Loved the story and the characters. Fantastic plot, great suspense and the ultimate triumph of good over evil, love over hate.

This one I liked. A lot.

Considering how many clichés it SOUNDS like it should have, this one packs quite a few surprises. It stars two really flawed, interesting, effectively sympathetic characters whose individual journeys are compelling, and their connection to each other even more so.

I found their relationship authentic, and was really REALLY rooting for them by the end. I particularly enjoyed the fact that despite her disadvantages of power and control over her own life, Jane still managed to fool/trick/outsmart the people in her life a lot. She is pretty rockin awesome.

*I received a review copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

It's my second book by Duran and it wont be my last. I really fell in love with the leads - you have to love Crispin and Jane, you really have to!

I loved Jane!! She was a woman that had plans of her own and wasn't going to let those in her life stop her from getting what she wanted. Even if that included an unwanted marriage. I really didn't like Crispin at the beginning of the story, but he grew on me after his accident and his personality transformation. I really liked watching them work together to get Crispin through his memory lost and their other tribulations.

I really enjoyed this story and hope that Duran is planning to continue this series!

5 stars
A new historical romance classic! So compelling.
This is the first book by Meredith Duran that I have read, and it certainly will NOT be the last. I did not want to put it down. It drew me in from the first page and never disappointed me. Meredith Duran's writing has the best characteristics of my favorite historical romance writers: Courtney Milan, Lisa Kleypas, and Sabrina Jeffries. Like Courtney Milan, she has complicated characters, a good dose of Victorian politics, and unpredictable storylines. I personally dislike modern politics, but somehow Victorian politics in a romance novel is fascinating. Like those of Lisa Kleypas and Sabrina Jeffries, the characters in this book are vivacious, loveable, and have really good dialogue. I cannot articulate all of the ways that Meredith Duran's writing is excellent. Just trust me and try this book, please!
Jane and Crispin were extraordinary characters. Crispin starts out as an underhanded, cold, conniving villain who was almost as dangerous to Jane as her greedy, controlling uncle. Then Crispin gets attacked, his skull fractured, and he cannot remember the last five years in which he rose up in politics by using bribery and blackmail. Some experience or decision he made during those last 5 years made him into the man he was, but this man's mind using effect younger and less jaded. Jane is strong, tenacious, admirable, flawed, and fascinating. This novel's complicated plot, the slowly unfolding mystery, and the depth of Jane's and Crispin's feelings all coalesce into this amazing novel. It has to be the best romance that ever used the amnesia trope. The phenomenal writing blew me away.
I love this novel so much. I can't wait to delve into Meredith Duran's backlist and I can't wait to buy her next one. I recommend this book all lovers of Victorian romance. In addition, I recommend it to everyone who loves an amnesia romance or some romantic suspense. Certainly, all fans of Courtney Milan, Lisa Kleypas, and Sabrina Jeffries need to try this one! FYI, the steaminess and graphicness of the few love scenes was pretty mild, similar to that of Courtney Milan's Brothers Sinister series.
I received a free advanced reading copy via Netgalley, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.

A fabulous historical romance intertwining romance, lust, political intrigue, and a gorgeous dark gothic mystery worthy of H.G. Wells. In an attempt to retain her fortune from the grubby hands of her uncle’s family, Jane seizes an opportunity when a hated acquaintance of hers falls on his deathbed. Faking a marriage, she presents herself to Crispin’s family as his wife, and when he survives his attack, she’s stricken with panic. Fortunately for her, Crispin suffers from amnesia and believes himself to be her husband. In an addition to memory loss, Crispin seems to also have lost that cruel edge that made Jane hate him in the first place, and in her deception, she starts to learn the truth about her fake husband and finds herself falling in love. A past that Crispin doesn’t remember continues to haunt him as he wonders who tries to kill him, and he still can’t quite figure out why his wife seems to dislike him so much. If you’re looking for a creative spin on a regency romance, this book is for you! I look forward to reading more from this author!

One of the things that I love about Ms. Duran’s books is how her books always have strong heroines and a great writing style that will make you fall in love with each of her romances. After losing both of her parents, Jane is trying to protect her inheritance and her future from her greedy uncle by making a deal with the dashing Crispin Burke to marry her. If Jane weds, she gets her inheritance and her freedom yet Crispin has an offer for Jane as well. She must spy on her uncle to help Crispin’s political agenda and see what horrible things her uncle has been up to. The more time that these two spend with one another brings about feelings that they never expected and one accident may change everything forever.

I loved these two characters because they seemed so perfect for each other even though they seemed as though they were exact opposites in the beginning. Jane was a great character and I loved that she was smart and knew exactly what she needed to do to gain her freedom from her selfish guardians. This romance was well-written and entertaining and I enjoyed every minute of this story. I’m looking forward to seeing what is next for Ms. Duran because I enjoy every one of her love stories.

A Lady's Code of Misconduct is the first Meredith Duran book I have read, but it certainly won't be the last! I decided to read the latest offering by this tremendously talented author when looking for a hero who was just a bit different from the usual dukes and viscounts and other titled sorts. Not that I don't like me a nice duke, but I was in the mood to explore how someone not in line for a title or already received of one had lived.

As a politician, Crispin Burke provided that different sort of hero. When we first meet him, he is in fact not what one would describe as hero material at all, being somewhat of a blackguard who would resort to any means to continue his ascendance through the political system.

Jane Mason, our heroine, proved a refreshing character as well. She is an heiress who is under her uncle's control until she marries. The only love her uncle holds for her is for her fortune that he controls as trustee, and plans to further exploit by forcing her into a marriage she does not want. Her uncle and the rest of the family believe Jane to be a simple creature of whom no one takes much notice. They are wrong. Jane is highly intelligent. And she is listening. And plotting.

Crispin needs information about her uncle's dealings and Jane needs help with her plan to gain control of her inheritance and break free from her uncle's hold. Thus an unlikely alliance is formed. But soon, the game changes when the entire dynamic of their relationship is altered due to a near-fatal head injury and amnesia.

Meredith Duran creates a refreshing take on the amnesia trope and makes it a suspenseful and compelling part of the plot. The relationship between Crispin and Jane is beautifully written, as they come to know each other anew and are granted a fresh start as people who differ in some great respects from who they once were.

My only quibble with the story was how a final roadblock to the resolution of their story seemed to be thrown out all at once toward the end of the book. However, the issues between them were cleared up in short order and this certainly did not detract from my enjoyment of the book or from giving it a firm five-star rating. I consider myself lucky that since I hadn't read a Meredith Duran book before, I can now enjoy diving into all of her backlist for more great stories.

Be prepared to stay up all night to see if the villain-hero regains his memory and what will happen to their "marriage" if he does.

Meredith Duran has rapidly become a must-read author for me. Her stories are always amazing examples of the Show, Don't Tell doctrine of writing; her characters feel real and we see real character growth in the story as the romance slowly builds to an immensely satisfying climax.

A Lady's Code Of Misconduct is the fifth in Duran's Victorian-era Rules For The Reckless series, but such is the writer's skill I didn't even realize that it wasn't a standalone novel until I looked at the Amazon page to grab the book cover for this review.

At the beginning of the book, it's made very clear that Crispin Burke is not a very nice man at all. A severe head injury, however, wipes out several years of his memory and effectively gives him the chance to push the reboot button on his live, with the help of his lovely wife, Jane.

The only problem is that Jane isn't really his wife. Desperate to escape an unbearable situation, she forged marriage lines while Crispin lay in a coma, not expected ever to awaken, and fled her abusive uncle's home to reside under the protection of the Burke family.

Watching the two of them together as Crispin slowly comes to terms with the man he used to be was an absolutely wonderful experience. Any author who can make the line "Let me be your villain" feel like the most romantic line in the world (it's right up there with As You Wish for me now) is a true talent and not to be missed.

Five magical stars. I wish I could give it ten.

DNF so I will not be rating it reviewing. Thank you for the opportunity to review this title.

A LADY'S CODE OF MISCONDUCT centers around the story of Jane Mason and Crispin Burke. Crispin Burke is a political associate of Jane's Uncle Philip and doesn't seem to be a very nice person. Ok.. he's horrible. But you never really know what has happened to a person to make them the way they are. Jane is the heir to her father's fortune and her uncle is trying to get control of it because he thinks he deserves it. She's desperately trying to get out of her uncle's house (and out of marrying her cousin) so that she can be free to go and do what she wants.

This story captivated me from the first chapter. It's like an E ticket rollercoaster ride with ups and downs, twists and turns. The characters seem so real it's like they were playing out their story just for me.

Meredith Duran is a new-to-me author and she has a new fan. I recommend this book to anyone who loves the tortured hero, enemies to lovers or plain Jane (no pun intended) heroines.

I received a copy of this ebook from the publisher via Netgalley for my honest, unbiased review.

This was so good! I didn't love how the chapters kept skipping big parts of the story but overall I really enjoyed it.

Although a VERY slow burn on the seduction, this was an interesting twist on redemption via amnesia, as a rotten Victorian MP mends his ways because of a knock on the head and the influence of an heiress on the run from a forced marriage.

Incredibly political with a side of romance. Not my typical reading choice, and I found much of it slightly confusing. Unnecessarily so in my opinion. If you enjoy darker reads or conspiracy theories or political intrigue then you will love A Lady's Code of Misconduct by Meredith Duran.

People have been telling me to check out Meredith Duran's writing for years, but I only just now got around to it. Apologies, everyone I ignored: she is indeed awesome.

This book is a Victorian romance starring Jane – incredibly wealthy heiress and shy wallflower – and Crispin – corrupt politician who will do anything for power, including bribe Jane to spy on her uncle. Jane may be rich, but she has no access to her own money until she marries. Her uncle, her guardian, deliberately makes that impossible by keeping her in the country and not allowing her to meet any eligible men, all so he can continue to embezzle her money. Therefore Crispin's bribe is not cash, but an introduction to a priest willing to forge marriage papers. Shortly afterward Crispin is attacked by thieves and suffers a severe head injury, sending him into a coma he is not expected to survive. Jane seizes the moment and has marriage papers forged in his name – after all, once he dies she will be an independant widow, and that's exactly what she wants.

Unfortunately Crispin recovers, but without his memories. He assumes his marriage to Jane is a love-match, and she doesn't have the courage to tell him otherwise. Particularly once it becomes clear that amnesia!Crispin is kinder, more idealistic, and more honest than the cruel man she knew. Will they fall in love?????

To tell the truth, I'm not usually a fan of the amnesia trope, but this book used it so well that I may have to start seeking out more. I loved the constant testing between Jane and Crispin as each strove to figure out what the other knew/didn't know, and an unexpected twist late in the book just heightened the tension. All the secrets and lies and confusion made for fantastic suspense. The emotional arc of the relationship started with 'well, let's just have sex without making a commitment' and turned into 'oh no I have caught the feelings', which IS my favorite trope. I also liked the vague hints of liberal politics; it's not a major theme of the book, but background mentions of women's colleges and laws to protect prisoners are just the sort of things that are changing the historical romance genre for the better, in my opinion.

Highly recommended, and I absolutely will keep an eye out for more by Duran.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1943085606

Jane Mason is in dire straits. She’s an heiress, but her uncle controls her fortune. After several years, he’s decided it’s time to marry her off. To his son.

Crispin Burke is not a nice guy. He’s pretty much the villain of the piece until Jane, whom he’s ignored for the past several years, the mouse who quietly sews in the corner any time he comes to visit her uncle, until Jane finally does something worth noticing. And boy does he take notice.

But remember how I said he’s the villain? Well, he’s nearly killed. With the head injury comes amnesia. He can’t recall the past five years. And he can’t recall his lovely wife, Jane.

Their marriage was not a love match, but Crispin begs to differ, because he’s smitten the second he sees Jane, er, the first time after he wakes from his week-long coma that is. How could it not be a love match, when he sees all of the best qualities in her?

Jane is a fraud. She and Crispin aren’t really married, but she needed a husband, and fast. Her upcoming marriage to her cousin was nearly strangling her with its impending doom. The doctors had all said that Crispin would die from his head injury, so what was the harm in marrying him, securing her fortune and freedom all in one swoop?

Well, the harm was to her own heart, as it seemed. This new Crispin was wonderful and someone who she could definitely love for all time. If only she hadn’t lied to him. If only he had his memories in tact. If only once he remembered her, he wouldn’t hate her forever.

But with so much between them to overcome, and Crispin’s would-be killer still on the loose, what can they do?

This story is so much bigger than that, though. I’m not an amnesia fan, but I loved this. And it turns out Crispin has risen to aspirations of becoming the next Prime Minister. But when he finds out his methods were less than honest, how can he continue. How can he not?

While Jane and Crispin delve into his recent past, and get closer to the killer, they need to pull in any friends Crispin might have. And it turns out he doesn’t have many. There was a man, the Duke of Auburn, who Crispin went to for help. Is he the same man from The Duke of Shadows? I really need to know this. *

Edit:

*I asked Ms. Duran and she says that Duke of Shadows takes place over the span of several years, and this happened during that time frame.

***ARC courtesy of Pocket Books

Reckless Reward:

The twenty starred blogs (*) below will giveaway one set (Reckless Reward!) of three autographed copies in the Rules for the Reckless series: Fool Me Twice, Lady Be Good, and Luck Be A Lady. You can enter on all participating sites, but you can only win once. To celebrate the fifth in the series, there will be five Reckless Reward giveaways per day beginning publication day, Tuesday, February 28th – Friday, March 3rd. U.S. only.

You know the drill! Comment to enter. And go to the other blogs to maximize your chance to win!

~Highland Hussy

The amnesia plot was surprisingly well done, giving the somewhat villainous main hero a reason to look outside of himself and change. There were some elements which were surprisingly cartoonish (booby-trapped house?? Mad inventor?) but overall a fun read.

I've never read Meredith Duran before, and I had no clue that this was #5 in a series, but oh my goodness, she is now on my list of authors to auto-buy because this was so good! There were so many nuances and the slow burn was perfect. Jane was a great and smart protagonist, and the relationship between her and Crispin seemed realistic and built upon friendship and respect. I will be going back and reading the first four in this series. Highly recommended!