HOW TO SCHOOL YOUR SCOUNDREL by Juliana Gray

A Princess in Hiding Romance
Berkley Sensation
June 3^rd, 2014
978-0-425-26568-0
Historical Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)
Obtained by Publisher

3 Hearts

Princess Luisa has always done her duty as she prepares to follow her father, the king, as ruler. But nothing in her privileged life led her to have experience on being on the run, disguising her identity and more. Posing as a personal secretary to a notorious rake, she knows he is the only person who can help her regain her rightful crown. But what happens when Luisa finds her heart longing for Philip, Earl of Somerton romantically?

For the Earl, he has spent the last several years living a lie. Married to a woman who loves another, he is determined to never fall victim to his emotions again. But his resolve weakens when he is drawn to Luisa. She draws him in a game of secrets, betrayal and more and he will need all his wits and cunning to save her but what happens when he loses his heart to the beautiful princess?

Author Juliana Gray is one of my favorite historical romance authors to read. She is adept in creating storylines with multiple sub-plots going on, with no confusion either to the reader, making the reader discover that this final book in the Princess in Hiding series is like a puzzle you just can not help but try to put the pieces together. HOW TO SCHOOL YOUR SCOUNDREL is fast paced, edge of your seat ride where a former villain becomes the hero and Ms. Gray delivers a main character to fall in love with as well as rally around. I love, love, love this book. It had a hero who is just awful in a past series/book and the author turns him around, makes me care for him and delivers a heroine worthy of going toe to toe with Philip, Earl of Somerton. If you read Ms. Gray’s A Gentleman Never Tells, you will recognize Philip from that story as he caused a lot of issues for the main characters in that book. In his own story he meets his match in Luis,.a woman who has a secret or two up her sleeve. I do recommend reading the first two books in the trilogy to get an idea of past characters and events as they are mentioned in HOW TO SCHOOL YOUR SCOUNDREL a few times.

Ms. Gray ends this trilogy with a slam dunk and I got to admit I was caught up in the whole story in a matter of minutes. The way she had this couple progress on their romance was believable and I loved how they didn’t jump right into bed together but got to know one another and went from there. What really drew me to Philip and Luisa was even though Philip was a major bad guy in past books, he deserved love as well and Luisa was the perfect woman to show him that. She was able to stay independent even as these two raced against the clock to help Luisa win back her throne and country from separatists determined to take over. The characters are well written, engaging and yes, you really have to suspend belief a few times while reading HOW TO SCHOOL YOUR SOCOUNDREL. But Ms. Gray delivers a story about betrayals and trust, about a sweet romance that redeems a scoundrel and I have to admit, Philip is one bad guy. He gets around I guess you can say. But with Luisa, you can see the vulnerability begin to show itself within him and his scenes with her are quite enjoyable. This is truly one couple I rooted for right off the start.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR SCOUNDREL is a wonderful swan song to the series and Ms. Gray expertly pulls all her sub-plot threads together to deliver an engaging story that leaves you breathless. If you haven’t checked out this series yet, I highly recommend it. Each story is action packed and filled with characters you can’t help but fall in love with or hate to love in the case of Philip. I am eager to see what else this author has in store for her readers in the future. In the meantime, I plan to re-read t his series again and enjoy every last page of it.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

HOW TO TAME YOUR DUKE by Juliana Gray

Book One in Trilogy

Berkley Sensation

June 4^th, 2013

978-0-425-26566-6

Historical Romance

Paperback ARC

Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)

Obtained by Publisher

 

For three princesses, danger stalks their every move. When their uncle devises a plan to keep them safe, they agree to the plan, no questions asked. For Princess Emilie, taking risks is so not her. Quiet, scholarly, she has avoided adventure and risks like the plague but when she is forced to abandon the life she has made for herself, well, let’s just say adventure nips at Emilie’s feet. Forced to disguise herself as a governess, she finds work at the Duke of Ashland’s estate. There is something to this scarred man that draws her to him. She longs to discover his secrets behind his forbidden personality. The Duke of Ashland is intrigued by his son’s governess and as he teaches her about lust, she teaches him about love. But what happens when secrets are exposed….will the duke find a way to keep Emilie safe while battling his own demons?

HOW TO TAME YOUR DUKE is the introduction to a trilogy full of rogues, scoundrels and brave heroines. Ms. Gray delivers a wonderful action packed story that has you on the edge of your seat and eager for more in the end. The writing is tight, story flows swiftly and never sputters and the characters are quite enjoyable as well as well written. The author does a great job in keeping the reader glued to the pages and there are a few twists that had me breathless. The sparks fly between Emilie and the duke…so much so I was half expecting the book to go up  in flames from all the sexual tension that was mingled throughout the story.

Juliana Gray is a talented storyteller who delivers a story full of heart, romance and more for the reader to enjoy. The dialogue between characters is witty and had me chuckling a few times as well. She also has some intriguing historical events sprinkled within the story and I never felt like I was back in school with a lot of facts being shoved down your throat. This author has a way to bring history alive within HOW TO TAME YOUR DUKE and does so in a way you can’t help but be intrigued by it. But by far, the characters are the stars of the show. They are multi-dimensional, enjoyable and quite entertaining. From light moments to dark ones, Ms. Gray’s characters in this book charmed me from the moment they stepped onto the pages of HOW TO TAME YOUR DUKE. The pacing of the story was perfect-not too much action or romance. It was the perfect blend of action, adventure and more that had me enthralled. This was by far a wonderful story to read and I am eager to catch up with the next book. I just hope the author doesn’t have her readers waiting a long time for it.

If you enjoy and enjoyable historical romance with intrigue, action and more, then try Juliana Gray’s HOW TO TAME YOUR DUKE and settle in for one rollicking adventure of your own.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement