Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover

I'd been looking forward to this conclusion to the Rules of Scoundrels series, especially since the author shifted the rules a bit and made this scoundrel a lady. Georgiana, who has not one but two alternate identities, makes for an interesting character and she is evenly matched with a newspaper magnate seeking to uncover her secrets. Overall, this made for a fun, quick read, and it was exactly what I needed to read this week.

Fantastic conclusion to the series. Lady Georgiana has three identities: she is Georgiana, disgraced sister of a duke, she is Chase, founder of The Fallen Angel gaming club, and she is Anna, the head prostitute of the club and believed to be Chase's mistress. No one except her co-owners knows that Chase is actually a woman. She has been content to live her life as it is until now. But a recent cartoon in a scandal sheet has included her nine year old daughter and Georgiana realizes that if she wants Caroline to have a chance at a respectable future she needs to marry a man with a title.

Duncan West is a newspaperman who has made a success of his life out of nothing. As the owner of five papers he wields quite a lot of power himself. He show more feels badly that it was one of his papers that published the cartoon as he doesn't believe is going after children. He meets Georgiana at a ball, and apologizes to her. He is intrigued by the strength of her determination to do whatever she must to make her daughter's life better. He is also attracted to her, but knows that he doesn't have what she needs - or does he? When he accidentally discovers her connection to Anna, he realizes that they can help each other. He offers to use his papers to make her acceptable to society, if she will use her connection to Chase to get him some information he needs on the man who is blackmailing him.

It was interesting to see the relationship that developed between Georgiana and Duncan. Both are using each other to get what they want, but something more begins to grow between them. Unfortunately, neither can see a way to make it happen. Georgiana needs the respectability of the title, something that Duncan doesn't have. Duncan would love to make her his, but he has a secret in his past that ensures that he will never be able to do so. It doesn't stop Duncan from being insanely jealous of the relationship between Chase and Georgiana. She can't tell him the truth because she is unable to trust that he would keep her secret.

There were times that I really wanted to smack her and tell her to trust him, that he wouldn't betray her. I could also understand why she wanted the title, but if she had just trusted him she would see that he could give her more than the title. Meanwhile, for such a smart man, Duncan could be pretty oblivious. With as well as he was getting to know her, he really should have been able to see the truth. I really ached for the two of them because the love that grew between them was so strong, but neither could see a way to make it possible to be together.

The story of the secrets that brought them together was really good. Duncan desperately needed that information about Tremley, not just to save himself, but because of what that information was. Tremley was definitely a nasty piece of work, and I enjoyed seeing how the information was acquired, and the determination Georgiana had to protect the source. Unfortunately, Duncan's blindness about Chase's identity made it possible for Tremley to prey upon Duncan's own fears. The resolution of the problem was pretty intense and I wasn't sure how they were going to pull it off. Everything was very complicated.

I really enjoyed seeing the men from the previous books and how well they all worked together. It was fun to see that Georgiana was now on the receiving end of their help when it came to her relationship with Duncan. The scene with her and their wives was pretty funny. I also loved Georgiana's daughter Caroline, and her way of looking at the world. I especially liked her words to her mother at the end, as she pointed out the truth about what she wanted for herself. I liked the epilogue and seeing where they were a year later. show less

My favorite of the whole Rules of Scoundrels series! This book managed to be refreshing without being overdone, romantic but not rape-y, and the characters were likable (except Mara. I will always hate that smug witch.) My biggest fear coming into this book was that the Fallen Angel would be closed down or given over to Georgiana's husband for handling, and it would be all about taming the wild woman. Thankfully, it wasn't like that at all! The ending was magnificent. It was clever, romantic, exciting, and best of all, unpredictable. All the pieces came together really well, and that was because MacLean did a good job setting them up earlier in the novel. The way Georgiana, Anna, and Chase all merged was seamless, and it made sense. show more

Also, I liked Georgiana. Some claim she's too wishy-washy or passive, but I argue that's the realest part of her. Just because she's also Chase doesn't mean she also can't be insecure or unsure of herself. If she went through life completely confident, I'd call bull. No one's like that, and Georgiana has a right to be insecure of herself, even if she is a feminist heroine.

The ending was my favorite part, but the middle third kind of lagged a little. Now, I know romances aren't at all realistic to life or history, but there has to be some truth to make the story believable. In this case, Georgiana and Duncan found so much time alone, I was shocked her reputation wasn't ruined the first night she stepped out into society. I get she's older and has a kid, but there has to be some decorum. She and Duncan managed to find every crook in England to hide in and talk, and boy, did they talk. They talked more than they brooded, and that's a feat for a romance novelist!

Another con was the trope of the know-it-all child, but you can't win everything. The ending of this book was better than the last three books combined, and that did it for me. show less

5 "Rulers of the Dark" Stars!

Wow! What an incredibly witty, engaging, and well written historical romance! Having not previously read the prior books in this series, I was not sure what to expect, but my curiosity was piqued by the book blurb. The idea of a ruined woman being freed to become the ruler of the underworld in order to exact her revenge on the same people who had ruled her demise, seemed counter-intuitively clever. By being free to clandestinely gain access to their deepest, darkest, seediest secrets, the heroine, in turn, controlled the ton's ruin in the process. Sheer brilliance, and such a unique story line! Moreover, I love that Ms. MacLean challenges the typical convention of historical romances that generally render show more the heroine powerless and the hero almighty. By creating a heroine that wields power that men can only dream of, Ms. MacLean challenges the standard "damsel in distress" convention.

Ruined at just sixteen, Georgiana's concept of love and faith in men would forever suffer from mistrust. Although she was born a daughter of a Duke and sister to one too, she abandoned all hope of ever overcoming her transgression, which yielded her greatest love ever--her daughter Caroline. Georgiana instead creates an alter-ego (Madam Anna) who is free to travel in society's most debauched circles gathering society's darkest secrets, purportedly on behalf of Chase, the creator of the Fallen Angel, London's most scandalous and popular gaming hall.

One of the men who greatly aided Georgiana in her efforts was Duncan West, the owner of a number of newspapers, including one of London's most well read gossip rags. However, for 10 years Duncan traded secrets with her, on behalf of Chase, without even realizing that Anna was Georgiana. Then shortly upon her timed reentry into society, in the hopes of landing respectability for her daughter via a titled marriage, Duncan makes the connection.

Duncan, however, knows only part of Georgiana's truth and has his own secrets. So instead of following his desires, desires which he soon finds are mutually shared, he alternatively endeavors to help Georgiana with her quest to land a titled husband in exchange for information from Chase. Duncan himself could never fulfill Georgiana's wishes as while he is financially loaded, he is untitled, and moreover suffers under the shackles of his own deep dark secrets.

As their mutually beneficial relationship flourishes, however, so does their passion and feelings for one another. Soon Duncan is unable to restrain his jealousy of Chase who he believes has ruined Georgiana in his own way. He wants to save her from Chase, but little does he know that no one can be saved from themselves. Perhaps even more devastatingly, however, in a world where knowledge is the greatest power, neither Georgiana nor Duncan can afford to reveal their secrets to the other. Can a HEA ever be possible under these circumstances?

Powerful, intriguing, passionate and addicting--there are no end of adjectives to describe this great read. Now I need to read the three prior books in The Rules of Scoundrels series!

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. show less

Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover by Sarah Maclean is a 2014 Avon publication.

I’ve only recently discovered this author, and while I enjoyed the first book in the Scandal & Scoundrels series well enough, it was this series I was the most curious about.

First of all, I was relieved to find the book is not about a young girl trying to fight against the rules of society or the TON, or peerage trying to avoid marriage. Instead, we have Georgiana, who makes a mistake at sixteen, becomes an unwed mother, and is unceremoniously cast out of society despite her father’s title.

Now, ten years later, a cartoon appearing in a scandal sheet has forced her to attempt to merge herself back into society to find a titled husband for the sake of her show more daughter.

Enter Duncan West, the owner of the scandal sheet that forced Georgiana’s hand. Mortified that the cartoon was printed, Duncan is determined to right that wrong via his vast newspaper empire. However, he is stunned to discover that Georgiana is living a double life inside the notorious gambling club “Fallen Angels”.

Believing her to be under the thumb of the infamous “Chase”, Duncan finds himself frustrated in the extreme, his hands tied due to his own dark secrets, so, he can only help her reenter society, find a suitable match, all while the two fall hopelessly, but helplessly in love, but with no possibility of a future together.

Naturally, the reader knows that Georgiana is not living a double life, she is living a triple life, which was funny to an extent, but turns serious with each passing day as Duncan becomes more concerned for Georgiana’s welfare and future.

I loved the political intrigue in this story, and the secrets are pretty heavy, leaning toward the dark side, as did a few other situations, which is far more realistic to the times, and so more points are rewarded for daring to address some uncomfortable subject matter.

Georgiana and all her alter egos are smart, strong, but also have vulnerabilities, with Georgiana having the most to gain or lose, although there were some tense moments in the last few chapters, concerning her other endeavors. I could understand her actions sometimes, in others, not so much, but overall, she was pretty darned impressive.

Caroline is a young woman mature beyond her years, which is probably a bit of a stretch, but was also refreshing. I enjoyed the other minor characters too, all of whom played key roles in the way things eventually turned out.

The villain is written very well, is truly despicable, vile, and of course quite dangerous to a great many people. Sometimes, the villain is not fleshed out enough, but in this case we certainly do get a nice peek into his black soul and that makes the victory that much sweeter.

I saved Duncan for last, because he stole my heart. Almost from the beginning, even before I was sure his motives were pure, I thought he was dreamy and honorable, despite hints to the contrary and a few moments of real doubt that cropped up later in the story. Sometimes, a hero I don't quite trust is a little fun, because it adds to the suspense.

Duncan has a sad aura around him, but is a little darker in nature than is the norm for regency historicals, but not too dark. I liked him immensely and think he is an awesome hero.

Although there were a few times when the switching back and forth between alter egos got just a little a tiresome, I liked the way this story was constructed, it flows evenly and is steadily paced, with the right amount of chemistry and sexual tension, and a nice build up of suspense, behind an interesting storyline.

I enjoyed this one far more that the first book I read by this author, and am now able to see why this author and her books are so popular.

Overall, this one gets 4 stars show less

There was so much lead up to this book that it ended up being disappointing - not bad, just not meeting all the expectations. I was completely surprised in the last book when Chase was revealed to be a woman and was very excited to see how the story would unfold. I was also excited when I realized this would be about Lady Georgiana - she was a great character in early books. However, those two items together led to my first issue with the book. So I'm to believe that Lady Georgiana is able to build a gentleman's club on her own with just her brother's money? She's portrayed in the book as the leader and mastermind. Why would the other Scoundrels work with her and how would she even have the knowledge to do this? She hadn't been to show more London and had spent most of her life in the country. And why would she want to? If she desires freedom, it seems like there are many other businesses she could start that she would have knowledge of and that would allow her to spend more time with her daughter.

Once I got past that first issue (by basically just accepting it regardless of the implausibility), I had a hard time with the fact that she left her daughter with her brother for most of the time. For someone who was so fiercely dedicated to her child (or just the idea of her child) in the St John's series, I find it very hard to believe that she lets others raise her for the last six years.

Then, concerning her third identity, which is active on the floor of the Angel. OK, I believe no one noticed the similarity between Anna and Georgiana at the beginning. But once Duncan starts showing attention to both, no one figures it out? Even when they make a love match and he is still paying attention to Anna? Really, no one figures it out?

I also had a big issue with Duncan as a hero. I love a hero who makes it on his own but he was blackmailed for years and printed false information for years in his paper as a result of blackmail. That seems very weak to me and not hero-like at all. I could accept for a smaller time period but 10 years? That's a total betrayal of his profession. A big issue for me.

So, I liked this series and this was well written but there were just way too many plot lines that were unbelievable to me. I wish Georgiana had a better story. I think Chase's story could have been amazing but it didn't fit for me as Georgiana's story. show less

They've known each other for years; or, she's known him for years and he's known one of her three personalities. Yet, they seem to know very little about one another for all that. I guess their conversations revolved around sharing others' secrets for mutual gain and didn't involve anything personal? I would have liked to know more about their previous interactions as Duncan/Anna, to better understand what sort of relationship they had already established.

The conflict in this one was decent at first. I felt like Anna/Georgiana/Chase had legitimate reasons to avoid telling Duncan her secrets . . . for a while. By the night of the tryst, however, her reasons for not at least divulging some of her secrets to him were contrived. And her show more obsession with a title to protect her daughter made no sense to me. She wielded it like a weapon to pummel Duncan--you can't give me a title!--but I could not understand how a viscount would have protected her daughter. The title would not have conferred to Caroline; given she was an illegitimate child from a prior relationship, I don't (correct me if I'm wrong) even think she'd be entitled to "Lady." How was the title then so important? It made Georgiana unlikeable that she was so obsessed with the title and then that she repeatedly bludgeoned Duncan with it.

Duncan's reasons for keeping his secrets, on the other hand, were a bit questionable. He committed a theft 17-years-ago. There is no way that could be proven--there's not going to be a paper record of the sale of the stolen item or proof that it was he who took it all those years later. That he thinks he could hang for it makes very little sense; maybe, maybe because the villain holding his secrets over his head is an earl and he is untitled? But, it's thin, at best. And protecting the sister is a good reason for secrecy, but her true identity also could not be proven. We're left with no good reason why he couldn't tell Georgiana the truth, except perhaps shame? Perhaps both Duncan and Georgiana are just two people who have become too good at keeping secrets.

I was disappointed with the villain in this story. I'm tired of villains that are so evil, raised in evil households, perpetuating evil into eternity. It doesn't need to be so dire to give someone reason to flee and start a new life, nor for the villain to be unscrupulous to hold a secret over someone's head for years. The villain appears midway through the story, never gets fully developed as a character, and is then exited tidily. It's a romance novel, but characters outside of the hero/heroine can still have vital roles, can they not?

I'm glad the other partners in the Fallen Angel finally got to interfere in Chase's life, as she's been interfering in theirs for so long. Personally, I think they should have outright told Duncan who she was, instead of letting her keep the secret for so long. It's likely what she would have done in the same situation. Throughout their stories, she was constantly manipulating her partners' love lives and she deserved an even greater taste of her own medicine.

I loved Duncan's character. Like Temple before him, though, I rather wish he had been given a more likable heroine. I didn't hate Georgiana, but I wish she had gotten out of her head and placed at least the tiniest bit of trust in Duncan before the end of the book. It's hard for me to imagine how Duncan would have been able to forgive her and trust her, given how long she kept BIG secrets from him, and how thoroughly opposed to trusting him she was. show less