2015 book 64

Lorraine Heath's When the Duke was Wicked
This was a fairly interesting historical romance. Our girl is just nineteen and has a huge dowry, so she goes to an old/friend neighbor for assistance--how can she know who truly loves her, and who just wants her money? Of course, she has an ulterior motive--she's loved him since she was a little girl. Meanwhile, he's tormented by the loss of his young wife and daughter to typhus several years earlier, and now lives a very scandalous lifestyle, determined never to fall in love again. That's all fine, and it's fairly obvious how things will go, even when it's hinted that she has a SECRET (the secret is fascinating!!). Plus, her family is also fascinating! I felt like this book was the sequel to a book I hadn't read (though it's the first in this series) b/c her parents' lives/courtship is referred to a bunch and it's crazy! (Her mom grew up in a den of thieves and somehow married a nobleman, she also totally owns a gambling hall.) (OK, I just looked this up, and it IS a sequel series--I gotta go read those earlier ones b/c they sound like they're also full of DRAMA. Look, the author has a chart explaining!! http://www.lorraineheath.com/character-guide.html) There's also some very funny business with the girl and her friends keeping a list of how to tell if a man truly loves them (they also totally sneak smoke breaks). Things get super hilariously crazy toward the end, and even it's all kind of cheesy, I still liked this a lot. A-/B+.