Three Nights with a Scoundrel

Stud Club #3

by Tessa Dare

In Tessa Dare’s dazzling new trilogy, the men of the Stud Club live and play by their own rules—until passion changes the game.
 
The bastard son of a nobleman, Julian Bellamy is now polished to perfection, enthralling the ton with wit and charm while clandestinely plotting to ruin the lords, ravish the ladies, and have the last laugh on a society that once spurned him. But after meeting Leo Chatwick, a decent man and founder of an elite gentlemen’s club, and Lily, Leo’s enchanting sister, Julian reconsiders his wild ways. And when Leo’s tragic murder demands that Julian hunt for justice, he vows to see the woman he secretly loves married to a man of her own class.

Lily, however, has a very different husband in mind.  She’s loved Julian forever, adores the man beneath the rakish façade, and wants to savor the delicious attraction they share—as his wife. His insistence on marrying her off only reinforces her intent to prove that he is the only man for her. Obsessed with catching a killer, Julian sinks back to the gutters of his youth, forcing Lily to reach out with a sweet, reckless passion Julian can’t resist. Can her desire for a scoundrel save them both—or will dangerous secrets threaten more than their tender love?

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Regency, Fiction, Friends To Lovers

362 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 27, 2010

About the author

Sign up for Tessa's newsletter and be the first to hear about new books and hot deals! http://tessadare.com/newsletter-signup/

Tessa Dare is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of fourteen historical romance novels and five novellas. Her books have won numerous accolades, including Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA® award (twice!) and the RT Book Reviews Seal of Excellence. Booklist magazine named her one of the “new stars of historical romance," and her books have been contracted for translation in more than a dozen languages.

A librarian by training and a booklover at heart, Tessa makes her home in Southern California, where she lives with her husband, their two children, and a trio of cosmic kitties.

Reviews

[Bubu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is neither Tessa Dare's funniest book, nor her darkest, but to me it's probably the sweetest book she's written and also probably my favourite of hers. There are not many authors who manage to create two characters who are perfect for each other. But I think Tessa Dare has shown more than once how brilliantly she brings the characteristics of her protagonists out, only for them - and us the reader - to realise that they're perfect for each other.

Lily Chatwick and Julian Bellamy (funny coincidence that Dare chose two names - Lily and Julian - that I don't particularly like) are one of those few characters which I found hard to let go once I had finished the book, simply because saying goodbye felt like leaving two astonishingly lovely people behind.

We have a subplot that builds the arc for this series 'The Stud Club'. Thankfully, the sillyness of the name is being mocked by several characters throughout the books. It's the mysterious murder of Lily's brother Leo. Julian was particularly close to Leo and found in his friendships to Leo and Lily a certain belonging that he had not experienced ever since the tragic death of his mother. Not much is known of Julian. He's a bastard, the father is unknown but he's a driven character. Someone who from an early age on wants to do much, much better than society has in store for him. He creates a double life. The rakish Julian Bellamy at night with his his sophisticated group of friends, a member of the Ton, a trendsetter whose style is being copied. In this group of people he's assumed the bastard son of an aristocrat. At day, however, he's Jamie Bell, supposedly a clerk in an investment company that he secretly owns though and which provides the clothes and accessories needed for Julian Bellamy's trendsetting fashion. This contains a second subplot that becomes important towards the end of the book.

Julian has been in love with his best friend's sister Lily from the first time he met her, and Lily is just as much in love with him. However, Julian hides some dark secrets and has made questionable choices in his life. Nonetheless, the unconventional affection that Leo and Lily have shown him, leads to Julian becoming obsessed with finding Leo's murderer and making him a fierce protector of Lily. Lily lost her hearing, but was able to live a social life with her brothers support. With him gone, Julian feels responsible to see her wed off to a man of her station who will show her all the love and devotion and respect that he wants for her. We know that this is never going to happen but it's heartbreaking to see Julian's inner struggle. Let go of the love his life or make her a part of his double life that he's grown so tired of. Add to that the fact that he blames himself for Leo's murder because he chose to spend the night of the murder with another woman and not with Leo, and we have a tortured, guilt ridden hero. All this, minus the feelings between Julian and Lily, happens in the first book of the series. He can be over-protective where Lily is concerned but I never felt that he was patronising.

Lily is, despite her deafness, a strong woman. The loss of her brother reminds her to pursue the things that are important in life. And pursue she does. Her love for Julian is unconditional and she won't shy away to defy social convention. Julian pushes her away, feeling unworthy due to his background and the double life he leads. Her strength shines through when Julian reminds her what it means to flout social convention. She asks him if he's talking about the same social conventions that left the young Julian in the gutter to fend for himself.

These two remarkable people admit their love to each other very early into the book and I found it refreshing. The question is never if they love each other, but whether their lives are compatible. For Julian, who has lived in the darkness for too long, it is impossible and it is Lily's unconditional love, her strength, her wisdom and her positivism that drags Julian slowly into the light. Julian, one of the most swoonworthy heroes I've come across, slowly coaxes Lily out of her shell that she created after becoming deaf. He shows her ways to experience sounds in different ways. He fills the silence of her life with sounds she can feel. Julian is a hero to die for.

Another aspect that I liked very much is how Tessa Dare managed the love scenes. They aren't randomly thrown in because they're part of the genre as it sadly happens with so many other authors. They're beautifully written and very steamy, but most importantly, they convey the deepening relationship between Julian and Lily. They leave a sense of "Yep, these two are truly mad about each other!"

There are two minor quibbles I had with the story. One was the fact that Julian's mother had been a deaf mute. Talk about convenience when pairing him with a deaf woman. Secondly, the slightly excessive self-flagellation that Julian shows when he thinks he's unworthy of Lily's love. But taking everything into consideration, I really didn't care enough to take a star off. They didn't bother me in the slightest. The character and plot development, the prose, the romance were perfect.

[Whitney Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

i put off reading this book because i wasn't ready for this series to be over and i knew it would be a book that i loved. and i do stay convinced that this series is SO under rated and tessa dare nailed a book that kept me hooked and made me feel transported to an earlier time. i dont even care for murder mysteries and this series' twists and turns kept me guessing.

i especially liked the character dynamics in this one, mainly the born rich vs rags to riches opposites attracting, and also how lily is deaf and how julian navigates that. their conversations and relationship just felt so believable. the tone of this was never too sad or too sappy, i think because the characters are both smart and quick to stand up for themselves.

the reason i took off a chunk from this rating is a big spoiler for the mystery that spans the entire series, but i hate that the death they've been trying to solve in this series comes down to a gay man being murdered by homophobes. even if it's accurate for that time period, i feel like we are so beyond using hate crimes as plot twists and juicy reveals. it especially sucked to read during pride month. it ended up wrapping up in a way that was sweet and accepting, but i felt a bit wronged by it to be frank.

needless to say despite this series' few (few!!!) faults, i absolutely devoured and marked these up and cannot wait to reread them someday. i've read some of tessa's other books but none of them gripped me as hard as these have. maybe that just means it's time to read some more of hers, which i'm not complaining about one bit. her writing is SO beautiful and i absolutely flew through these. highly recommend!!

[UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, Three Nights with a Scoundrel wraps up the Stud Club Trilogy and all I can say is, I never saw that coming! I’m not exactly sure how I can review this book without going on and on and on, and then give away too much of the plot and the truth about who killed Leo! I know others have managed to write wonderful reviews, but I’m at a loss. Please bear with me as I ramble my way through this review.

I’ve always loved Leo’s idea of the Stud Club, and figured he started it just to be magnanimous, to be a good person. I now know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Leo created this club for the very reasons he claimed he did – so that everyone could belong, not just those who are wealthy and accepted by society, but also for those who are not, and with the circumstances of his death being revealed, I admire him all the more for it.

I definitely adore Julian, which was something I wasn’t sure would happen. He came across as quite the unlikeable guy in the previous two books because of the way he put on airs, as he seemingly considered himself better than those around him. Well, now we understand why, and I’ve come to love him both for the man he is, and the man he is not.

I also loved Lily, her quiet nature, unobtrusive – yet so very smart, such an amazing lady. She was underestimated by everyone around her, even those who knew her best, thinking that her deafness meant she was somehow less able to manage things or to take care of herself. So this opportunity we had to get to know the real Lily was such a treat! In addition to her wisdom, she was so full of love, so giving and understanding that not only was she able to function on her own, she was able to look out for and take care of everyone around her. Even when they didn’t think they need her to.

I think the Stud Club, and the mystery surrounding Leo’s death was an excellent foundation for this trilogy. We watched his family and friends try to deal with this generous man’s tragic death, some coping better than others. Sometimes there’s no way to understand, no resolution that can make us better able to accept the loss. Sometimes, that’s just the way it happens. We can’t always gain an understanding of why fate steps in and changes lives’ direction, or takes life, but it happens, and those left behind to grieve often times do go out of their way searching for answers – answers they never find. Or don’t quite expect. Such is the case with Leo’s death and those dearest to him, who so desperately needed the truth, but as they learned, the truth, the knowledge doesn’t always help because their pain still exists; their loved one is still gone. The real challenge they face is learning to go on, living their lives in a way that would have made Leo proud.

My only regret as this trilogy comes to an end, is that even though we did get to know him better in this book, we didn’t get to spend, in my opinion, enough time with Leo. He was a male most worthy of his own story and a happily ever after. With whomever he chose.

[Addie · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Tropes: Wallflower/spinster, Best Friend's Sibling, Friends to Lovers, Class Difference, Hidden/Mistaken Identity, Scars (her)

2.5 - 3 stars

Lacks TD's trademark humour, and the love obstacle was resolved too quickly.

Then again I like the female lead and her challenges to accept and adapt to her deafness.

Buuut, the main lead was too much of a manwhore.

[Princess under cover · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know, I'm starting to really appreciate the "rawness" of TD's earlier works. The love scenes are pretty intense and passionate which really works for me.

So why isn't this a 5? (It's actually more like 3.5, rounded to 4)

Well, I don't like Heroes who sleep around (even if it was BEFORE he and heroine actually "got together") too much. A little experience, fine. A LOT of experience, to the extent of being able to string garters collected from paramours all across a Gentleman's club, is TOO MUCH. Hard for me to really like a man when he's really a man-whore. And typically, if you are a man-whore, you should have a very good reason - you do it to give the bird (literally) to the upper class cuz you hate them is not a very good reason in my opinion.

And even then, from earlier books, I just didn't like the hero all that much. I especially didn't like the fact that he was pretty much in love with the heroine from day one but then STILL spent the next few years banging anything that moved. Cuz he decided she was too good for him and therefore out of reach.

Eh... I don't think a guy is all that heroic if he can't go after what he wants, AND does everything possible to make himself unpalatable in the process.

Really liked the heroine tho, so that sort of balanced things out a bit.

Not my fav in the series. Not sure if I want to read #1. And esp. when contrasted with Book 2 where the hero is truly a HERO.

[Caz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review from 2015

A for narration / A- for content.

This is the final book in Tessa Dare’s Stud Club trilogy , and while I’ve enjoyed the others, Three Nights with a Scoundrel is the strongest of the three, and my personal favourite. The mystery that has run through all three books surrounding the death of Lord Leo Chatwick is satisfactorily concluded, the central romance is truly touching and the two protagonists make an exceptionally well-drawn and engaging couple.

The hero, Julian Bellamy, appeared as a secondary character in the other books, and was not an especially appealing one. Handsome as sin and twice as charming, he is arrogant and selfish, a trendsetter in matters of fashion and unrepentant over his seduction of the married ladies of the ton. One of his very few friends was Leo Chatwick, Marquess of Harcliffe, the founder of the Stud Club of which Julian, Rhys St. Maur (Twice Tempted by a Rogue) and Spencer, Duke of Morland (One Dance With a Duke) were members. Some months previously, Leo was murdered on the streets of London’s East End, and ever since then, Julian has been obsessed with discovering the identity of his killers. Julian was supposed to have been with Leo on that fateful night, but his guilt over his friend’s death is down to more than the fact he was unable to prevent it; Julian believes he was actually the target and Leo died instead of him.

WIth the marquess gone, Julian’s only true friend is Leo’s twin sister, Lily. She’s beautiful, vivacious, kind, and, owing to a severe illness almost a decade earlier, is completely deaf. At twenty-eight she is not married and not particularly interested in being so, knowing that any man who pays court to her is likely to be willing to saddle himself with a wife who cannot hear only because he wants her fortune.

Julian has been in love with her for years, but she sees him only as a dear friend. Knowing of Julian’s regular late-night visits to dangerous areas of London in his search for Leo’s killer, she is becoming increasingly concerned for his safety, but is unable to dissuade him from his investigations. Julian, the bastard son of a nobleman who seduced his mother whilst she was in service and then threw her out onto the streets, knows he can never be good enough for Lily, but his quest is a dangerous one and the time may come when he will not be around to protect her. He is determined that she should marry, and soon, so that he can at least be assured that she is safe.

Lily doesn’t plan to get married, and by this time has begun to see Julian as something other than a friend, but she eventually agrees to start looking about her for a husband – on one condition. As a way to keep Julian from his perilous activities for at least a short time, she insists that he accompanies her to three social events – any more, and his reputation would taint hers – and hopes that in the meantime, she can persuade him that Leo’s death was a random tragedy and to abandon his search.

I will admit to not having been particularly fond of Julian in the other books, but Tessa Dare does a fantastic job here of revealing the truth of the man behind the highly polished exterior and turning him into a swoonworthy hero. Born into poverty, his young life was one of constant struggle and he had to resort to trickery and theft just so he and his mother – a deaf mute – could survive. He never forgot the way she was treated by her seducer, and grew up full of bitterness and anger. He has worked hard to pull himself out of the gutter, and now his wit, charm and sense of style have gained him an entrée to the ton. Working his way through the beds of bored and unsatisfied wives, gambling and taking their husbands’ money and bringing some to ruin – all of it is his coolly calculated revenge on the society that so cruelly turned its back on him and his mother. The scene in which he finally owns this all to Lily is one of the most affecting in the book, and the part where he admits to not even knowing his given name, other than that it begins with a J is really heart-rending – and the part where yours truly fell for him hook, line and sinker!

Lily is a tremendous heroine, a woman of intelligence, wit and good sense, aware of her limitations but simultaneously refusing to let her deafness define her and keep her from doing the things she wants to do. Her gradual realisation that the feelings for Julian she had believed to be friendship are, in fact, much more than that is very well done and I loved that she isn’t afraid to show him that she is a strongly attracted to him as he to her, and that she openly admits her desire for him.

Rosalyn Landor gives another terrific performance in this audiobook, her mellifluous, cultured tones perfectly suited to portraying the two principals and the various other characters from the upper tiers of society. In the previous book, she gave Julian a languorous drawl, which perfectly fit the image of the bored rake that he projected to those around him, but here, when he can be himself, she drops that affectation and brings a warmth and tenderness to his tone, showing him to be a sincerely good man who is capable – and deserving – of love. Lily sounds exactly as I’d imagined she should when I read the book a while back; attractively youthful with a good sense of fun and a smile in her voice but with determination and strength of character lying just beneath the surface. Ms Landor perfectly captures the hidden vulnerabilities of both protagonists and delivers an extremely fine and emotionally nuanced performance. All the minor characters – servants, city-dwellers and other, less respectable characters – are portrayed using a variety of suitable tones and accents, and the narrative is delivered perfectly in terms of both pacing and expression.

The combined strength of story and narration have propelled this audiobook straight on to my keeper shelf. Not only has Tessa Dare penned a beautiful romance, she also gives us a poignant look at what “might-have-been” for Leo, revealing him to have been a wonderful man, which, of course, makes it all the more sad that he will never get his own happy ending.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first 50% of the book is one of the sweetest stories I have ever read. I was rooting for Julian and Lily all the way. Come on, be together, please.

At around 50%-60% Julian and Lily got married. Oh my poor heart cried a few tears for Julian and Lily when they slowly admitted their feelings to each other. I was so happy for them, that they did not fight, no silly arguments. They spent time together, showed true affections toward each other and eventually Julian admitted his feelings. Julian was quite a dream come true.

But then while I rejoiced in Julian's proposal, I was asking myself ok now they are together and everything is quite perfect, what are we going to do with the rest of the story, which is still a whopping 40%?

The second half of the story made me feel a little bored. Many sex scenes, all well-written but the frequency made me wonder, are we just reading about sex because there is no plot in this part of the story? The mystery was the focal point of the 2nd half. And I had to say it made Julian look a little stupid and kind of like a virgin on the wedding night. He was jumpy because of the unresolved mystery and the conclusion made all his jitters look really silly.

The sweetness also went a little overboard in the second half. I am not much for excessive fluffiness in the story. And since Julian and Lily were soooo obviously in love when they got married, everything about their relationship after they got married was just heaping sugar on honey kind of sweet. The sex scenes have completely lost their allures to me at this point. No conflict, no fear of loss, no tension, no fun.

For the first half of the story I was thinking oh oh oh it is so sweet but I don't care, my dreamy heart tells me to give the story 5 stars. Then the second half happened, I ended the book with a 3 stars feeling. So I decided on a 4 stars rating. A really sweet story with a hero that was IN LOVE with the heroine before the story started.

An afterthought: Tessa Dare really isn't a go-to author for an authentic historical romance. Her stories rarely have a strong historical feeling, but are almost always on the sweet side. Some very smart turns in conversations. Her strength really isn't in historical accuracy or building a window to the past, so to speak. This is very evident in this book, I regret to report.

[willaful · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This is the third book in a Regency-set series which resolves around three men’s efforts to discover the murderer of their friend, Leo. I found the first two books well-written, amusing and engrossing, without ever being really touched by them. As other reviewers have pointed out, there was just something missing. At first I thought this story would be more of the same, but I slowly warmed towards it; when I reached the point where Julian shows Lily his true name, my heart melted and was lost for good. Julian's mother was deaf and illiterate: his true given name is a hand sign.

Unfortunately, the parts of the story I’d most like to write about are spoilers. The resolution of the mystery for example, which I found very powerful and heartbreaking, though I had guessed certain aspects of it. Let’s just say, Dare didn’t use the Ken doll to portray Leo in the book trailer for nothing.

Let’s see, what can I safely write about. Oh, Lily, our heroine. I was a bit skeptical about Lily going in; she’s been deaf for some years and in book one of the series she seemed implausibly perfect at communicating. Here, with her point of view, we see that things aren’t always as easy as they appear. I can’t speak for how authentic the portrayal of deafness is, but it felt genuine.

Lily is an appealing mixture of strong and vulnerable, neither ignoring her limitations nor allowing them to define her, and she resists Julian’s efforts to treat her as fragile or helpless: “I’m so tired of you thinking for me. First I can’t live alone. Then I can’t hold a simple dinner conversation without a knifepoint intervention. Now I can’t even know my own mind.”

I love her wit and sharp tongue, and how she constantly shows up Julian’s flawed, obsessive thinking in his efforts to resist her:

“I can’t believe this. You admit you’re a lowborn, unrepentant scoundrel with a criminal history and an insatiable taste for women and revenge. But I’m where you draw the line?”

and later, when he’s choosing to leave her to pursue his investigation:

“Someone wants to kill you?” she repeated. “Well, I want to make love to you. My goodness, Julian. With two such compelling alternatives, however will you choose?”

Julian is a strong hero too, especially if you love the devoted, protective type. (This aspect of him sometimes feels overdone, but Lily is strong enough to balance it out.) His rakish past is unappealing, and discovering that it was all a form of revenge makes it even ickier in a way, though perhaps more acceptable from a romance reading point of view--we don’t have to worry about whether he’ll really reform or be faithful. I forgave him because he was interesting and conflicted and felt things powerfully, albeit unwisely.

I didn’t feel this book was as strong on humor as the previous ones and when it is, it’s sometimes over the top anachronistic -- a “Talking Heads” reference? Okay it was funny, but c'mon -- but I enjoyed the love scenes much more. Probably because I really felt the love. Overall, a wonderful story

[Carol Cork *Young at Heart Oldie* · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Three Nights with a Scoundrel’ is the final book in the Stud Club trilogy, the first and second books being, ‘One Dance with a Duke’ and ‘Twice Tempted by a Rogue’. I recommend that you read these books first to fully appreciate the story arc which runs through all three books.

We are first introduced to Julian Bellamy in ‘One Dance with a Duke’ and he certainly does not fit my idea of a romantic hero. He is a vain, arrogant, uncaring hell-raiser and totally unlikeable.

His only true friends are Leo Chatwick, Marquess of Harcliffe, founder of the Stud Club, an exclusive horse-breeding society, and his twin sister, Lily. They have welcomed him into their home as a friend although they know nothing about him.

Julian has deep dark secrets and fears that his past has finally caught up with him when Leo is brutally attacked and killed. Julian should have accompanied Leo to a boxing match that night but chose to spend the evening with a lady friend instead. Now he feels responsible because he firmly believes that he and not Leo was the intended victim. He becomes obsessed with tracking down the murderers and forcing them to give him the name of the person who hired them.

Quite early on in ‘Three Nights with a Scoundrel’, we discover there is hidden side to Julian, one that is very different from the heartless rake the world sees. The more I learnt about this Julian, the more I liked him. When he tells Lily of the tragic circumstances surrounding his birth and the terrible deprivations he and his mother suffered, I admired his dogged determination to improve his station in life in spite of the fact that his methods were sometimes questionable.

We see a major development of the relationship between Julian and Lily in this book. Julian has been in love with Lily since they first met but Lily only regards him as her dearest friend. However, a single kiss changes everything and Lily realises that her feelings for him are far deeper than just friendship. Julian constantly pushes Lily away because he feels he is not worthy of her. His attitude is irritating at times but shows how deeply he cares for Lily and wants to protect her from the social stigma she would have to endure if she were to marry him.

I adore Lily who is beautiful, intelligent, brave and warm-hearted. Although she is deaf, as a result of a fever nine years ago, she does not let this deter her from living as normal life as possible even if it means taking risks. She loves Julian unconditionally and cares nothing for flaunting social convention by marrying him. I also liked that she is not afraid to take Julian to task particularly if he is being stubborn or reckless. She is definitely one of my favourite heroines.

I have to say how much Tessa Dare’s excellent writing brought Lily to life for me. I could see things from Lily’s perspective and feel what she felt.

The resolution to the question of who murdered Leo and why was quite a surprise and one I definitely did not see coming.

I enjoyed the epilogue and do wonder whether Tessa Dare may have been setting the scene to give some of subsidiary characters their own books.

I would highly recommend this book to any lovers of Historical Romance.


http://www.theromancereviews.com/view...


This review was originally written for The Romantic Reviews

[A Romance Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked it! I love Julian and Lily!

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I've just finished this book, and it really didn't turn out to be anything like I was expecting at all. In some ways it was better, but in a lot of ways it was a disappointment.

I really liked getting to know Lily better. I liked seeing her deafness while trying to live a regular life. At times it felt a little too easy for her, but enough authentic moments of confusion and fear and embarrassment were mentioned, that it didn't bother me too much. In some ways her characterization felt very thin, though. She seemed extremely well adjusted and at peace, except for a few occasions. It seemed like she was just there to be a foil to Julian. This was very much his story. He had to grow and adjust while Lily was already where she needed to be. She had no real character growth, and the lack of it was a little frustrating.

Julian was interesting and likable, but when I learned more about him I felt rather let down. I really felt that he blew his issues way out of proportion. Maybe if he was with any other girl it might have seemed more logical, but with Lily there was no doubt of their love for each other or their friendship. Really, the only conflict in their relationship was Julian himself. He had to get over himself enough to stop worshiping her and start seeing her as a partner.

I found the book pretty engaging for the first 200 pages, but after that it started to bore me a bit. I jut felt that I was reading something pointless. There was no real issue, it was just a matter of waiting for Julian to figure it out and stop lying to Lily. I really started to dislike their relationship when I figured out he would never tell her if he had a choice. The fact that Lily was so sweetly patient about most everything was disappointing too. I wanted her to push him and make him grow a pair. It was so frustrating!

The reveal about Leo was pretty obvious from the time we first saw the contents of one of the letters. The reason for his death surprised me though. I was just like Julian, I was expecting something more. I found the whole thing a bit of a let down to be honest. Maybe if certain details had been handled better? It's just hard not to feel disappointed when all you get is a surprised, "you didn't know?" from Lily. We spent three books building this up, can't we make this a bigger deal?

But even with those issues, I was all set to give it four stars until the end. I'm referring to the scene beginning when Julian and Lily are in the carriage and he makes a false assumption about their destination. When Lily corrects him it leads him to finally reveal all. I was glad that Lily blasted him for his opinion of her and her love for him, but I was pretty ticked off that she rolled over so easily. I was not nearly so forgiving as she was. I really wanted more of a reckoning there. It was just one more example of how frustrating Lily's perfect and forgiving attitude could be.

[Gio Listmaker · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 72%

The Heroine Was Sweet And I Loved Her

The Hero Drove Me Crazy

His Personality And The Plot Was All Over The Place

We Do Not Find Out About The Heroine's Impairment Until 3 Chapters In Which Is Weird IMO!

Enjoyed It Until The 50% Mark Therefore 2 Stars

[Fani *loves angst* · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won't say whether I liked this book. I'll only mention that I stopped right in the middle of their first love scene, to take out the weeds in my yard!

Review for Romantic Romance Readers:
4.5*
Read this book! It's very well written, clever, witty, with a sweet, lovable hero and a heroine that has a brain on her shoulders. The hero is totally besotted with her and has been for years, and that's apparent in every single page when he thinks of her. If you like sweet, tender stories and sweet, loving heroes, you'll love this one and probably ignore the fact that it's even more wallpaperish that Julia Quinn's books.

Review for the rare breed of Cynical and Practical Romance Readers:
2*
Avoid this book! It's flowery, sappy and sweet enough to send a diabetic into an instant shock. While well written and witty, there's also the fact that it's completely -and I mean completely- wallpaperish. I don't generally dwell on that too much, but the inaccuracies in this case were glaring. Adding to this, is the fact that her protagonists were so sweet and picture perfect, it was like trying to emotionally connect to a face in a photograph.
Finally, if you think this is dark romance, because it's darker than her Goddesses series, forget it; it's not humorous, I'll give you that and it's pretty emotional. But dark or angsty? Definitely not.
I'll probably give this author one more try, but I doubt she's my style.
I repeat: not a bad book, just not my style at all.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. A fantastic ending for the Stud Club...I'd wished we had gotten to know Leo more in the previous two books, well, I got my wish.
And Julian Bellamy became more than just the hero of the book. He will definitely be one who sticks with me...even if he could be an unmitigated ass at times.
I liked the idea of the Stud Club, and I liked how the theme of Leo's murder set off such a chain of events throughout the trilogy.
the ending was quite a surprise, and I never ever would have guessed the details of Mr. Peter Faraday.
I will probably re-write this as a more in depth review for the demonlover site, but for now, I just want to say how much I loved this book, and I wish that Claudia would get her own later on, and maybe Faraday can have a small role in that one :)
link to full review:
http://www.demonloversbooksandmore.co...

[Shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars – Historical/Regency Romance

This was the best book in the Stud Club trilogy and my favorite Tessa Dare novel to date, mainly because I loved Lily and Julian and adored them even more together. The piano scene?! Holy cow! YOWZA!

Three Nights with a Scoundrel was a moving, sensual romance, and I'm glad that I finished the series, since the best was saved for last! And I loved the epilogue. It brought tears to my eyes and left a HEA smile on my face. 5 stars!

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three Nights with a Scoundrel started off wonderfully, had a sluggish middle, and wrapped up neatly. When I first began this story, the chemistry between the two was undeniable. I got the tingly "this is why I read romance" feeling. It was heading to be a solid favorite, but the middle really brought the rating down for me.

This story is darker than other Tessa Dare books I have tried. The heroine's twin brother Leo was murdered in the series and they never uncovered who was behind it. The hero, Julian, never forgave himself for his friend's murder and believes he was the target. Since that night, he has watched over Leo's twin sister, Lily, hoping to protect her, even though he has been in love with her since he first laid eyes on her. Lily and Julian are very different people, but from page 1, their chemistry leapt off the pages. I loved how Julian noticed every small detail about Lily, even the curve of her ear. It wasn't just about boobs or erections. It was purer than that and Dare sucked me in. Lily is also deaf from an illness, which added an interesting extra layer to the story.

For the first 50%, it is all about Julian and Lily and their eventual acknowledgment of their feelings. However, once they get married around the 60% mark, things really got slow. Their relationship as a couple, except for sex, got no page time and the story shifted to focus on Julian's hunt for a murderer. At this point, I lost almost all interest and struggled to keep going and found myself skimming. It wasn't until the 87% mark that enough facts got revealed that I found the mystery interesting and wanted to see how the story ended.

One of my GR friends, Caz, said that she loved the audiobook version of this and didn't notice the draggy parts because of the narration and the solid beginning. If you are an audiobook person, I would recommend trying that and looking at her review. I read the print version and despite the solid beginning, the story only ended up being a 3.5 star read for me.

I saw the other characters from the previous books in the series and they did not interest me. I will not be reading the other books in this series.

[Ally72 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and it is my favorite Tessa Dare novel to date!!! If I could have given this book more than five stars, I would have. This made my list of favorite books I have read this year!!!

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Three Nights with a Scoundrel
2 Stars

Tessa Dare's writing is usually very engaging and I did enjoy the first book in this series. Nevertheless, the 2nd and 3rd installments are very disappointing.

Despite having all of the ingredients for a wonderful romance - a tortured hero concealing his true identity, a disabled heroine with a backbone of steel, and an intriguing mystery none of these elements manage to coalesce into a coherent and appealing story.

Lily and Julian's relationship is a total mess. To begin with, Julian is not portrayed in a good light as his original goal was to seduce Lily as he does with the other women of the ton out of a misplaced desire for revenge on his father. Lily is far too sweet and loving for my tastes and verges on "Mary Sue-ness". Moreover, they have absolutely no chemistry whatsoever. In fact, their interactions are shudderingly awkward and painful to read. The inclusion of a loquacious parrot during some of the scenes only adds insult to injury.

The mystery surrounding the death of Lily's twin, Leo, completely fizzles. Dare ignores the foundation established in books #1 and #2 and takes the case in a completely new direction that ignores all previous plot threads. The ultimate explanation is disappointing, unsatisfying, and
the underlying political message falls flat on its face.

In sum, this book and the series as a whole are not good examples of Dare's work. I recommend giving it a pass and reading the Spindle Cove books instead.

[Cassandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just didn’t click with the MMC. I think I literally rolled my eyes when his secret identity was connected to his real house. Lily was not a bad MFC. She knew what she wanted and she wanted Julian. I liked that she called him out every time he was being patronizing. Good for you. Honestly Claudia and Mr Faraday were the most interesting characters.

[Lady Wesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a finish to the Stud Club trilogy! I stayed up way too late finishing it -- and I never saw the surprise coming straight at me. There's also a beautiful romance here, between Julian, the bastard son of a nobleman, and Lily, the deaf sister of his murdered friend Leo. Tessa Dare just does everything right in this one!

[Topastro · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Magic Tessa Dare usually weaves in to her book is missing her. The plot was nonsensical and the lack of chemistry between Lily & Julian almost made this a DNF. Lily's deafness seemed like such an after thought and her disability wasn't written consistently. Rosalyn Landor as always did a top notch job on the narration but sad to say that this is only Tessa Dare I have ever rated so low. She is still a favorite author of mine and I will continue to read and reread what she puts out. I guess they can't all be 5 stars...

[PlotTrysts · Rating 3 out of 5]

We'd been looking forward to reading Three Nights with a Scoundrel ever since we saw Julian and Lily together on the page in One Dance with a Duke. Although their pairing didn't disappoint, we had some major (MAJOR) issues with the final resolution of the mystery. In fact, it upset Laine so much that it retrospectively tainted her opinion of the entire series.⁠
⁠
We do want to praise the handling of Lily's deafness in the novel. Not only is her impairment treated with accuracy and sympathy, historical Deaf culture in England was also well-portrayed. This portion of the novel was so great that it almost made up for all of the other shortcomings. ⁠
⁠
22-Word Summaries:

Meg: Sometimes I’m a sucker for pining heroes who just “aren’t good enough” for their disabled heroines… but usually the plot makes sense.⁠
⁠
Laine: Things that are not fun: homophobia, hate crimes, telling someone they are being hunted by an unknown assailant when they are not.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Early Tessa Dare is just not the same as now Tessa Dare. This one is okay. I liked the characters, especially the deaf heroine, but the conflict between them centered on the hero not telling the heroine stuff he should have been telling her the whole time, and that drives me insane in romances.

Also, she just really likes inserting the most random animals as pets in these books. Tartuffe the parrot is one of her better efforts, I must say. Much more believable than the rat/lover, or the ermine. Or the lobster. Also, hiiilllarrious to have a PARROT in a romance novel. The stuff it's going to be parroting will not be G-rated.

Not entirely sure the three book murder mystery arc worked out, although I did like the reveal re: Faraday and Leo.

[3.5 stars]

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this so much. Review to follow :)

[Sans · Rating 2 out of 5]

Either I just was not in the mood or this wasn’t the right book for me.

[A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you finish a book brimming over with excitement, feeling almost like you're about to pop, that's such a wonderful feeling and a very difficult one to top at that; but I think the way I feel at the end of Three Nights with a Scoundrel -- dreamy, content, rather like how I feel just sitting outside with my dogs on a nice day with a good book, or how I feel knitting in bed next to Rawles as we watch a sitcom -- tops that balloon handily. What a lovely book. What a lovely experience!

Lily and Julian were introduced separately and together in the very first book in the Stud Club Trilogy, One Dance with a Duke (I had to look that up, as I'm still calling it Cinderella Duke in my head, hahaha. MY JOKES ARE HILARIOUS, HOW DARE U), and it's Julian's quest to solve the mystery of Lily's brother Leo's untimely death that really ties the three books together. We've seen him in both of the preceding books, irritating the hell out of both Spencer and Rhys, but also showing himself to be a pretty stand-up guy underneath all the purposeful nettling, so it comes as no surprise (but as an absolute delight regardless) to see how thoroughly this decency goes through him, for all the ills he's done and done knowingly. The real gift, then, is to at last see Lily through her own eyes.

We'd seen little of Lily in the previous books; all we really knew of her is that she's deaf, she's of very noble blood, she's VERY kind, and Julian is soooooo in love with her, hot dang. Dude is like flipping his pancakes all over the kitchen whenever she so much as blinks in his general direction. But also like, can you blame him? When Lily is SO WONDERFUL??? I love love LOVE Lily, and I was so delighted with how very real and layered she is. There was a little fear, yes, that she might be nothing more than a passive receptacle for Julian's love, an object for his torment to be centered upon, that is: the sort of thing a thousand other romances and a thousand other acclaimed literary masterpieces have done before, that is: B-A-R-F. But fortunately for my digestive system and your delicate nerves (presumed) I can safely say this book is not even one teensy weensy fraction of an iota vomitrocious. Lily is, like Julian, afforded very real complexities, complexities that she is expected either to hide or not to acknowledge by society. Her deafness causes discomfort and pity in people who cannot or choose not to recognize her deafness as an aspect of her person instead of the defining aspect of her person, and -- already a rather retiring person, someone who prefers to read or to have intimate conversations than to engage in public, impersonal society -- it's this that has caused her to recede so. No one expects her to be independent; no one believes her capable of it. So a great deal of Three Nights with a Scoundrel is devoted to Lily's slowly and carefully exerting herself, to Lily casting aside concerns for a society she's hardly socialized with, and this carries through, too, to the central romance.

Obviously, Lily is as utterly nose over toes for Julian as he is for her, like OBVS, and as with the previous two books in the Stud Club Trilogy, equality within romance and marriage is stressed. It's Lily who pushes Julian, Lily who, at last realizing the true nature of her feelings for Julian and realizing too that she doesn't want to pass up this chance to do something with them, reaches out for Julian and grabs him and asks him to give up his charade of not caring for her as he does care for her. There is no sacrifice of dignity. She isn't shamed for being sheltered; she isn't punished either by Julian or by the narrative. While her privilege is acknowledged, and she is gently corrected when she forgets the real significance of her circumstances, she's never -- I don't know how to phrase it exactly. She's never taken down for it. Julian never uses her as a sort of stand in for his very justified resentment of nobility and the class system. She's benefited from her birth, yes, and Dare never loses sight of this -- the criticism of class that began in Cinderella Duke and carried through Two Something Something on the Moor? Is That What It's Called? I Remember Romance Novels by the OTPs, Sorry comes to the forefront with Three Nights with a Scoundrel (thank God I've got the book's title right up there for reference) -- but there's no ugly passage where Julian equates Lily herself with, for example, the nobleman who uhhhhhhHHHH, SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER.

THAT WAS A REALLY WEIRD AND UNINTENTIONAL DIGRESSION!!! What I actually meant to write about is how wonderfully and beautifully equal Julian and Lily are. Due to Julian's circumstances growing up, he's very intimate with deafness, deaf culture, and sign language, and this is used, again, wonderfully, not as a means to make Julian into some perfect, rescuing hero come to lift Lily out of the squalor of her disability, etc., but as a -- again, I'm unsure of how to put it, but I suppose it's kind of like, it's a thing that ties them together. He doesn't rescue her, but he helps her, as Lily does not rescue Julian (from his hatred, his desire for revenge, etc.) but instead helps him. What this book does best, among the many things it does very well, is show how very well Lily and Julian work together. They're friends, first and foremost, and they're in love, and their love doesn't lead them to do awful things to each other or to make awful demands; it gives them each the strength they need to make compromises, to make sacrifices, to give not because they were asked by the other to give but because they want to, because they love. I very much appreciated how much time was devoted to showing how close Lily and Julian are even before they start smooching, and how their relationship's progress is charted carefully, with great intimacy and kindness, before they fall into bed together. Lust isn't the driving force here; love is.

(This is not me saying I don't have time for stories where people bang a lot and then fall in love, because YO, I have SO MUCH TIME for those. It's just that I liked how very well executed this particular story was and how it emphasized this preexisting respect and love between Lily and Julian.)

The resolution of the overarching mystery was also very well done, I thought, without me spoiling THAT, too, hahaha. Not everything happens for a reason; there isn't always a greater purpose to every act. The real reason is in how you respond to what's happened -- not why a thing happened, but what you make of it after it's happened.

MAJOR SPOILERS AFTER THIS PART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I do have to second my girlf's request for a book about Peter Faraday's adventures -- YO, I AM REAL MESSED UP EMOTIONALLY OVER PETER AND LEO, and just, dang, I don't know, I'm upset that 1/2 of the gay couple is dead but I'm also really pleased with how Dare approaches queerness, that it isn't something Wrong or Shameful -- and also like, maybe he could get a second chance at love? And I ALSO want the book where scandalous, clever single mother Claudia reenters society and finds true love, maybe with a younger dude? Yeah. I'M DOWN W/ THAT.

[Tammy Walton Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, what to say about this one that all of my friends here on GR haven't already said (and much better than I could, I might add)?

I love Tessa Dare. I discovered her books earlier this year and she has quickly become one of my new favourite authors. Her voice is fresh, her characters compelling and she writes some of the best steam I've ever read.**

I hesitated quite a while before buying this book, even though I loved the first two in the trilogy, One Dance with a Duke and Twice Tempted by a Rogue. While I liked Lily quite a bit, I didn't feel much for Julian one way or another. Frankly, I wasn't sure I cared enough about either of them to read an entire book about them. Eventually my anal-retentiveness and compulsion to leave no book in a series un-read won the day. And here I am.

Three Nights with a Scoundrel (Stud Club, #3), while well-told, just didn't grab me the same way the previous books did. I'm afraid I never really got to care much more about Julian or Lily. It felt a little like the same old, same old thing. A few different twists (of course, Lily's deafness but also Julian's alter ego and his mother's story) but not much else new. There didn't seem to be the same depth of story I usually find with Tessa Dare's books. Again, perhaps it's just that I didn't connect with the characters. You didn't get to watch them fall in love - they already loved each other. I didn't get invested in the dance. You know, the mating dance. Sometimes it takes 300 pages - does he, doesn't he, will she, won't she, tension, chemistry, steam. There wasn't any tension for me. I already knew how they felt about it each other, they knew how they felt about each other, and that was it. Again, though, it could just be that I didn't connect with either.

I guess as a result of that disconnect, something jumped out at me early in the book and took me out of the story. I never really made it back in. It's a comment Lily makes to Julian - he is tired, keeping long hours, etc., and she asks him in jest if he is a vampire.

HUH???????

This is a Regency romance, set in 1817. Dracula wasn't published until 1897. Well, I thought. Perhaps there was something earlier. And there was - The Vampyre; a Tale by John Polidori. But that one wasn't written until 1819. Somehow I just don't think asking someone who looked tired if they were a vampire was really part of the vernacular of 1817.

I found myself skimming the book just to get to the end so I could find out what really happened to Leo.

But that's where the book redeemed itself for me. The answer to the mystery of who killed Leo was wonderfully done. I had completely no idea (of course, that might be more because I spent the whole book pondering the use of the word 'vampire' in 1817) that was coming, and what a novel way to do it. It wrapped things up beautifully, and it was very believable.

**Speaking of steamy scenes, this book has one in an empty house on a piano. Simply put, it is one of the hottest scenes I've read in recent memory. I almost gave the book 5 stars just for that.

4 stars.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to think going into this novel. I wasn't very impressed with Julian in either of the previous two books. He came across as angry, uncaring, selfish, vain and altogether a not-very-likable character. I vowed to have an open mind, but we all know how that is.

So it's with great pleasure that I say I absolutely adored Julian.

When his best friend Leo was murdered, Julian Bellamy vowed two things; to find the murderers and bring them to justice and to see Leo's sister, Lady Lily, settled into a good marriage. He loves Lily enough that he wants to see her settled with a man of her own class - something he can never be.

Lily is heartily sick and tired of Julian putting himself in danger by searching out her brother's killers. No one wants justice for his murder than she, but not if it's going to cost her Julian. He's been her best friend as long as she can remember, and she doesn't want him putting himself in danger. Lately he's been like a man obsessed. He hardly eats, rarely sleeps and her concern for him grows more every day.

When he insist yet again that she marry, she agrees to return to society, but only if he accompanies her. He must give her three nights - escort her to three events - or she'll quite happily retire to the country alone. For Julian, spending three nights with Lily is both heaven and hell. He longs for her, but knows he can never have her. It's the worst sort of torture to be near her and know she can never be his.

Lily is deaf. I really loved how strong she was. She didn't shy away from the truth of her feelings and she wasn't afraid to put herself out there. She was happy to try new things, or go on adventures, or put her heart on the line. She was very refreshing.

One of the things that frustrated me about the previous novel, Twice Tempted by a Rogue, was that the class differences between the hero and heroine weren't fully explored. That wasn't the case here. Julian really thought about what it would mean for Lily to be with him.

I expected to be annoyed by Julian, or to have his insistance that Lily marry be too much. But instead I sympathized with him and adored him. He really only wanted what was best for her. In so many novels the hero thinks, "Damn the consequences!" and while that can be very exciting, it's also not very realistic. Dare really showcased just how much Julian truly cared for Lily, in actions rather than words.

The problem wasn't with them being in love. It's obvious from the beginning that Julian cares for her and it isn't long before Lily realizes she loves him as well. The problem is that Julian isn't good enough.

Though I understand, and appreciate, the class differences between them and why Julian wanted better for Lily, it was harped on a bit too much. Julian constantly pushes Lily away because he isn't good enough. It became too much for me, especially near the end.

He also had a major secret he kept from her, almost until the last page. Why he kept it from her is beyond me. His insistence that he had to be "Good" for her and that she was "everything" to him frustrated me. The good news is, it also frustrated Lily. She didn't let him get away with much, including keeping her in the dark.

[May · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third installment of a trilogy, and yes you MUST read the other two first, otherwise it wouldn't truly make sense.

Julian Bellamy is a large and angry man who's been in love with Lily (sister of dead club founder) since he first met her. Believing himself terribly unworthy of her, and harboring a vault of dirty secrets he's convinced that he needs to get her married off to someone else... oh and figure out the mystery surrounding the murder of her brother + finding out once and for all if someone is really after him.

Ok, so what I loved about this is that the previous two couples featured (and married off) are actually a part of this book, and Tessa Dare brings it all together into the book I have been hoping for since picking up #1. She has surprises I never saw coming, touching moments, secrets a plenty, a number of steamy scenes (I would have been happy with less there - but to each her own), and a truly sweet tale of two soul mates finding their happily ever after.

I liked that Julian, despite being strong and clearly intelligent blunders and doesn't immediately find his clear path. I also enjoyed Lily, our independent, deaf (by illness a number of years prior to story), and kind hearted heroine. With plenty of drama, surprises, tender moments, and a full cast of memorable characters I loved every page.

This was by far my favorite book in the series, my only complaint being that I wish I'd enjoyed #1 and #2 as much!!

[Isabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this series!!! This book is beautiful, Julian and Lily they are so good together, she is such a tease :)... and the ending... I didn't see that coming... Loved it!!!

A pity that the series came to an end...