Showing posts with label Rule of Scoundrels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rule of Scoundrels. Show all posts

Monday, February 10, 2014

No Good Duke Goes Unpunished by Sarah MacLean

Image linked from Goodreads
What a wonderful story. I fell into it, splashed around in MacLean's world for almost two hours and emerged wishing that the fourth book in the series were already in my hands. 
Twelve years ago, Mara Lowe, the lovely daughter of a wealthy merchant, faked her own death. Terrified of her fiance, indeed, marriage in general, she picked up an unassuming boy in the pub and then drugged him, hoping to make it look like he had deflowered her. Then she ran, not realizing that she had vastly overestimated how much blood was needed and everyone assumed that William Hart had killed the girl who was to be his step-mother.
Though in line to be a duke, and even without proof of a body, everyone assumed William was a killer. Which spawned a nickname of "the Killer Duke." However, he has already re-branded himself as Temple and seeks absolution in the boxing ring, hoping that the pain he feels will help in find forgiveness for himself. You see, Mara drugged him so he never knew whether or not he was, in actuality, a killer. So, when Mara shows up at the Angel (his gambling establishment, where all of his fights earn the club a lot of money) he's none to happy.
We get to see two damaged characters find their way into love. It's a muddled process and there is a last sort-of Big Misunderstanding but all turns out as it should and we are left with wondering how it's all going to turn out for fourth owner of the club, Chase.