Friday, November 28, 2014

Blog Tour: Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover by Sarah MacLean

 

Today we're hosting Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover by Sarah MacLean. This historical romance concludes her The Rules of Scoundrels series, and what a conclusion it is! Trust me when I say that you do not want to miss this one! I've got all kinds of goodies today - a review, an excerpt and I'm also hooking you up with Avon's giveaway!

For the rest of the stops on the tour, check out Tasty Book Tours.

The Book




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.


Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover is available now!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes | Goodreads

The Excerpt


(Be sure to check all the tour stops for the rest of this chapter!)

The gown was pristine and white and designed for someone far more innocent than she. Far less scandalous. And that was before one knew what she had made of her life.

“I’ve seen you in a dress. This is …” Temple paused, taking in the ensemble. He coughed a laugh. “Not like any dress I’ve ever seen you wear.” He paused, considering her further. 
“You’ve feathers exploding from your hair.”

Georgiana gritted her teeth. “I’m told it’s the height of fashion.”

“You look ridiculous.”

As though she didn’t know it. As though she didn’t feel it. “Your charm knows no bounds.”

He grinned. “I wouldn’t like you to get too full of yourself.”

There was no chance of that. Not here, surrounded by the enemy. “Don’t you have a wife to entertain?”

His dark gaze flickered past her to settle on a gleaming auburn head at the center of the ballroom. “Your brother is dancing with her. As he is lending his reputation to her, I thought I might do the same for his sister.”

She turned to him in disbelief. “Your reputation.”

Mere months earlier, Temple had been known as the Killer Duke, thought to have murdered his future stepmother in a fit of passion on the eve of her wedding. Society had welcomed him back into the fold only once the accusation had been proven false and he’d married the woman he was to have killed—a scandal in her own right. But he remained as much a scandal as a duke could be, as he’d spent years first on the streets and then in the ring at The Fallen Angel as a bare-knuckle boxer.

While Temple might carry the title of duke, his reputation was tarnished at best—the opposite of her brother’s. Simon had been perfectly bred for this world; his dancing with the Duchess of Lamont would go miles toward restoring her name and, indeed, the name of Temple’s dukedom.

“Your reputation might do more damage to me than good.”


My Review

Sarah MacLean is a historical romance author that I've read before for pleasure, but inexplicably have never reviewed. I know I've read *one* other book in The Rules for Scoundrels series - the first, I think? Ages ago? The important part is that I remember enjoying it, and I'm so glad that I picked this book up despite not having read the other two in the series!

Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover is a fantastic book. It's clever and emotional. I was shaking my fist at Duncan and Georgiana and the tangled web of lies that they'd woven before the book even began.

These two are wonderfully matched. I'm thrilled that MacLean was able to find a worthy match for Chase, the enigmatic head of The Fallen Angel, a legendary gaming hell. Duncan West is a determined, clever, protective hero who is drawn to Georgiana whether she's a polite lady of the ton or a seductive queen of the night. He's in a bit of an impossible situation and I loved watching him squirm.

I really liked the contrast between the ton and the underworld over which Georgiana reigns. The opportunity to revel in the pageantry and pomp of historical romance that we know and love while also sinking into a darker, dirtier, bad boy-type side is fantastic. The duality of it all, of Georgiana, of Duncan and the layers and layers of deceit and blackmail really appealed to me. 

There were several moments when Georgiana fidgets over having lost her sense power and control - usually when one of her partners at The Fallen Angel moves to either protect her or guide the situation between her and Duncan. I thought these were excellent. The book really captures that tension between losing agency but feeling warm fuzzies because someone wants to take care of her. It's a delicate balancing act (as so much in Georgiana's life must be) and I think the book handles it really well.

The Bottom Line:

I loved Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover. Read this one!  Sarah MacLean is one of my go-to historical romance authors when I want to curl up with something that I know will be fun. This book lived up to those hefty expectations and then some!

5 stars
For fans of historical romance, secret identities, protective heroes

About Sarah MacLean




Sarah MacLean grew up in Rhode Island, obsessed with historical romance and bemoaning the fact that she was born far too late for her own season. Her love of all things historical helped to earn her degrees from Smith College and Harvard University before she finally set pen to paper and wrote her first book.

Sarah now lives in New York City with her husband, baby daughter, their dog, and a ridiculously large collection of romance novels. She loves to hear from readers. Please visit her at www.macleanspace.com

Find her on the web:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway

Avon is hosting a tour-wide giveaway of a $50.00 Choice Book Seller Gift Card and Print Set of the Rule of Scoundrels Books 1-3. This is an amazing opportunity, so enter below!

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for your outstanding review. I've enjoyed reading some of Sarah's earlier works and I'm looking forward to adding this book to my TBR shelves soon.

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  2. Like the reviewer, I'm going to really enjoy "the contrast between the ton and the underworld over which Georgiana reigns." I'm also going to enjoy the romance because Sarah writes about them like no other I know. It's going to be a "romp" of a story! Looking forward to it ... jdh2690@gmail.cvom

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