Also in this series: A Rogue by Any Other Name (The Rules of Scoundrels, #1), A Rogue by Any Other Name, One Good Earl Deserves a Lover, Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover
Series Rating:
Rowena’s review of Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover (Rules of Scoundrels #4) by Sarah MacLean.
SPOILERS AHEAD, READ ON AT YOUR OWN RISK
She is the most powerful woman in Britain,
A queen of the London Underworld …
But no one can ever know.
He is the only man smart enough to uncover the truth,
Putting all she has at risk . . .
Including her heart.
The fourth book in New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean’s incredible Rule of Scoundrels/Fallen Angels series. These four dark heroes will steal the hearts of their heroines and the readers alike! This is the last in the Rules of Scoundrels series—Chase’s story
By day, she is Lady Georgiana, sister to a Duke, ruined before her first season in the worst kind of scandal. But the truth is far more shocking—in London’s darkest corners, she is Chase, the mysterious, unknown founder of the city’s most legendary gaming hell. For years, her double identity has gone undiscovered . . . until now.
Brilliant, driven, handsome-as-sin Duncan West is intrigued by the beautiful, ruined woman who is somehow connected to a world of darkness and sin. He knows she is more than she seems and he vows to uncover all of Georgiana’s secrets, laying bare her past, threatening her present, and risking all she holds dear . . . including her heart.
This is the final book in the Rules of Scoundrels series by Sarah MacLean and I was very satisfied with the way that MacLean ended the series. I closed the book (well on my eReader) with a happy sigh because I was completely content with the way that things turned out. Each character ended up with who they were meant to be with and the links between her two series made my happy. When I found out who Chase was, I hit myself in the forehead because duh it couldn’t have been anyone else. It made sense.
It was nice to see Chase come as far as she did from the very first time that we saw her and I really liked the person that she grew up to be. Her circumstances shaped her life and it wasn’t an easy life for her but she turned things around for her and made a great life for, not only herself but for her daughter as well. I thought that was commendable.
So this story follows Chase, aka Lady Georgiana, sister to the Duke of Leighton as she falls in love with Mr. Duncan West. The guy behind the newspapers. All of the newspapers. Lady Georgianna needs to get married to secure a good future for her daughter, Caroline. So she’s re-entering society to find a titled husband who can get her the respectability she needs. She doesn’t necessarily care for it or want it for herself since she hates the ton with everything in her but for her daughter, there isn’t a thing she wouldn’t do.
Enter Mr. Duncan West. He’s a journalist first and foremost and he smells a good story in a the fallen angel (ha, literally!) trying to re-enter a society that gives her the cut direct at every turn but when he comes across Lady Georgianna giving as good as she gets outside a ballroom, he’s intrigued. By the woman and by her story. Okay, so he feels a little guilty for his part in her downfall but he’s got a chance to make up a bit of it up to her by helping her in the papers.
The attraction is hot right from the jump between these two. Every time that they shared page time, the chemistry is evident. I really enjoyed their interactions with each other. I thought MacLean did a wonderful job of bringing these two together. Their word play and their obvious attraction made for some pretty entertaining reading.
Now, this wasn’t the most perfect of books. I thought it took far too long for Chase to trust West. She could have saved herself a lot of heartache if she would have come clean a lot sooner than she did. West was a bit impatient but that’s understandable, considering Chase was holding her cards close to her chest without taking any of the chances she had to fess up. But in the end, I was incredibly happy that they finally got it right. So I guess I didn’t mind all the angst as much as I thought. Ha!
As the main character of the story, I thought Chase was a well rounded character. You really see her vulnerability but you also see the growth in character from the beginning to end so I thought MacLean handled Chase’s character really well. Same for West. He was imperfectly perfect for Chase and I really liked getting to know him. Seeing the way that he was with both his sister and Caroline was great and I really enjoyed seeing his pool. I wanted to swim with him in that pool.
MacLean did a great job with the recurring characters as well. They were included in the story without overshadowing the main characters. I enjoyed seeing what motivated both Chase and Duncan in their every day lives and I loved seeing their love for the people around them. It was in every interaction Chase had with her partners and their wives. It was in West’s interactions with his sister. It made them approachable and more likable. Chase was this larger than life persona who was untouchable, and same with West. Because of who they were and what they did for a living, they were above every day people and seeing their relationships with the people close to them was great.
Overall, this was a great ending to a great series and I was happy with the way everything came together. I definitely recommend.
Grade: 4 out of 5
Reading Order:
This book is available from Avon. You can purchase it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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