This is a story of riches to rags...to riches again. It is one hell of a book, let me tell you that. A Lady's Lesson in Scandal is the third novel I've read from Meredith Duran and it's most definitely my favorite. It held elements of My Fair Lady (making a lady of a guttersnipe) and Anastasia (missing heiress).

Nell and Simon are both remarkable in their own ways. Nell is quite a character, truly unique in her blunt comments, her poverty-striken life which toughens her skin and probably helped her develop her sharp tongue. Then there is Simon, a charming fortune-hunter. He does seem to have those rakish qualities characters in he novel claim, but most rumors are exactly that, rumors. The hero and heroine clash and spark when they're together. They each had more layers under their masks, both vulnerable in their own way. I think Duran wound a beautiful and touching story of two people falling in love when they least expected it, of them finding their home in each other. It is fantastically written with touches of highly emotional moments. It was so easy to fall for the characters. They made me laugh, and then made my heart ache. Even with the conflicts arising between the two, I never had a doubt of their feelings, their love for each other.