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Rules for the Reckless #6
The Sins of Lord Lockwood
Steamy romance sizzles between a resurrected earl and his repentant bride in USA TODAY bestselling author Meredith Duran's latest historical romance.
BACK FROM THE DEAD, AN EARL SEEKS VENGEANCE...
Liam Devaliant, Lord Lockwood, was born into a charmed life. Charismatic, powerful, and wild, he had the world at his feet—and one woman as his aim. His wedding to Anna was meant to be his greatest triumph. Instead, in a single moment, a wicked conspiracy robbed him of his future and freedom.
...BUT WILL HIS LONG-LOST COUNTESS PAY THE PRICE?
Four years later, Liam has returned from death with plans for revenge. Standing in his way, though, is his long-absent bride. Once, he adored Anna's courage. Now it seems like a curse, for Anna refuses to fear or forget him. If she can't win back Liam's love, then she means at least to save his soul...no matter the cost.
BACK FROM THE DEAD, AN EARL SEEKS VENGEANCE...
Liam Devaliant, Lord Lockwood, was born into a charmed life. Charismatic, powerful, and wild, he had the world at his feet—and one woman as his aim. His wedding to Anna was meant to be his greatest triumph. Instead, in a single moment, a wicked conspiracy robbed him of his future and freedom.
...BUT WILL HIS LONG-LOST COUNTESS PAY THE PRICE?
Four years later, Liam has returned from death with plans for revenge. Standing in his way, though, is his long-absent bride. Once, he adored Anna's courage. Now it seems like a curse, for Anna refuses to fear or forget him. If she can't win back Liam's love, then she means at least to save his soul...no matter the cost.
369 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 27, 2018
259 people are currently reading
2486 people want to read
About the author
Meredith Duran
18 books1,834 followersMEREDITH DURAN blames Anne Boleyn for sparking her lifelong obsession with British history. She is the author of twelve novels, all published by Pocket Books. Her debut, The Duke of Shadows, has been translated into thirteen languages and was ranked among the top 100 romances of all time by NPR and All About Romance. Her other books include RITA award winner Fool Me Twice and her February 2017 release, A Lady's Code of Misconduct, which was called one of the best romances of the year by BookList and Amazon, and received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus, the latter of which opined: “This book weaves its spell so thoroughly that the most fortunate reader will be the one who has time to read the entire thing in one sitting.” Her next release, THE SINS OF LORD LOCKWOOD, hits the shelves on February 27, 2018.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 505 reviews
April 25, 2018
I've given this an A at AAR.
It’s been a decade since Liam Devaliant, the Earl of Lockwood, stepped onto the pages of Meredith Duran’s début novel, The Duke of Shadows. Handsome, charming and enigmatic, Lockwood immediately captured my attention, the mention of his mysterious four year absence from society and his obvious discomfiture at the presence of his estranged wife clearly hiding a story begging to be told – and now here it is. The Sins of Lord Lockwood is an intense, angsty story that is sometimes hard to read, but is nonetheless a compelling tale of a man’s struggle to find his place after having his life ripped away from him, and a painful portrait of a marriage rent asunder by hatred and greed.
Anna, Countess of Lockwood and Countess of Forth (a Scottish title she holds in her own right) has learned, second-hand, of the return to England of the husband who deserted her on their wedding night four years earlier – and she’s furious. Furious that she was stupid enough to fall for him all those years ago, furious that he abandoned her, furious she’s heard nothing of him for four years – and furious he hasn’t bothered to tell her he’s back and she’s had to learn of it from the newspapers.
When his wife arrives unexpectedly at his – their – London town house, Liam realises he’s seriously miscalculated. He had thought he would have at least another month before news of his return could have reached her at her home on the Isle of Rawsey – where she retreated after his disappearance – a month in which he could bring to fruition his plan to have his revenge upon the man responsible for having him kidnapped on his wedding night and bundled aboard a ship taking convicts to New South Wales. That man is Liam’s cousin, Stephen, the man with whom he’d grown up and played as a boy, and who he’d looked out for all their lives – but with no direct evidence against him, Liam has to play a careful, devious game behind the scenes. With the help of his friends Julian, Duke of Auburn, and Crispin Burke MP, Liam is putting an end to Stephen’s fraudulent businesses and strategically and systematically bringing his cousin to the brink of financial ruin.
Anna’s sudden appearance in London doesn’t simply make a ripple in the pond of Liam’s careful existence – it throws a large rock into the middle and almost drowns him in the resulting explosion of spray. He doesn’t want to be reminded of the feelings he’d had for her or the man he had been, and he certainly doesn’t want her in harm’s way – but she’s having none of it. Anna will remain in London for as long as she wishes; she will live in their house, she will do as she pleases and Liam can go – or, rather return – to the devil … but not until after he has given her the only thing she wants from him – an heir to the earldom of Forth. Lockwood might not want an heir to his title, but she wants one for hers, and he’s the only means by which she can obtain legitimate progeny.
It’s a nice piece of role reversal to have it be the woman need of an heir; historical romance is littered with stories in which the man marries in order to do his dynastic duty, but rarely have I read a story in which it’s the woman in that situation, so that makes for a refreshing change. But Sins of Lord Lockwood is so much more than a novel in which an alienated couple find each other again because of the need to procreate. It’s the story of two people who still care for each other, but who have been damaged in very different ways and must learn to accept themselves as they are and to allow themselves to love and be loved. Liam’s scars are dreadfully deep, both physically and emotionally; he has taken to hiding behind a variety of different façades in order to prevent those around him from seeing how truly and irrevocably broken he is, and he can’t bear the thought of enduring anyone’s pity – least of all his wife’s. And Anna, an independent, outspoken and no-nonsense young woman, whose pedigree and wealth mean that her ‘eccentricities’ are viewed benignly by society, carries emotional scars of her own that are buried so deeply that nobody could ever guess at them.
The story is, of course, based on a major misconception; Anna’s belief that Liam left her by choice – and he takes no action to contradict that assumption. He constantly evades Anna’s questions, letting her believe him to be nothing more than the heartless gold-digger she has clearly convinced herself he was all along, but Ms. Duran brilliantly counteracts that in a series of carefully placed flashback chapters that chart the development of Liam and Anna’s romance four years earlier. Anna, a great heiress and peeress in her own right needs to find a husband in order to secure the access rights to the Isle of Rawsey and the future of its inhabitants. An impoverished English earl is nowhere on her list of suitable husbands, yet the handsome, charming Earl of Lockwood somehow manages to disarm her and breeze past her defences. For his part, Liam has never met anyone like the Countess of Forth, and even though he knows he can have no chance with her – she’s far too shrewd to allow herself to be wooed for her money – he is very soon smitten with her intelligence and her indomitable spirit as well as her smile and lush figure. These chapters are simply beautiful as they show the younger, unburdened (or less burdened) Liam and Anna falling in love almost against their better judgements and entering into what they tell each other is a marriage for the sake of expediency – and which is clearly anything but.
Both principals are strong, stubborn, flawed characters you can’t help but root for, even at those times you itch to bang their heads together. Anna is independent and strong-willed, but never in an over-the-top, “look at me, I’m unconventional” way – she’s a woman of her time who is able to bend the rules a little because of her wealth and status… and because she can afford not to give a damn what anyone else thinks. When she finally discovers the truth of what happened to Liam she comes out fighting, her fierce championing of him catching him off guard:
“You tried to hide them? [his scars] Why, you should walk naked in the street to boast of what you survived. Other men would learn then what it means to be a man – to survive all that, and to come home triumphant… You are mine and I am keeping you.”
Liam is complex and tormented, so much so that at times it’s difficult to believe he will ever be able to recover from the brutalisation and humiliation he endured at the hands of his captors. The intensity of Anna’s belief him and her unwavering support go some way towards helping Liam to find his way back to his true self, and he is further aided by his great friend Julian Sinclair (The Duke of Shadows), a man who has battled demons of his own, and whose advice, when it comes, is relevant and very much borne of experience. The relationship between the two men, previously glimpsed in the earlier book, is superbly done, and Julian’s presence is thus integral to the story rather than one of those ‘remember me?’ cameo appearances so often found in sequels and series books.
As I said at the beginning, The Sins of Lord Lockwood – who, surely, is more sinned against than sinning? – is an angst-laden story filled with moments of such intensity and raw emotion that it almost hurts to read them. I recognise that it might not suit those who prefer their historicals to be light and fluffy, but angst is my catnip and I enjoyed every single moment of this complex, deeply sensual and beautifully written novel. Ten years is a long time to wait, but when the result is as good as this one… maybe the wait is justified. And when one takes into account all the wonderful novels Ms. Duran has given us in the intervening years, I, for one, don’t feel the least bit short-changed.
It’s been a decade since Liam Devaliant, the Earl of Lockwood, stepped onto the pages of Meredith Duran’s début novel, The Duke of Shadows. Handsome, charming and enigmatic, Lockwood immediately captured my attention, the mention of his mysterious four year absence from society and his obvious discomfiture at the presence of his estranged wife clearly hiding a story begging to be told – and now here it is. The Sins of Lord Lockwood is an intense, angsty story that is sometimes hard to read, but is nonetheless a compelling tale of a man’s struggle to find his place after having his life ripped away from him, and a painful portrait of a marriage rent asunder by hatred and greed.
Anna, Countess of Lockwood and Countess of Forth (a Scottish title she holds in her own right) has learned, second-hand, of the return to England of the husband who deserted her on their wedding night four years earlier – and she’s furious. Furious that she was stupid enough to fall for him all those years ago, furious that he abandoned her, furious she’s heard nothing of him for four years – and furious he hasn’t bothered to tell her he’s back and she’s had to learn of it from the newspapers.
When his wife arrives unexpectedly at his – their – London town house, Liam realises he’s seriously miscalculated. He had thought he would have at least another month before news of his return could have reached her at her home on the Isle of Rawsey – where she retreated after his disappearance – a month in which he could bring to fruition his plan to have his revenge upon the man responsible for having him kidnapped on his wedding night and bundled aboard a ship taking convicts to New South Wales. That man is Liam’s cousin, Stephen, the man with whom he’d grown up and played as a boy, and who he’d looked out for all their lives – but with no direct evidence against him, Liam has to play a careful, devious game behind the scenes. With the help of his friends Julian, Duke of Auburn, and Crispin Burke MP, Liam is putting an end to Stephen’s fraudulent businesses and strategically and systematically bringing his cousin to the brink of financial ruin.
Anna’s sudden appearance in London doesn’t simply make a ripple in the pond of Liam’s careful existence – it throws a large rock into the middle and almost drowns him in the resulting explosion of spray. He doesn’t want to be reminded of the feelings he’d had for her or the man he had been, and he certainly doesn’t want her in harm’s way – but she’s having none of it. Anna will remain in London for as long as she wishes; she will live in their house, she will do as she pleases and Liam can go – or, rather return – to the devil … but not until after he has given her the only thing she wants from him – an heir to the earldom of Forth. Lockwood might not want an heir to his title, but she wants one for hers, and he’s the only means by which she can obtain legitimate progeny.
It’s a nice piece of role reversal to have it be the woman need of an heir; historical romance is littered with stories in which the man marries in order to do his dynastic duty, but rarely have I read a story in which it’s the woman in that situation, so that makes for a refreshing change. But Sins of Lord Lockwood is so much more than a novel in which an alienated couple find each other again because of the need to procreate. It’s the story of two people who still care for each other, but who have been damaged in very different ways and must learn to accept themselves as they are and to allow themselves to love and be loved. Liam’s scars are dreadfully deep, both physically and emotionally; he has taken to hiding behind a variety of different façades in order to prevent those around him from seeing how truly and irrevocably broken he is, and he can’t bear the thought of enduring anyone’s pity – least of all his wife’s. And Anna, an independent, outspoken and no-nonsense young woman, whose pedigree and wealth mean that her ‘eccentricities’ are viewed benignly by society, carries emotional scars of her own that are buried so deeply that nobody could ever guess at them.
The story is, of course, based on a major misconception; Anna’s belief that Liam left her by choice – and he takes no action to contradict that assumption. He constantly evades Anna’s questions, letting her believe him to be nothing more than the heartless gold-digger she has clearly convinced herself he was all along, but Ms. Duran brilliantly counteracts that in a series of carefully placed flashback chapters that chart the development of Liam and Anna’s romance four years earlier. Anna, a great heiress and peeress in her own right needs to find a husband in order to secure the access rights to the Isle of Rawsey and the future of its inhabitants. An impoverished English earl is nowhere on her list of suitable husbands, yet the handsome, charming Earl of Lockwood somehow manages to disarm her and breeze past her defences. For his part, Liam has never met anyone like the Countess of Forth, and even though he knows he can have no chance with her – she’s far too shrewd to allow herself to be wooed for her money – he is very soon smitten with her intelligence and her indomitable spirit as well as her smile and lush figure. These chapters are simply beautiful as they show the younger, unburdened (or less burdened) Liam and Anna falling in love almost against their better judgements and entering into what they tell each other is a marriage for the sake of expediency – and which is clearly anything but.
Both principals are strong, stubborn, flawed characters you can’t help but root for, even at those times you itch to bang their heads together. Anna is independent and strong-willed, but never in an over-the-top, “look at me, I’m unconventional” way – she’s a woman of her time who is able to bend the rules a little because of her wealth and status… and because she can afford not to give a damn what anyone else thinks. When she finally discovers the truth of what happened to Liam she comes out fighting, her fierce championing of him catching him off guard:
“You tried to hide them? [his scars] Why, you should walk naked in the street to boast of what you survived. Other men would learn then what it means to be a man – to survive all that, and to come home triumphant… You are mine and I am keeping you.”
Liam is complex and tormented, so much so that at times it’s difficult to believe he will ever be able to recover from the brutalisation and humiliation he endured at the hands of his captors. The intensity of Anna’s belief him and her unwavering support go some way towards helping Liam to find his way back to his true self, and he is further aided by his great friend Julian Sinclair (The Duke of Shadows), a man who has battled demons of his own, and whose advice, when it comes, is relevant and very much borne of experience. The relationship between the two men, previously glimpsed in the earlier book, is superbly done, and Julian’s presence is thus integral to the story rather than one of those ‘remember me?’ cameo appearances so often found in sequels and series books.
As I said at the beginning, The Sins of Lord Lockwood – who, surely, is more sinned against than sinning? – is an angst-laden story filled with moments of such intensity and raw emotion that it almost hurts to read them. I recognise that it might not suit those who prefer their historicals to be light and fluffy, but angst is my catnip and I enjoyed every single moment of this complex, deeply sensual and beautifully written novel. Ten years is a long time to wait, but when the result is as good as this one… maybe the wait is justified. And when one takes into account all the wonderful novels Ms. Duran has given us in the intervening years, I, for one, don’t feel the least bit short-changed.
February 1, 2018
*4.5 stars*
A truly excellent historical romance. Strong woman, strong man, STRONG chemistry!
I was *this* close to lighting up that elusive 5th star for The Sins of Lord Lockwood by one of my favorite (and very underrated) historical romance authors, Meredith Duran. If it wasn't for my hatred of flashbacks, I would have done it in a heartbeat.
I've actually read a couple of historical romances that have vaguely similar themes to this one, heroes with complicated pasts and PTSD from unspeakable things done to them. However, this story still really shone. The plot was beautifully constructed with layers and layers of interest, and two MCs who felt like fully fleshed out characters. I adored the female MC, Anna, who was all fire and pride and just made of strong stuff. She is a woman to admire, and I wish I was as strong as her in my life. I was inspired by her confidence and her willingness to grow and learn.
The male MC, Liam, was also a man of many facets. He was so much more than a bored aristocrat, and I loved getting to know all of his sides, as dark and sad and resiliant as they were. He and Anna made a glorious couple, and I loved how the book really took its time making the romance develop slowly and naturally. It wasn't rushed, and it was extremely compelling.
If you like historical romances that make you FEEL and root for revenge, redemption, and second chances at love, than The Sins of Lord Lockwood is for you. Actually, I'd encourage you to read the whole Rules for the Reckless series, and Meredith Duran is an author to watch.
*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*
A truly excellent historical romance. Strong woman, strong man, STRONG chemistry!
I was *this* close to lighting up that elusive 5th star for The Sins of Lord Lockwood by one of my favorite (and very underrated) historical romance authors, Meredith Duran. If it wasn't for my hatred of flashbacks, I would have done it in a heartbeat.
I've actually read a couple of historical romances that have vaguely similar themes to this one, heroes with complicated pasts and PTSD from unspeakable things done to them. However, this story still really shone. The plot was beautifully constructed with layers and layers of interest, and two MCs who felt like fully fleshed out characters. I adored the female MC, Anna, who was all fire and pride and just made of strong stuff. She is a woman to admire, and I wish I was as strong as her in my life. I was inspired by her confidence and her willingness to grow and learn.
The male MC, Liam, was also a man of many facets. He was so much more than a bored aristocrat, and I loved getting to know all of his sides, as dark and sad and resiliant as they were. He and Anna made a glorious couple, and I loved how the book really took its time making the romance develop slowly and naturally. It wasn't rushed, and it was extremely compelling.
If you like historical romances that make you FEEL and root for revenge, redemption, and second chances at love, than The Sins of Lord Lockwood is for you. Actually, I'd encourage you to read the whole Rules for the Reckless series, and Meredith Duran is an author to watch.
*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*
November 20, 2018
Reread 11/18: I buddy-read this with Joanna (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2...) and Gaufre https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6... and was super annoying as usual. Again next year, guys?
Buddy Read Thread:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Also, I take back that part below where I said I would reread it and update. I much prefer just basking in this feeling that this book is perfection for me. And I'll say one more thing that occurred to me while reading--there aren't tropes I don't like--there are just authors who can and cannot execute. Meredith Duran executed.
______________________________________
First and foremost, I'd like to thank the many fans who apparently asked for this book. I can't believe it wasn't all part of the plan. Since I have only been reading Meredith Duran and historical romance for a very short time, I'm so thankful she listened to your pleas!
I was absolutely riveted by Lockwood from the first introduction in The Duke of Shadows. A strange, dark charm...I actually didn't realize till late in the book that her new release was to be about him, and I was so happy to hear it.
Now onto the review of this book....
It's almost not fair. What kind of brilliance does it take for an author to understand the human condition, make us understand and empathize with both characters nearly in equal measure, hurt and hope with them, and fall in love with them? A Meredith Duran level of brilliance. I know I haven't been reading romance long, but having read #1, #5,#6 from this series I unreservedly say that she is the one of the best that romance has to offer. Her books are instant classics with their meaty plots, incredible but not miraculous character development, and beautiful words. (Which I'll share upon a second reading).
I am realizing my reviews of her books are far less than adequate. I intend to reread and more heavily review these rich examples of romance. I can tell you in so many ways this book pushes you to the edges of your capacity to understand and creates a little fissure that eventually becomes something you can identify with. Though I still favor Duke of Shadows, this is equally poignant. She's taken flawed characters and made us love them more for it.
I shall stop with the gushing...well through writing, I still have a lot going on my up in my brain over this stunner of a book.
Thanks to Netgalley/publisher for the advanced copy of this book.
Buddy Read Thread:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Also, I take back that part below where I said I would reread it and update. I much prefer just basking in this feeling that this book is perfection for me. And I'll say one more thing that occurred to me while reading--there aren't tropes I don't like--there are just authors who can and cannot execute. Meredith Duran executed.
______________________________________
First and foremost, I'd like to thank the many fans who apparently asked for this book. I can't believe it wasn't all part of the plan. Since I have only been reading Meredith Duran and historical romance for a very short time, I'm so thankful she listened to your pleas!
I was absolutely riveted by Lockwood from the first introduction in The Duke of Shadows. A strange, dark charm...I actually didn't realize till late in the book that her new release was to be about him, and I was so happy to hear it.
Now onto the review of this book....
It's almost not fair. What kind of brilliance does it take for an author to understand the human condition, make us understand and empathize with both characters nearly in equal measure, hurt and hope with them, and fall in love with them? A Meredith Duran level of brilliance. I know I haven't been reading romance long, but having read #1, #5,#6 from this series I unreservedly say that she is the one of the best that romance has to offer. Her books are instant classics with their meaty plots, incredible but not miraculous character development, and beautiful words. (Which I'll share upon a second reading).
I am realizing my reviews of her books are far less than adequate. I intend to reread and more heavily review these rich examples of romance. I can tell you in so many ways this book pushes you to the edges of your capacity to understand and creates a little fissure that eventually becomes something you can identify with. Though I still favor Duke of Shadows, this is equally poignant. She's taken flawed characters and made us love them more for it.
I shall stop with the gushing...well through writing, I still have a lot going on my up in my brain over this stunner of a book.
Thanks to Netgalley/publisher for the advanced copy of this book.
March 16, 2018
Oh, I’m so happy now for giving this book a chance!
Wonderful writing, great dialogues, great story, great hero, even greater heroine!!!! I loved all about this book!
Even the switching between the past and present was excellent! It explained many, many things about both of them and their story!
I appreciated the fact that everything that happens and everything they do and say is absolutely coherent and logical.
I could get Liam’s shame at what was done to him and what he did in order to save lives and to survive. I could get he didn’t want Anna’s pity, or what he thought would be Anna’s pity for him.
I also could get Anna’s anger. She thought Liam has abandoned her and was wandering idly around the world. So, even when Liam tells her the truth she doesn’t believe him – it’s too incredible to be true!
But, after she sees with her own eyes the proof, everything changes! She becomes a she-bear! And what was wonderful, instead of wallowing in self-pity because she was harsh with Liam, she confronts him and challenges him until he opens completely! Soooo very well done!!!
A fantastic book! The first MD books I rate 5 shining stars!
Wonderful writing, great dialogues, great story, great hero, even greater heroine!!!! I loved all about this book!
Even the switching between the past and present was excellent! It explained many, many things about both of them and their story!
I appreciated the fact that everything that happens and everything they do and say is absolutely coherent and logical.
I could get Liam’s shame at what was done to him and what he did in order to save lives and to survive. I could get he didn’t want Anna’s pity, or what he thought would be Anna’s pity for him.
I also could get Anna’s anger. She thought Liam has abandoned her and was wandering idly around the world. So, even when Liam tells her the truth she doesn’t believe him – it’s too incredible to be true!
But, after she sees with her own eyes the proof, everything changes! She becomes a she-bear! And what was wonderful, instead of wallowing in self-pity because she was harsh with Liam, she confronts him and challenges him until he opens completely! Soooo very well done!!!
A fantastic book! The first MD books I rate 5 shining stars!
November 19, 2018
Buddy reread Nov. 2018. Still loved it. As Sam put it, “damn near perfect.”
Unreservedly 5 Stars for this wonderful historical romance. I will say that I think this one benefits from the groundwork laid in The Duke of Shadows and A Lady's Code of Misconduct. It can be read as a standalone, but you would be missing the full impact of this story, in my opinion.
Coming into this story, we knew that the very recently married Lord Lockwood had been abducted and taken to a penal colony. We also knew that his marriage was supposedly a love match and that society thinks he and his wife were on a grand tour during his absence. A question fore front in my mind was why a recently married wife would not have raised the alarm of her husband’s disappearance. While I have found every story I have read of Duran's interesting, there have been times that the romance has felt a little underdeveloped. This was, thankfully not the case here. While a majority of the chapters focus on the book’s present day, it does feature chapter flashbacks to their courtship. The flashbacks are clearly marked and not confusing.
The time of their original courtship was full of hope and promise and two people falling in unacknowledged love. They both had ideas for what their married life would bring, but they thought they had time. Time to understand and grow together as husband and wife. They didn’t, and the wrong words are said. Misunderstandings occur and opportunity is given for a clean abduction. One thing I thought striking was that their story would have been compelling and read-worthy without the separation and misunderstandings, BUT their eventual HEA is all the more sweeter because of it.
Knowing some of the background, it is interesting seeing Anna’s indignation and hurt when they reunite. In her mind, he left her with no word. Her feelings are real and true, and the way the story unfolds and progresses is very well paced and told. I relished reading this every second, and I finished reading with a smile on my face. It is going down as one my absolute favorites, and I can definitely recommend.
*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Unreservedly 5 Stars for this wonderful historical romance. I will say that I think this one benefits from the groundwork laid in The Duke of Shadows and A Lady's Code of Misconduct. It can be read as a standalone, but you would be missing the full impact of this story, in my opinion.
Coming into this story, we knew that the very recently married Lord Lockwood had been abducted and taken to a penal colony. We also knew that his marriage was supposedly a love match and that society thinks he and his wife were on a grand tour during his absence. A question fore front in my mind was why a recently married wife would not have raised the alarm of her husband’s disappearance. While I have found every story I have read of Duran's interesting, there have been times that the romance has felt a little underdeveloped. This was, thankfully not the case here. While a majority of the chapters focus on the book’s present day, it does feature chapter flashbacks to their courtship. The flashbacks are clearly marked and not confusing.
The time of their original courtship was full of hope and promise and two people falling in unacknowledged love. They both had ideas for what their married life would bring, but they thought they had time. Time to understand and grow together as husband and wife. They didn’t, and the wrong words are said. Misunderstandings occur and opportunity is given for a clean abduction. One thing I thought striking was that their story would have been compelling and read-worthy without the separation and misunderstandings, BUT their eventual HEA is all the more sweeter because of it.
Knowing some of the background, it is interesting seeing Anna’s indignation and hurt when they reunite. In her mind, he left her with no word. Her feelings are real and true, and the way the story unfolds and progresses is very well paced and told. I relished reading this every second, and I finished reading with a smile on my face. It is going down as one my absolute favorites, and I can definitely recommend.
*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 1, 2018
“A man is what he makes of himself,” she said softly. “Not what is done to him. And so, too, a woman.”
For a year now (since March 4, 2017 precisely), this has been my most anticipated book of 2018. Period. I know I would’ve been excited and impatient for a new Duran’s book but to have Lockwood as a hero? This took it to another level of expectancy. Ever since I first read The Duke of Shadows, I was intrigued by Lockwood, his secrets, and his relationship with his estranged wife. Then came A Lady's Code of Misconduct early last year which only reinforced the question I had: “Where is Lockwood’s story?” But when the day had finally came and I saw the book magically appeared on my kindle... I got scared to open it. Would my high expectations hinder my enjoyment? Would they be met? Would I be disappointed as I’ve been with a number of the authors I loved in the past? Well, I should've have more faith in Duran and her magic is all I can say now.This is a powerful story that explores fragility and resilience of human spirit, despair and renewal, light and darkness, revenge and forgiveness. It’s a compelling love story between two strong multilayered characters who must overcome tremendous barriers on the road to their HEA.
Liam and Anna. My heart was breaking for them. In the hands of a lesser author the story could’ve been easily turned into a melodrama feast with dreaded misunderstandings. Not here. Every time I felt the deep emotional buildup would crescent into an overflowing territory, the author pulled me in with the flashbacks of their initial courtship almost four years before, the courtship full of lightness, humor, witty banter and loveliness. At times when I thought, oh, no, just explain yourself, don’t torment each other, I either got my wish or the characters gave me a reason to wait.
I don’t necessary like stories with flashbacks but non-linear storytelling works here so much better in my opinion than the linear would. It provides contrast between light and darkness, between who Liam and Anna were before and what their relationship could’ve been if Liam’s kidnapping and imprisonment didn’t happen. It made me understand both characters better, their motivations, their actions, their hurt, their disappointments. The dual POV was masterfully employed for the 360-degree view of their relationship.
I want to say so much more about their relationship but words are failing me. They seem inadequate to express how deftly, for example, Duran characterized Liam’s PTSD. In fact, I believe it’s the best portrayal of the disorder I've encountered in fiction. Claustrophobic, hunted, unable to escape himself. There were moments that left me breathless and I had to step away.
And Anna. I love her strength, her independence (historically appropriate I may add), her determination, her fighting spirit to win Liam's soul and save him from his demons no matter how much he attempted to push her away.
This book is the storytelling at its finest.
February 27, 2018
I freely admit that not every Meredith Duran book has been my cup of tea, but in the Rules for the Reckless series she has impressed me beyond words. Literally. I find it difficult to write a proper review, when all I want to say is, “This book is great. Read it!” Our esteemed editor here at Romantic Historical Reviews, however, insists upon more, so I shall try my best. [Quite right – Ed.]
Liam Devaliant, fifth Earl of Lockwood, who has appeared as a secondary character in previous books, is every young lady's ideal – handsome, charming, honorable, and full of life. Except for one thing: he needs to marry for money. Fortunately for him, he falls in love with Anna,, a wealthy woman who holds the Scottish title Countess of Firth in her own right. In earlier books, Lockwood's four-year absence from England and his fraught relationship with Anna have been mentioned but not explained. Now, we find out what happened, and it is a heartbreaking, but ultimately uplifting, story of love, determination, and victory over one's demons. (Some characters from earlier books – Lord Lockwood's friends – make an appearance, but this book works quite well as a standalone. )
Four years earlier, Lockwood disappeared without a trace on his wedding night, leaving Anna so confused, angry, and embarrassed that she fled to her home on the Isle of Rawsey. One day she is shocked to learn from the newspapers that her husband had returned to London eight months earlier without a word to her. Barely containing her fury, she shows up at the Lockwood town house to find it full of a strange assortment of servants and a Lord Lockwood whom she barely recognizes. Lockwood is not best pleased to see her and thinks he can drive her away, but he has seriously miscalculated. Anna is staying, and she is determined to be a wife to Lockwood in every way, mainly because she wants a legitimate child to inherit her title.
Anna and Lockwood once had been madly in love with one another, although they never confessed it and pretended that theirs was a marriage of convenience. Anna struggles to understand what has happened to the happy, charming man she married. She had assumed that he was larking about, but slowly she comes to realize that something awful happened to him and that his only goal in life is to wreak revenge on the perpetrator. The identity of the villain is no secret to the reader; it is Lockwood's cousin and heir Stephen, who arranged to have Lockwood kidnapped and put on a convict ship to New South Wales so that Stephen could inherit upon Lockwood's “death.” I won't go into the details of what happened during Lockwood's four-year absence, other than to say that he suffered horribly and has returned with what we would now call PTSD. He is so traumatized and ashamed of what happened to him that he goes to great lengths to conceal the truth from Anna, until finally he confesses all and she can't believe him.
This is a beautiful, complex story of two damaged but lovely, and loving, people finding one another again, with some mystery and adventure along with a lovely story of devotion and courage. Meredith Duran is an outstanding writer, and she is at the top of her game here. As with many of her books, there is great angst, and it is sometimes difficult to read. A reader's perseverance will be rewarded though because, as I said at the beginning, “This book is great. Read it!”
Liam Devaliant, fifth Earl of Lockwood, who has appeared as a secondary character in previous books, is every young lady's ideal – handsome, charming, honorable, and full of life. Except for one thing: he needs to marry for money. Fortunately for him, he falls in love with Anna,, a wealthy woman who holds the Scottish title Countess of Firth in her own right. In earlier books, Lockwood's four-year absence from England and his fraught relationship with Anna have been mentioned but not explained. Now, we find out what happened, and it is a heartbreaking, but ultimately uplifting, story of love, determination, and victory over one's demons. (Some characters from earlier books – Lord Lockwood's friends – make an appearance, but this book works quite well as a standalone. )
Four years earlier, Lockwood disappeared without a trace on his wedding night, leaving Anna so confused, angry, and embarrassed that she fled to her home on the Isle of Rawsey. One day she is shocked to learn from the newspapers that her husband had returned to London eight months earlier without a word to her. Barely containing her fury, she shows up at the Lockwood town house to find it full of a strange assortment of servants and a Lord Lockwood whom she barely recognizes. Lockwood is not best pleased to see her and thinks he can drive her away, but he has seriously miscalculated. Anna is staying, and she is determined to be a wife to Lockwood in every way, mainly because she wants a legitimate child to inherit her title.
Anna and Lockwood once had been madly in love with one another, although they never confessed it and pretended that theirs was a marriage of convenience. Anna struggles to understand what has happened to the happy, charming man she married. She had assumed that he was larking about, but slowly she comes to realize that something awful happened to him and that his only goal in life is to wreak revenge on the perpetrator. The identity of the villain is no secret to the reader; it is Lockwood's cousin and heir Stephen, who arranged to have Lockwood kidnapped and put on a convict ship to New South Wales so that Stephen could inherit upon Lockwood's “death.” I won't go into the details of what happened during Lockwood's four-year absence, other than to say that he suffered horribly and has returned with what we would now call PTSD. He is so traumatized and ashamed of what happened to him that he goes to great lengths to conceal the truth from Anna, until finally he confesses all and she can't believe him.
This is a beautiful, complex story of two damaged but lovely, and loving, people finding one another again, with some mystery and adventure along with a lovely story of devotion and courage. Meredith Duran is an outstanding writer, and she is at the top of her game here. As with many of her books, there is great angst, and it is sometimes difficult to read. A reader's perseverance will be rewarded though because, as I said at the beginning, “This book is great. Read it!”
September 5, 2022
**SPOILERS under Sexual History**
DNF @ 34% after H&h's 1st sex scene. I was ready to DNF around 13% but I continued on to see if it'd get better. But found myself getting sleepy and bored every time I'd pick it back up.
First 2 chapters were promising but didn't like h's character and H was only meh. Wealthy Scottish virgin h was a know-it-all virago/harridan type of heroine I don't like. Chapters 3 & on goes back & forth from present to 3.5 years ago, when H&h first met. h was a little general who managed her Scottish properties with acumen and organization. She was very much a business woman in their 19th-century UK world. She was much wealthier and more alpha than H.
H was beta when he met h 3.5 years ago and not quite as beta in the present time and more mysterious. However, he secretly blamed h for part of his torturous years of being kidnapped in a convict ship to Australia. He kept secretly whining & complaining in his POV that h should've reported him missing to the authorities and not have gone back to Scotland, even though he acknowledged that she had no way of knowing that he was abducted. She thought that he abandoned her to travel the world (due to the huge withdrawals from her bank account & her witnessing him walking out of their honeymoon ship after their wedding) or dead (as H's cousin insisted H was). He was miffed that she didn't search the world for him but instead went back to Scotland.
Overall writing was ok. I've enjoyed most Duran books I've read, such as The Duke of Shadows, Fool Me Twice, and A Lady's Lesson in Scandal. But the S chemistry, emotional chemistry, and romance was just lacking in this one. The only sex scene I read was awkward and unexciting and summed up my overall reading experience of this book. So, I stopped.
Sexual History:
No idea if early-20s virgin h was kissed by any OM before meeting H. She was attracted to H and was turned on by him and looked forward to their wedding night. But he disappeared before then, after she saw him walking out of their honeymoon ship and never contacted her by letter or messenger the next 3.5 years. When she found out he was back in London the last 8 months, she stormed into the London house he bought with her money and insisted he get her pregnant with an heir since she didn't want her family inheritance to pass on to some relative. H wanted them to have separate residences and lives in general since he secretly wanted to spare her the knowledge of his kidnapping & torture. He did agree to having sex with her to give her the baby she wanted. But H insisted that they have sex with her blindfolded and her hands bound since he didn't want her seeing the scars concealed with his clothing. She agreed and H devirginized her in that manner. He only lasted a few pumps before he orgasmed since he was still very attracted to her and he'd been celibate since meeting her.
H was sexually experienced and likely with prostitutes. No mention of mistresses. When he came back to London, there were plenty of willing women (prostitutes?) around but he coudln't stand being touched by them and had no sexual desires due to his PTSD from his kidnapping-torture. But seeing her again revived his sexuality.
DNF @ 34% after H&h's 1st sex scene. I was ready to DNF around 13% but I continued on to see if it'd get better. But found myself getting sleepy and bored every time I'd pick it back up.
First 2 chapters were promising but didn't like h's character and H was only meh. Wealthy Scottish virgin h was a know-it-all virago/harridan type of heroine I don't like. Chapters 3 & on goes back & forth from present to 3.5 years ago, when H&h first met. h was a little general who managed her Scottish properties with acumen and organization. She was very much a business woman in their 19th-century UK world. She was much wealthier and more alpha than H.
H was beta when he met h 3.5 years ago and not quite as beta in the present time and more mysterious. However, he secretly blamed h for part of his torturous years of being kidnapped in a convict ship to Australia. He kept secretly whining & complaining in his POV that h should've reported him missing to the authorities and not have gone back to Scotland, even though he acknowledged that she had no way of knowing that he was abducted. She thought that he abandoned her to travel the world (due to the huge withdrawals from her bank account & her witnessing him walking out of their honeymoon ship after their wedding) or dead (as H's cousin insisted H was). He was miffed that she didn't search the world for him but instead went back to Scotland.
Overall writing was ok. I've enjoyed most Duran books I've read, such as The Duke of Shadows, Fool Me Twice, and A Lady's Lesson in Scandal. But the S chemistry, emotional chemistry, and romance was just lacking in this one. The only sex scene I read was awkward and unexciting and summed up my overall reading experience of this book. So, I stopped.
Sexual History:
No idea if early-20s virgin h was kissed by any OM before meeting H. She was attracted to H and was turned on by him and looked forward to their wedding night. But he disappeared before then, after she saw him walking out of their honeymoon ship and never contacted her by letter or messenger the next 3.5 years. When she found out he was back in London the last 8 months, she stormed into the London house he bought with her money and insisted he get her pregnant with an heir since she didn't want her family inheritance to pass on to some relative. H wanted them to have separate residences and lives in general since he secretly wanted to spare her the knowledge of his kidnapping & torture. He did agree to having sex with her to give her the baby she wanted. But H insisted that they have sex with her blindfolded and her hands bound since he didn't want her seeing the scars concealed with his clothing. She agreed and H devirginized her in that manner. He only lasted a few pumps before he orgasmed since he was still very attracted to her and he'd been celibate since meeting her.
H was sexually experienced and likely with prostitutes. No mention of mistresses. When he came back to London, there were plenty of willing women (prostitutes?) around but he coudln't stand being touched by them and had no sexual desires due to his PTSD from his kidnapping-torture. But seeing her again revived his sexuality.
February 8, 2019
Reseña completa: https://masromance.blogspot.com/2019/...
Decididamente Meredith Duran es especialista en crear protagonistas marcados con un pasado duro, nada que ver con tonterías como en algunos NA y aquí, con Liam, no se queda corta.
Me han gustado los dos y también me ha gustado es narración a dos tiempos.
En el pasado vemos a dos personas que quieren un contrato matrimonial pero que terminan enamorándose
Y en la segunda, como los dos, enfadados y con motivos, se vuelven a enamorar....
He disfrutado de su relación, y de esa vuelta a despertar de un amor que estaba dormido.
Tiene escenas duras aunque la autora nos las matiza en exceso, y se agradece pero te haces una idea y la piel de gallina.
Ella me ha encantando, en serio, qué carácter y resolución, con la libertad que le da el ser escocesa.
La escena final con Stephen me ha parecido, sencillamente, genial
Liam no llega a ser Crispin (♥) pero esta mujer me está convenciendo mucho
Lectura recomendable, a ver si me animo con reseña
Decididamente Meredith Duran es especialista en crear protagonistas marcados con un pasado duro, nada que ver con tonterías como en algunos NA y aquí, con Liam, no se queda corta.
Me han gustado los dos y también me ha gustado es narración a dos tiempos.
En el pasado vemos a dos personas que quieren un contrato matrimonial pero que terminan enamorándose
Y en la segunda, como los dos, enfadados y con motivos, se vuelven a enamorar....
He disfrutado de su relación, y de esa vuelta a despertar de un amor que estaba dormido.
Tiene escenas duras aunque la autora nos las matiza en exceso, y se agradece pero te haces una idea y la piel de gallina.
Ella me ha encantando, en serio, qué carácter y resolución, con la libertad que le da el ser escocesa.
La escena final con Stephen me ha parecido, sencillamente, genial
Liam no llega a ser Crispin (♥) pero esta mujer me está convenciendo mucho
Lectura recomendable, a ver si me animo con reseña
June 18, 2018
I started this book a few months ago, but it wasn't really gripping me so I took a fairly long hiatus before finally finishing it. It turned out to be a little disappointing. Not my fav Duran, although not my least fav, either. (That honour goes to this book's predecessor, A Lady's Code of Misconduct)
I did like both H and h of this one. Lock was likeable and a man of integrity. Anna was an appealing h, with her independent streak but her willingness to give herself over to love when she found it. And her deep love for her little Scottish island and its people.
I think it was the plot that didn't fully work for me. Lock's terrible experiences were believable, and the conspiracy behind it was also possible, I suppose. But I did struggle with the fact that both Lock and Anna didn't try to do more about it. Why oh why didn't Anna report her missing husband? Duran did give a partial explanation for this, but I wasn't convinced. What would Anna say to people when they asked about her husband? Oh yes, he popped off for a trip on our wedding day and hasn't been seen by anybody or been in touch for the last FOUR YEARS. But still....... No. That just seemed too far-fetched for me.
And, once Lock was back in England, and when he knew who was the cause of his downfall, why oh why did it take so long for him to act on his knowledge? When he did finally decide to act, it all seemed to be over so quickly and easily, and I was left thinking, why the heck didn't he do this ages ago instead of all the angsting around and all of the drama llama?
And the scene where he met his nemesis for the final face-off also confused me a little. Perhaps I wasn't reading carefully enough, but I missed or didn't fully grasp some explanation of how he was lured to meet with Lock in that particular place. It all seemed a little too pat. And in spite of his past behaviours, the nemesis didn't seem enough of a psychopath to me, and his back story/explanation seemed a bit lame. No doubt there are people out there just like that, but I just felt there wasn't enough there for me to fully 'buy' it.
I also didn't really like the scene where H and h made love and I've read a very similar scene in another book and I didn't like it then either. I think the h would find it weird and creepy and I don't really understand why she agreed to do it. Just because of her uncontrollable lust? Overpowering love for her husband? Hmmm.
*sigh* I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. There were some lovely scenes, but overall it didn't completely gel for me, and I couldn't give more than 3 stars.
I did like both H and h of this one. Lock was likeable and a man of integrity. Anna was an appealing h, with her independent streak but her willingness to give herself over to love when she found it. And her deep love for her little Scottish island and its people.
I think it was the plot that didn't fully work for me. Lock's terrible experiences were believable, and the conspiracy behind it was also possible, I suppose. But I did struggle with the fact that both Lock and Anna didn't try to do more about it. Why oh why didn't Anna report her missing husband? Duran did give a partial explanation for this, but I wasn't convinced. What would Anna say to people when they asked about her husband? Oh yes, he popped off for a trip on our wedding day and hasn't been seen by anybody or been in touch for the last FOUR YEARS. But still....... No. That just seemed too far-fetched for me.
And, once Lock was back in England, and when he knew who was the cause of his downfall, why oh why did it take so long for him to act on his knowledge? When he did finally decide to act, it all seemed to be over so quickly and easily, and I was left thinking, why the heck didn't he do this ages ago instead of all the angsting around and all of the drama llama?
And the scene where he met his nemesis for the final face-off also confused me a little. Perhaps I wasn't reading carefully enough, but I missed or didn't fully grasp some explanation of how he was lured to meet with Lock in that particular place. It all seemed a little too pat. And in spite of his past behaviours, the nemesis didn't seem enough of a psychopath to me, and his back story/explanation seemed a bit lame. No doubt there are people out there just like that, but I just felt there wasn't enough there for me to fully 'buy' it.
I also didn't really like the scene where H and h made love and I've read a very similar scene in another book and I didn't like it then either. I think the h would find it weird and creepy and I don't really understand why she agreed to do it. Just because of her uncontrollable lust? Overpowering love for her husband? Hmmm.
*sigh* I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. There were some lovely scenes, but overall it didn't completely gel for me, and I couldn't give more than 3 stars.
March 1, 2018
4.5 stars!
This is one of those books where you start to seriously doubt whether or not the two main characters would even end up together. There were just too many issues, so much hurt and misunderstanding between these characters that it seems like there might not be a solution to it all.
But Meredith Duran not only made me feel invested in Liam and Anna's story, she also convinced me that these two belong together therefore their love can overcome whatever obstacles they would face in the future.
The Sins of Lord Lockwood is another fabulous addition to Rules for the Reckless. Ms. Duran continues to write vivid and complex characters you can't help but root for. I was completely sucked into the story and its characters.
I highly recommend this author, and this series to anyone who reads or wants to read historical romance.
An ARC was provided by the publisher for this review.
This is one of those books where you start to seriously doubt whether or not the two main characters would even end up together. There were just too many issues, so much hurt and misunderstanding between these characters that it seems like there might not be a solution to it all.
But Meredith Duran not only made me feel invested in Liam and Anna's story, she also convinced me that these two belong together therefore their love can overcome whatever obstacles they would face in the future.
The Sins of Lord Lockwood is another fabulous addition to Rules for the Reckless. Ms. Duran continues to write vivid and complex characters you can't help but root for. I was completely sucked into the story and its characters.
I highly recommend this author, and this series to anyone who reads or wants to read historical romance.
An ARC was provided by the publisher for this review.
March 30, 2018
A solid 3.5 stars because Duran writes really well (except for having no "truck" with something- that is a definite Americanism, but it is the only one). But for me, a disappointing book to follow one of my absolute favourites, A Lady's Code of Misconduct.
Honestly, I didn't really warm to either of the MCs. He was a very damaged man (PTSD) who had been tortured and only wanted revenge. Fair enough. But he was still married and owed his wife at least some sort of explanation. He treated her callously but never said why.
She was an aggressive, plain-spoken Scotswoman who was apparently so used to people "leaving her" (poor thing) that when her husband disappears on the eve of their wedding after they have an argument she hightails it back to Scotland and does not report him missing or institute any sort of search.
Simply too hard to believe, or excuse, especially as he is gone for two or three years. Then turns up again in London. Without contacting her. Spending her money and having parties in her house. Which is of course now his house. Those pesky English inheritance laws again. She is also (weirdly) totally door-mattish when he does his seduction thing, then horribly angry and snarky the rest of the time.
So I couldn't really feel much empathy for either of them. They just annoyed me with their selfishness and need to protect themselves and refusal to take a risk, the risk being to actually have a calm conversation about how they were feeling.
After such remarkable and multi-faceted protagonists in Duran's previous book, whom I both respected and loved, and who grew so much in the course of their story, I have to say I was a bit disappointed. It is not a good sign when I am most of the way through a book and find I don't really care what happens to the MCs. I know I expected a lot. I'm afraid this book just did not fulfil my expectations. Sigh.
Honestly, I didn't really warm to either of the MCs. He was a very damaged man (PTSD) who had been tortured and only wanted revenge. Fair enough. But he was still married and owed his wife at least some sort of explanation. He treated her callously but never said why.
She was an aggressive, plain-spoken Scotswoman who was apparently so used to people "leaving her" (poor thing) that when her husband disappears on the eve of their wedding after they have an argument she hightails it back to Scotland and does not report him missing or institute any sort of search.
Simply too hard to believe, or excuse, especially as he is gone for two or three years. Then turns up again in London. Without contacting her. Spending her money and having parties in her house. Which is of course now his house. Those pesky English inheritance laws again. She is also (weirdly) totally door-mattish when he does his seduction thing, then horribly angry and snarky the rest of the time.
So I couldn't really feel much empathy for either of them. They just annoyed me with their selfishness and need to protect themselves and refusal to take a risk, the risk being to actually have a calm conversation about how they were feeling.
After such remarkable and multi-faceted protagonists in Duran's previous book, whom I both respected and loved, and who grew so much in the course of their story, I have to say I was a bit disappointed. It is not a good sign when I am most of the way through a book and find I don't really care what happens to the MCs. I know I expected a lot. I'm afraid this book just did not fulfil my expectations. Sigh.
March 2, 2018
It seems like I was waiting Lockwood’s story forever!
So, was it up to my expectations?
Yes it was, well then, why didn’t I give 5 stars then?
As some of you know, I don’t like past and present settings in my book.
I don’t mind if the story break down into two parts, where part one in the past and part two in present. But to mixing up like this? Nah...
Here how I feels about Liam and Anna story, I totally love their present time ❤️.
However, just like someone trying to reach the finished line, all the excitement and the spirit there and so looking forward to reach the end, then someone pull you back and offer you a nice drink before let you carry on your journey! Gosh! I feel deflated 😫 and it happened few times! 😠😤
Yes, yes their past story are sweet too and worthy to read too, but I don’t really bother much because I just in hurry to find out what will happen with them next not what was happening before! So yeah, I skimmed the past reading a bit 😬.
So there you go, it was a fabulous story and Liam’s character is so good, Anna needs to do a better job to catching up:) Also, I kind of disappointed with her little bit, what kind of a woman is that who will marry a guy who she thought capable to left her behind just like that? Seriously? She didn’t even bother to report about him missing. Her selfpity aren’t pretty to read but other than that she was ok.
And Liam made up all the story weakness for me:) 😘
I just read Lockwood and Anna part in The Duke of Shadow, again! Sigh.
I just wonder, is that before or after their 4 years separation.
So, was it up to my expectations?
Yes it was, well then, why didn’t I give 5 stars then?
As some of you know, I don’t like past and present settings in my book.
I don’t mind if the story break down into two parts, where part one in the past and part two in present. But to mixing up like this? Nah...
Here how I feels about Liam and Anna story, I totally love their present time ❤️.
However, just like someone trying to reach the finished line, all the excitement and the spirit there and so looking forward to reach the end, then someone pull you back and offer you a nice drink before let you carry on your journey! Gosh! I feel deflated 😫 and it happened few times! 😠😤
Yes, yes their past story are sweet too and worthy to read too, but I don’t really bother much because I just in hurry to find out what will happen with them next not what was happening before! So yeah, I skimmed the past reading a bit 😬.
So there you go, it was a fabulous story and Liam’s character is so good, Anna needs to do a better job to catching up:) Also, I kind of disappointed with her little bit, what kind of a woman is that who will marry a guy who she thought capable to left her behind just like that? Seriously? She didn’t even bother to report about him missing. Her selfpity aren’t pretty to read but other than that she was ok.
And Liam made up all the story weakness for me:) 😘
I just read Lockwood and Anna part in The Duke of Shadow, again! Sigh.
I just wonder, is that before or after their 4 years separation.
March 24, 2018
ARC provided by Edelweiss and Publisher in exchange for an honest review
3.5
A little late in the review, but here it is.
Alexander Earl of Lockwood married wealthy heiress Anna Wallace. More a marriage of convince for both. Alexander was without funds, hence marrying a heiress. Anna, was not able to inherit her beloved island Rawsey until marriage. The two met, got along well and were attracted to each other as well. So they married, but on their wedding night a spat ensued and Alexander disappeared for years.
Alexander was kidnapped by his cousin (he believes) on his wedding night. He is beaten and imprisoned for years. Anna, believes her husband has deserted her.
Anna, learns her husband is alive and back in London, spending her money and throwing grandiose parties. After a few months of no word from him she arrives at his townhouse during one of his drunken parties.
Alexander portrays himself as coarse and oafish at times. He his hiding all the pain and trauma he's endured. He has only one thing in mind, revenge. Anna, is shocked and appalled at the state of his residents and those he has employed. She's determined to clean things up and straighten up the workers. Also wondering whatever happened to Alexander. Alexander doesn't want to share or reveal what transpired to him over the years. Both have a lot of hurt, unanswered questions and trust issues. Trust issues is an understatement.
My issue with the story was the push and pull of the relationship. Felt it took too long for the revelation of his past. Also flash backs of their courtship and dating threw me off at times. Not necessarily smooth for me. Also the revenge and cousin plot weighted in too much into the story dragged out a little much.
Love this author and will continue to read her future books.
3.5
A little late in the review, but here it is.
Alexander Earl of Lockwood married wealthy heiress Anna Wallace. More a marriage of convince for both. Alexander was without funds, hence marrying a heiress. Anna, was not able to inherit her beloved island Rawsey until marriage. The two met, got along well and were attracted to each other as well. So they married, but on their wedding night a spat ensued and Alexander disappeared for years.
Alexander was kidnapped by his cousin (he believes) on his wedding night. He is beaten and imprisoned for years. Anna, believes her husband has deserted her.
Anna, learns her husband is alive and back in London, spending her money and throwing grandiose parties. After a few months of no word from him she arrives at his townhouse during one of his drunken parties.
Alexander portrays himself as coarse and oafish at times. He his hiding all the pain and trauma he's endured. He has only one thing in mind, revenge. Anna, is shocked and appalled at the state of his residents and those he has employed. She's determined to clean things up and straighten up the workers. Also wondering whatever happened to Alexander. Alexander doesn't want to share or reveal what transpired to him over the years. Both have a lot of hurt, unanswered questions and trust issues. Trust issues is an understatement.
My issue with the story was the push and pull of the relationship. Felt it took too long for the revelation of his past. Also flash backs of their courtship and dating threw me off at times. Not necessarily smooth for me. Also the revenge and cousin plot weighted in too much into the story dragged out a little much.
Love this author and will continue to read her future books.
February 16, 2022
What can I say? This romance is AMAZING and I truly cannot believe how Duran pulled it off. The PINING and the anger both Liam Devaliant, Lord Lockwood and Anna have towards each other was brutally delicious and I ate it all up. And yes, yes Liam could have "JUST TOLD HER" but then he'd have felt her pity, and that would just not do. Not one bit.
I truly enjoyed how Anna did come to lay down the business, to tell him that he must provide her with an heir so she could keep her beloved island. That Liam insisted on making her bend to his bedroom rules. Phew, that was really sexy. Duran does such an amazing job of making Anna innocent, but not afraid and naive, and once her fears are assuaged she's so into her husband, despite his "deviances."
The part where Liam must have her blindfolded more so she can SEE him versus see him was devastating to my soul in the best way.
And oh how I love a revenge story, and how revenge can steal your joy, and how love is stronger when lies are no longer told and truth comes out.
THIS IS SO GOOD, and sorry that's all I have to say.
I truly enjoyed how Anna did come to lay down the business, to tell him that he must provide her with an heir so she could keep her beloved island. That Liam insisted on making her bend to his bedroom rules. Phew, that was really sexy. Duran does such an amazing job of making Anna innocent, but not afraid and naive, and once her fears are assuaged she's so into her husband, despite his "deviances."
The part where Liam must have her blindfolded more so she can SEE him versus see him was devastating to my soul in the best way.
And oh how I love a revenge story, and how revenge can steal your joy, and how love is stronger when lies are no longer told and truth comes out.
THIS IS SO GOOD, and sorry that's all I have to say.
June 25, 2021
I started this book and set it aside as I just couldn't get into the plot and time ran out and I had to return it to the library.
I like Duran so I gave this book another try and finished it. I liked Lord Lockwood but found the entire plot unbelievable. Anna's husband disappears on their wedding night and.....well there is a whole book written about it.
PS I might have mentioned to someone that my husband of less than one day had turned up missing. If not the police than to one of his friends.
I like Duran so I gave this book another try and finished it. I liked Lord Lockwood but found the entire plot unbelievable. Anna's husband disappears on their wedding night and.....well there is a whole book written about it.
PS I might have mentioned to someone that my husband of less than one day had turned up missing. If not the police than to one of his friends.
March 3, 2018
This is a "wow" of a book. Full of angst, pain, anguish, hatred and self-hatred, shame, fear, guilt and regret. A story that has you thinking "if only he/she had..." or "why didn't he/she...", all the while knowing that Duran used all these human fears, mistakes, omissions, misinterpretations and misunderstandings to allow this story its full impact.
In 1857 Liam Devaliant, Lord Lockwood, is handsome and charming but in need of funds. Anna, Countess of Forth, needs to marry so that she has full control over her Scottish island and its management. When they meet, they agree to a marriage of convenience, with a contract drawn up to allow each their own freedom and autonomy. What Liam and Anna hadn't counted on was falling in love. But as they approach their wedding day, neither reveals his or her feelings to the other. So they say their vows still believing the other party is only interested in that marriage of convenience between friends, not a love match.
Anna had grown up accustomed to being "left". Her father left her in the care of aunts. She was shuffled around from family to family as a girl. In Duran's words, "She had perfected the skill of being left..." and so "designed a marriage that would guarantee that [she] was left." When on their wedding night they quarrel and Liam goes out to cool off but never returns, Anna goes back to Scotland to hide. She'd been left again. She asks no questions about his whereabouts because, well, he obviously wanted to and meant to leave her.
But that wasn't at all the case. Liam had been abducted, thanks to his devious, jealous, greedy cousin Stephen who arranges for him to be taken away to New South Wales as a convict. There he is tortured and brutalized for over 3 years. When in 1861 he finally makes his way back to London, he does not contact Anna. One even gets the idea he would prefer not to see her again. Liam is a changed man. His brutal treatment has left him with PTSD, a fear that he is going mad, not a moment of peace, and a fierce, obsessive desire for revenge. He distracts himself with drink, drugs, loud parties and somewhat violent activities (one boxing scene is particularly affecting), and feels fear and shame about his new, perhaps-mad, violent self and scarred body and mind.
When Anna learns of his return, she's off to London, full of anger and resentment that he had never contacted her in all the years of his absence nor let her know of his return. Ignorant of what had really happened to him, she remains resentful and angry for much of the story, until she finally learns the truth. Then is when the guilt hits her: "He had not abandoned her. And she had wasted four years embroidering hateful fictions of him, when instead...she should have been searching for him. Raising the alarm and crying for justice. She had failed him."
What a heartwrenching, heartbreaking, sad, frustrating, complex, complicated, difficult reunion and eventual reconciliation there is to be found in these pages. But it must be read, not talked about. Their path to an HEA is not an easy one. This may be the most damaged hero I've ever encountered in historical romance and Duran does an excellent job of creating him in all his complexity. And he is paired with a formidable heroine, just the woman he needs to help him work through all his trauma and damage.
Duran's writing is so masterful that the reader can feel this couple's pain and anguish. This is not an easy read, but it's an excellent one. And if you can make it through all the heartbreak and torment, you'll be rewarded at the end with an epilogue that warms your heart and lets you know that their struggle was worth it all.
In 1857 Liam Devaliant, Lord Lockwood, is handsome and charming but in need of funds. Anna, Countess of Forth, needs to marry so that she has full control over her Scottish island and its management. When they meet, they agree to a marriage of convenience, with a contract drawn up to allow each their own freedom and autonomy. What Liam and Anna hadn't counted on was falling in love. But as they approach their wedding day, neither reveals his or her feelings to the other. So they say their vows still believing the other party is only interested in that marriage of convenience between friends, not a love match.
Anna had grown up accustomed to being "left". Her father left her in the care of aunts. She was shuffled around from family to family as a girl. In Duran's words, "She had perfected the skill of being left..." and so "designed a marriage that would guarantee that [she] was left." When on their wedding night they quarrel and Liam goes out to cool off but never returns, Anna goes back to Scotland to hide. She'd been left again. She asks no questions about his whereabouts because, well, he obviously wanted to and meant to leave her.
But that wasn't at all the case. Liam had been abducted, thanks to his devious, jealous, greedy cousin Stephen who arranges for him to be taken away to New South Wales as a convict. There he is tortured and brutalized for over 3 years. When in 1861 he finally makes his way back to London, he does not contact Anna. One even gets the idea he would prefer not to see her again. Liam is a changed man. His brutal treatment has left him with PTSD, a fear that he is going mad, not a moment of peace, and a fierce, obsessive desire for revenge. He distracts himself with drink, drugs, loud parties and somewhat violent activities (one boxing scene is particularly affecting), and feels fear and shame about his new, perhaps-mad, violent self and scarred body and mind.
When Anna learns of his return, she's off to London, full of anger and resentment that he had never contacted her in all the years of his absence nor let her know of his return. Ignorant of what had really happened to him, she remains resentful and angry for much of the story, until she finally learns the truth. Then is when the guilt hits her: "He had not abandoned her. And she had wasted four years embroidering hateful fictions of him, when instead...she should have been searching for him. Raising the alarm and crying for justice. She had failed him."
What a heartwrenching, heartbreaking, sad, frustrating, complex, complicated, difficult reunion and eventual reconciliation there is to be found in these pages. But it must be read, not talked about. Their path to an HEA is not an easy one. This may be the most damaged hero I've ever encountered in historical romance and Duran does an excellent job of creating him in all his complexity. And he is paired with a formidable heroine, just the woman he needs to help him work through all his trauma and damage.
Duran's writing is so masterful that the reader can feel this couple's pain and anguish. This is not an easy read, but it's an excellent one. And if you can make it through all the heartbreak and torment, you'll be rewarded at the end with an epilogue that warms your heart and lets you know that their struggle was worth it all.
December 26, 2020
Unpopular opinion, but Meredith Duran can't do witty banter; or satisfying angst; or attractive tortured heroes. I'll give her one more chance but so far not impressed.
May 6, 2021
Bickering Couple
Secrets
Grumpy Hero
Petty Heroine
I Enjoyed It Because Meredith Duran wrote it
Although I Put It Down And Was A Bit Bitter When Picking It Back Up. LOL
May 29, 2025
Where shall I start.... 🤔
- The writing leaves much to be desired.
- The MCs are boring, cold, rude and unlovable.
- The plot is hasty, jumpy, lacks details and unengaging.
🤦♀️ What can I say of a man who boasts of his wenching and a woman who is delighted and flushed by that tidbit of information! 🙄
🖊 She thinks he left her on their wedding night to spend her money on travels and women. He comes back 4 years later. She is informed by a newspaper that he is back. Goes down from Scotland to their house in London to confront him and finds him in a compromising scene with half dressed men and women. She orders him to kick them out. The next morning they civily sit on the breakfast table complaining about under qualified staff and the cook having no eggs in his kitchen. 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
Both live in Lalaland. Chemistry is nill between them especially from her side. At around 14% I am not sure whether he has been unfaithful to her or not and frankly I don't even care. After reading marvelous books by Lisa Kleypas and Stacy Reid, this book sounds atrocious to be honest. 🤕
Naturally, I dnfd.
- The writing leaves much to be desired.
- The MCs are boring, cold, rude and unlovable.
- The plot is hasty, jumpy, lacks details and unengaging.
🤦♀️ What can I say of a man who boasts of his wenching and a woman who is delighted and flushed by that tidbit of information! 🙄
🖊 She thinks he left her on their wedding night to spend her money on travels and women. He comes back 4 years later. She is informed by a newspaper that he is back. Goes down from Scotland to their house in London to confront him and finds him in a compromising scene with half dressed men and women. She orders him to kick them out. The next morning they civily sit on the breakfast table complaining about under qualified staff and the cook having no eggs in his kitchen. 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
Both live in Lalaland. Chemistry is nill between them especially from her side. At around 14% I am not sure whether he has been unfaithful to her or not and frankly I don't even care. After reading marvelous books by Lisa Kleypas and Stacy Reid, this book sounds atrocious to be honest. 🤕
Naturally, I dnfd.
February 4, 2018
Beautifully written sequel to The Duke of Shadows. Duran has over the years since her first book explored the damaging effects of trauma to a person, particularly violence against women. In her new release though, it is her hero who is the victim and it is the heroine who finds ways to help her partner counter the consequences of violence and find a way back from darkness. This may be one of the best books, if not the best, I've read on coping with PTSD. Many of the ideas explored here about how to live after unspeakable violence to one's self and spirit gave me pause and allowed me to rethink the issue. It's a dark and emotional read, but it is also hopeful and full of life. I think it's easily one of her very best books.
The book also features a very touching romance that feels so believable. The flashbacks really worked for me, and that is not always true for me in many romances. Here though they are interjected at just the right moments when the present day feels overladen with sadness and despair. The past shows us there is hope for Anna ad Liam and that they will find a way forward if they can rediscover why they fell in love in the first place.
I have no criticisms of this book. It was perfectly constructed and beautifully written. I felt teary toward the end and it's a rare romance that makes me cry. Loved it!
ARC from Netgalley
The book also features a very touching romance that feels so believable. The flashbacks really worked for me, and that is not always true for me in many romances. Here though they are interjected at just the right moments when the present day feels overladen with sadness and despair. The past shows us there is hope for Anna ad Liam and that they will find a way forward if they can rediscover why they fell in love in the first place.
I have no criticisms of this book. It was perfectly constructed and beautifully written. I felt teary toward the end and it's a rare romance that makes me cry. Loved it!
ARC from Netgalley
December 30, 2020
2020 Winter Bingo (#SnowInLoveBingo❄️): Reread
Reread on December 30, 2020: I will be really sad if this ends up being Meredith Duran’s final book, but what an amazing note to end on. 😭
Reread on December 30, 2020: I will be really sad if this ends up being Meredith Duran’s final book, but what an amazing note to end on. 😭
July 20, 2023
Liam Devaliant, the Earl of Lockwood, Julian’s friend and Emma’s patron in DUKE OF SHADOWS, certainly sparked my interest. I was intrigued by Liam’s mysterious four-year absence from society and the obvious tension between himself and his estranged wife, Anna. Once again, I was totally riveted to every page of this dark, compelling and emotionally charged love story.
While at home on the Isle of Rawsey in Scotland, Anna, Countess of Lockwood, discovers from a newspaper headline that her husband, who abandoned her on their wedding night four years earlier, has been back in London for the last eight months but has never bothered to contact her. Furious, she heads for London.
Liam never abandoned Anna. His jealous, scheming cousin and heir, Stephen, had arranged to have Liam abducted and put on a prison ship bound for a penal colony in New South Wales. Certain that he would never survive, Stephen planned to have Liam declared dead and claim his title. After a hellish three years, with only the thought of revenge to keep him going, Liam escaped with a small band of fellow convicts and returned to England. With the help of his friends, Julian, Duke of Auburn, and Crispin Burke MP, Liam has set in motion his plans to wreak revenge on Stephen. With no direct evidence to implicate Stephen to his abduction, Liam must use devious methods to bring about Stephen’s complete financial and social ruin. Then Liam will kill him.
His wife’s unexpected arrival stirs up feelings he would much rather forget because he is no longer the man she married – that man is dead.
She was looking at him as though she knew him, when in fact the boy she’d married was dead now.
His years in the prison colony have left Liam profoundly changed but he will never tell Anna what really happened on that night – he simply couldn’t bear her pity. So, he does and says everything to convince her that he is nothing more than the uncaring fortune hunter she clearly believes him to be, but if he hopes his attitude will drive Anna away, he is seriously mistaken. As Countess of Forth, a Scottish title she holds in her own right, Anna needs a legitimate heir to the earldom which is something only her husband can give her and she has no intention of leaving.
“I am here. I am certainly staying.”
He blinked several times—seeming confused by how closely she suddenly loomed. For she was not a small woman; on her tiptoes, she was nearly eye level with him, which gave her an opportunity to deliver him a fulminating glower.
I loved the complexity of Liam’s character. The brutality and humiliation he suffered at the hands of his guards have left him profoundly scarred, both mentally and physically. Tormented by dark, harrowing memories, he is convinced that he is mad. Ms. Duran conveys his emotional turmoil with such realism that I could feel his pain, fear, anger and desperation.
Anna is independent and out-spoken but also vulnerable. After her mother’s death, her father could not cope with raising a young daughter and sent her to live with her aunts. She never had real home and the abandonment by her father, whom she loved, left her believing that anyone she loved would leave her. It isn’t difficult to understand why she readily accepted, without question, that Liam had abandoned her just as her father had, especially given the terms of their marriage.
Ms. Duran employs a series of flashback chapters which show how Liam and Anna met, their courtship and gradual falling in love. Neither one was willing to confess their true feelings, pretending that theirs was just a marriage of convenience. We see Liam as a charming, affable young man who manages to capture the heart of the independently minded Anna. These delightful flashbacks provide a poignant contrast to their current painful relationship. It is heart-breaking to know that their lives were irrevocably changed by envy and greed. I think that, without these flashbacks, it would have been impossible to appreciate the extent to which Liam was changed by his experiences and how deeply Anna was affected by Liam’s ‘abandonment’.
It is obvious that Liam and Anna are still very much in love, but Liam’s belief that he is a broken man, his feelings of shame and his thirst for revenge all seem impregnable barriers. But when Anna discovers the truth of what really happened, she becomes a veritable tigress. I love her strength, her unflinching belief in Liam and her determination to show him the man he truly is.
How was it that all the world saw Liam’s courage, his strength and his worth, save he?
He is a survivor; a man who was willing to protect his fellow prisoners regardless of the cost to himself. He promised to take care of those who escaped with him and provide them with a home and work – a promise he keeps. The loyalty and respect this rag-tag band of prisoners show Liam goes a long way to affirm his true worth.
The love scenes are sensual but they also reveal so much of Liam’s and Anna’s emotions, fears, vulnerabilities and their overwhelming desire for each other.
I like how Julian and Emma (Duke of Shadows) both play an important role in Liam and Anna’s story. Borne of their own personal experiences, they are able to offer wise counsel which is so significant in Liam’s journey to healing. But, before he can finally exorcise the past, Liam needs to exact his revenge on Stephen and I love how Ms. Duran handles this scene in a way that leaves Liam and Anna free to find their Happy Ever After.
…this was life, his life, like a gift delivered unto him, which he would guard henceforth for her sake, for their family’s sake, for his own sake. This was his. “I love you,” he said into her mouth.
I know Epilogues are an anathema to some readers, but I’m not ashamed to admit that I love them. Revisiting characters, especially ones who have overcome tremendous odds to find happiness, leaves me with a feeling of contentment as I close the final page of the book.
This is the sixth book in the Rules of the Reckless series but I think it can be easily read as a standalone. However, I would recommend reading Ms. Duran’s debut book, DUKE OF SHADOWS first, because, not only is it a fabulous book in its own right, but I believe it would enhance the reader’s enjoyment of THE SINS OF LORD LOCKWOOD.
MY VERDICT: If you enjoy a superbly written, compelling, angst-filled romance with unforgettable characters, then I can definitely recommend this book.
Rules for the Reckless series (click on the book covers for more details):
This review was first posted on Rakes and Rascals Blog:
https://rakesandrascals.wordpress.com...
While at home on the Isle of Rawsey in Scotland, Anna, Countess of Lockwood, discovers from a newspaper headline that her husband, who abandoned her on their wedding night four years earlier, has been back in London for the last eight months but has never bothered to contact her. Furious, she heads for London.
Liam never abandoned Anna. His jealous, scheming cousin and heir, Stephen, had arranged to have Liam abducted and put on a prison ship bound for a penal colony in New South Wales. Certain that he would never survive, Stephen planned to have Liam declared dead and claim his title. After a hellish three years, with only the thought of revenge to keep him going, Liam escaped with a small band of fellow convicts and returned to England. With the help of his friends, Julian, Duke of Auburn, and Crispin Burke MP, Liam has set in motion his plans to wreak revenge on Stephen. With no direct evidence to implicate Stephen to his abduction, Liam must use devious methods to bring about Stephen’s complete financial and social ruin. Then Liam will kill him.
His wife’s unexpected arrival stirs up feelings he would much rather forget because he is no longer the man she married – that man is dead.
She was looking at him as though she knew him, when in fact the boy she’d married was dead now.
His years in the prison colony have left Liam profoundly changed but he will never tell Anna what really happened on that night – he simply couldn’t bear her pity. So, he does and says everything to convince her that he is nothing more than the uncaring fortune hunter she clearly believes him to be, but if he hopes his attitude will drive Anna away, he is seriously mistaken. As Countess of Forth, a Scottish title she holds in her own right, Anna needs a legitimate heir to the earldom which is something only her husband can give her and she has no intention of leaving.
“I am here. I am certainly staying.”
He blinked several times—seeming confused by how closely she suddenly loomed. For she was not a small woman; on her tiptoes, she was nearly eye level with him, which gave her an opportunity to deliver him a fulminating glower.
I loved the complexity of Liam’s character. The brutality and humiliation he suffered at the hands of his guards have left him profoundly scarred, both mentally and physically. Tormented by dark, harrowing memories, he is convinced that he is mad. Ms. Duran conveys his emotional turmoil with such realism that I could feel his pain, fear, anger and desperation.
Anna is independent and out-spoken but also vulnerable. After her mother’s death, her father could not cope with raising a young daughter and sent her to live with her aunts. She never had real home and the abandonment by her father, whom she loved, left her believing that anyone she loved would leave her. It isn’t difficult to understand why she readily accepted, without question, that Liam had abandoned her just as her father had, especially given the terms of their marriage.
Ms. Duran employs a series of flashback chapters which show how Liam and Anna met, their courtship and gradual falling in love. Neither one was willing to confess their true feelings, pretending that theirs was just a marriage of convenience. We see Liam as a charming, affable young man who manages to capture the heart of the independently minded Anna. These delightful flashbacks provide a poignant contrast to their current painful relationship. It is heart-breaking to know that their lives were irrevocably changed by envy and greed. I think that, without these flashbacks, it would have been impossible to appreciate the extent to which Liam was changed by his experiences and how deeply Anna was affected by Liam’s ‘abandonment’.
It is obvious that Liam and Anna are still very much in love, but Liam’s belief that he is a broken man, his feelings of shame and his thirst for revenge all seem impregnable barriers. But when Anna discovers the truth of what really happened, she becomes a veritable tigress. I love her strength, her unflinching belief in Liam and her determination to show him the man he truly is.
How was it that all the world saw Liam’s courage, his strength and his worth, save he?
He is a survivor; a man who was willing to protect his fellow prisoners regardless of the cost to himself. He promised to take care of those who escaped with him and provide them with a home and work – a promise he keeps. The loyalty and respect this rag-tag band of prisoners show Liam goes a long way to affirm his true worth.
The love scenes are sensual but they also reveal so much of Liam’s and Anna’s emotions, fears, vulnerabilities and their overwhelming desire for each other.
I like how Julian and Emma (Duke of Shadows) both play an important role in Liam and Anna’s story. Borne of their own personal experiences, they are able to offer wise counsel which is so significant in Liam’s journey to healing. But, before he can finally exorcise the past, Liam needs to exact his revenge on Stephen and I love how Ms. Duran handles this scene in a way that leaves Liam and Anna free to find their Happy Ever After.
…this was life, his life, like a gift delivered unto him, which he would guard henceforth for her sake, for their family’s sake, for his own sake. This was his. “I love you,” he said into her mouth.
I know Epilogues are an anathema to some readers, but I’m not ashamed to admit that I love them. Revisiting characters, especially ones who have overcome tremendous odds to find happiness, leaves me with a feeling of contentment as I close the final page of the book.
This is the sixth book in the Rules of the Reckless series but I think it can be easily read as a standalone. However, I would recommend reading Ms. Duran’s debut book, DUKE OF SHADOWS first, because, not only is it a fabulous book in its own right, but I believe it would enhance the reader’s enjoyment of THE SINS OF LORD LOCKWOOD.
MY VERDICT: If you enjoy a superbly written, compelling, angst-filled romance with unforgettable characters, then I can definitely recommend this book.
Rules for the Reckless series (click on the book covers for more details):
This review was first posted on Rakes and Rascals Blog:
https://rakesandrascals.wordpress.com...
Want to read
October 12, 2017Update 12/10
An excerpt.
http://meredithduran.com/tsoll.html#e...
******
It has a cover! Roll on February 27th 2018!
An excerpt.
http://meredithduran.com/tsoll.html#e...
******
It has a cover! Roll on February 27th 2018!
September 22, 2024
She was looking at him as though she knew him, when in fact the boy she’d married was dead now.
Wow. Just wow. Once again, Meredith Duran proves her talent for dark(er) romances and fascinating characters. The story of Liam, Lord Lockwood, who was kidnapped on his wedding day and taken to a prison/labor camp in Australia where he suffers unspeakable tortures, is close to the bone. But he survives the torments and returns to London four years later as a broken man out for vengeance. When his wife learns of his return, she arrives from Scotland and refuses to go back; instead, she demands an heir. He's shocked, but agrees to his own terms.
Both main characters are bitter and disappointed in one another. Liam because Anna didn't alarm the police about his disappearance; Anna because she thinks he left her after their quarrel and traveled the world happily without her. Step by step, Duran unfolds what really happened in that night and what Liam endured in Australia, all while Anna and Liam get to know each other and fall in love again. Interspersed are flashbacks to the time when the two first met and agreed upon a marriage of convenience that was undoubtedly more from the very beginning.
Physically, mentally and emotionally scarred, Lockwood is a tortured hero par excellence. He wears a mask most of the time, playing the charming aristocrat, but every now and then the mask slips and Anne recognizes the damaged wild man underneath. His ambivalence, inner turmoil and anxiety are extremely well portrayed, the panic attacks very believable, and the shame over his alleged sins utterly heartbreaking. Thankfully, he has Anna at his side, this Scottish redhead, pragmatic, fearless and unwavering, not willing to be rejected by Lockwood. She's gentle and caring yet strong; ready to fight for him and by his side. With this woman as your ally, you can do anything.
The supporting characters are also great, and if your interest is piqued by the Duke of Auburn and his wife Emma and their story: they are the main characters in The Duke of Shadows. (Another exceptional and very special book that I rated with 5 stars.)
"The Sins of Lord Lockwood" has a few lengths, especially towards the end, and I didn't like the ending about the cousin very much. However, some minor flaws don't matter enough to spoil the book with all of its wonderful, intense moments, the longing glances, the blinks, the scowls and frowns, the tender touches, the witty remarks and smart observations. I highlighted more than 350 sentences/paragraphs and it would have been more if I hadn't restrained myself; Duran's writing style is extraordinary. So, if you like dark historical romances with a tortured hero, this book should be for you.
Overall rating: 5
Story: 4.5/5
Emotion: 5/5
Lockwood: 5/5
Anna: 5/5
It's a shame that Meredith Duran apparently isn't writing anymore. This book is from 2018 and her last book so far. Does anyone know anything about her?
Wow. Just wow. Once again, Meredith Duran proves her talent for dark(er) romances and fascinating characters. The story of Liam, Lord Lockwood, who was kidnapped on his wedding day and taken to a prison/labor camp in Australia where he suffers unspeakable tortures, is close to the bone. But he survives the torments and returns to London four years later as a broken man out for vengeance. When his wife learns of his return, she arrives from Scotland and refuses to go back; instead, she demands an heir. He's shocked, but agrees to his own terms.
Both main characters are bitter and disappointed in one another. Liam because Anna didn't alarm the police about his disappearance; Anna because she thinks he left her after their quarrel and traveled the world happily without her. Step by step, Duran unfolds what really happened in that night and what Liam endured in Australia, all while Anna and Liam get to know each other and fall in love again. Interspersed are flashbacks to the time when the two first met and agreed upon a marriage of convenience that was undoubtedly more from the very beginning.
Physically, mentally and emotionally scarred, Lockwood is a tortured hero par excellence. He wears a mask most of the time, playing the charming aristocrat, but every now and then the mask slips and Anne recognizes the damaged wild man underneath. His ambivalence, inner turmoil and anxiety are extremely well portrayed, the panic attacks very believable, and the shame over his alleged sins utterly heartbreaking. Thankfully, he has Anna at his side, this Scottish redhead, pragmatic, fearless and unwavering, not willing to be rejected by Lockwood. She's gentle and caring yet strong; ready to fight for him and by his side. With this woman as your ally, you can do anything.
The supporting characters are also great, and if your interest is piqued by the Duke of Auburn and his wife Emma and their story: they are the main characters in The Duke of Shadows. (Another exceptional and very special book that I rated with 5 stars.)
"The Sins of Lord Lockwood" has a few lengths, especially towards the end, and I didn't like the ending about the cousin very much. However, some minor flaws don't matter enough to spoil the book with all of its wonderful, intense moments, the longing glances, the blinks, the scowls and frowns, the tender touches, the witty remarks and smart observations. I highlighted more than 350 sentences/paragraphs and it would have been more if I hadn't restrained myself; Duran's writing style is extraordinary. So, if you like dark historical romances with a tortured hero, this book should be for you.
Overall rating: 5
Story: 4.5/5
Emotion: 5/5
Lockwood: 5/5
Anna: 5/5
It's a shame that Meredith Duran apparently isn't writing anymore. This book is from 2018 and her last book so far. Does anyone know anything about her?
April 21, 2020
I’m glad the Monte Cristo angle took a back seat. Another Duran quality release that is definitely worth the time.
Don’t expect a mood boost though. This was a difficult read, mostly because of the pain the character was dealing with, but that in itself means it was conveyed well.
Great use of language, lovely well meaning people all around, occasional humour and a good balance of Monte Cristo revenge machinations that didn’t overpower the romance.
I generally intensely dislike flashbacks but those chapters worked well in this story, they added lighthearted innocent times in contrast and the transitions were skillfully handled. That framework was likely the only one possible for this.
I have some qualms about the final showdown, lol, I admit to some eye rolling. But that aspect and its lead up was in general not a big focus of the book.
Overall they were a sweet couple. I admired the woman greatly. I would have liked to spend more time with them when they were happy and relaxed and having fun together, but I can believe that they will be. And that will do well enough.
Lines I Liked
She had used these four hours to bathe and refresh herself. Her sacque dress, a russet silk edged in gold lace, had been chosen by somebody—perhaps her, perhaps a cunning dressmaker—to complement the green of her eyes, and to force the viewer’s awareness, through the clash of russet and red, to the flaming brilliance of her hair. She looked every inch a countess, fashionable and civilized and impossibly, provocatively beautiful.
He wanted to rip that gown. Rub dirt on her face. Knock the pins out of her complex coiffure. Perfection had no place near him. Her voice droned on, fattened by the authority she mistakenly thought she possessed.
“—no ordinary fever! Dr. Smith thinks someone poisoned you, do you know that? What on earth could be so important that you—”
Words like flies flapping about him. He pushed by them and by her, too, into the sitting room, before her hand caught his elbow.
He turned immediately. “Let go,” he said softly.
Her hand detached itself. He took a long breath.
“Very well,” she said. “I’m coming with you.”
---
He laughed, then cast about for the discarded bottle of champagne. “Lies,” he said as he wrested the bottle from its sandy berth. “Scottish slander.”
The champagne bore the cool chill of the fading night, and washed away the taste of sand in his mouth. When he lowered the bottle, she was watching him, the strengthening light illuminating the shadows beneath her eyes, the fine lines that fanned from the corners. One day they would deepen and crease the tops of her cheeks as well.
Those faint lines struck him suddenly—sank hooks into his chest. He reached out to trace them very lightly with his fingertip. He would be blessed and fortunate to watch them deepen. To know a time when no angle of light would be required to see their shape. To see her aged and weathered, not merely ragged from lack of sleep.
She caught his hand, kissed his fingers. “I’m glad one of us got some rest. I feel dizzy.”
This bottle had been three-quarters full, last he’d checked. “The champagne likely didn’t help with that.”
She grinned, cheeky and unashamed. “I had so much to toast. Not my fault you fell asleep in the middle."
Don’t expect a mood boost though. This was a difficult read, mostly because of the pain the character was dealing with, but that in itself means it was conveyed well.
Great use of language, lovely well meaning people all around, occasional humour and a good balance of Monte Cristo revenge machinations that didn’t overpower the romance.
I generally intensely dislike flashbacks but those chapters worked well in this story, they added lighthearted innocent times in contrast and the transitions were skillfully handled. That framework was likely the only one possible for this.
I have some qualms about the final showdown, lol, I admit to some eye rolling. But that aspect and its lead up was in general not a big focus of the book.
Overall they were a sweet couple. I admired the woman greatly. I would have liked to spend more time with them when they were happy and relaxed and having fun together, but I can believe that they will be. And that will do well enough.
Lines I Liked
She had used these four hours to bathe and refresh herself. Her sacque dress, a russet silk edged in gold lace, had been chosen by somebody—perhaps her, perhaps a cunning dressmaker—to complement the green of her eyes, and to force the viewer’s awareness, through the clash of russet and red, to the flaming brilliance of her hair. She looked every inch a countess, fashionable and civilized and impossibly, provocatively beautiful.
He wanted to rip that gown. Rub dirt on her face. Knock the pins out of her complex coiffure. Perfection had no place near him. Her voice droned on, fattened by the authority she mistakenly thought she possessed.
“—no ordinary fever! Dr. Smith thinks someone poisoned you, do you know that? What on earth could be so important that you—”
Words like flies flapping about him. He pushed by them and by her, too, into the sitting room, before her hand caught his elbow.
He turned immediately. “Let go,” he said softly.
Her hand detached itself. He took a long breath.
“Very well,” she said. “I’m coming with you.”
---
He laughed, then cast about for the discarded bottle of champagne. “Lies,” he said as he wrested the bottle from its sandy berth. “Scottish slander.”
The champagne bore the cool chill of the fading night, and washed away the taste of sand in his mouth. When he lowered the bottle, she was watching him, the strengthening light illuminating the shadows beneath her eyes, the fine lines that fanned from the corners. One day they would deepen and crease the tops of her cheeks as well.
Those faint lines struck him suddenly—sank hooks into his chest. He reached out to trace them very lightly with his fingertip. He would be blessed and fortunate to watch them deepen. To know a time when no angle of light would be required to see their shape. To see her aged and weathered, not merely ragged from lack of sleep.
She caught his hand, kissed his fingers. “I’m glad one of us got some rest. I feel dizzy.”
This bottle had been three-quarters full, last he’d checked. “The champagne likely didn’t help with that.”
She grinned, cheeky and unashamed. “I had so much to toast. Not my fault you fell asleep in the middle."
April 4, 2018
Liam Devaliant, Lord Lockwood, flirts with and marries a fiercely independent Scotswoman named Anna. Except the night of their wedding they have a spat and he wanders off and gets his dumb ass kidnapped and goddamned transported and disappears for three or four years. Anna assumes it was consensual and therefore gives no external fucks but ALL the internal fucks.
When she hears Liam is returned to London, she rolls into town to THROW DOWN and get KNOCKED UP.
1. Yep: the first time they do it she's blindfolded and tied to the headboard LIKE YOU DO.
2. While Liam's trauma is legit as shit, I was still super frustrated by the fact that he just kept...perpetuating Anna's mistaken belief that he'd left on his own. And while I get that it's all twisted up in his survivor's guilt and the very real extremes he was put through, I just...thought it was bullshit that he didn't even bother to try and explain??
This is hard to express because I recognize that it's kind of fucked up that I'm blaming a victim of such horrors for, IDK, extending his suffering or whatever but it just toed the line in a way that felt more gross than honest?
3. Which by no means excuses Anna either, I'll have you know. Her hurt was a thing and real but to keep hounding at him because he ~betrayed her so badly was just: not what I tuned in for. It was very much a case of two idiots being absolute assholes to one another because they got hurt feelings only if they had both gotten their heads out of their posteriors for like 2.3 minutes, they could have acknowledged that their angsty hatred was ENTIRELY externally motivated.
4. Which is what happens the moment Anna realizes that Liam had been abducted at ~70% of the way through the novel. Give me ~25% of them being blockheads and then 75% of them figuring out how to navigate their lives together as older, wiser, more damaged people: THAT would have been something I would have enjoyed. Not the actual lingering, angry, hurtful soup that this book was.
5. Also (and this is a backhanded af compliment I AM SORRY DURAN) but the handling of Liam's post-traumatic stress episodes was so well done that it...KIND OF RUINED THE BOOK FOR ME? Like, Liam's got some SHIT to work through...but the Power of Love will Cure him with Time and Many Orgasms? It just doesn't scan for me, sorry: it was so wrenching and terrifying that I honestly did not believe that he'll just...get better. Romance-land magic just doesn't quite cover it, unfortunately.
6. I think I'm not the biggest fan of the flashback thing. I AM DEEPLY FLAWED, IT IS TRUE.
7. This was still hella well-written though, DAMNIT DURAN. Her prose is so great and I just wish I liked the rest of it more! SOOOOO: 3.55 stars.
When she hears Liam is returned to London, she rolls into town to THROW DOWN and get KNOCKED UP.
1. Yep: the first time they do it she's blindfolded and tied to the headboard LIKE YOU DO.
2. While Liam's trauma is legit as shit, I was still super frustrated by the fact that he just kept...perpetuating Anna's mistaken belief that he'd left on his own. And while I get that it's all twisted up in his survivor's guilt and the very real extremes he was put through, I just...thought it was bullshit that he didn't even bother to try and explain??
This is hard to express because I recognize that it's kind of fucked up that I'm blaming a victim of such horrors for, IDK, extending his suffering or whatever but it just toed the line in a way that felt more gross than honest?
3. Which by no means excuses Anna either, I'll have you know. Her hurt was a thing and real but to keep hounding at him because he ~betrayed her so badly was just: not what I tuned in for. It was very much a case of two idiots being absolute assholes to one another because they got hurt feelings only if they had both gotten their heads out of their posteriors for like 2.3 minutes, they could have acknowledged that their angsty hatred was ENTIRELY externally motivated.
4. Which is what happens the moment Anna realizes that Liam had been abducted at ~70% of the way through the novel. Give me ~25% of them being blockheads and then 75% of them figuring out how to navigate their lives together as older, wiser, more damaged people: THAT would have been something I would have enjoyed. Not the actual lingering, angry, hurtful soup that this book was.
5. Also (and this is a backhanded af compliment I AM SORRY DURAN) but the handling of Liam's post-traumatic stress episodes was so well done that it...KIND OF RUINED THE BOOK FOR ME? Like, Liam's got some SHIT to work through...but the Power of Love will Cure him with Time and Many Orgasms? It just doesn't scan for me, sorry: it was so wrenching and terrifying that I honestly did not believe that he'll just...get better. Romance-land magic just doesn't quite cover it, unfortunately.
6. I think I'm not the biggest fan of the flashback thing. I AM DEEPLY FLAWED, IT IS TRUE.
7. This was still hella well-written though, DAMNIT DURAN. Her prose is so great and I just wish I liked the rest of it more! SOOOOO: 3.55 stars.
September 5, 2025
We need Meredith Duran to make a comeback before the aliens descend on us
February 25, 2018
3.5 stars
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thinking they both wanted a marriage in name only, Liam and Anna start to find themselves more than attracted to one another by the time their marriage actually happens.
Thinking Liam is just another person abandoning her, Anna finally believes that his disappearance on their wedding night was all according to his plan. However, Liam was kidnapped and taken to a penal colony in Australia where his journey back to England is going to take more than physical distance traveled.
He was the fifth Earl of Lockwood. He had been abducted onto a prison hulk. He was chained and bound for the Australian colonies.
Sixth in the Rules for the Reckless series, there are characters that connect it to it but the book you'd most want to read before this one is The Duke of Shadows. The mystery and villains of what, why, who, and where are more comprehensively explained and dealt with there. I would have liked the main villain for Liam to have had more screen time here with more of a threaded in mystery plot than at the end condescended version we got. What we do get a lot of is the emotional turmoil and weight Liam lives with, Anna's thoughts, feelings, and how they swirl around and interact with Liam, and how these two fell in love initially and how they can find themselves back to one another.
Do not look at me. Or, more accurately: do not see me.
Stripped down to the frame, this is a story of a hero horribly done wrong, fighting his way back towards sanity, revenge, and a heroine working through her own hurts and trying to reach the hero. It is a tried and true formula but the author's writing ability infuses it with tragic and beautiful emotion; there are lines that will send tingles down your spine and ache to your heart. Liam's love for Anna is always evident, whether it’s shown through his marvel in the beginning, wall he puts up between them in the middle, or the eventual painful desire given into towards the end. I would have liked more of Anna's character flushed out a bit more through interactions with her cousin Moira (who gets a bit ignored at the end) or her people of the island, I felt like a depth of her character was missing because of the lack of friendships. Liam too could have stood to have more scenes with his household friends, imagine the light but incredible heavy scenes those moments could have produced. This was much focused on Anna and Liam's relationship, which I know some readers will love.
Unspeakable things had no reply. But he had survived them. So he could speak them.
There is a lot of anger, hurt, and love in this story, which as I mentioned, makes it a highly emotional read. I would have liked a little more outside of Liam and Anna's relationship influences but they could definitely carry the show. Flashback segments are used to show how Anna and Liam fall in love and except for, what I felt, was a too late placed one, I thought the character development was better for it. It has been a bit of wait to see why Lord Lockwood and his wife had such tension between them in The Duke of Shadows but it was worth it.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thinking they both wanted a marriage in name only, Liam and Anna start to find themselves more than attracted to one another by the time their marriage actually happens.
Thinking Liam is just another person abandoning her, Anna finally believes that his disappearance on their wedding night was all according to his plan. However, Liam was kidnapped and taken to a penal colony in Australia where his journey back to England is going to take more than physical distance traveled.
He was the fifth Earl of Lockwood. He had been abducted onto a prison hulk. He was chained and bound for the Australian colonies.
Sixth in the Rules for the Reckless series, there are characters that connect it to it but the book you'd most want to read before this one is The Duke of Shadows. The mystery and villains of what, why, who, and where are more comprehensively explained and dealt with there. I would have liked the main villain for Liam to have had more screen time here with more of a threaded in mystery plot than at the end condescended version we got. What we do get a lot of is the emotional turmoil and weight Liam lives with, Anna's thoughts, feelings, and how they swirl around and interact with Liam, and how these two fell in love initially and how they can find themselves back to one another.
Do not look at me. Or, more accurately: do not see me.
Stripped down to the frame, this is a story of a hero horribly done wrong, fighting his way back towards sanity, revenge, and a heroine working through her own hurts and trying to reach the hero. It is a tried and true formula but the author's writing ability infuses it with tragic and beautiful emotion; there are lines that will send tingles down your spine and ache to your heart. Liam's love for Anna is always evident, whether it’s shown through his marvel in the beginning, wall he puts up between them in the middle, or the eventual painful desire given into towards the end. I would have liked more of Anna's character flushed out a bit more through interactions with her cousin Moira (who gets a bit ignored at the end) or her people of the island, I felt like a depth of her character was missing because of the lack of friendships. Liam too could have stood to have more scenes with his household friends, imagine the light but incredible heavy scenes those moments could have produced. This was much focused on Anna and Liam's relationship, which I know some readers will love.
Unspeakable things had no reply. But he had survived them. So he could speak them.
There is a lot of anger, hurt, and love in this story, which as I mentioned, makes it a highly emotional read. I would have liked a little more outside of Liam and Anna's relationship influences but they could definitely carry the show. Flashback segments are used to show how Anna and Liam fall in love and except for, what I felt, was a too late placed one, I thought the character development was better for it. It has been a bit of wait to see why Lord Lockwood and his wife had such tension between them in The Duke of Shadows but it was worth it.
October 2, 2024
⭐⭐💫
2½ stars.
➕ What I liked :
Tall heroine. 👍
Some tiny bits in the beginning of the story were a little interesting.
Second chance romance.
➖ What I disliked:
Rather underwhelming plot.
Annoying and also rather unlikable heroine.
(I like strong heroines… but not cantankerous/shrewish heroines.)
Annoying and also unlikable hero.
(Treats the heroine terribly etc.)
Too much back and forth from past to present etc.
Kind of flat characters… especially the hero that really does not have any personality besides being obsessed with revenge.
Too much miscommunication.
Very unconvincing romance and chemistry…. That also is toxic in many ways.
Plot-holes.
(Things like why did the heroine not look for the hero when he disappeared? How did the hero escape with his fellow prisoners? Etc.)
Too much anger and bitterness.
Too depressing.
(So much sadness, anger, vengefulness, grief, unhappiness, hatred etc.)
The sexual encounters the MMC/”hero” has with his estranged wife/heroine are harsh and anything but sexy or romantic…. Too much underlying rage…. but they are also kind of detached.
Formulaic character description/visual appearance for the hero.
(The hero is tall... muscular/”fit”… and handsome.)
Formulaic.
(In everything from plot to main characters.)
2½ stars.
➕ What I liked :
Tall heroine. 👍
Some tiny bits in the beginning of the story were a little interesting.
Second chance romance.
➖ What I disliked:
Rather underwhelming plot.
Annoying and also rather unlikable heroine.
(I like strong heroines… but not cantankerous/shrewish heroines.)
Annoying and also unlikable hero.
(Treats the heroine terribly etc.)
Too much back and forth from past to present etc.
Kind of flat characters… especially the hero that really does not have any personality besides being obsessed with revenge.
Too much miscommunication.
Very unconvincing romance and chemistry…. That also is toxic in many ways.
Plot-holes.
(Things like why did the heroine not look for the hero when he disappeared? How did the hero escape with his fellow prisoners? Etc.)
Too much anger and bitterness.
Too depressing.
(So much sadness, anger, vengefulness, grief, unhappiness, hatred etc.)
The sexual encounters the MMC/”hero” has with his estranged wife/heroine are harsh and anything but sexy or romantic…. Too much underlying rage…. but they are also kind of detached.
Formulaic character description/visual appearance for the hero.
(The hero is tall... muscular/”fit”… and handsome.)
Formulaic.
(In everything from plot to main characters.)
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