 American author Loretta Chase began her writing career in 1987 by crafting traditional novels in the Regency romance literary subgenre ; Lord of Scoundrels , published in 1995 , was her ninth such novel released . It was the third installment of her Débauchés ( also known as Scoundrels ) series , following The Lion 's Daughter ( 1992 ) and Captives of the Night ( 1994 ) . As such , some of the characters who feature in Lord of Scoundrels , such as the Comte d 'Esmond and Francis Beaumont , also appear in previous Chase works . In 2007 , Chase said Lord of Scoundrels was her only book " that came to me as a gift from the writing gods . Every other book is a struggle , some bloodier than others . This book was pure fun from start to finish " . 
