A Lady's Code of Misconduct by Meredith Duran

A LADY’S CODE OF MISCONDUCT
Fifth in the Rules for the Reckless Series
By Meredith Duran
Pocket Books
Publication Date: February 28, 2017
ISBN: 9781501139024
Price: $7.99

A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL...
Trapped in the countryside, facing an unwanted marriage and the theft of her fortune, Jane Mason is done behaving nicely. To win her freedom, she’ll strike a deal with the most dangerous man she knows—a rising star in politics, whose dark good looks mask an even darker heart.

...NEVER GOES TO PLAN.
The bitter past has taught Crispin Burke to trust no one. He’ll gladly help a lovely young heiress, provided she pays a price. Yet when a single mistake shatters his life, it is Jane who holds the key to his salvation. And in a world that no longer makes sense, Crispin slowly realizes that she may be the only thing worth fighting for...

REVIEW:
It has been a while since I read a new book by Meredith Duran, but this one was certainly worth the wait! Jane is a delightful heroine- strong and intelligent and committed to social justice. Although pre-accident Mr. Burke is definitely no hero, Crispin is an excellent foil and wonderful partner for Jane. Watching him rediscover himself while she takes on both their families made for an engaging and enjoyable read. Duran is always an excellent writer but this book is a stand out. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down until I finished. This book is a highly recommended read!

Check out the rest of the blog tour for other reviews and to enter a giveaway for a chance to win your own copy:

Reading Frenzy – Spotlight

Bookish - Giveaway

Poof Books

Tuesday, March 7^th

I Love Romance

Bookworm2bookworm – Spotlight, Excerpt, and Review

Dirty and Thirty

Wild Wordy Women

Polished Bookworm

Sammi's Bookish Reality

Passionate Reads

Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh my!

Celtic Lady’s Reviews – Spotlight

Wednesday, March 8^th

Moonlight Rendezvous

One More Chapter

Fresh Fiction - Spotlight

Thursday, March 9^th

Happy Ever After Romance Book Reviews

The Book Junkie Reads

Three Boys and an Old Lady blog

Friday, March 10^th

Smitten by Books

Celtic Guardian

The Ugly Teapot: Volume 1 by Fred Holmes

Fourteen-year-old Hannah Bradbury loved her father so much that she worried about him constantly. After all, he was a photographer who traveled to the most dangerous places in the world. To allay her fears, each time he came home he brought her silly gifts, each one with supposed magical powers: the Seal of Solomon, the Ring of Gyges, even Aladdin’s Lamp. It was that lamp that Hannah found most unbelievable, for it looked like an ugly teapot. Nevertheless, her father assured her it was real, and made her promise to save her three wishes for something very special. Then...six months later...the unthinkable happened. Her father was killed while on assignment to Baghdad. And so on the day of his funeral Hannah did something she never thought she would ever do. She took out that teapot and gave it a rub...

REVIEW:
This middle grade adventure story has great bones and moments of real excitement, but in the end I never felt a real emotional connection to Hannah. The story presented the great love Hannah had for her father, but it quickly became clear he was a neglectful parent at best. Hannah's mom and brothers were introduced but never fleshed out as characters which felt like a missed opportunity. The end, though not a surprise, was disappointing. There were other elements that didn't gel for me- the telepathic dog didn't add enough to feel like an essential plot point, and it never made sense that Hannah's dad would never have taught her anything about photography given how the relationship between them was presented. I also thought Hannah's thoughts and actions painted her as younger than 14. The writing was good and the adventure part of the story moved quickly, I just wish there had been more character development to make me more invested in the story.

3.5 stars