. I highly recommend it (and reading it with at the very least a glass of ice water or iced anything nearby). I am definitely looking forward to the next in this series, as I see a couple of interesting stories on the horizon, or at least I hope so.
Duke of Depravity is a highly charged love story with fantastic, passionate characters that held me spellbound until the end! This is one of my favorite storylines of the emotionally wounded hero who needs redemption in the worst way. Returning from the war and the awful experiences he had gone through, Crispen is determined to drown out his demons in whatever way he can. But what he finds is a governess he hires for his two sisters.
Jacinda is not all as she appears and has an agenda of her own. Looking for evidence that will save her father and prove Crispen a traitor. What? Surely not! But as the too come together sparks combust as the attraction ignite!.
An exciting tale that runs the gamut of emotions and delight in her charges, but conflict in her mission. Can she find him not guilty of her suspicions, or will she find the evidence she needs?
Prepare to be drawn into a heart pounding story that you do not want to end! Cannot wait for more in this series!
Crispin Ashford has returned from war scarred and damaged. Believing his friend was killed because of him has taken its toll. Coming home after his brother dies and the family responsibilities are now his along with his two wild sisters adds to his burdens. His life consists of drinking, gaming an women, lots of women to make him forget. Jacinda has been helping her dad with his work deciphering encrypted notes for the war and is blackmailed into working for the Duke as a governess for his two sisters. As Jacinda begins to understand why Crispin is the way he is her feelings for him start to change. This book is definitely a steamy romance. They don’t call him the Duke Of Depravity for nothing. With that being said it was well written and I very much enjoyed this story.
Crispen Ashforth, Duke of Whitley has returned from war, but not recovered from it. He suffers a heavy dose of guilt and the nightmares that go with it. Drowning himself in the bottle doesn’t seem to be helping.
Mrs Jacinda Turnbow helps her father with his work of decoding messages for the war office. Unfortunately she has been ordered to act as a governess to catch a spy.
Our hero is basically a good man, but he can’t cope with returning to a normal life and looking after his two young sisters.
Our heroine is a brave and intelligent woman who needs to save herself and her father from a ruthless man.
Lots of emotion and difficulties are ahead for our characters. This is an exciting and steamy historical romance that kept me entertained from the first to last page.
I loved it.
Secret codes and treason bring a couple together and treachery tears them apart. A spell bounding novel that I had to read quickly to end! Well written and just enough sexuality to spice it up.
I enjoyed reading this book about ciphers and codes in this romance novel. I think I would have enjoyed it more without all the explicit sex.
A triumphant first book in series
This is an amazing first book to start what promises to be a great series. The plot is full of emotional intrigue and subterfuge. The characters are wonderfully crafted with the courage and strength to outwit their enemy and overcome their personal experiences, to be able to arrive at a happy ending. This historical romance has several steamy passages.
Another story that begins with tragedy, the horrors of war and blackmail, all of which form unsettling threads throughout the action. It was very hard to deal with the main character and his demons, in fact I put the book down, twice. But I returned to it until I finished it and I’m glad I did.
This is a favorite author of mine!! Her story lines are amazing!
I did not finish this book because, even despite the time period, I could not look past the poor treatment of a female in an abusive situation.
A bit too much focus on sex, interesting plot but got lost in the steam.
A very troubled Duke indeed. A determined Governess. The two together means combustion.
This is what romance stories are suppose to be.
Loved it!
It greww on me as I continued reading it but his almost pornographic obsession with her initially , I felt was a little ‘in your face’. But as I said, it got better and had more substance as it went on and I did finish it thru
Too unbelievable!
I have loved every book of Scarlett Scott I have read. All but one has been a five star read. This is the second book of hers that I gave four stars. This rating was based on personal preference. The trope just isn’t my favorite. The writing and characters were great.
It was entertaining, it was a little slower paced than most of her books. The beginning and end were excellent, the middle was a little slow.
I loved Crispin, he was a damaged war hero who finally learns to love. Jacinda has to overcome many obstacles to get to Crispin. It is a uphill battle for these two.
It was a steamy, passionate read. Though not my favorite, I would recommend this book, I think most people would enjoy the premise of this book, it was just a little heavy for me. All that being said, I am off to the next book in the series!