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.
He chuckled. “If wishing made it so.” He spun her across the floor, the candles lit around the room leaving trails of light across her field of vision.
“Langley has arrived.”
The viscount had entered not five minutes earlier. She’d noticed immediately. “I saw.”
“You don’t expect a real marriage from him,” Temple said.
“I don’t.”
“Then why not do what you do best?”
Her gaze flickered to the handsome man on the other side of the room. Her choice for husband. “You think blackmail is the best way to go about securing a husband?”
He smiled. “I was blackmailed in advance of finding a wife.”
“Yes, well, I am told that most men are not such masochists, Temple. You’ve been saying I should marry for more than a year. You and Bourne and Cross,” she added, ticking off her partners in The Fallen Angel. “Not to mention my brother.”
“Ah, yes, I’ve heard that the Duke of Leighton has placed a heavy dowry on your head. It’s remarkable you are able to stand upright. But what of love?”
“Love?” It was difficult to voice the word without the disdain.
“You’ve heard of it, no doubt. Sonnets and poems and happy-ever-after?”
“I’ve heard of it,” she said. “As we are discussing marriage at best for convenience and at worst for debt relief, I hardly think a lack of love is of issue,” she said. “And besides, it is a fool’s errand.”
He watched her for a long moment. “And you are surrounded by fools.”
She cut him a look. “Every one of you. Besotted beyond reason. And look at what has happened because of it.”
He raised his dark brows. “What? Marriage? Children? Happiness?”
She sighed. They’d had the conversation a hundred times. A thousand. Her partners were so idyllically matched that they could not help but foist it on everyone around them. What they did not know was that idyll was not for Georgiana. She pushed the thought away. “I am happy,” she lied.
“No. You are rich. And you are powerful. But you are not happy.”
“Happiness is too highly prized,” she said with a shrug, as he turned her across the room. “It’s worth nothing.”
“It’s worth everything.” They danced in silence for a long moment. “Which you see, as you wouldn’t be doing this if not for happiness.”
“Not mine. Caroline’s.”
About the Author:
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
Jennifer’s Review of Never Judge A Lady by Her Cover
Review (5 Stars): This is the final book in the Rules of Scoundrels and is the perfect ending to a deliciously romantic series. Lady Georgiana has spent the last ten years as a ruined woman, unwed mother and an outcast of London society. To protect her daughter from the same fate, Georgiana is on the hunt to marry a man with a title to give her daughter a fighting chance at a happy life. Duncan West, newspaper owner, has always been attracted to Lady Georgiana and sympathetic to what has happened in the past to this beautiful young woman. What Duncan soon learns is that Georgiana has been harboring dark secrets for years and these secrets may destroy everything that she has been planning for her new life. Duncan is now on a mission to bring these secrets to light but finds that by doing so may break what is left of her precious heart.
Lady Georgiana was an amazing character since she protected her secret identity for so long and no one had any clue what she was capable of doing to London society. She used the secrets that she discovered while working at The Fallen Angel club to help her one day gain access back into society to help her daughter achieve what she could not. She was smart, brave and fiercely protective of her young daughter, making her one of my favorite female characters to date. She once believed in love but those dreams were shattered when a man took her reputation and her heart in one brief moment that she could never take back. I was hoping that she would give love one final chance to make things right and I’m glad that she gave her heart to the one man who wouldn’t break it.
Never Judge A Lady by Her Cover was a story that had me captivated from the very first page and I was hoping that Lady Georgiana would finally receive her happy ending after so much heart break. Ms. MacLean has written such amazing books over the years and Never Judge A Lady by Her Cover is a perfect addition to her long list of historical romances. Can’t wait to read what she publishes next and I’m looking forward to revisiting this series again in the future.
Absolutely Awesome Giveaway–Thank you!!!
Rule for dealing with a scoundrel: Find great enjoyment while being deftly elusive…until you are ready to capitulate…then find tremendous enjoyment in sinfully sensational surrender ; )
Can’t wait to read this book. I somehow missed the series. Should I start at the beginning?
looks interesting; don’t know any
Never play by the rules! ;]
Love excerpt can wait to get my hands on it!
I have this on my Trl. A great series. Thanks for the giveaway chance.
Carol L.
I pre-ordered the book, but haven’t started it yet. Thanks for the opportunity to win. 🙂
Keep a close, but amused, eye on a scoundrel. 😉
Fun read.
Never give in– too soon, that is. 😉