A Superb Super Great Read!
Definitely a five star buy buy buy book!
It is not so often that you come across a book that you consider special. This is definitely one of those. The characters, the complexity as well as the story line itself is one that amazed me in how it was carried through. It truly is a very special read. It engrosses, it paints a picture in the mind, you become attached to the characters and just wish it would go on for a long time. Good versus evil. Sensuality and romance. Love and laughter. Sharing and life. Passion as well as suspense. This had it all! The author is one of a talent that is rare in capturing, enthralling, entertaining and then leaving you wanting another story by them immediately. I was given this book in return for an honest review. Regards, Anna

Wow! This historical romance was a significant step above the rest. Very fresh and unique! Duran took a couple tropes and completely flipped the script. I was so impressed at the fascinating, intriguing plot beyond the romance. The other elements of the plot and how they impacted the romance were what really kept the pages turning. I loved that the hero started out as a despicable person and the tension and character development that caused. I also loved that the heroine made choices that didn't put her in the greatest light and had to come to terms with those too. And usually I can't get on board with amnesia, but this was done so well it wasn't even a case of liking the story despite the amnesia thread--but that the amnesia thread was a huge part of what made the story so interesting! Overall, I was extremely impressed with this novel and am already looking up Duran's backlist!

*4.5 stars*

Surprisingly excellent, nuanced historical romance that can be completely read as a stand-alone. Don't be afraid to jump into this series at book five because A Lady's Code of Misconduct should NOT be overlooked.

I read a good deal of historical romance but Meredith Duran has a very unique writing style that stands out from the rest. There is something about her writing that does a few things to me. First, it makes me... pause. There is a way she writes that comes across at first as... formal? Stiff? Overly intricate? I'm not sure how to describe it. It isn't typical, that's for sure. But what starts off as feeling a little cumbersome quickly transforms, and I always find that her words end up holding a ton of power. Her books transfix me. This book transfixed me.

I always love a great enemies-to-lovers trope, and this book takes that to the next level. It is also an amnesia-trope book, which can bit hit or miss for me. The author took a few concepts that could have come across as cheesy or overdone and really turned it into something grand. Something really powerful.

I loved that the romance was slow-burn. It really needed to be for the story to make sense, though I wish there was a little more page-time devoted to after these two finally make it happen. It felt a little abrupt towards the end, though I didn't really mind in the grand scheme of things. What Meredith Duran did perfectly was build-up true feelings and emotions between her MCs. It felt organic and very well done.

The plot was also very interesting with just enough intrigue and scheming for it to keep me on my toes. It was also a rather feminist historical romance with a smart, independent female MC, and though it felt more historically accurate than most of the historical romance I've been reading recently, it also felt relevant to modern readers.

A extremely well-plotted, smart historical romance, Meredith Duran really outdid herself with A Lady's Code of Misconduct. You shouldn't pass this one up.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review.*

Jane Mason has been living with her uncle ever since her father’s death. Trapped in the countryside and fearing her uncle and his theft of her fortune. He wants her to marry his son so he can have control of her fortune. Jane strike a deal with the most dangerous man she knows, Crispin Burk. Crispin Burke’s past has taught him to trust no one. He uses everyone to his advantage by any means possible. He’s attacked and a single mistake shatters his life, it is Jane who holds the key to his salvation. Jane fears he will remember everything, she’s undecided does she stay with Crispin as his wife or does she flee and start her new life on her own. The love between Crispin and Jane develops slowly as they learn to trust each other; they start relying more and more on one another. A wonderful story of two people who become friends, partners and lovers and find their HEA!!!
I received an ARC copy from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

A Lady's Code of Misconduct is a romance about a young man who is master manipulator and a young lady who is willing to do whatever she can to escape an unwanted marriage and the evil guardianship of her uncle.

When we first meet our heroine Jane, she is a quiet ghost of a girl who tries to stay in the shadows of her uncle's home as much as she can. She is clever and quick-witted but she hides these aspects of her personality for the sake of her own self-preservation.

When our questionable hero Crispin is introduced, he is very much a predator, always on the look-out for a victim to bilk or to exploit in his quest for more power.

I liked Jane from the beginning and empathized with her over her powerlessness and precarious position in society. Women of her time were truly at the mercy of their male relatives and her uncle had very little mercy held in store for her. I understood completely her plot to escape her uncle and applauded her attempts and ultimate victory.

Crispin isn't terribly likable in much of the book, but honestly I can't imagine that Duran intended for the reader to think he is a nice guy from the beginning. I ended up liking him well enough, but I never quite understood what really caused him to be as big of villain as he was in the start of the book. I get that his family failed him and treated him shabbily but there were things he did that seemed borderline sociopathic. I get that his little boy feelings were hurt real bad but that doesn't excuse everything.

Also, I found the political aspects of the book super boring. I don't enjoy reading about 150 year old fictional political machinations in Victorian England. Call me crazy. I can see why this info was important to the storyline. However, I had to drag myself through the political parts of the book.

I would recommend this book to romance fans and feel that it is a great example of a well written period romance with an HEA.

The first scene in the book finds Crispin Burke near death. Attacked and left to die, he awakes to his parents hovering over him, both quite distraught. He also awakens to discover he’s missing a chunk of his memory including that of his wife.

We’re then taken back three months, where I wondered if Crispin was a hero or a villain. The thought crossed my mind more than once in the early stages of A Lady’s Code of Misconduct. Maybe villain is too harsh a word. The word wicked comes to mind.

Her heel squeaked on the first step. Burke obviously heard it, for he called after her. “Miss Mason.”

She laid a hand on the banister and continued to climb, pretending to be deaf.

“Jane Mason,” came his low purr, much closer. “Where do you think you’re going?”

And maybe a tad sinister? I immediately took to him in this scene. LOL. I know, what does that make me? He’s an MP with ambitions to occupy 10 Downing Street, and has an uneasy alliance with our heroine’s uncle.

Heiress Jane Mason is in hell. After the death of her parents, she’s forced to live with her father’s brother and his family. It’s her fortune that keeps them in comfort and they prefer to keep it that way. In order to maintain control of her money, the only marriage her uncle will allow is the one to his son Archibald. Jane, on the other hand, has other plans. She’s determined to escape and goes to desperate lengths to do so. Enter Crispin. Now don’t think you know how this is all going to play out. You don’t. I didn’t. Not exactly.

I felt for poor Jane. Her situation is intolerable. She becomes a shadow of herself living under her uncle’s roof, hidden away from society and guarded like a prisoner. When Crispin’s situation gives her an opportunity to escape this life, I don’t blame her for taking it. Her deceit is understandable. It helps that Crispin is altered from the man he used to be. That he becomes the kind of man Jane can care about.

The big question is what was Crispin like before. We only get a brief glimpse of the former Crispin. Was he as corrupt as we’re led to believe? I held my breath awaiting the answer to that one. In the meanwhile, I loved getting to know the new man. I loved the way he is with Jane and how she reacts to the change in him. Their romance is a slow burn that blazes hot and has an enduring fire. The love scenes are sensual and particularly well-written.

As you might imagine, given Crispin’s aspirations to one day become Prime Minister, there is some political drama and it’s a well-developed storyline about a bill Crispin once championed. I thought the subject matter was timely and pertinent, reflecting some of the issues we’re dealing with today. Then of course there’s still the matter of who tried to kill Crispin and why…

Meaty. That’s the word that comes to mind when I think of a term to describe this book. Beautifully written is the second. Meredith Duran is a fantastic writer, and in A Lady’s Code of Misconduct she creates two real and captivating characters in Jane and Crispin. Intrigue, politics, family drama and romance, their love story has it all.

~ Beverley

A Lady's Code of Misconduct is the fifth book in Meredith Duran's "Rules for the Reckless" series, though you don't need to read the whole series to enjoy each book. The basic premise is that an heiress, Jane, is being kept cloistered at her uncle's home in the countryside so he can make free use of her fortune with no worries about her getting married (to anyone besides his son, that is). Ruthless MP Crispin Burke, a friend of her uncle's and generally unlikable guy, tries to help her out of her predicament, but soon ends up being attacked and losing five years of his memories. Jane's and Crispin's relationship develops from there in an unorthodox way, and they do, of course, live happily ever after. It is, after all, a romance.

Overall, I liked this book. I liked the characters' initial dislike of each other and that even early on Crispin showed signs of being a decent human underneath it all. Still, I didn't like how completely his personality changed while he had amnesia. I didn't like that Jane lied to him for so long, even when there were obvious opportunities to come clean. I also really didn't like the ending. The castle was a weird thing that just wasn't believable (and if this was based on something real, my apologies to the author).

I would have preferred to see more interactions between Jane and Crispin before he was attacked, but I can see why that wasn't the author's focus. I thought their relationship developed nicely and at a reasonable pace, though I didn't like that both characters treated Crispin as two different people (before amnesia and now). It was a little strange and I'm not sure it was all that necessary.

Despite its shortcomings, though, I'd recommend this if you enjoy light historical romances. I've enjoyed reading Meredith Duran's novels, even if they do have some shortcomings for me. They're a great break between heavier reads and this book in particular had enough in it (both romance and subplot) to keep me interested. I gave it three stars.

*ARC from Pocket Books via NetGalley

Everyone who I know that has read A Lady's Code of Misconduct has said nothing but amazing things. When I got a chance to read this book early I was thrilled and I dived into it as soon as I could and Oh My Gosh , this story was amazing!!!

In this book we follow Jane and Crispin and just from reading the blurb you can see just how complicated there story is already . Crispin get attacked and because of that he does not remember anything that has happened recently however he wakes up and he is married to Jane . However we find out that the wedding is fake and Jane goes along with it because of Crispin condition . I loved Jane and Crispin together, watching these two navigate around each other was just so entertaining, the closer they got was the more I could see how perfect they are for each other . I was rooting for these two no matter what happened in this book . The romance was sexy and swoon worthy .I loved every minute of it,so much going on this book !! there was never a dull moment, everything was just so so good the romance , the politics , the setting . I could go on and on about things I loved in this book.

A Lady's Code of Misconduct is a excellent addition to the Rules for the Reckless series, it was sexy , addicting and delivered all of the things I love about Regency romance . I am so excited to see what Meredith Duran will write next ! . If you love all these things in your things in your books you should defiantly pick up a copy.

I really enjoyed this. Good writing, interesting plot and complex characters. The historical setting was rich and believable, and Jane was an intriguing and smart heroine. I will definitely be trying more of Meredith Duran's novels.

4.5 stars
A Lady’s Code of Misconduct is the fifth book in Meredith Duran’s Rules for the Reckless series. But have no fear; if you’ve not read this author before, you could jump in right here and not feel like you’ve missed anything. It’s clear that our heroine and hero are enemies from the very beginning of the book, and I like how intricately the author lays the groundwork for their future. There’s no doubt as to where this mutual animosity comes from. But as Jane quickly learns, nothing is ever cut and dried.

Amnesia is a tricky trope to pull off, but I think it was done wonderfully here. When Crispin survives a brutal attack, he has no reason to question his circumstances since he also doesn’t remember the last few years of his life. But Jane remembers exactly who Crispin is, and she’s not going to forget it anytime soon. I loved Jane and Crispin being at odds with each other, and Jane having to educate this man on just how much he lacked scruples. It was clear she struggled with just how much to share, but Jane was trying hard to be as honest as she could about everything except for the secret that could ruin her. But as she soon learns, Crispin was not always the man she’d seen over the last few years, and having (albeit unknowingly) left that man behind, amnesiac Crispin was incredibly charming, and Jane had to really watch herself so she wouldn’t fall for him.
I really loved this story. I loved how both the hero and heroine were introspective and questioning themselves, examining their motives and wondering if they were as upstanding as they originally thought. Their banter was wonderful, and the intensity between them only ratcheted up their chemistry. The mystery here was interesting and didn’t overshadow the story, and the events of this story are pertinent to what’s going on in the world today, but it still fits the time period. I often struggle with historical romance that has a more modern bent to it, but this one felt authentic to me, and honestly, I’m not able to put my finger on why. Maybe it’s because as bold as Jane could be, it was obvious that she’d been worn down and some of the idealism had left her. She was logical and a planner; this wasn’t a woman prone to flying by the seat of her pants. Well, except for the one time. 😉
I really enjoyed A Lady’s Code of Misconduct, and I’m eager to go back and read the rest of this series!

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.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.
Such a page turner, beautifully written. From the very start of the book it’s made clear that Jane & Crispin are enemies. The characters are thoroughly developed & they & you are taken on a gamut of emotions. We weren’t meant to like the pre accident Crispin & I didn’t but that all changed post accident. Jane had styled herself to be almost wraithlike not at all her true nature. The plot was well paced with twists & turns, lies, corruption & above all romance. This was the first novel I’ve read by the author but it certainly won’t be he last

This was a very good read for all by an author who writes romance at it's best. The characters were well developed with thoughts and feelings of their own. I really enjoyed the story line too.
Crispin Burke is a total hunk that is trying to change the structure of power in government. He wants to become the power to insure that government is truly for all people. He has supporters who will scratch his back if he scratches theirs.
Jane Mason lives a very different life than others. She wants to escape her life that is not to her liking from her Uncle's authority. She is miserable and has not being true to herself.
Crispin and Jane have a very lovely shall we say, intriguing moment. She can get help from him if she pays a certain price to him. This is an exciting romance that will rooting for them to have their happy ever after.
I appreciate Net Galley for this ARC title in which I gave an honest review.

Meredith Duran is a new author to me. She is a delight. This was a wonderful story. I loved the plot and characters. I would recommend to others.

This is an author I try to never pass me by. She can do characters that are very relatable and extremely complex. They are never good or bad, rather they tend to be both. And so are the two leads in this story.

Jane Mason is an heiress that is biding her time under her uncle’s roof and putting on a meek indifference while secretly planning to bolt as soon as she can find a husband, and not of her uncle’s choosing. Hiding her true nature, letting her greedy uncle assert his control over her, is something she must get away from and she needs an out quickly.

Crispin Burke is an MP and a political ally of Jane’s uncle and someone she comes to despise as she finds him to be underhanded, ruthless and power hungry. He’s goal of becoming the next prime minister at any cost, she finds abhorring.

I bet I wasn’t the only one struggling to like the hero at the start of this story. But as the story developed and I got to know who these two really were, I felt that the struggles they confronted and choices they made, made them better persons and better partners.

If you’re in a mood for a serious, intriguing and complex romance, this is it.

Melanie for b2b

Fans of Meredith Duran have had a fairly long time to wait between the publication of her last novel – <b><a href="https://bookish29.wordpress.com/2015/09/23/luck-be-a-lady-rules-for-the-reckless-4-by-meredith-duran/" target="_blank">Luck Be a Lady</a></b> – and this new one, which is billed as the fifth in her <b><i>Rules for the Reckless</i></b> series, but I’m pleased to report that the wait, while frustrating, was well worth it. In <b>A Lady’s Code of Misconduct</b>, she has once again dazzled me with the beauty and focus of her writing, and her ability to craft a tightly-knit, intriguing plot and wonderfully complex, imperfect and highly intelligent characters who very quickly take on lives of their own in the mind of the reader.

The story centres around the political career and machinations of Mr. Crispin Burke MP, the second son of Viscount Sibley and most definitely the black sheep of his family. With ambitions to become Prime Minister, Burke has steadily drawn many in the Commons to his side by means of threats, blackmail and bribery; his name is a byword for corruption in parliamentary circles and it seems as though he is about to achieve his goal. His Penal Reform bill, a punitive, unfair piece of legislation, has enough support to defeat the government and unseat Palmerston.

Burke’s closest ally is Philip Mason, a man with as black a heart and as few principals, and who is currently supporting himself and his family at the expense of his niece, Jane, whose father left his considerable fortune to her at his death. Mason is unable to touch the principal amount, but has been syphoning off everything he could for years, and intends to marry her to his son in order to keep the money in the family. Jane is twenty-three, but has never had a season and is not allowed to go beyond the gates, so she has, in effect, been a prisoner for the past six years. But worse than all that is the fact that she has had to pretend to be a brainless ninny for all of that time. Her late parents were progressive, so she was well-educated and brought up to think for herself and not to be afraid to express her opinions – but her uncle believes women should be seen and not heard and Jane has had to suppress that side of herself while she has bided her time and waited for an opportunity to escape.

Finally, that opportunity has arrived – only to be thwarted by the odious Crispin Burke. Even though Jane has encountered him numerous times over the years, this is the first time she has really talked to him or even been close to him, and she is simultaneously surprised and repelled to discover that he holds a strange fascination for her. He’s a beautiful man, no question, but he's ruthless, amoral and rotten to the core and his methods disgust her - but he offers her some advice and a way of avoiding her uncle’s wrath, in exchange, naturally, for something he wants - information on something involving Mason. Jane has no alternative but to agree to do as he asks.

Not long after this, and shortly before the final reading of his bill, Burke is attacked and left for dead on the London streets. Having taken his advice and inveigled her uncle into bringing her to London, Jane hatches an audacious plan, one that was also suggested to her by Burke, albeit with a different outcome in mind. She uses a fraudulently obtained – but legitimate - marriage certificate and announces that she and Burke were recently – and secretly – married. She will shortly be a widow according to the doctors, and her marriage will release her father’s fortune into her hands, meaning that she can finally achieve her dream of travelling to New York and making a new life for herself.

Of course, things don’t go according to plan and Crispin survives – although there are big gaps in his memory and he can remember little of what happened over the past five years. Now caught in a lie, Jane feels guilty and unsure, but decides that she needs to play along with the fake marriage, at least until the legalities surrounding the release of her inheritance are completed. I’m normally a little sceptical about amnesia plots, but didn’t blink when I learned that this book used one, because I knew that Meredith Duran would make it work. She does that and then some; the way she transforms Crispin from a ruthless, conscienceless politician to a man of honour and sound principles who genuinely wants to make the world a better place is brilliant, but more importantly, it’s believable. There are still facets of the old Burke remaining – the keen mind, the devilish sense of humour, the aura of implacability and sense of his being a dangerous man, but the more he finds out about his old self, the more determined he becomes to face the demons of his past, eradicate them and move on.

Because he can’t afford others to see how much his injuries have affected him, Crispin asks for Jane’s help in navigating his way through all his political alliances and connections. She can’t deny that being able, after so long, to use her brain and have her opinions listened to and respected is incredibly flattering and freeing, or that the 'new' Crispin is compassionate, thoughtful, unexpectedly vulnerable and incredibly attractive.

Jane is just as satisfyingly complex a character as Crispin, and her story of self-discovery is equally compelling. Her situation as the virtual prisoner of her uncle evokes sympathy, and her character is set up as a kind of representation of truth and justice... yet as the story progresses, she is shown to have been as deceitful and secretive in her way as Crispin has been in his. The way that she comes to understand herself more, and also to understand what drove Crispin to take the path of blind, conscienceless ambition is superbly done, as is Crispin’s conviction that no matter what he can or cannot remember, his feelings for Jane won’t change. I loved that Jane tries to spare him learning the worst of himself and that when he does, it just makes him stronger and all the more determined to become a better man.

The chemistry between the protagonists is intense, and their romance develops believably and at a realistic pace. Jane gradually overcomes her suspicions and opens herself to the attraction she realises she has long felt for Crispin, even though she can’t quite let go of her fear that the ‘old’ him could return at any moment. And I loved that Crispin never questions his marriage; for him, Jane is his rock from the moment he awakens, building on the hints of interest she sparked in him even before his attack and showing clearly but subtly that his feelings for her run deep.

<strong>A Lady’s Code of Misconduct</strong> is a must-read for fans of this author and of historical romance in general. The political background is interesting, well-researched and smoothly incorporated so the reader never feels as though they are being given a history lesson, and the plot which gradually emerges – relating to the information the ‘old’ Crispin was seeking from Jane – is intriguing and suspenseful. Add in the wonderful romance and two compelling but vulnerable and flawed protagonists, and you’ve got an un-put-downable book which I’m already sure will go down as one of my favourite books of the year.

Historical romance really doesn’t get better than this.

I found this book on netgalley and received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. And, honestly, I really liked it! Meredith Duran is a new author for me and, while this book is the fifth in a series, it worked perfectly well as a standalone novel.

In terms of what I liked about this book, I liked that there were layers to the story – both in terms of plots and sub-plots, but also the character’s personalities grow and shift - no one is entirely good or entirely bad. The heroine, Jane has a hard time reconciling that fact, even about herself. I liked Crispin, though I’m not particularly a fan of using amnesia as a writing trope. Like Jane, I kept waiting for his old and “new” self to reconcile amidst a flurry of anger and verbal fireworks. I like that this book is set in England during the 1860s. This is a time period and location I don’t often read and learning about the politics, reform, and imperialism during the height of the British Empire was fun and enlightening. There were definite class struggles, issues of wealth inequality, crime, and seeing the waning of the Ton and the rise of the merchant class play out in a political arena is probably my favorite aspect of the book. As for the book itself, the writing is well done, the characters are all very well developed (even secondary characters), and the pacing is fairly even throughout.

Overall, I found this book to be a bit deeper than your typical historical romance – not a fluffy beach read – but the politics of 1860s England are a nice mirror for the politics of the US in 2017 and I highly recommend this book for people looking for a distraction from today’s politics or who have a curiosity about how today’s politics could potentially play out.

Here is my review on Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1702411998

Meredith Duran has written a beautiful and emotional romance with A Lady's Code of Misconduct. The amnesia trope could have been trite and unsubstantial; however, in the hands of Duran it serves as a vehicle for a carefully thought-out romance featuring complex characters.

Jane Mason is trapped. As an heiress her funds are locked until marriage, and when her uncle schemes to keep that money in the family by marrying her off to her cousin, Jane decides that it's time for escape. Taking advantage of Crispin Burke's near death situation, Jane forges a marriage with the idea that Crispin will not survive his head injury, leaving her in complete control of her money. Unfortunately for Jane, Crispin does survive, and when he wakes he has no memory of the past five years. So while Jane anxiously awaits the transfer of her inheritance into her own name, she also learns that Crispin is not the manipulative and dishonest politician that he once was. The question becomes whether or not the man that Jane is falling in love with will remain once he regains his memory of the past five years.

A Lady's Code to Misconduct was beautifully written. And the characters were so much more than archetypes. Jane is a woman that has had to hide her identify for years, going from someone raised to speak her mind to being submissive and silent in the company of the family that took her in after her parent's death. That all changes when she finally escapes. With Crispin, Jane starts to become comfortable again with being independent, as well as learn some uncomfortable truths about herself along the way. For his part, Crispin started off the villain, but naturally there is more to his character than dastardly actions and self-serving manipulations. Crispin has been shaped by the past just like Jane, and like Jane he learns that there are new facets to his character. The level of character development in A Lady's Code to Misconduct is the true strength to the novel. Both Jane and Crispin change and develop through the novel and it was a wonderful process to take in as it strengthened the romantic plot of the novel.

To date, this is my absolute favourite novel from Duran. This was a deeply felt romance with complex and interesting characters. The way in which Duran developed Crispin from villain to hero, and all the subtleties that go with that, was masterful. The transformation of Jane was also compelling. I loved Jane's passion for independence and her willingness to accept her own flaws. Perfect characters were not present here, but their movement to self-discovery and forgiveness made for a far more compelling story than a perfect one. So, so good.

I'm going to be honest. When I first got the email about being a part of this blog tour, I was ecstatic. I've only read one Meredith Duran before this (Sweetest Regret, a novella part of a 2015 Christmas Anthology), but that one was so good that I had a bit of a fangirl moment as I responded. I wish that what I got was as good as the anticipation of the thing itself.

From the Publisher:

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...

For me, this book was pretty meh. While I like the characters, I had trouble getting invested in their HEA. A part of this is because neither of them really trust each other. Jane doesn't trust Crispin not to revert back to his pre-amnesia personality or even that love can last. Crispin doesn't trust that Jane loves him for who he is rather than for who she wants him to be (his post-amnesia self). Honestly, I'm not even sure how much they trust each other at the end of the book, which drives me insane.

Another big issue I had was the lack of consent on Crispin's part. He had no choice when it came to marrying Jane and the whole thing was presented to him as a Fait Accompli because the wedding supposedly happened during the period of time that he could not remember. I feel that had that part of the narrative been written from his POV, a lot of women would be arguing that he had taken advantage of Jane and that he was a total monster. Yes, Jane has a few moments of understanding that had the Crispin from the beginning of the book been given the opportunity to marry her, he wouldn't have done it, but this doesn't make her actions okay; they make them even worse. I get that from her perspective, Crispin was as good as dead and was the only way she would escape from a bad situation. This doesn't, however, absolve her of her sins. Had she come clean with him earlier (say one of the many times she had the opportunity to do so) I don't think I would have had as much trouble with this.

The other thing that bugged me was the way the amnesia was handled and how it was resolved. I have to give Ms. Duran props for not making Crispin's amnesia complete and total retrograde amnesia. I don't know how many books I've seen in my 15+ years of reading romance where the hero or heroine lost all of their memories from a slight bump on the head, but I do know that I have never once read it done well. This was the closest I've found so far, but there were still some problems. Granted we don't know all that much about how the human brain works, but it doesn't make sense to me that Crispin would lose an entire five-year period. What I do know about the way the brain works is that there is no one section where memories are kept, so I have trouble accepting that 5 years worth of memories were all in the damaged part. The resolution of Crispin's amnesia was also problematic. I'm not going to spoil it, but Ms. Duran relied on a pretty standard romance trope in having Crispin's memory come back the way it did--and it is a trope that needs to disappear. Let's leave it at that.

What saved the book from being a total flop for me was Ms. Duran's prose. Ms. Duran has a way of painting a picture with her words, of making the reader experience them with all of their senses, adding to the power of the scene she has set.

"The silence felt unnatural, thick and somehow staged. In any other neighborhood, one would catch the spill of conversations, of cooking pots knocking together, of children's quarrels and cries." (Duran, 56)

It is easy to picture this. Everyone knows that type of neighborhood, where the houses are close together and when the windows are open in the summer, you can hear everything that happens inside them. With just one sentence, Ms. Duran was able to tell us that there was something wrong with the place where Crispin found himself.

Her dialogue is also wonderful. At one point, Crispin gives a speech to the House of Commons, attempting to stop a bill he wrote prior to his attack from being passed and sent on to the House of Lords.

"Should I, lying on that pavement, bleeding to my death, felt no worse than a man robbed of his cuff links? Should I have wished for my murderers to receive the same terms of imprisonment as a boy who stole bread?" (Duran, 260)

Again, what a picture she has painted for us. Of course, no one "bleeding to [their] death" would actually be thinking about that, but it is a provocative message about the ridiculousness of such a law. The whole portion of the book that was about this bill intrigued me, purely because of my background in Criminal Justice and the debates over the constitutionality of the Three Strikes Rule, particularly how it is implemented in the state of California where a third strike warrants the same penalty as murder no matter what felony the person commits, which in essence teaches criminals to aim high if they're going to end up in jail for life anyway. Maybe if Ms. Duran had written the arguments against the law, we wouldn't have it plaguing people today.

Sitting here, writing this review, I find myself going back and forth over what my rating should be simply because I did enjoy the time I spent reading this. There wasn't anything absolutely atrociously wrong with it, but with all of the issues I've outlined above, I can't in good conscience give it anything above average, no matter how much I liked the writing.

3 Stars