Megan Frampton: Lady Be Reckless

The Duke’s five daughters have beauty, breeding, and impeccable reputations. Or at least, they did. Now that two have chosen to follow their hearts, can the others be far behind?

Lady Olivia refuses to repeat her siblings’ scandalous mistakes. Instead, she will marry the lord rejected by her sister and help with his good works. When he resists, Olivia forms another plan: win his lordship’s admiration by helping his illegitimate best friend find a bride. How difficult can it be to transform the rakish Edward Wolcott into a gentleman? To ignore his virile good looks? To not kiss him in a moment of impulsive madness? Apparently, very difficult indeed.

Edward Wolcott promised his ailing father he would marry well, and it appears Lady Olivia wishes to assist him. The sparkling firebrand intends to smooth his way through London’s ballrooms, parlors, and eligible ladies, while all Edward’s thoughts suddenly revolve around bedrooms . . . and Lady Olivia herself. Only a scoundrel would seduce the duke’s most dutiful daughter. And only a truly reckless lady would risk everything to be in his arms . .

I can’t find an official name for this trope, so please help me out. I am calling it the Help Another Find A Lover trope. Familiar to both historical and contemporary romance, this is when the heroine (or hero) works to help introduce/makeover/otherwise prepare the hero (or heroine) for love. I generally like this trope, as it’s a good vehicle for two unlikely friends to fall in love. Frampton uses it to advantage and helps it steer clear of dipping too deeply into misunderstandings trope.

This is an early Victorian romance featuring one of the “Duke’s Daughters” (part of a series). I read as a stand alone and didn’t feel out of touch. There aren’t a ton of noticeable differences between Regency and Victorian in this particular romance because its set in the late 1830s, so Reg readers will find a lot familiar. There are the typical mass market liberties with history, so sticklers beware.

The hero, Edward, is a bastard who has a great relationship with his father, a wealthy merchant. His father’s failing health is the impetus for Edward wanting to marry quickly, and preferably someone from Society. He also agrees to help his bro Bennett out with a “problem”.

Enter Lady Olivia. Rebuffed from her long standing crush Bennett, she is looking to do something that will prove her worth to him. Why not help his bestie find his path through the Ton? Its part of her whole new self-improvement schtick to become a lady of self worth. Never mind that usually involves minor acts of charity. She is sure she can make Edward well-loved by the upper orders.

Lady Olivia is trying to be a good person, but still pretty self-centered. She comes by it honestly, her mama is pretty Duchess-y. Luckily, Frampton provides her with a good character arc that slaps the silly right out her mouth by the end. Edward gets his own arc, really coming into his own. He is not really alpha or beta, existing somewhere in the middle. He is a likeable hero who demonstrates real connection, love, and seems to be hot for Lady Olivia from first glance.

There are some steamy scenes of the virginal heroine variety, so fairly vanilla but still sexy nonetheless.

On the whole, this is a book you will either enjoy or hate, depending on your chemistry with the heroine. I like characters with flaws, but hers provides a really sour first impression that may be difficult to overcome. Most of the action is really character driven, so when you don’t like the characters it may be difficult to slog through.

Frampton has some nuggets of humor, which is always welcome, and for those looking to delve into a sexy historical series, this is a safe bet.

5 Stars 3.75 out of 6 A spoiled deb helps a bastard find his way…to her heart