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anwoodward's review against another edition
4.0
Duran's writing is so, so lovely. Her characters are never perfect, her setting never less than authentic and immersive. I don't know that this particular one will stand out in her catalogue, but I certainly don't regret the hours I spent reading it.
daniellekyser's review against another edition
5.0
I have read and re-read this book probably 4-5 times. Every single time it's 5 stars.
I will say Meredith Duran is my favorite Historical Romance author.
Lily is a bad ass.
Christian is a dick who uses her for his own devices.
LOVE IT. So sexy.
I will say Meredith Duran is my favorite Historical Romance author.
Lily is a bad ass.
Christian is a dick who uses her for his own devices.
LOVE IT. So sexy.
prgchrqltma's review against another edition
4.0
Characters: former thief, reluctant war hero/aristo
World Building: auction and appraisal
Plot: Vengeance, kidnapping
Sex: Medium
Read another: Yes
World Building: auction and appraisal
Plot: Vengeance, kidnapping
Sex: Medium
Read another: Yes
nday's review against another edition
4.0
The third book in the Rules for the Reckless series, and another great addition to the series. This wasn’t quite up to the incredible standard of Fool Me Twice, the previous book, but it was certainly a better than average romance read.
There were some really great moments in this book that stood out and had a good amount of zing to them (the heroine going outside being one of them), and everything else was good and enjoyable.
I thought there was a nice little dark sensuality to the book, which is a bit of a Duran trademark, and both the hero and the heroine were strong, independent and capable. I liked the touch of something different with the class difference between Lily and Christian and how that coloured their relationship as well.
I was quite intrigued by the set up for the next book with Nick and Catherine, they had a good amount of fire, and quite different stations in life as well. I liked the roguish charm of Nick.
A great read and I’m looking forward to the next!
There were some really great moments in this book that stood out and had a good amount of zing to them (the heroine going outside being one of them), and everything else was good and enjoyable.
I thought there was a nice little dark sensuality to the book, which is a bit of a Duran trademark, and both the hero and the heroine were strong, independent and capable. I liked the touch of something different with the class difference between Lily and Christian and how that coloured their relationship as well.
I was quite intrigued by the set up for the next book with Nick and Catherine, they had a good amount of fire, and quite different stations in life as well. I liked the roguish charm of Nick.
A great read and I’m looking forward to the next!
chels_ebooks's review against another edition
5.0
This was my second read of this book! Lilah is from a prominent London crime family, but she's been trying her best to live on the straight and narrow apart from them. Her uncle ropes her into stealing from the owner of the auction house she works at, and she's caught by Christian Stratton, a celebrated veteran.
The gallant war hero that Christian "Kit" Stratton presents in the broadsheets is mostly fiction. In reality, Christian is a cynical and jaded man that has no qualms about blackmailing Lilah into helping him with a dangerous trap he sets for an enemy. Initially his attraction to Lilah is a plus, but he eventually finds out he's entangled the love of his life into a violent scheme with potentially disastrous consequences.
The gallant war hero that Christian "Kit" Stratton presents in the broadsheets is mostly fiction. In reality, Christian is a cynical and jaded man that has no qualms about blackmailing Lilah into helping him with a dangerous trap he sets for an enemy. Initially his attraction to Lilah is a plus, but he eventually finds out he's entangled the love of his life into a violent scheme with potentially disastrous consequences.
booksuperpower's review against another edition
4.0
Lady Be Good by Meredith Duran is a 2015 Pocket Books publication. I was provided a copy of this book as an XOXpert- The official street team of XOXO After Dark.
How is it that I have not read anything by this author previously? Well, now that she is on my radar, I will be adding more of her books to my TBR list.
Lilah comes from a family of thieves, but it is her greatest wish to live a decent, honest life. That goal means ever so much more to her now, since she wishes to honor her sister's memory. But, her uncle is still holding onto her, trying to keep her down. So, after finally breaking free of him, she finds she must perform one last job to keep anyone from finding out who she really is.
Enter Viscount Palmer, Christian Stratton, who catches Lilah in a compromising position and uses it to his advantage. In order to get what she needs, Lilah must spy on the woman Christian wishes to marry, in hopes of winning her over.
As many who follow my reviews can attest to, I have been struggling with historical romance novels as of late, and actually stopped reading them so often as a result. So, it was very refreshing to have been introduced to this series.
This story is a fun read, but it's not filled with fluffy silliness about poor rakish rogues and Dukes and arranged marriages. This story has well defined and developed characters with some meaty issues to attend to.
The chemistry between Lilah and Christian sparkled from their very first interactions with each other. The author teases us with their flirtation building the tension between them with sharp witty dialogue and by putting them an unusual situation, with Lilah trapped by Christian's blackmail.
Christian is a conflicted man trying to avenge the death of his brother and protect his family. He's riddled with guilt and often feels unworthy of this reputation as a war hero. He can be gruff and unyielding at times, but is was so fun watching Lilah wrap him around her little finger.
The secondary characters were also a well defined and I found Catherine to be quite an interesting character. I hope to see a book dedicated to her because I think there is still a lot to know about her and it would be fun to see someone try to win her over romantically. I would also like to see an update regarding Christian's sister someday.
Naturally, I must complain about a few modern terms and phrases slipping through the cracks, but it only happened a couple of times. The first part of the story was a little sluggish at times, but once the characters and the various threads began to take shape, the story became quite absorbing, filled with action, intrigue and of course some steamy romance.
Overall, this is a charming and delightful historical romance, quite refreshing and original. 4 stars
How is it that I have not read anything by this author previously? Well, now that she is on my radar, I will be adding more of her books to my TBR list.
Lilah comes from a family of thieves, but it is her greatest wish to live a decent, honest life. That goal means ever so much more to her now, since she wishes to honor her sister's memory. But, her uncle is still holding onto her, trying to keep her down. So, after finally breaking free of him, she finds she must perform one last job to keep anyone from finding out who she really is.
Enter Viscount Palmer, Christian Stratton, who catches Lilah in a compromising position and uses it to his advantage. In order to get what she needs, Lilah must spy on the woman Christian wishes to marry, in hopes of winning her over.
As many who follow my reviews can attest to, I have been struggling with historical romance novels as of late, and actually stopped reading them so often as a result. So, it was very refreshing to have been introduced to this series.
This story is a fun read, but it's not filled with fluffy silliness about poor rakish rogues and Dukes and arranged marriages. This story has well defined and developed characters with some meaty issues to attend to.
The chemistry between Lilah and Christian sparkled from their very first interactions with each other. The author teases us with their flirtation building the tension between them with sharp witty dialogue and by putting them an unusual situation, with Lilah trapped by Christian's blackmail.
Christian is a conflicted man trying to avenge the death of his brother and protect his family. He's riddled with guilt and often feels unworthy of this reputation as a war hero. He can be gruff and unyielding at times, but is was so fun watching Lilah wrap him around her little finger.
The secondary characters were also a well defined and I found Catherine to be quite an interesting character. I hope to see a book dedicated to her because I think there is still a lot to know about her and it would be fun to see someone try to win her over romantically. I would also like to see an update regarding Christian's sister someday.
Naturally, I must complain about a few modern terms and phrases slipping through the cracks, but it only happened a couple of times. The first part of the story was a little sluggish at times, but once the characters and the various threads began to take shape, the story became quite absorbing, filled with action, intrigue and of course some steamy romance.
Overall, this is a charming and delightful historical romance, quite refreshing and original. 4 stars
dreamofwinter's review against another edition
4.0
This went from good to really good to great by the end. The pairing got more believable and the characters grew more likable. Some of the action in the final third was a bit rushed, but I was thrilled to have a self-rescuing heroine!
sandywilliams03's review against another edition
5.0
I've been on a book slump for forever. Just couldn't seem to motivate myself to pick up something and read. But for Reasons, I haven't been able to sleep easily lately, so I was determined to find a good book to read. On a whim, I checked to see if Meredith Duran had anything new out, since it had been a while since I read her last book. Lo and behold, she had TWO books out that I hadn't read. Happy me!
Lady Be Good was just as great as the rest of Duran's books. I loved Lilah, a former thief trying to make an honest life for herself. She was not a push over.
Palmer was an interesting character. I did have a little trouble picturing his personality in my mind. He was a war hero. A song was written about him. Everyone knew and respected him, and he acted like the typical charming bachelor. But then sometimes, he acted like Duran's usual solemn, brooding characters. That's what I saw most of the time while reading, so any time the happy-go-lucky Palmer was mentioned, it kind of jerked me out of the story a bit. It just didn't fit with what I felt Palmer was. But despite that, I totally didn't mind him. Loved him just like all of Duran's other characters.
Duran--and Joanna Bourne--is the author I read when I feel like all my descriptions are blah. She has a way with putting words together to show more than just surface looks. It's a talent I desperately wish I had. But I totally lack it, so I always hope that, by reading her books over and over again, I'll eventually absorb at least a part of her skill.
Let me show you what I mean. My typical description would go something like this: "A dark lock of hair escaped from her pontytail. Palmer wanted to tuck it behind her ear."
Duran's description: "A dark lock had escaped, and unfurled along her throat like a suggestion: touch me here."
See how much better that is?
Here's another great description: "That startled him. He laughed, flashing white teeth. One of his incisors was slightly crooked. A relief, to spot that imperfection."
Look what Duran did there. She made the story move along, told us that the hero smiled while showing us the emotion of the heroine, with a super short paragraph that described a slightly crooked tooth. It's freaking brilliant.
I could go on and on with little, almost insignificant descriptions that have such a huge impact on the story and writing, but let's just see all of Duran's books are worth reading.
The only part of this book that I thought could be better was the ending. Not the ENDING ending, but how Lilah gets out of the predicament at the end, and how the villain was dealt with. I kind of wanted that whole part to be more excruciating, but...
SPOILER WARNING...
... she and Catherine just kind of moseyed their way to freedom.
That's such a minor issue, though. The entire book was an enjoyable read, and the moment I finished it, I bought the next book.
P.S. Oh, wait! I did have another issue. This is spoilery too, so you might stop reading.
So, the whole Palmer can't be with Lilah thing because it puts her in danger? I didn't understand that. I didn't understand why he needed to forever push her away and marry Catherine. All he had to do was temporarily pretend Lilah didn't exist. Then, once he took care of the villain, he could be with her with no problems. Or am I wrong? Did I just totally miss the reason why he tried to snub her completely?
Lady Be Good was just as great as the rest of Duran's books. I loved Lilah, a former thief trying to make an honest life for herself. She was not a push over.
Palmer was an interesting character. I did have a little trouble picturing his personality in my mind. He was a war hero. A song was written about him. Everyone knew and respected him, and he acted like the typical charming bachelor. But then sometimes, he acted like Duran's usual solemn, brooding characters. That's what I saw most of the time while reading, so any time the happy-go-lucky Palmer was mentioned, it kind of jerked me out of the story a bit. It just didn't fit with what I felt Palmer was. But despite that, I totally didn't mind him. Loved him just like all of Duran's other characters.
Duran--and Joanna Bourne--is the author I read when I feel like all my descriptions are blah. She has a way with putting words together to show more than just surface looks. It's a talent I desperately wish I had. But I totally lack it, so I always hope that, by reading her books over and over again, I'll eventually absorb at least a part of her skill.
Let me show you what I mean. My typical description would go something like this: "A dark lock of hair escaped from her pontytail. Palmer wanted to tuck it behind her ear."
Duran's description: "A dark lock had escaped, and unfurled along her throat like a suggestion: touch me here."
See how much better that is?
Here's another great description: "That startled him. He laughed, flashing white teeth. One of his incisors was slightly crooked. A relief, to spot that imperfection."
Look what Duran did there. She made the story move along, told us that the hero smiled while showing us the emotion of the heroine, with a super short paragraph that described a slightly crooked tooth. It's freaking brilliant.
I could go on and on with little, almost insignificant descriptions that have such a huge impact on the story and writing, but let's just see all of Duran's books are worth reading.
The only part of this book that I thought could be better was the ending. Not the ENDING ending, but how Lilah gets out of the predicament at the end, and how the villain was dealt with. I kind of wanted that whole part to be more excruciating, but...
SPOILER WARNING...
... she and Catherine just kind of moseyed their way to freedom.
That's such a minor issue, though. The entire book was an enjoyable read, and the moment I finished it, I bought the next book.
P.S. Oh, wait! I did have another issue. This is spoilery too, so you might stop reading.
So, the whole Palmer can't be with Lilah thing because it puts her in danger? I didn't understand that. I didn't understand why he needed to forever push her away and marry Catherine. All he had to do was temporarily pretend Lilah didn't exist. Then, once he took care of the villain, he could be with her with no problems. Or am I wrong? Did I just totally miss the reason why he tried to snub her completely?
thebee's review against another edition
5.0
Could watch these two pretend not to have a crush on each other while Catherine exclaims about another goddamn ceramic FOR YEARS!!
I adore these three.
I adore these three.