A Lady's Lesson in Scandal by Meredith Duran

A Lady's Lesson in Scandal by Meredith Duran
Publication Date: June 28, 2011
Publisher: Pocket
Versions: paperback, kindle
Received from: publisher

Warning: This novel and review may not be suitable for younger audiences because of graphic scenes

Summary (from goodreads):
In gritty, working-class london, she does what she must to survive...


When Nell Whitby breaks into an earl's house on a midnight quest for revenge, she finds her pistol pointed at the wrong man-one handsome as sin and naked as the day he was born. Pity he's a lunatic. He thinks her a missing heiress, but more to the point, he'll help her escape the slums and right a grave injustice. Not a bad bargain. All she has to do is marry him.


A notorious ladies man could take her from poverty to opulence...but at what price?


A rake of the first order, Simon St. Maur spent his restless youth burning every bridge he crossed. When he inherits an earldom without a single penny attached to it, he sees a chance to start over-provided he can find an heiress to fun his efforts. But his wicked reputation means courtship will be difficult-until fate sends him the most notorious missing heiress in history. All he needs now is to make her into a lady and keep himself from making the only mistake that could ruin everything: falling in love...

I really enjoy historical romance novels. But I've never read a book by Meredith Duran (even though she's one of the most popular historical romance writer)-and I was pleasantly surprised. Nell lives her life working at a tobacco factory for a few coins a week. She is poor and her family, especially her step brother, doesn't treat her well. Nell is a realist but part of her wishes she were rich and doesn't have to worry about earning enough to put bread on the table. One day her mom tells Nell to see her father, and she does-pointing a gun to his sleeping form.. But her father is dead and Simon St. Maur is the man she is pointing the gun at, who is also extremely naked. Simon soon has a proposition for Nell-she can have anything she wants...only if she becomes his wife.

Nell is probably one of my favorite female lead characters. She is truly strong and doesn't care about what other people think. Simon is the typical "alpha" man and they go very well together. He is very protective over her-which melted my heart. And even though the ending was predictable-I loved every second of it.

Will I reread it?
Yes, I know this will be one of the historical romance novels I will pick up in a few months when looking for a mood raiser. I really enjoyed this and hope you will give it a try.

This novel was sent to me by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review and no compensation.