Blog Tour Review + Giveaway (CLOSED) | A Lady’s Code of Misconduct by Meredith Duran

A Lady’s Code of Misconduct by Meredith Duran | Rules for the Reckless #5
Historical Romance
Published on February 28th, 2017
ARC from Pocket Books

Book Blurb:

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…

| Book Review |

A Lady’s Code of Misconduct is the fifth book in Meredith Duran’s Rules for the Reckless series. But have no fear; if you’ve not read this author before, you could jump in right here and not feel like you’ve missed anything. It’s clear that our heroine and hero are enemies from the very beginning of the book, and I like how intricately the author lays the groundwork for their future. There’s no doubt as to where this mutual animosity comes from. But as Jane quickly learns, nothing is ever cut and dried.

Amnesia is a tricky trope to pull off, but I think it was done wonderfully here. When Crispin survives a brutal attack, he has no reason to question his circumstances since he also doesn’t remember the last few years of his life. But Jane remembers exactly who Crispin is, and she’s not going to forget it anytime soon. I loved Jane and Crispin being at odds with each other, and Jane having to educate this man on just how much he lacked scruples. It was clear she struggled with just how much to share, but Jane was trying hard to be as honest as she could about everything except for the secret that could ruin her. But as she soon learns, Crispin was not always the man she’d seen over the last few years, and having (albeit unknowingly) left that man behind, amnesiac Crispin was incredibly charming, and Jane had to really watch herself so she wouldn’t fall for him.

What a terribly uncomfortable quandary for her, to want him and loathe him all at once. He wondered if the struggle kept her awake at night.

She licked her lips, and he felt a stirring of animal interest. The idea of touching her, of tempting her into surrendering to a wholly reluctant attraction, beckoned him. Why not? His family–and several others besides–already believed him well versed in worse.

I really loved this story. I loved how both the hero and heroine were introspective and questioning themselves, examining their motives and wondering if they were as upstanding as they originally thought. Their banter was wonderful, and the intensity between them only ratcheted up their chemistry. The mystery here was interesting and didn’t overshadow the story, and the events of this story are pertinent to what’s going on in the world today, but it still fits the time period. I often struggle with historical romance that has a more modern bent to it, but this one felt authentic to me, and honestly, I’m not able to put my finger on why. Maybe it’s because as bold as Jane could be, it was obvious that she’d been worn down and some of the idealism had left her. She was logical and a planner; this wasn’t a woman prone to flying by the seat of her pants. Well, except for the one time. 😉

Somewhere in the past few years, she had stopped laughing. The only jokes she’d overheard were made at somebody else’s expense, designed to produce a snicker, not genuine mirth. But it seemed she had more laughter left in her than she’d guessed. Once she had relaxed her guard and begun speaking without a care for how she might sound, jokes had tumbled out. And Crispin had enjoyed them. She was funny; she’d forgotten that.

I really enjoyed A Lady’s Code of Misconduct, and I’m eager to go back and read the rest of this series!

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Please click the Rafflcopter link below for your chance to win an autographed copy of book #2 in the Rules for the Reckless series, Fool Me Twice!

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