Eleven scandals to start to win a duke's heart

*Starred Review* Juliana Fiori knows everyone in the ton is just waiting for her to fail, and take after her scandalous mother, a marchioness who abandoned her husband and family to run off with an Italian merchant. For the sake of her newfound British family, Juliana is doing her best to avoid any hint of impropriety, but she finds herself continually falling short of the high standard of decorum set by the likes of Simon Pearson, Duke of Leighton. This only prompts her to want to prove to Simon that anyone even th. Duke of Disdai. can be tempted to throw society's rules away in the name of passion. What Juliana doesn't know is that Simon is much more familiar with scandal than she imagines, and that he isn't about to risk everything he's worked so hard to attain just for romance. All of the elements readers have come to expect from literary supernova MacLean can be found in her latest exquisitely crafted historical Regency, from clever plotting to a perfectly matched hero and heroine, well-conceived secondary characters, and an abundance of scintillating comedy and sexy romance.--Charles, Joh. Copyright 2010 Booklist

Recently reconnected with her twin half-brothers, Italian-born Juliana Fiori derides London society. Having their mother abandon the boys 25 years earlier and then her daughter as well makes the whole family subject to gossip. Juliana does seem prone to her own form of brash behavior, so is it any wonder her escape from a drunken lord during a ball leads her to hide in the carriage of the one man who would consider her a scandal? Simon Pearson, the Duke of Leighton, is devoted to adhering to ton strictures and avoiding any blot on his name and reputation. His marriage to a very respectable young woman will ensure such propriety. Yet somehow he is engaged in a wager with the outlandish Miss Fiori whereby she will force him to admit that "not even a frigid duke can live without heat." Verdict MacLean (Ten Ways To Be Adored When Landing a Lord) brings the trilogy of the St. John family to a rollicking end with this delightful story of a high-spirited young woman trying to fit in and a straight-laced duke who comes to realize that a touch of scandal might be good for the heart and the soul. Witty and deeply involving, MacLean's latest should not be missed.-Bette-Lee Fox, Library Journal (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.