Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart

Romance novels are all about emotional catharsis. The better the book, the more wrung out and satisfied I feel at the end of it. So when I come across one where I just cry straight through the last five chapters, well, that's the dream.

Eleven Scandals to Start...is about Juliana, the Italian half-sister of the St. John brothers who found love in the first two books in this series. I loved Juliana from the first moment. She's feisty and brave. And even though she's unsure about what she wants and what her place in society is, she doesn't let that stop her from defending herself. Her hero is Simon, also known as the Duke of Disdain. He cares for nothing but his reputation, and Juliana confounds him.

But Simon won me over, over the course of this book, in the most delightful way. Interacting with Juliana teaches him that love and family are more important that reputation and tradition. And that a life without fun isn't worth much, even if you have the respect of all your peers. Juliana, meanwhile, learns that there's more to life than passion and impulsiveness. Simon helps her see that she deserves a family and a future and that a place in society is better than a life of isolation.

The two balance each other incredibly well, and I fell in love with both of them. I'm starting to get a good sense of MacLean's world and characters now, and I can't wait to start on her next series. I know that Penelope and Georgiana each have a book, and I hope that Benedick does as well. I love that I can keep coming back to this world where people keep finding love and then supporting their friends and family as they find love, too.

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