My favourite in the series so far. I really enjoyed the characters and the dialog. An enjoyable read. ( )

I was not impressed with the first two books in this series, but I did enjoy this one. I like it better than the first two combined with a whole star to spare! It's an interesting premise and was carried off successfully. I was curious to learn the secrets until they were revealed, and there were aspects of each that I could not guess. The heroine definitely had quite a judgy streak, but overall I liked both main characters. And the supporting cast too really. Glad I stuck it out with this series.

One thing that I was *not* impressed by was the use of a tired stereotype. Obviously gay people are not excluded from villainy, but the 'gay villain' trope has been used disproportionately, and should be retired until it's no longer such a go-to. This villain could have just been said to be impotent and everything else could have remained exactly the same, minus the casting of dispersions on a minority much more likely to be the victims of violence than the perpetrators. There was no reason to suggest that he was perhaps gay, like that totally explained his cruelty. This book was published in 2009, and it was already an overused and lazy trope then. I'm not taking off a star, but it was still lame. ( )

Tras la muerte de sus padres, Margaret Huxtable ha tenido que dedicar su juventud a cuidar de su familia. Ahora, a sus treinta años, va siendo hora de que se ocupe de sí misma, y todo apunta a un razonable matrimonio con el marqués de Allingham, pero cuando salen a la luz los turbios secretos de Allingham el compromiso se rompe.

Es entonces cuando entra en escena Duncan Pennethorne, conde de Sheringford, que solo heredará la fortuna familiar si se casa antes de que su abuelo cumpla los ochenta.

A much less problematic outing that the first book in this series and a bit more developed couple than the second. I enjoyed how forthright and straight-shooting Meg was when it comes to pretty much every situation. I always hated that she essentially put her life on hold to make sure her siblings had a chance at happiness and success, so watching her turn thirty and still have no life of her own made me want to cheer her on no matter how absurd the story was. As it turned out, I really liked the hero, too. I knew he couldn't be the cad everyone claimed, so like Meg, I wanted to understand his true motivation. These characters really brook no nonsense; even when some road block turns up, you never feel like they dial up the drama just because. They resolve issues better than anyone else in their collective storylines, I think. Definitely my favourite of the first three. Now to see if Stephen's story lives up to this one. ( )

After reading the rest of this delightful series, it's wonderful to see the eldest sister, Margaret Huxtable, finally find love! Her character is fun, admirable, and she's a heroine that's easy to adore. When she runs into the Duncan Pennethorne, the infamous Earl of Sheringford, at a ball, things move quickly and what starts out as a little white lie quickly turns into a scandal that can ruin them both. As her family warns her away from this dangerous man, Margaret can't help but think there's something more to his story than the Ton's gossip suggests.

Marriage is the last thing Duncan wants, but with an ultimatum from his grandfather and his inheritance on the line, he's going to have to do the best he can and wed before his Grandfather's 80th birthday. With only 14 days to decide, when a lovely woman falls into his arms, he can't help but pounce on the opportunity. Will his rash decision cost Margaret her happiness? Or will getting entangled with the notorious Earl be the best thing that ever happened to her?

This is a lovely story that's a must read for any lover of romance novels. ( )