≡ Download No Good Duke Goes Unpunished The Third Rule of Scoundrels Rules of Scoundrels Sarah MacLean 9780062068545 Books

No Good Duke Goes Unpunished The Third Rule of Scoundrels Rules of Scoundrels Sarah MacLean 9780062068545 Books

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No Good Duke Goes Unpunished The Third Rule of Scoundrels Rules of Scoundrels Sarah MacLean 9780062068545 Books

Was I seriously suppose to cheer for Mara to get her happily ever after? Because I very much did not. No Good Duke Goes Unpunished starts with Mara returning after she framed Temple for murder twelve years ago. She’s back because her brother has gambled away all of their money at Temple’s casino, and she wants the debts forgiven in exchange for her telling the truth. Well, needless to say, Temple is not exactly thrilled to see her. Yes, he’s relieved to know that he didn’t kill her, but she’s not exactly endearing herself to him by making demands.

No Good Duke Goes Unpunished is awful, because Mara is awful. She has no sense of responsibility, honor, or decency. If things don’t go her way, or she doesn’t want to deal with something, she simply runs away. That’s what she did twelve years ago to escape her tyrant father and an engagement to Temple’s father. But you don’t frame someone for murder! She could have just run away, and not involved anyone else in her scheme. As she said several times, she’s very good at hiding. So why not just do that?! Her reason: she was a child and it was a mistake and she didn’t know he’d suffer. How else does she think murderers are treated?! They’re certainly not smiled upon!

But what makes it worse is that she comes back to blackmail him! She frames him for murder (supposedly on accident) and then demands that he forgive her brother’s debts in exchange for her telling society that she’s not dead. Are you for real?! You wronged him! He doesn’t owe you or your brother anything! Temple points this out, and she’s basically like “I’ll just go back into hiding then.” She doesn’t want to tell the truth because it’s the right thing to do. She’s using it as a way to make things better for herself! And she had no intention of sticking around afterward either. She gets what she wants and then doesn’t have to deal with the consequences. Again!

So, knowing all of this, tell me how I’m suppose to believe that these two fall in love? That’s what No Good Duke Goes Unpunished is suppose to be. A love story. She ruined his life! She’s not looking to make amends; she just wants money! Sure she needs the money for the orphanage she’s running, but that did not make her sympathetic. It’s not Temple’s responsibility. She should take responsibility for her own actions! And I literally did not understand why Temple dragged this all out. Instead of just paying up and having her confess, he buys her clothes and takes her out. Basically treating her like a mistress and paying her for her time. What?! He’s paying off the debts anyway, so why bother paying her more and delaying the inevitable?! I suppose the story would have been very short otherwise.

I just really, really did not like No Good Duke Goes Unpunished. Mara didn’t learn a thing from her so-called mistake. She just wants what benefits her. She wants to escape her life? Frame an innocent man! She wants her brother’s debts forgiven? Blackmail that same innocent man and make him fall in love in the process! I really do not think so.


Tags : No Good Duke Goes Unpunished: The Third Rule of Scoundrels (Rules of Scoundrels) [Sarah MacLean] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <em>A rogue ruined . . .</em> He is the Killer Duke, accused of murdering Mara Lowe on the eve of her wedding. With no memory of that fateful night,Sarah MacLean,No Good Duke Goes Unpunished: The Third Rule of Scoundrels (Rules of Scoundrels),Avon,0062068547,Romance - Historical - General,Aristocracy (Social class),Historical fiction,Historical fiction.,London (England) - History - 1800-1950,Love stories,Love stories.,Man-woman relationships,Regency fiction,Romance fiction,AMERICAN HISTORICAL FICTION,AMERICAN LIGHT ROMANTIC FICTION,England,FICTION Romance General,FICTION Romance Historical General,FICTION Romance Historical Regency,Fiction,Fiction - Romance,Fiction-Romance,General Adult,Historical romance,MASS MARKET,Monograph Series, any,RomanceHistorical,Romance: Historical,United States

No Good Duke Goes Unpunished The Third Rule of Scoundrels Rules of Scoundrels Sarah MacLean 9780062068545 Books Reviews

This book had me riveted from the prologue, when William Harrow, heir to the dukedom of Lamont, wakes in an unfamiliar bed with a hard-on and a hangover... covered in blood. The girl his father was to marry that morning is missing, and society--and William's father, and even William himself (since he has no memory)--assumes that she is dead at William's hand, but with no body, there can be no official declaration of murder. Nevertheless, William is cast out to make his way on the streets of London, his reputation in tatters.

Twelve years later, William Harrow has lost his name along with all of the trappings of his aristocratic youth. He is a partner in The Fallen Angel, London's most notorious gaming hell, and every night he takes to the boxing ring in the club's basement to give indebted patrons a chance to win back their debt by defeating him in a fight. That never happens he is undefeated. He has inherited the duchy, but he has no servants (no one wants to sleep in his house), no lovers (except those he pays), no society (well, no good society, though he has very loyal friends). Society calls him the Killer Duke; he calls himself Temple.

And then Mara Lowe, the girl he supposedly killed, shows up at his doorstep in the dead of night. Her profligate brother has bankrupted himself and Mara as well, gambling away their savings and leaving Mara desperate enough to offer to restore to Temple all he has lost his reputation, his birthright. She will come out of hiding and tell the true story of what happened that night twelve years before, if Temple will forgive the debt.

Mara and Temple are both sensitive and likeable characters, which is a surprise given the story's premise. Temple's whole life is violence and pain, and yet even in the midst of his fury and desire for retribution, he is gentle. Mara could so easily have been the villain of the story -- after all, what she did to Temple is almost unforgiveable -- and yet early on, the reader empathizes with her and roots for her absolution.

Temple should -- and does -- hate her, but he is also drawn to her, because she is the only person who has always believed his innocence. She is the only person who has never been afraid of him, in a world where everyone fears him. She is the only person who uses his real name, and who calls him by his title without the appellation "Killer."

Mara is drawn to him as well, but she knows that he will never really get his life back as long as she is part of it gossip will continue to plague his reputation unless she disappears again, but starting over a second time may take more than she has in her.
MacLean is so good at so many things it is hard to choose what she does best. In this series it has to be creating hard knock characters who have used their experiences to learn, and ultimately when faced with the chance to be an avenging angel, they choose to incorporate what they've learned to be, emotional Good Samaritans. In this book there is such a contrast between the "hell" the heroes run and the Hell the patrons create for themselves. The scene where the women watch the first fight is illustrative of this. These truly are the cream of privileged London, but the only ones who acknowledge that Temple is anything other than a Porterhouse are the people who know him. For me, it was a chilling echo of how men have often objectified women. Instead of a perky breasted goddess on an 18 wheelers' mudflap, it 's Temple's abs. Instead of a bunch of men sitting around watching porn and oohing over the silicone stuffed breasts of an actress, it's a bunch of female voyeurs speculating about the size of Temple's penis. It is equal opportunity demeanment. In the world of the Angel, all are fallen. The difference between the heroes, heroines and the patrons, both male and female, is that our friends redeem themselves.

One thing that drives me crazy is that she needs an editor for what in film is called continuity. One example is when Kit gets knocked flat, and two lines later he's only been knocked to his knees. This is a consistent issue throughout the 7 books of hers I've read. Final proofreading seems to be an issue with Avon in general. Sorry, old English teacher here.
Was I seriously suppose to cheer for Mara to get her happily ever after? Because I very much did not. No Good Duke Goes Unpunished starts with Mara returning after she framed Temple for murder twelve years ago. She’s back because her brother has gambled away all of their money at Temple’s casino, and she wants the debts forgiven in exchange for her telling the truth. Well, needless to say, Temple is not exactly thrilled to see her. Yes, he’s relieved to know that he didn’t kill her, but she’s not exactly endearing herself to him by making demands.

No Good Duke Goes Unpunished is awful, because Mara is awful. She has no sense of responsibility, honor, or decency. If things don’t go her way, or she doesn’t want to deal with something, she simply runs away. That’s what she did twelve years ago to escape her tyrant father and an engagement to Temple’s father. But you don’t frame someone for murder! She could have just run away, and not involved anyone else in her scheme. As she said several times, she’s very good at hiding. So why not just do that?! Her reason she was a child and it was a mistake and she didn’t know he’d suffer. How else does she think murderers are treated?! They’re certainly not smiled upon!

But what makes it worse is that she comes back to blackmail him! She frames him for murder (supposedly on accident) and then demands that he forgive her brother’s debts in exchange for her telling society that she’s not dead. Are you for real?! You wronged him! He doesn’t owe you or your brother anything! Temple points this out, and she’s basically like “I’ll just go back into hiding then.” She doesn’t want to tell the truth because it’s the right thing to do. She’s using it as a way to make things better for herself! And she had no intention of sticking around afterward either. She gets what she wants and then doesn’t have to deal with the consequences. Again!

So, knowing all of this, tell me how I’m suppose to believe that these two fall in love? That’s what No Good Duke Goes Unpunished is suppose to be. A love story. She ruined his life! She’s not looking to make amends; she just wants money! Sure she needs the money for the orphanage she’s running, but that did not make her sympathetic. It’s not Temple’s responsibility. She should take responsibility for her own actions! And I literally did not understand why Temple dragged this all out. Instead of just paying up and having her confess, he buys her clothes and takes her out. Basically treating her like a mistress and paying her for her time. What?! He’s paying off the debts anyway, so why bother paying her more and delaying the inevitable?! I suppose the story would have been very short otherwise.

I just really, really did not like No Good Duke Goes Unpunished. Mara didn’t learn a thing from her so-called mistake. She just wants what benefits her. She wants to escape her life? Frame an innocent man! She wants her brother’s debts forgiven? Blackmail that same innocent man and make him fall in love in the process! I really do not think so.