Luck Be a Lady by Meredith Duran
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
My Favorite of the Series
“Since their first meeting, she had wondered about him. He was so very . . . free . . . in this attitudes and behavior. She had never met anybody like him.”
FINAL DECISION: Lovely story with a sexy and charming self-made rogue and a strong woman who wants to make her own way. LUCK BE A LADY is steamy and dramatic and filled with deep emotions. It satisfies fans of the series but also can be thoroughly enjoyed by new readers.
THE STORY: Catherine Everleigh is talented and has wanted nothing more than to work in her father’s auction house her whole life. Her father left the auction house in equal shares between Catherine and her brother, but Catherine cannot control her share until her marriage. Known as the “Ice Queen”, Catherine is a spinster with no desire for marriage, but she will sacrifice in order to save the auction house. Her brother has begun to embezzle from the business and Catherine knows that there is no time to lose. In her desperation, she turns to Nicholas O’Shea and proposes a marriage of convenience. Nick is a survivor and a crime lord who is moving into legal operations. He agrees to Catherine’s proposition in order to protect his own turf and because he has wanted Catherine for a year. While their marriage is supposed to be all business, Nick intends to seduce the ice queen.
OPINION: I absolutely loved the characters in this book. Nick is dashing and naughty and incredibly wonderful. A man who has made something of himself despite all odd to the contrary. He is also incredibly respectful of Catherine’s abilities. That is what she ends up appreciating most. He likes her mind and her strength and is not threatened by her. Catherine is proud and smart and hard working. She is a working woman in a society that has no appreciation for her talents. In the prior book in the series, LADY BE GOOD, I didn’t like her very much. Through Duran’s talents, Catherine is made entirely sympathetic here. These are complex and fascinating characters and I didn’t want their story to end because I liked them both so much.
I am a huge fan of social mismatch stories and this story is a good one. Their match is so inappropriate that Catherine uses it as blackmail. The romance is deep and adult and there are not silly misunderstandings. These two people learn to talk to one another, to see things in each other that they did not expect and to fall in love.
The plot is also exciting as well. There are unexpected twists that kept me turning the pages quickly even as I wanted to savor the story. The story was complete and satisfying but at the same time I was sad when I finished the last page because I loved these characters so much.
WORTH MENTIONING: Fans of the series will get a surprise appearance by a character who readers met before and who plays an important role in this book.
CONNECTED BOOKS: LUCK BE A LADY is the fourth book in the Rules for the Reckless series. Although there are appearances from characters from the series, this book can be read as a standalone.
STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.