Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart
Series: Love By Numbers #3
Author: Sarah MacLean
Published May 1st 2014 by Piatkus

Goodreads Synopsis
She lives for passion.

Bold, impulsive, and a magnet for trouble, Juliana Fiori is no simpering English miss. She refuses to play by society's rules: she speaks her mind, cares nothing for the approval of the ton, and can throw a punch with remarkable accuracy. Her scandalous nature makes her a favorite subject of London's most practiced gossips . . . and precisely the kind of woman the Duke of Leighton wants far far away from him.

He swears by reputation.

Scandal is the last thing Simon Pearson has room for in his well-ordered world. The Duke of Disdain is too focused on keeping his title untainted and his secrets unknown. But when he discovers Juliana hiding in his carriage late one evening - risking everything he holds dear - he swears to teach the reckless beauty a lesson in propriety. She has other plans, however; she wants two weeks to prove that even an unflappable duke is not above passion.

This is the third novel in the Regency romance Love By Numbers trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean - perfect for fans of Lisa Kleypas and Eloisa James
Goodreads

Review
In Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart, the youngest of the St John siblings, the half-sister, Juliana, finds her own romance. We have seen her come across Simon, the proper and pompous Duke of Leighton - also known as the Duke of Disdain - many times in the past, and if she wasn't the daughter of the runaway countess, and an Italian Catholic, she would've been the perfect partner for Simon. However, after his sister's scandal, which the ton don't know about yet, Simon needs to marry quickly, and marry well. With Juliana, there's scandal expected at every stage, and the whole ton seem to be expecting her to fail - she just isn't a suitable duchess for Simon. Well, Juliana has other plans, and she means to prove to Simon that she is just what he needs, one scandal at a time.

I have loved all the little interludes between Simon and Juliana in the previous books, and could not wait to finally read their story, and though I was slightly disappointed, I was ultimately happy with how this series concluded. Juliana and Simon were made for each other, but, by god, it took some time to get through Simon's thick skull, and make him realise that reputation and standing isn't really everything, not at the expense of your own happiness, and your family. Simon could be harsh, and rude to Juliana, and make her feel as little as most of the others in society did, so I hated that part, but in his own chapters we saw that that was him trying to protect his own heart, when trying to force himself into going against his own wishes. It is hard not to love Juliana, and I have ever since she arrived on the scene in Nine Rules. With the added complication of the returning mother, who acts as if she never abandoned her three children and ruined their lives. No matter what I thought of the initial romance, the conclusion of their story, and of the series was better than anyone could've expected, and Simon's declaration was perfect.

Dates Read:
October 25-26, 2020

Rating
4 Stars