TITLE: Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart
AUTHOR: Sarah MacLean
SERIES: Love by Numbers, Book 3
SETTING: Late Georgian (post-Regency), London, autumn Season
THEMES/TROPES: scandal, undeserved reputation, fiery heroine, proud hero, propriety obsession
OVERVIEW:
Miss Juliana Fiori never expected that she would need to follow the intricate rules of London Society—growing up in Italy, the daughter of a successful merchant, she had no idea that the cold mother who abandoned her as a child was the scandalous Marchioness of Ralston, who had abandoned another family years earlier. With her father gone, Juliana’s learning to be a part of a family with her newly-discovered half-brothers, and that means learning to fit into their world … if only she didn’t have to contend with the taint of their mother’s scandal and her own distaste for the vapid manners that constitute proper behavior.
And if only the most enticing man of the ton weren’t the unbearably proud and proper Duke of Leighton. Leighton has always held the pride of his lineage above all else, and when a family secret threatens their all-important reputation, he knows that a pristine marriage is the only hope for keeping his family above water in Society. If only he hadn’t met a mysterious Italian lady first. If only that lady had been anyone less scandalous than Juliana Fiori. If only the fiery young woman weren’t determined to bring him to his knees in the name of passion over priority.
PROS:
The main characters in this romance are spot-on: well-rounded, consistent, and perfectly matched to spark drama. Juliana is so spirited, never backing down, even when perhaps she should, but she also has a deep-seated insecurity because of her mother’s abandonment and, to a lesser extent, her inferior status in Society. Leighton, on the other hand, kind of sucks. He turns his back on anything that might mar his reputation, to an extent that makes him really dislikeable. These characteristics serve to make a him great a character though, for a few reasons. First, in a genre that often features characters who avoid conforming to the strictures of Society, it’s interesting to see the motivation behind a character who does follow those rules. Second, it allows for a really strong but believable character transformation when the conflicts of the story push Leighton away from what he always thought was important. And third, the tension between Leighton’s character and Juliana’s creates a delicious tension throughout the story.
The plot involves a lot of clashing, trying to avoid one another, and pursuing one another through the drama, which is a style I find very compelling. I love when characters have very emotionally charged interactions, and you want to keep reading to see when one or the other will make some sort of sacrifice or concession in order to make things right.
CONS:
There isn’t much I dislike in this book. The one thing I wish could have been done a little differently is the extent to which the resolution of the story is taken out of the main characters’ hands. Without getting into spoilers, the ending took away some of Leighton’s choice, and even though we as readers can tell that he would have made the right decision had it been in his hands, I didn’t like missing out on seeing him enact his own happy ending.
RATINGS:
Writing: 5/5 Particularly good dialogue.
Characters: 5/5 Well-rounded, consistent, well-matched.
Plot: 5/5 Plenty of drama and tension.
Setting: 4/5 Nice detail of the “autumn Season” during extended Parliament session.
Romance: 5/5 Great match of two strong-willed opposites.
Sexiness: 5/5 Less quantity, further in story, and good quality.
Humor: 4/5 Many amusing moments, but not much laugh-out-loud humor.
Average: 4.71 Great Characters and Romantic Tension
OTHER INFO:
This is the third and final book in the Love by Numbers series, the previous two books starring Juliana’s twin half-brothers. The previous books are very worth reading before this one because the first book shows the very beginning of Juliana’s relationship with her brothers and introduction to Society, while the second book gives you more of Leighton and the major drama that drives him in this book. Leighton’s sister, who plays a significant role in this book (and some in the previous book in the series), gets her own story in the fourth and final book of MacLean’s Rules of Scoundrels series, Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover.
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Top reviews from other countries
Bea
Fesselnder und bewegender Historical - fantastisch!
Reviewed in Germany on May 23, 2020
Carol Cork
This was a perfect end to an excellent series which I can definitely recommend.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 31, 2019
