Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover

Starred review from October 27, 2014
MacLean's fourth and final Scoundrels historical (after No Good Duke Goes Unpunished) proves that romance can happen in the most unusual circumstances. In 1830s England, Lady Georgiana Pearson, a duke's sister, has been forced to reinvent herself after being ruined by a stable boy. She is respectable Georgiana by day, but by night, she has not one but two secret identities: Anna, the most powerful madam in London, and Chase, Anna's crafty business partner, who's widely believed to be a man. Georgiana is determined to marry a titled gentleman, and newspaper magnate Duncan West agrees to help her seal the deal. But Duncan is drawn to Georgiana himself, and she to him. Soon they form an intimate connection, with many deep emotional developments that propel the story. Though they eventually decide to act on their attraction, they struggle with the knowledge that they can never wed; Duncan fears the revelation of buried secrets that could destroy him, and Georgiana believes that only a title can help her daughter escape the stain of bastardy. Series readers will be blown away by the revelation of Chase's identity, and will cheer on Duncan and Georgiana as they bring their complex relationship to a riveting conclusion. Agent: Steve Axelrod, Axelrod Agency.

Starred review from November 1, 2014
After she's spent the last decade incognito, posing as the most enigmatic (male) casino owner in England, a ruined lady re-enters society to secure her daughter's rightful place in the beau monde, attracting suitors, enemies and the attention of a handsome newspaper magnate.Lady Georgiana Pearson has been happily free of the strictures of Victorian society since she ruined herself at the hands of a man she thought she loved and bore a daughter, scandalizing polite society and setting herself firmly beyond the pale. Since then, she's partnered with three other titled social pariahs to create The Fallen Angel, the most successful gaming club in London, which deals in scandal and secrets as much as gambling. Under the guise of the mysterious "Chase," who works in the shadows and is represented by yet another alter ego, Anna-whom every assumes is Chase's mistress-Georgiana is secretly one of the most powerful figures in England, though none but her partners know her true identity. Blissfully disreputable, she is suddenly aware of her limitations when society's scorn turns toward her beloved daughter, and she decides to seek an aristocratic husband to raise her daughter's social standing. However, her return to society draws more than a few eyebrows, as well as the interest of all the scandal sheets, including one published by newspaper magnate Duncan West. Understanding there are layers to this story, West digs into Georgiana's past and realizes Georgiana and Anna are one and the same, then misreads the hold "Chase" has on her, even as he finds himself falling for her. West has dangerous secrets of his own, ensuring he can never offer her the security or respectability she wants, but he intends to free her from Chase's influence and pave the way for her happiness, realizing too late how misguided that plan is. MacLean wraps up her popular Rules of Scoundrels series with the clever plotting, exquisite writing and lush sensuality she is known for. A worthy conclusion to an extraordinary series.

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Starred review from December 1, 2014

Ruined as a girl and tarred by the resulting scandal, nobly born unwed mother Lady Georgiana Pearson will do anything to assure her young daughter's happiness--even if it takes returning to society after ten years and marrying for status, not love. But Georgiana is more than she appears to be. Behind the elegant exterior lives a clever, determined woman who's carved out a secret, dangerous life--a life that gives her enormous power over the ton but could crumble if the truth was ever revealed. When ruthless, perceptive newspaper owner Duncan West enters her sphere, things take a far more dicey and ultimately passionate turn. Sharp wit, flashes of humor, long-simmering fury, and a wealth of well-drawn characters add depth to this superbly rendered tale that deftly addresses social, class, and women's issues while delivering a stunning romance. VERDICT Brilliant, seductive, and intensely engaging, this addictive story pairs powerful, driven protagonists with a seemingly unsolvable dilemma in an ingenious, wonderfully satisfying conclusion to MacLean's remarkable quartet. Although this book is complete in itself, fans will be well rewarded by reading the entire series in order. MacLean (No Good Duke Goes Unpunished) lives in New York City. [An LJ 2014 Best Romance; see p. 30.]

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 15, 2014
If it were just up to her, Lady Georgiana Pearson wouldn't bother with getting married. Unfortunately, Georgiana's youthful romantic tryst with a commoner not only gave birth to scandal but also to Georgiana's daughter, Caroline. Now the only hope her daughter will have of any future in society is if Georgiana marries Lord Fitzwilliam Langley. Georgiana's plan to convince Langley to join her in wedlock receives an unexpected boost when she bumps into Duncan West at a society ball. To assuage some of his own guilt at using Georgiana as the subject of a scandalous cartoon, Duncan agrees to use his newspapers and magazines to help burnish Georgiana's reputation. In turn, the public's fascination with Georgiana will help sell even more copies of Duncan's periodicals. It seems like the perfect business alliance until Duncan discovers Georgiana's real secret and realizes that there is so much more to the lady then he ever imagined. RITA Awardwinning MacLean (No Good Duke Goes Unpunished, 2013) once again successfully woos readers with another entrancing literary merger of sophisticated sensuality and scintillating wit as she wraps up her exquisitely written Rules of Scoundrels quartet in splendid fashion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

March 1, 2015

Georgiana has always exploited society's secrets and kept her own, but when she decides she must wed to give her illegitimate daughter a chance at a different life, she turns to newspaperman Duncan West for help. Although there are rewards for longtime readers of MacLean's historical romance series, this could easily be enjoyed by anyone who loves watching a woman succeed despite the restrictions of her gender. (LJ 12/14)

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.