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That Scandalous Summer

(Rules for the Reckless #1)

Meredith Duran (Goodreads Author)

3.57 · Rating details · 2,121 ratings · 262 reviews

One Daring Widow
In the social whirl of Victorian England, Elizabeth Chudderley is at the top of every guest list, the life of every party, and the belle of every ball. But her friends and admirers would be stunned to know the truth: that the merriest widow in London is also the loneliest. Behind the gaiety and smiles lies a secret longing -- for something, or someone, to w ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, 372 pages

Published January 29th 2013 by Pocket Books

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3.57 ·

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· 2,121 ratings · 262 reviews

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Apr 14, 2013 D rated it it was ok

Recommends it for: regency fans in desperate need of a fix who haven't the patience to wait for something better

Shelves: erotica-explicit, romance, 1800-1830-regencyish

high 2s

the author abandons her plot contrivances when they become inconvenient and writes the story she wants to write, not the story she had been writing the first 150 pages.

a noble younger brother trying to avoid the notice of his brother, the heir, goes into hiding of sorts in the english countryside where he gets a job as the town doctor. he meets and is enchanted by the lady of the manor, a decadent widow who looks down on him yet can't deny her attraction. then, suddenly, the younger brot ...more

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Feb 14, 2019 Lady Wesley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: listened

Quite enjoyable, but slow in places. Duran is such a good writer, however, that I did not get too terribly impatient. Not my favorite narrator, but acceptable. I wonder why the complete series is not available in audio format? Indeed, Audible offers very few Duran titles.

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Feb 24, 2013 Julie James rated it it was amazing

Absolutely lovely book. I smiled more than I'd expected, and thought there was really good chemistry between the hero and heroine. After finishing, I immediately went to the author's website to see if I could find out who the couple in the next book will be. Highly recommended!

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Mar 10, 2018 Ursula rated it really liked it

Shelves: angsty-goodness, alpha-hero, difficult-but-i-liked-it, hard-to-connect-to-heroine, historical-romance

I will make no secret about my love for Meredith Duran books. Even when they make me angry and emotional, when they drag me through the mire that relationships often are, they are worth the Angst.
Having said that, I have been avoiding this one. Why? Because when I read the first couple of chapters in the sample I had downloaded, I loathed the heroine. Found drunk and barely conscious in someone's rosebushes by the hero? Really? I jumped into my judgemental skin and thought: who does that? Have t I will make no secret about my love for Meredith Duran books. Even when they make me angry and emotional, when they drag me through the mire that relationships often are, they are worth the Angst.
Having said that, I have been avoiding this one. Why? Because when I read the first couple of chapters in the sample I had downloaded, I loathed the heroine. Found drunk and barely conscious in someone's rosebushes by the hero? Really? I jumped into my judgemental skin and thought: who does that? Have they no self-discipline or self-respect? I mean, I hate it when men do that too, so there's no double standard here, I told myself self-righteously.
But because I had this down as one of my Series in the 2018 Series Challenge, (and I have decided to re-read the Rules for the Reckless series from the beginning, before I read The Sins of Lord Lockwood) I picked it up again and actually read it.

What an interesting book.

The heroine is no virginal debutante, the hero no shining knight. Both are flawed, make mistakes and deserve the sh** that happens to them one way or another. Elizabeth does drink too much. She is miserable and getting desperate, as her finances dwindle and she faces the fact that she may not be able to keep her estate (and therefore keep her tenants employed.) She feels responsible for them, so her motives are actually very altruistic.
Michael is the second son of a duke who has trained as a doctor and runs a hospital that is largely funded by his brother, now the duke. When this brother goes crazy after finding out he has been regularly betrayed by his dead wife while they were married, he demands Michael marry someone of his choosing to carry on the line, as he will never marry again, or he will close the hospital and kick out all 300 patients. Michael gets snarky, storms off to the country (Cornwall) and this is where he meets Elizabeth.
There are a lot of lies on both sides, he hides his identity, she tries to hide some of her less than morally upright past (view spoiler) and it all blows up in their faces. Cue emotion, drama and anguish.

The real strength of this book was how I came to be won over by Elizabeth. Despite her wild, "fast" behaviour, she was a very vulnerable and sensitive woman who simply had had bad luck and had made a couple of poor choices. Although I did not like Michael very much, either, his genuine remorse and the pain he felt when he realised how his secret identity and lies had hurt Elizabeth did much to rehabilitate him in my eyes. Too often, the alpha male in HR seems to think he can get away with never feeling actual guilt or remorse, because he is, well, just so manly. That never cuts any ice with me! So glad Duran did not let him off the hook. (I was a bit perturbed that he was not willing to sacrifice himself for his patients and the hospital- interesting that Elizabeth was prepared to do just that for the people who depended on her. Who was the bigger person, then???)

And Elizabeth's deep love for her mother, who she missed terribly, had me gulping back a tear: the inscription on her headstone just got to me.

Set me as a seal upon thine heart...for love is strong as death

Not my favourite book of Duran's, but definitely a good one. Warmly recommended :) ...more

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Feb 12, 2018 OLT rated it really liked it

(3.5 stars) This isn't a favorite Duran novel for me. I prefer her darker, angstier ones such as AT YOUR PLEASURE and THE DUKE OF SHADOWS, but, no matter, this woman can really write. And it's so refreshing not to have one of those tedious, annoying, innocent virgins as the heroine of an HR.

Our hero, Lord Michael de Grey, is a physician in charge of London's largest, most successful charity hospital. The hospital is mainly funded by Michael's older brother Alastair, the Duke of Marwick. Unfortun (3.5 stars) This isn't a favorite Duran novel for me. I prefer her darker, angstier ones such as AT YOUR PLEASURE and THE DUKE OF SHADOWS, but, no matter, this woman can really write. And it's so refreshing not to have one of those tedious, annoying, innocent virgins as the heroine of an HR.

Our hero, Lord Michael de Grey, is a physician in charge of London's largest, most successful charity hospital. The hospital is mainly funded by Michael's older brother Alastair, the Duke of Marwick. Unfortunately, Alastair is recently widowed and has discovered that his wife was a opium addict unfaithful to him with multiple lovers. He's now an emotional basket-case who won't leave the house and seems to be wasting away from not eating.

For some inexplicable reason, Alastair has decided to cut off all funds to the hospital unless younger brother Michael marries some respectable, upper-class woman, the choice of wife to be approved by Alastair. One can maybe assume that this action is to keep Michael from making the mistake he did of marrying badly. Michael, however, is upset at this turn of events and goes off to hide himself away in Bosbrea, Cornwall, hoping that Alasdair will have a change of heart in his absence.

Enter our heroine, merry widow Liza (Elizabeth) Chudderley. She's a bit infamous, running with the fast crowd when in London, known to drink a bit too much, and flirt perhaps too much. She's at home in Bosbrea now and nursing the wound of having been dumped by her fortune-hunting lover. Seems Liza is not doing too well financially(the result of some poor investments, I believe) and now she needs to find a rich husband.

Oh, this cannot go well. Fundless Michael needs a respectable wife so he can again be subsidized by his brother. Not-so-respectable Liza needs a husband with funds. How will this possibly be resolved?

At first you may not be overly fond of Liza Chudderley but Duran develops her characters beautifully and gives them depth so that you begin to understand their actions and sympathize with them. Secondary characters are interesting also but the best part of this story is the developing romance between Michael and Liza. It's beautiful and romantic. Duran makes the most of just the description of their first kiss that turns it into a hotter, more romantic and toe-curling scene than many a one I've read in other books that describe full-on sex. (She, Julie Anne Long and Loretta Chase, for me, are the best around to give a reader that warm, fuzzy, sexy, romantic feeling.)

A very interesting secondary character in this book to watch out for is Liza's social secretary. She goes on to have her own romance in FOOL ME TWICE.

(BTW, interesting to note that heroine Liza of this book is the childhood friend of Phin from Duran's WRITTEN ON YOUR SKIN and of James from BOUND BY YOUR TOUCH. James and his love Lydia are newly-wed secondaries in this new book. Just a little tidbit for you Duran fans of her earlier books.) ...more

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Jul 13, 2017 Jan rated it liked it

Shelves: historical

I started this one ages ago, but found I didn't really like the h very much. So I took quite a long break, and have just gone back to finish it. Elizabeth Chudderly, a widow, is very beautiful on the surface, but inside she's pretty mixed-up and lonely. She has crazy affairs with unsuitable men who take advantage of her (like the horrible 'Nello'). She drinks waaayyyy too much and makes a bit of a fool of herself. I struggled to like her. Clearly there were reasons for her bad choices, but she s ...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Verity rated it really liked it

Shelves: cougars, kindle, duran-meredith, docs

2 broke lovers find ways to beat the odds. Not as angsty as Duke of shadows, not as edgy as Written on your skin, not as dark as @ your pleasure, but the exquisite romance, the luvly, traumatized hero cranked outta splitsville, some poignant moments & knickers-melting lines were worth every penny. I wish Phin & Mina had guest-starred instead of James & Lydia, but beggars can't be cherry-pickers. The hero's reclusive bro, Duke of McDepressed, has potentials to be the next hero, w/ her ...more

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Feb 06, 2013 KP Pryce rated it it was ok

I wanted to like this book, but while I liked the hero, I found it virtually impossible to take to the heroine. Her preoccupation with herself, her appearance, her age, the transience of her looks, her reputation; and the practiced - and dare I say it - manipulative skills that would have done credit to a courtesan, all combined to make me care less and less for her as the story wound on.

There was far too much introspection. Far too much. Most of it irrelevant in the long run, and doing little t ...more

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Feb 12, 2017 Jacob Proffitt rated it liked it

Shelves: steamy, romance

I was more into this book while reading it than I am having finished it. While reading, the events of the plot seemed oh-so-relevant and interesting, but now that it's done I'm kind of surprised that they held together so long.

And that holds true for the characters as well. Duran set them up so they'd be sympathetically compatible but with circumstances that put them out of each others' reach. So you get the first half of the novel where they learn about each other and come to respect and admire I was more into this book while reading it than I am having finished it. While reading, the events of the plot seemed oh-so-relevant and interesting, but now that it's done I'm kind of surprised that they held together so long.

And that holds true for the characters as well. Duran set them up so they'd be sympathetically compatible but with circumstances that put them out of each others' reach. So you get the first half of the novel where they learn about each other and come to respect and admire each other. And the second half where they have to figure out the conflict of how they can be together (each convinced that it's impossible). Lots of lovely angst in that and earned well enough that I didn't resent the natural drama.

Still, while it held my interest throughout, it kind of falls apart in retrospect. The protagonists' motivations are pure enough, but the actions they inspire seem a little off-kilter. For example, you have to think that Michael knows his brother well enough that he can predict that disappearing may indeed have the effect he desires. Only, it doesn't have that effect after all. So while reading, you're immersed and moving along because his motivations make sense. But after it's done, I'm left wondering if Michael reading that wrong doesn't undermine the entire story right from the start? I mean, the whole thing is predicated on the brothers being unusually close because of events in their childhood and having worked together for common goals all this time. So doesn't reading Alastair wrong mean Michael doesn't know his brother so well, after all? And shouldn't that mean they aren't really as close as he thought? And if they're not that close, doesn't his motivation for leaving have to have some other source (at least partially)?

If that'd been the only thing that doesn't gel in retrospect, I'd be picking nits. It's a problem because there are multiple cases where the motivations of the moment appear to be clear only to have plot developments move a different direction. There's a disconnect between plot and character motivation, is what I'm saying, and that sits poorly having finished the book. Duran is a talented enough writer than it's easy to gloss on by while reading. I just wish the culmination sat better than it does.

Anyway, a solid three stars, down from the glowy four I thought I had while reading. Not bad, and it certainly warrants trying out some others by her.

A note about series: There's a couple newly back from their honeymoon that are friends with Michael who are clearly protagonists from a previous story. I really hate when authors do cameos from books not formally included in the current series. In this case, I found that they're from Bound by Your Touch (which appears to be a stand-alone novel). That vague sense that I should have known these people bothered me as I read, not least because Duran writes it in such a way that I feel she expects her readers to have read that story before this one.

A note about Steamy: There are three explicit sex scenes in this book, placing it in the middle of my steam tolerance. It might have edged on the high side if I hadn't pretty much skipped the last scene. The first scene was endearing and a good meter for the emotional intimacy of the characters and full of lovely discovery and vulnerability (though even there I hated Duran manipulating events to set plot landmines for Michael for later). The second was kind of rote. And the third was placed in a spot where I cared so much more for what would happen next that I just couldn't be bothered to care about them reconnecting body parts. ...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies rated it it was ok

Boring, I can't even tell you what the fuddled, confused plot was after finishing the book. I couldn't connect to the hero or heroine, both personalities were dull as dirt. The secondary characters are annoying, and she introduced too many characters that seemed like they needed to have their own backstory told. Did not enjoy the book.

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Oct 07, 2012 Sofia Lazaridou rated it it was ok

Shelves: january-2013-releases

The not so scandalous summer would be a better title for this book. The most scandalous thing didn't even happened to Elisabeth. It was rather dull and its quality was medium if not less. I did not enjoy reading it. Elisabeth and Michael had a tame romance and not even a heartache you can feel it too.I would not suggest to anyone to read it even if they liked Historical Romance books.

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Oct 20, 2012 Mandi Schreiner rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical, 2013-favorite

The more I read Meredith Duran books, the more I become fascinated and enthralled with her voice. This books starts with a really well done (and important) prologue. Lord Michael de Grey’s brother is a duke, a duke who has turned into a sickly recluse after his wife was discovered not only sleeping with many other men, but also giving away political secrets. The duke is not only devastated his wife is dead, but her betrayal is drowning him, terrified the scandal will someday hit the papers. Year The more I read Meredith Duran books, the more I become fascinated and enthralled with her voice. This books starts with a really well done (and important) prologue. Lord Michael de Grey’s brother is a duke, a duke who has turned into a sickly recluse after his wife was discovered not only sleeping with many other men, but also giving away political secrets. The duke is not only devastated his wife is dead, but her betrayal is drowning him, terrified the scandal will someday hit the papers. Years ago after Michael’s mother fell ill and nothing could be done to help her, Michael decided to turn to medicine and became a doctor. His brother funded the hospital that Michael now proudly runs. The duke knows he will never marry again, so he turns to Michael and demands he marry well, and produce an heir, if he does not, he will take all funding from the hospital away. Outraged and shocked and just completely sick of his brother’s behavior, Michael does the one thing his brother doesn’t expect him to do – he leaves the hospital, leaves town and goes into hiding in the country.

It is here he walks outside his house one morning to see a lovely lady passed out drunk in his rose bushes. Elizabeth Chudderly is a widow who is just the talk of the town. Gorgeous and outrageous, she throws the best parties and knows everyone. But behind the scenes things are bleak for Elizabeth. Her late husband left her many debts, and her most recent love has left her once he found out she was broke. Many people depend upon Elizabeth’s money, and she has finally concluded she must marry wealthy to secure everyone’s future that depends on her. But when she wakes up with a hangover in what she thinks is a country doctor’s office, her life will take a turn.

This book is so adorable and witty and just so well written. Elizabeth thinks Michael is some random country doctor and Michael lets her think that, as he doesn’t want his brother to catch on to where he is. She has no idea he is a rake and from the high class. But her reaction to him at first, stuns her

Mr. Grey settled the kit on the floor and then knelt before her – and began to roll up his shirt cuffs. Her mouth nearly fell open. What a barbaric thing to do! He was a savage. A savage whose bare forearms…made her mouth go dry.

His wrists were broad, lightly haired. His forearms looked to be carved from pure muscle. The veins on them stood out distinctly as he unwound a length of gauze.

Adorable barbaric.

Elizabeth is well versed in flirting, but her reaction to Michael surprises her so much. I also adore that while she is the epitome of fashion and thinks Michael is a barbarian for showing his forearms, she has absolutely no embarrassment that she was passed out drunk in his bushes.

“The headache will diminish,” said Mr. Grey – startling her, until she realized that she was rubbing her temple. “Be sure to take fluids until it does,” he added. “Broth and tea, preferably.”

The dear, sweet bumpkin! He issued his instructions as though he imagined this was the first time she had drunk to excess.

From here these two spend a lot of time together and develop a friendship with some very intense and wicked sexual tension all the while having such witty dialogue.

His eyes met hers over the rim of his cup, then flicked away as though hers burned.

Warmth prickled through her cheeks, The wild thought came to her to say to him: Yes, I feel it, too. Marvelous, isn’t it?

It all comes to a climax when they fall in love but Elizabeth has such a strong sense of duty to the people she cares for, and Michael has no money now that his brother cut him off. For Michael, he loves Elizabeth, but his brother basically raised him and he is not certain he can walk away from him and a hospital that helps so many.

There is much more to this story that I haven’t even mentioned. Elizabeth’s secretary has a great and intriguing role in this one and I hope we get more from her in the future. This is just a very lovely romance book about two people who meet, become attracted to each other, and help each other overcome personal obstacles to eventually find true love.

Rating: B+ ...more

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Jul 07, 2015 Noura rated it really liked it

This is a book that has all the things a typically satisfying histo-rom should have: a handsome yet talented titled second son, the desperate yet clever and kind-hearted beautiful widow, villains and a house-party. The story reminds me much of works from Quinn, Kleypas, Gracie and co. The MCs fall in love with each other's hidden strengths, is very attracted to one another physically but circumstances have made it impractical for them to be together. So the story revolves around the dilemma of w ...more

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Mar 12, 2013 Lindsay rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2017, kobo, lmaiangowis-150-for-2013, historical-romance, read-in-2013, romancein2013, 4stars, reread

1 star for first reading

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Apr 20, 2019 HR-ML rated it liked it

Shelves: house-party, victorian-romance

I didn't like this as well as several of Ms Duran's books
I'd previously read.

Widowed Elizabeth drank to excess, due in part, to men
being unable to see beyond her beauty & worrying about
her debts and her tenants. Michael, a surgeon, stumbled
upon the heroine, asleep, drunk in the rosebushes outside
Michael's rented home. The hero & his duke bro. argued,
the duke cut off funds willed to the H. And threatened to
cut off funds to the London charity hosp where Michael
had great success. H ...more

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Dec 25, 2012 Jess rated it liked it

Shelves: for_review, historical

Review posted: Happily Ever After - Reads
Blog rating: C+

Liza is a widow whose money is running out. She’s the benefactor to many people and must marry soon, for money not love, so the people around her won’t suffer for it. She’s someone who’s always surrounded by people, having parties and being in the center of it all, but for all that, she’s still so lonely. Her first marriage wasn’t a love match and she’s resigned to knowing that her next marriage won’t be one either. But she’s willing to do Review posted: Happily Ever After - Reads
Blog rating: C+

Liza is a widow whose money is running out. She’s the benefactor to many people and must marry soon, for money not love, so the people around her won’t suffer for it. She’s someone who’s always surrounded by people, having parties and being in the center of it all, but for all that, she’s still so lonely. Her first marriage wasn’t a love match and she’s resigned to knowing that her next marriage won’t be one either. But she’s willing to do what she much to pay the bills and help the people depending on her.

Michael is estranged from his older brother, a man who was cheated on by his wife and is in a bad place. He refuses to marry again and is forcing Michael’s hand saying he must marry someone suitable and have an heir or he’ll stop funding and shut down the hospital that Michael started. Michael leaves London, doesn’t acknowledge his brother or his title and stays away from his brother’s reach for now. He’s a doctor and is practicing his medicine in a small town when he meets Liza. This was one aspect to Michael that I loved and was a bit disappointed that we just get a glimpse of him as a doctor. He helps one of Liza’s friends during a difficult child birth and it was during this moment early on that I got hooked in. Michael as a doctor was largely absent through the rest of the book and it’s something that I missed.

Michael and Liza hit it off, but Michael knows that Liza wants to marry money and he currently has none and Liza believes the rumors about Michael’s past and him being a notorious rake with the widow set. But they definitely have sparks and even after sleeping together, they both know their affair can’t last. They decide to go the friend route, which is great, until feelings, love and jealousy, get in the way.

There seemed to be quite a bit going on not directly related to Michael and Liza’s romance. First, there’s the tense scene with Michael performing a c-section with Liza’s assistance. Then its Liza’s turn, as she hosts a gathering to find a husband and Michael, as her new friend, helps with the matchmaking. It starts out that way, but ends up being an excuse for Michael to just stay in close proximity to her which just builds their attraction, even with them both denying, especially Liza, that they would ever work as a couple. I enjoyed seeing these two characters together, but there was so much going on around them that took up page time, it felt like their romance suffered a bit for it. They have some steamy sex scenes, but I missed and wanted more woo’ing between them.

There are some interesting supporting characters introduced and by far my favorite was the scene stealer Olivia Mather. A quiet, glasses wearing young woman, she has a mysterious past and currently works as Liza’s assistant. She is hilarious. She may seem meek at first glance and you would expect her to blend into the woodwork, not speak up and for the most part she does, until she bluntly tells Liza things like she has a bad habit of eavesdropping or reading correspondence not addressed to her. It was little moments and confessions like that from Mather that had me laughing and very curious to learn more about this woman.

This was overall a good story, but I did find that it didn’t keep my full attention. It was very easy for me to put the book down, which isn’t normally a good thing. I wish there would have been a bit more romance for the lead characters, I still enjoyed getting to know them, but just wanted something more. That Scandalous Summer might not have been a total hit, but I like the series set up and will absolutely be picking up Mather’s book, which I hope is coming soon. ...more

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Mar 17, 2014 MRB rated it liked it

I wanted so much to love this book. Meredith Duran is one of those writers who imbues her work with an almost effortless depth and insight, and she writes skillfully about familial dynamics and relationships beyond just the characters' romantic entanglements. Unfortunately, her characters tend to cross that dangerously thin line from 'relatably flawed' to 'just not very likable or root-worthy' for me. It really is primarily an issue of personal preference---the older I get, the more I find mysel ...more

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Jan 13, 2018 Sophie rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2018, romance, historical-fiction, fiction

Not as memorable or as gripping as A Lady's Lesson in Scandal, but still, a sweet romance. To my delight, it takes place mostly in Cornwall, between a country doctor (well, a duke's brother masquerading as a mere country doctor) and an infamous widow. He has to marry someone respectable--she's not. She has to marry someone rich--he's not. Whatever shall they do when they fall for each other?

The book does suffer a bit from a disconnect between the first and second halves. Before Michael reveals h ...more

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Oct 16, 2016 kathie rated it really liked it

Shelves: borrowed-library-copy, class-issues, hero-sexy, hero-i-grew-to-love, heroine-beautiful, heroine-hard-to-like-at-times, steam-level-2, hero-besotted, heroine-haughty, writing-intelligent

3.5 stars....I thought this book was good, above average even, but not great. I really liked the hero Michael but had a harder time warming up to heroine Liza. Perhaps I expected more after reading The Duke of Shadows, my first Meredith Duran book. Duke of Shadows was so intense and the storyline so much more haunting and dark. However, I am sufficiently interested in reading the next book in the series to see how Alastair's story turns out. And I am definitely a fan of Duran's writing skills...

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May 16, 2019 Ash rated it really liked it

3.75 Stars rounded up to 4
Grade= somewhere between a B and B+... I have yet to make up my mind

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Jun 17, 2017 Nidofito rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2017-reads, historical-romance

I would've probably liked the story more had I not found the veiled insults regarding "people of lower class" distasteful.

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May 29, 2017 Aishwarya Saxena rated it it was ok

Shelves: united-kingdom, fiction

A single indiscreet dalliance notwithstanding, Michael de Grey, the younger brother of the powerful Duke of Marwick, is a hard-working physician who runs a charitable hospital with one of the lowest mortality rates in the country. Living off his brother, Alastair, who has been his protector and confidant since they were children, Michael is stunned when Alastair threatens to cut him and his hospital off unless Michael marries a woman approved by him and carries on the Marwick line. In response, A single indiscreet dalliance notwithstanding, Michael de Grey, the younger brother of the powerful Duke of Marwick, is a hard-working physician who runs a charitable hospital with one of the lowest mortality rates in the country. Living off his brother, Alastair, who has been his protector and confidant since they were children, Michael is stunned when Alastair threatens to cut him and his hospital off unless Michael marries a woman approved by him and carries on the Marwick line. In response, Michael decides to go into hiding in Cornwall. Why that doesn't result in the immediate shutdown of his precious hospital is not explained. So, our hero is now masquerading as a simple country doctor in Bosbrea where he stumbles upon a beautiful woman passed out in his rose bushes.

Lady Elizabeth Chudderley, notorious society beauty and merry widow, is tired of keeping up appearances when, in fact, she is nearly broke and has just been dumped by her latest lover for a young heiress. Drowning her sorrows in whiskey and passing out in the handsome new doctor's gardens was not part of the plan, of course. While the attraction between them is instant, they both have their reasons for not acting upon it.

Liza thinks Michael is a middle-class doctor at best, putting him one step above a peasant in terms of respectability. She needs to find a rich husband fast. Michael, on the other hand, knows of Elizabeth's reputation and doesn't want to be distracted by his lame plan to make his brother come after him to Cornwall. Of course, they bond over country bazaars and long walks and when Liza assists Michael in delivering a baby. Things come to a head when Liza plans a house party filled with prospective suitors and spiritualists as entertainment.

And that is where I have my biggest problem with the book. The party floods the story with new characters who have appeared in Ms. Duran's previous books. However, since this was my first full-length Meredith Duran novel, I had no idea who all these people were and I just kept feeling that I had been dropped in the middle of a conversation where I didn't know any of the parties. Trying to make sense of those chapters in the middle messed with my head so much, that it just took away from Michael and Liza's love story and whatever convoluted stunt they pulled with Alastair in the end to get their HEA.

As a rule, I am an avid fan of historical romances. After Your Wicked Heart, I was really excited to read the rest of the Rules for the Reckless series. Ms. Duran's stories highlight issues like mental illness, grief, and alcoholism but never end up dealing with them satisfactorily. To me, the characters came across as mediocre and the story was an absolute drag. The writing was mostly okay, with flashes of wit getting drowned out by pages of bitter sarcasm. In the end, after having read one great and one horrible Meredith Duran novel apiece, I'm not sure if I will read any more of her work. ...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Barb in Maryland rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, romance-goodies, keepers

We first meet Elizabeth/Lizzie/Liza Chudderly in Bound by Your Touch, where she does not show to advantage. She is often drunk, weeping hysterically or both. Not quite a figure of fun, the other characters mention that the late Mr Chudderly 'had a lot to answer for'.

This new book is Liza's story and it does not start off well for her--she is found in the hero's garden, among his roses, passed out from drink. Our hero, Michael, is a doctor, now in Cornwall for a number of reasons.
Liza and Michael We first meet Elizabeth/Lizzie/Liza Chudderly in Bound by Your Touch, where she does not show to advantage. She is often drunk, weeping hysterically or both. Not quite a figure of fun, the other characters mention that the late Mr Chudderly 'had a lot to answer for'.

This new book is Liza's story and it does not start off well for her--she is found in the hero's garden, among his roses, passed out from drink. Our hero, Michael, is a doctor, now in Cornwall for a number of reasons.
Liza and Michael set up a flirtation. He recognizes her; he has London friends in common with her. She thinks he is a simple country doctor and he does not correct her notion. It all comes to a head, of course, when she finds out who he really is--she is very hurt, he realizes he's screwed up. A goodly bit of the rest of the story is the resolution of their romance.

I had some problems with this one. Michael was not a very sympathetic character for me. I didn't really approve of his reasons for hiding himself in Cornwall and I didn't like that he didn't use his real name with Liza.
With Liza, I wanted more about Mr Chudderly--we get a few sentences about her marriage (and Mr Chudderly seems a right prick), but we don't know exactly how long she was married (I guess about 10 years, but I'm not sure). Just how seriously was she abused and for how long? However, her grief over her mother's death is handled beautifully--some of the most affecting scenes in the book.
Alistair the duke, Michael's older brother, was also a problem for me. He's a man so paralyzed by grief, guilt, whatever, that he's sunk into agoraphobia. His actions against Michael in the beginning of the book seem those of a deranged man. And the scene at the end just didn't feel right to me.
However, the prose was lovely, the characterizations rich and interesting and a less that great book by Ms Duran is still light years better that a lot of what's out.

This is listed as the start of a series--I would love the next book to be about Olivia Mather, lady typist and Liza's secretary, one of the very interesting minor characters of this book.

Final note: poor Ms Duran cannot catch a break with her covers and back blurbs. "Regency" indeed! The story is set in the 1880s, for goodness sake. The blurb writer never opened the book! And that gown on the cover model--oh dear, the less said the better. ...more

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Aug 21, 2015 Laura the Highland Hussy rated it really liked it

Review posted on Got Fiction?

This is the first book in Meredith Duran's Rules for the Reckless series, and it starts this series off with an intensity and luxuriousness that you see throughout all the books. The vivid world and striking characters are instantly forefront, and draw you in.

With this story, as with all of this author's, there's too much going on to summarize, so I'll try to point out why I like her so much. This author's voice has absolutely drawn me in. To be honest, I don't think ...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Sandy Williams rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-romance

Meredith Duran is an auto-buy author for me. She writes gorgeous prose and her stories always have deep layers to them. Plus, I'm so, so envious of her ability to write descriptions!

I enjoyed this book. I loved Michael, and the opening scene between him and his brother was intense. I felt how betrayed Michael felt by his brothers actions.

Surprisingly, I also liked Elizabeth. This is a character that I could have easily loathed. I can picture the type of person she is: beautiful and vain and prob ...more

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Aug 31, 2015 Katyana rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical, fiction, romance

This was a slow starter for me - the first quarter or so, I really had to force myself through. It was just... I guess a very dry setup, and both the hero and heroine seemed pretty superficial and unlikable, with the hero's brother being an almost caricatured dickbag villain (and then a character from the heroine's side became a pretty caricatured dickbag villain at the end... with an extra helping of stupidity, because seriously, how did he imagine that was possibly going to work in his favor?) ...more

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Dec 27, 2015 Melissa rated it really liked it

Skimming through the reviews on Goodreads it looks like this isn't one of Meredith Duran's most popular novels, but I enjoyed it. I liked the hero and heroine, who were good people despite their hangups and their problems, liked the house party setting of much of the book, and thought the romance was sexy, angsty, and sweet. I appreciated getting to revisit some characters from Bound by Your Touch and Written on Your Skin, especially Viscount Sanburne and his wife Lydia. The quality and style of ...more

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Jul 18, 2016 Ashley rated it liked it

Shelves: naughty-bits, romantical

Read this mostly so I could read #2, which I've heard is great, and which I own. It was okay. It felt kind of confused a lot of the time, not sure what the arcs of the characters was going to be. They were just like, flittering around half the time. I wanted more emotional wallowing, more structure. I mean, it was okay and not a waste of time, but not a fave.

[3.5 stars]

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Jan 04, 2016 Chrissi rated it it was ok

Shelves: historicals

I liked the hero and this brother is promising a hopefully interesting second book BUT I didn't like the heroine. She was only interested in her looks, her reputation and her rich future husband. She also saw Michael below her and had a bad drinking habit - and while this had been interesting topic for the story, it was quite dismissed at the end of the book.

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May 05, 2014 Lyuda rated it really liked it

Shelves: victorian

This is a wonderful story of two people who drawn to each other but knew from the beginning that there would be no future for them together. The story flows beautifully, the depth of characters, their transformation, the angst- it is all well done. The only drawback for me was that the second part of the story seems to be too long

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About Meredith Duran

Meredith Duran

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MEREDITH DURAN blames Anne Boleyn for sparking her lifelong obsession with British history. She is the author of twelve novels, all published by Pocket Books. Her debut, The Duke of Shadows, has been translated into thirteen languages and was ranked among the top 100 romances of all time by NPR and All About Romance. Her other books include RITA award winner Fool Me Twice and her February 2017 rel ...more