A Lady’s Code For Misconduct by Meredith Duran
Plot:
Jane Mason‘s greedy and power hungry uncle wants to marry her off to his son and get control over her conspicuous inheritance.
After 6 years of forced tamed behaviour while waiting for the right moment to escape, her plan fails and unexpected circumstances lead to a very big lie that involves a certain member of parliament.
Crispin Burke is a MP in the House of Commons and he’s scheming to become Prime Minister at any cost.
He’s learned to be manipulative and cold hearted in order to obtain whatever he sets his mind to:
He had a cool temper, a clever mind, endless charm.
He used people and then, elegantly, destroyed them.
He never forgot a name or face or a slight against him.
A terrible attack leaves him with a severe head injury, amnesia and… a woman saying they got married in secret!
He doesn’t remember the malicious person everyone thinks he is and the better he gets to know Jane, the more he wants for her to give their marriage a real chance:
“You are my wife,” he growled. “And whatever reason you had for wedding me, whatever man you thought you married, I am the man in front of you now. I am bloody sick of hearing about the other one—about what you thought of him, what he expected of you. Do you understand?” He stepped toward her. “His reasons,” he gritted, “his feelings, mean nothing to me. Do you hear? I am not that man.”
But…what happens if he recovers all his memories?
Personal Thoughts:
If I need a “historical romance fix” these are the authors I go to:
Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn, Julie Garwood…and Meredith Duran!😍
Her characters have depth and I always enjoy the banters between the MC.
I have to say though, in this book there’s lots of mistrust between them and I wished for less of the drama that unfolds in the second half of the story.
Also…I’m not a huge fan of political scheming and I think that’s why I was less engaged whenever drama around politics entered the spotlight.
Oh well, that said… I loved the MC!
Jane is a woman ahead of her time and being trapped in his uncle’s household took a lot from her:
❝But of course a man like Burke could not imagine what that was like to live, day after day, as a shadow — to speak and be ignored. To protest and be patted on the head, as though one’s concerns were a child’s. … And so in the act of communicating an opinion, she had committed the egregious offense of insisting on her humanity.❞
She doesn’t stop fighting for her independence though.
She doesn’t lose her strenght and spirit:
❝I do find my thoughts worth sharing, sir. I think the fault must lie with the listeners. But even if I were a fool … it would still be worth the effort to think.❞
Burke after the attack does not remember the kind of men he was before but he knows how he feels about Jane in their present and he’s ready to fight for her affection.
❝But if our connection means ANYTHING to you.❞ He pushed out a ragged breath. ❝If you meant those tears you shed when I told you of Jonathan. If your laughter was real, and your smiles. If you feel, as I do, that you could wish for no better partner — in politics, as much as in life. If all of that is true, and not simply an act, a mask to cover your indifference — then tell me so now. Because I am finished with this stalemate. I will not endure a wife who tells me to go back to a mistress. I will not have a wife who refuses to DEMAND explanations.❞
It was a pleasure to witness his evolution.
The man he becomes when he defeats his demons and the way he falls in love with everything Jane is…swoon worthy!
Crispin cherished her for the same reasons that his other self would have scorned her.
He could lie here for hours, staring at her. Slowly, slowly, he wrapped the curl around his hand. Gentleness, tender care, reverent praise—these were what she deserved.
SEE???
Couldn’t help falling for him myself 😋
⭐☆ 3.5 Stars rounded up ☆⭐
~ My Ratings ~
Writing: 4 /5
Plot: 3 /5 (In my opinion the last half dragged too much and there was more drama caused by mistrust than necessary)
Hero: 4 /5
Heroine: 4 /5
Secondary Characters: 3.5 /5
MC’s chemistry: 3 /5
Steam: 3 /5
Triggers: Minor OW drama because hero had a mistress he had discarded prior to his amnesia. Lots of political scheming that might be boring if you’re not much into policts.
Recommended to: Historical Romance Readers
~ Quotes ~
“A women’s college is a fine idea, and I hope it continues to flourish. Even if most of its students go on to dedicate themselves to hearth and home, their children will benefit for their mothers’ educations.”
“It’s a strange kind of torture,” he said quietly. “To be caged by the lowest expectations. A humiliation of the soul.”
A Lady’s Code For Misconduct by Meredith Duran
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