I'm not even sure reckless covers Amelia perfectly well. Downright dangerous to herself and others might cover it however. Its not that she purposely leaps into the frying pan--well she doesn't usually--but she's so certain she handle any situation that her common sense goes to want. She is a crafty little minx, very resourceful and quick and clever, but sometimes her mind lags behind her actions. And I have no complaints over that! Amelia constantly trying to keep two steps ahead of Lucas, and Lucas trying to keep two steps ahead of her, leads everyone in a merry dance.

I'm not sure you can say that they are having a comedy of errors--Lucas is certain he is fooling Amelia about his intentions towards her while Amelia is certain he can't see that she knows about what he possibly knows about her stepmother--but its certainly something that would make most people laugh over at their 25th wedding anniversary. Certainly the story of when Amelia first got to see his mamaluke sword and Lucas' interesting reaction to her reaction is pure hilarity.

By in large there aren't any real 'villains' to this piece--more like minor setbacks to their courtship. Lord Pomeroy (aka Lord Pompous) is a problem for a while (and I do so like Lucas' way of intimidating him), then later they run a foul of a highwayman known as 'The Scottish Scourge' (who has his own romantic adventures in a later book with one of Amelia's friends) and then of course Lucas' suspicions about her stepmother, but the threat isn't so great in any of those cases. It was more like 'so and so happens to Amelia and Lucas and they grow closer because of it'. Each time a little bit more of each other is revealed to better understand each other. Certainly those adventures were more effective then six months of tepid courtship followed by another year of waiting to marry.

As an interesting note there's quite a lot about the aftermath of the war of 1812 as well as some key details during it. The Dartmoor Prison Massacre for instance was a real historical event (with just the one minor alteration involving Lucas) as was the march across Derna. I suppose for most that doesn't seem like such a big deal, but for myself (with my history major father) I always like it when authors do such research and incorporate it into the story. Its one thing to endlessly drone on about Bonaparte and Wellington and those battles--completely another to give talk about lesser talked about battles!

As a first book in the School for Heiresses series, it also sets up the series itself nicely. We get a generalized accounting of what Mrs. Harris taught at her school aside from deportment and such, met several of the students who shall have roles later on (Louisa for instance) and at the start of each chapter is either a short letter from Charlotte to her cousin Michael (the benefactor and so much more to the school itself) or from cousin Michael to Charlotte discussing various things pertaining to the story and perhaps behind the scenes things (such as Charlotte writing to ask Michael for help with information on Lucas--we see her address Michael in her letter, then his reply and in that chapter we are given the information itself). ( )

Never Seduce A Scoundrel
4 Stars

Tired of the fortune hunters and the dandies of the ton, Lady Amelia Plume craves adventure, and the dark and mysterious American Major Lucas Winter is just the man to provide it. But there is more to Lucas than meets the eye and Amelia may just have bitten off more than she can chew.

Amelia is an entertaining heroine. Yes, she is too curious for her own good, and this often gets her into trouble, but she is also witty, caring and unpretentious. Lucas meets all of the requirements for the classic tortured hero - dark, brooding and suffering from PTSD to boot. He and Amelia have lively banter and fantastic chemistry.

The plot revolves around Lucas's investigation into an embezzlement scheme that may involve Amelia's stepmother. This had the potential for leading to the disastrous keeping secrets trope. Thankfully, Jeffries avoids this pitfall as both Amelia and Lucas are well aware of each others' hidden agendas, and have no problem communicating their feelings with one another.

Kudos also for Jeffries' inclusion of some little known historical events, such as the Barbary pirates and the Dartmoor Prison Massacre both of which were particularly interesting.

All in all, a fun historical romance and I look forward to continuing with the series. ( )

This was a cute light-hearted historical romance. Nothing too scandalous occurred and it was only slightly steamy. The couple, Amelia and Lucas, went through the classic love-hate-love relationships found in so many historicals. There was also some foreshadowing of future characters that we are going to see through the series. ( )

Loved it! The ending was really cute. ( )

I love S. J. books but this one seems very elementary. The language choices aren't very sophisticated and the story line is ridiculous. I guess the deadline was coming up and this was the best she could squeeze out in such a short time. It has to be one of the worst reads this year:(