Mending a Scoundrel’s Heart: A Historical Regency Romance Book (Scandals and Second Chances 1)
Lady Adeline Beauchamp is searching for her own identity, love, and purpose but ends up trying to restore a rake’s heart. But is it possible to transform a scoundrel into a proper gentleman?
Lady Adeline Beauchamp, the daughter of a wealthy and influential duke, has always felt overshadowed. Desperate to find her own path in life, she yearns for a love that sees beyond her clumsiness and societal expectations. But when her parents bombard her with a string of suitors, Adeline feels imprisoned by duty and her heart’s true desire.
Christopher Kit Roberts, a notorious rake and the second son of an earl, has built a wall around his heart, believing himself unworthy of love and respect. When a chance encounter with Adeline sparks an undeniable connection, Kit is determined to prove himself a changed man. But with his rakish reputation and Adeline’s relentless suitors, the odds seem insurmountably stacked against them.
As Kit grapples with his feelings of unworthiness and Adeline struggles against the confines of her parents’ relentless matchmaking, their budding romance is put to the ultimate test. With outside forces determined to tear them apart and scandalous secrets threatening to unravel their bond, will their love be strong enough to withstand the storm?
* Experience an enchanting story of love and intrigue where two people, Adeline and Christopher, challenge societal norms to find genuine happiness. This gripping romance will keep you engaged from beginning to end, offering a deeply fulfilling conclusion. Follow their journey as they uncover hidden truths and experience a love that knows no limits.
No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a sweet happily ever after.
Pick up your copy today to read this amazing story!
Also free with Kindle Unlimited!
Customer Reviews
L*********N
Love
Great read. Full of surprises and love. I really enjoyed it and hopefully others will too.May 30, 2025
R*****.
Good read!
Good, descriptive writing, a storyline that held my interest, characters that are well developed, love realized and a HEA make for a good book!May 29, 2025
M**V
Another Season/A Mistake/Then..
A mother determined to find a husband for her second daughter.. Old or older but very respectable. But someone else slides in who is not so respectable & thinks he isn’t for the match. And thinking wakes him up at last to take what he loves!May 23, 2025
M*********l
Lovealways lands on the top page
Good characterisation, could see them in my mind. Always nice seeing a rake retire to hsppinessMay 22, 2025
j*****s
Rake and the Innocent
Lord Christopher Robert’s, second son, has been a rake for far too long and now must find a wife. A chance meeting with Lady Adeline has him pondering that idea. Can the ton and her family forget his rakish ways long enough to give him a chance?April 28, 2025
E****n
An awesome book!
Martha is a wonderful writer! I thoroughly enjoy her books. In this one young woman falls in love with a man that has a horrible reputation as a rake but once he met her all the other women disappeared. He only had eyes for her.April 26, 2025
H*L
Very good HEA 3.5 stars
This clean romance is suitable for teens and adults. It is well written and follows the norms of an HEA. I found it difficult to like the two main characters. What can one expect if a person doesn’t speak up for themself or think about consequences. That alone may be a good lesson as to why a young person should read the story. Harwood writes better than average romances, this one just didn’t have the spark. At least one of the main characters should be very likeable. Still, it’s an interesting plot.April 25, 2025
A*C
Rake
Families pushing for marriage, a man brought up belittled and ignored with insecurity issues, a girl brought up not listened to and belittled, another man brought up with parents hiding his indiscretion, love found but pushed away. Story brings a lot to deal with. Leaves a lot still unsettled mental health wise (we know it doesn’t just heal fast. Nor are those types of lifestyle changes easy to quit cold turkey. Gambeling and alcoholism are addictive) still good, easy read. Made me feel for characters. Made me think a bit about how an arranged marriage would hurt. To me, though, a bit is unrealistic as written. I did like most of the twists and turns in plot though. Debauchery, drunkenness, gambling, lasciviousness, innocence, murder?, abuse, forced marriage, love, neglect, belittled, ignored, truth revealed, deception, lies, pushed by parents.April 25, 2025
B***y
Meh
Badly written, with poor historical accuracy. Too many glaring issues to bother finishing it.March 30, 2025
J*******y
Very good read
Most sweet romances are a little boring. Martha Barwoods books are written with enough romance to be exciting and interesting.February 10, 2025
R************n
Second chances
We do like those HEA endings! He thought he had blown his chances with his past decisions. He was wrong– but just barely.January 13, 2025
K*t
chosen paths
With an ultimatum from his father, Kit must change his ways (even though his brother, the heir, taunts him). Then he meets Adeline and is smitten with her. But due to his reputation, they are unsuitable for each other. Can they forget each other? I enjoyed every twist and turn in this romance. Must read.December 3, 2024
V***********2
Great read
Quite an exciting story. He is a rake that wants to change his ways. His father has told him to change or else. She is starting another season and her mother is determined to see her married. Their journey to happy ever after is rough to say the least. Good read recommend to anyone that like Regency romances.November 18, 2024
K*************r
Good writing but I hate the message
I haven’t finished this story. I’m not sure if I will. The writing is great and the story is interesting but, although I know this is the trope I signed up to read about, it was starting to really bug me how the MC was uninterested in a really great guy just because there were no sparks. Frankly, I think stories like these fill young impressionable minds with unrealistic expectations about love and marriage. As I was reading, I felt bad for Kit, but honestly his self destructive lifestyle was really hard to read and it was annoying that he didn’t have enough love or respect for himself to do better. You can’t blame Daddy and mommy forever. He has the attributes of man child. His maturity is stunted. I guess his character is like a trigger for me, having married a rakish kind of man, I really see the wisdom in marrying someone like Lord Edward for long lasting love and happiness. The MC was picking her suitor based off of sensual feelings of attraction, which is not the basis of love nor does it provide a strong foundation for a happy marriage or even a fulfilling sex life. I found myself more enraptured with her interactions with Lord Edward. Lord Kit, though he is certainly not unredeemable, is not suitable for marriage. He shouldn’t be trying to find a wife when he’s still frequenting clubs and getting hung over why might and gambling away his father’s money. He has no aims or inspirations. His only appeal is that he’s hot. He has nothing going for him. He happens to be attracted to the female lead and so I guess we’re supposed to root for him? Why though? I’m not saying such men can’t settle down and find a really good woman, but I really don’t like the idea of whorish men settling down with virgins. They don’t deserve one. That aside, even if he could snag a woman out of his league, he has to show merit. He needs to consistently prove himself to be a changed man, and she needs to require that from him out of her own self respect instead of brushing his past aside (not even past, because he was actively still living that way) just because he’s oh so hot. This is my little rant. I couldn’t finish because the trope just wrongs me the wrong way, or maybe because of how this was executed. Poor MC fawning over such a wrong match just screams of her naivety. I couldn’t stomach it or really get into it .October 15, 2024
J*C
Get an editor
Too much rambling and too many grammar issues. I found myself skimming to see how K and A would end up together. Even the timeline in the epilogue doesn’t make sense. These things matter.August 18, 2024
K*************r
Great romance story
This story explores the power of love and how it can change the perspective of the outlook on life and it’s rewards.July 29, 2024
J****n
Page Turner!
Could hardly put this book down for a minute. Our characters were well defined and gave a very strong sense to what they were trying to achieve. We had a scoundrel and innocent Lady who were able to find love in spite of many family obstacles. It was truly great reading.July 27, 2024
J****a
All is well that ends well
A sweet regency story with enjoyable characters. However, it appears not to have been edited for many errors, which I found distracting. For example, “ For both my mother and I”. ME would be the correct pronoun as it is after a preposition. We say “ for me”. Not “for I”. There are many such grammatical errors. Also, I never had read a regency book that included using God’s name in vain. And lastly, the author apparently didn’t realize the first baby son’s name should have been spelled “ Francis” as feminine spelling is what the author used “Frances” —that’s is the feminine form. The author weaves a good story, but I hope she will use an editor to polish her writing.July 21, 2024
b**********n
Exciting!!
I loved this book. It kept me on the edge of my seat guessing what would happen next.I was intrigued with Kit and the way he thought of himself not being good for her and why…all the way up to her wedding! What a delightful story.July 16, 2024
F*************t
Change Your Life
I really liked this lord and lady and their story. Often, especially in the middle of the novel, the plot dragged and was somewhat tedious. I’m was happy with the ending, but it caught me off guard.July 7, 2024
e***5
Excellent Story!
I really liked Kit and Adeline. Both great characters. I’m happy Kit found himself. Nothing was said at the end about his parents or his brother.July 4, 2024
s**********r
Entertaining
A wonderful story line and cast of characters. This story kept me reading until the end. Two lovers who finally get together after a mother helps her son know about the truth of the character his true love is wedding. A must read!July 4, 2024
B***********n
Mending a scoundrels heart
I loved this book can’t wait for the next one in the series. Kit and Adeline belonged together from the first meeting , we’ll worth the readJuly 1, 2024
M*****************r
Must read
If you have a few hours, take time to read this book. I couldn’t put it down.June 30, 2024
L******e
Adeline and Kits Love Story
This was an entertaining and exciting love story. It had me hooked from the beginning, with its character’s delightful and humorous interactions and incidents. I enjoyed how written this romance is. I highly recommend reading!June 23, 2024
D******n
Two Unlikely Pair
Two unlikely people meet and have an attraction for each other that they cannot deny. Lady Adeline is told she has to make a match. Christopher Kit Roberts, known as a rake, is told he needs to do the same. However, upon meeting each other that is not what is on their mind, it was the attraction they held. Adeline is forced to marry someone she does not feel anything for, but Kit is holding back feeling unworthy of Adeline due to his past. Upon finding out the man she is to marry is not secure as he leads everyone to believe Kit knows he has to do something. Adeline is at the altar, will Kit make it on time to stop the wedding. ARC ReviewJune 23, 2024
K***i
Love it
Great believe story. I Was not expecting the twist at the end.June 22, 2024
E*******.
Lovely story!
I enjoyed reading this book as an escape of stressful days. It was a nice,up lifting story and made me very glad I did not live in that period. I can’t imagine all the restrictions on women then. If you are looking from an escape from stress, read this.June 21, 2024
J***e
Must Read
Loved everything about this book. This book really moved me.June 19, 2024
K***************h
Lost, but (luckily) found.
Adeline is made for Kit but they don’t know it. This sweet regency romance will make you feel good and glad you took the time to read it. It has all the elements necessary to keep the reader wanting to get to the end – to see if true love will surely be found. As in real life, we don’t often know what we have u til it’s almost lost.June 19, 2024
R*********e
Passionate, yet Clean!
The interactions between Kit and Adeline were filled with romantic sparks and much flirtation from the start. Kit’s life turned upside down when he met Adeline. His reputation as a rake kept him from being able to approach her and court her as he wished to because it would tarnish her reputation. Her mother despised him, wanting her daughter to find a suitable gentleman to marry. As Kit and Adeline saw more and more of each other, they realized they were in love and no matter what Adeline did, she could not stop it. Suspenseful story until the very end! The chemistry between Kit and Adeline was so captivating to read! The epilogue and extended epilogue were wonderful! Excellent book!June 18, 2024
W***********r
Typical regency novel
Typical clean regency novel. Rake turned lover. My copy had some formatting issues but it wasn’t too distracting. I wish I had seen more of Kit admiring her character instead of just her beauty. But overall a nice quick enjoyable read.June 18, 2024
A*************r
A quick and pleasant read
A short and pleasant book in which the good guy turns out to be the scoundrel and the scoundrel turns out to be the good guy and the main characters end up with a happy ever after ending.June 18, 2024
G**.
finally whole
I loved the message of Adeline and Kit’s story: by helping others you can find healing yourself.June 17, 2024
r**e
Mending a Scoundrel’s Heart
Good book, it was an interesting regency love story, the two main characters were both looking for something they felt they were lacking in their lives. I enjoyed reading about Adeline and Christopher’s love story and their journey to get there. I received a free advance of this book, and I am writing a voluntary review.June 17, 2024
D*********i
I know what you did
What do I do. Why am I here. You will love this book! Rake to changed man. You’ll love the bookJune 17, 2024
E****************y
Great book
When you think all is lost you get a surprise from an unexpected source. Great job.June 17, 2024
J*d
Good read!
Christopher ‘Kit’ Roberts is the second son of an Earl living in the shadow of his older brother Trent. Never feeling part of his family he went his own way causing scandal wherever he went. His father, discussed with his sons rakish behavior, began making demands regarding Kit’s future. He must settle down and marry. What woman would marry him with he sordid past? Then he met Lady Adeline who touched his heart like no other woman had. Would she be his or would his past keep her from him? This is a beautiful love story about second chances. Definitely worth the read.June 17, 2024
J************l
Love it .
I really like the plot of the story line . Definitely worth the read. I love historical romance.June 17, 2024
M*********n
Regency Tale
I was disappointed in this book. I loved The Beast of Linmore Estate and expected more of the same. I did not finish the book, but only managed to get through 9 Chapters. There were too many glaring anachronisms plus too many Americanisms for a Regency novel. Maybe some day I will find out if Kit Roberts and Adeline have their happily ever after.June 17, 2024
R**************d
Great book
I was lucky to receive Mending a Scoundrel’s Heart as a ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.June 17, 2024
B********a
Great novel
I really enjoyed reading this novel it is a very well written novel I very much enjoyed reading this bookJune 16, 2024
M***n
Sweet clean romance
When we meet Kit at the beginning of the book, he is a complete rake. His days are filled with drinking, gambling and womanizing. Adeline is a beautiful albeit clumsy innocent struggling with overbearing parents determined to see her wed by the end of the season. After a chance meeting, Kit becomes smitten with Adeline and is ready to give up his rakish ways. However, her mother has already determined that as a duke’s daughter, Adeline, will marry a man equal of her standing and a rake does not meet her these standards. Through various twists and turns, Kit and Adeline find their happily ever after together. The book remains clean and only depicts a few chaste kisses, but it doesn’t shy away from Kit’s scandalous past.June 16, 2024
