Welcome to my review and introduction of the fifth book in the Rules for the Reckless series from Meredith Duran. Please read on for my review, and be sure to check out the giveaway where 25 (Twenty Five) US winners will receive the Reckless Rewards prize: three autographed copies in the Rules for the Reckless series: Fool Me Twice, Lady Be Good, and Luck Be A Lady. But first:
A Lady’s Code of Misconduct
A strong female character, apparently at the mercy of others comes to understand her own power and place in society in this unique and clever story from Meredith Duran. Jane Mason was the daughter of a political force with a philanthropic mother, always taught to carefully examine the facts presented and be unafraid to share her opinions. But, with their death and she unmarried and in need of a guardian, she is sent to her Uncle, where his plans to marry her to her cousin and gain control of the not insubstantial fortunes is hatched. Belittled and constrained at every opportunity, Jane’s cleverness and belief in herself, instilled from childhood was unwelcome at best, dangerous at worst.
As her uncle was looking for power and upward mobility, Jane had the opportunity to listen and learn, as she planned her own what next. Coming to hear Crispin Burke, a politician with little capacity for trust and well known for his bullying ways. Jane’s plan is starting to come apart, and perhaps he can help. Brought into an agreement fueled by his own search for power and control, he’s looking to ‘help’ Jane in the most superficial ways, expecting his own boon.
Interestingly, when the bottom falls out for Crispin, Jane isn’t put off: she believes something in him is good, and despite the lies and agendas, she is willing to take a chance on him, despite it all. Twists and turns galore highlight this story, as the two start to unravel the threads and get to the real story behind the deceptions and agendas. Setting up the romance as a ‘convenient and purposeful’ relationship starts to change to attraction and admiration is cleverly done, and the revelations from both Crispin and Jane add depth and emotion to build their budding connection in the reader’s eye. A ‘whip through it” repeatedly book, it demands that you turn the page to find the next moment, next revelation and even next slip where true feelings are revealed and exposed.
A story laden with redemption for Crispin, a reclaiming of personal power and voice for Jane and the solid palpable sense of true admiration and love between them as Duran brings in social commentary, political concerns and even some personal angst to bring us to the conclusion. Adding to the enjoyment is the layers of intrigue, personal and political, that act as jumping off points to each twist, turn and moment for growth. The second that I have read in this series – it’s a wonderful story, and I now have to read the others I have missed.
Title: A Lady's Code of Misconduct
Author: Meredith Duran
Series: Rules for the Reckless #5
Also in this series: Fool Me Twice
Genre: Historical Romance
Published by: Pocket Books
ISBN: 1501139029
Published on: 28 February 2017
Format:ARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Pages: 400
Rated:
Heat:
Get Your Copy: Amazon ♦ Barnes&Noble ♦ iTunes ♦ Kobo ♦ IndieBound ♦ Book Depository ♦ Google The next steamy historical romance in USA TODAY bestselling and RITA award-winning author Meredith Duran’s “wonderfully indulgent” (Publishers Weekly) Rules for the Reckless series.
A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL...
Trapped in the countryside, facing an unwanted marriage and the theft of her fortune, Jane Mason is done behaving nicely. To win her freedom, she’ll strike a deal with the most dangerous man she knows—a rising star in politics, whose dark good looks mask an even darker heart.
...NEVER GOES TO PLAN.
The bitter past has taught Crispin Burke to trust no one. He’ll gladly help a lovely young heiress, provided she pays a price. Yet when a single mistake shatters his life, it is Jane who holds the key to his salvation. And in a world that no longer makes sense, Crispin slowly realizes that she may be the only thing worth fighting for...
A copy of this title was provided via Publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Enter The Giveaway
The twenty starred blogs (*) below will giveaway one set (Reckless Reward!) of three autographed copies in the Rules for the Reckless series: Fool Me Twice, Lady Be Good, and Luck Be A Lady. You can enter on all participating sites, but you can only win once. To celebrate the fifth in the series, there will be five Reckless Reward giveaways per day beginning publication day, Tuesday, February 28th – Friday, March 3rd. U.S. only. Just leave a comment to enter! I will pick winner from all comments on 4 March.
Participating Hosts
Sunday, February 26th
Monday, February 27th
Tuesday, February 28th
Wednesday, March 1st
Feeding My Addiction Book Reviews
Thursday, March 2nd
Authors on the Air Global Radio Network – An Interview with The Librarian, 9:00 pm ET
Authors on the Air Global Radio Network – Facebook Event
Friday, March 3rd
*Black ‘N Gold Girl’s Book Spot
Saturday, March 4th
Sunday, March 5th
Monday, March 6th
Tuesday, March 7th
Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh my!
Wednesday, March 8th
Thursday, March 9th
Happy Ever After Romance Book Reviews
Three Boys and an Old Lady blog
Friday, March 10th
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
This sounds like another winner from Meredith Duran!
it was intriguing enough and unique enough to keep me reading late! Good luck
Gaele recently posted…Among a Thousand Stars by Jo Bartlett
I’m looking forward to reading Meredith’s newest. Thanks for the post and giveaway.
I’ve got to catch up o the few I’ve missed – this was solid enough to bring me back! Good Luck
Gaele recently posted…My Fair Duchess: Dukes Behaving Badly #5 by Megan Frampton
Thanks for the giveaway. I’ve enjoyed all her books.
I really enjoyed this one – different from the more usual historic romance for me. Good Luck
Gaele recently posted…Break Your Heart by Rhonda Helms
This sounds great! I’m looking forward to reading it.
Thanks for your review! I’ve loved every Meredith Duran books I’ve ever read. I’ve got this on my wish list, but the reviews have definitely moved it up on the list!
It was one that would catch my eye too – Good Luck
Gaele recently posted…A Lady’s Code of Misconduct: Rules for the Reckless #5 by Meredith Duran