The Duke's Daughters: Lady Be Reckless: A Duke's Daughters Novel

Follow your heart, or the body part that seems as though it is in the most need. ~ Lady Olivia’s Particular Guide to Being Reckless I’m not quite sure if it’s me, or if I’ve just been drawn to a plethora of ‘difficult characters to like of late – but Megan Frampton took the self-important, heedless and occasionally overbearing Olivia and used situations and one perfectly wonderful man in Edward to bring her some self-awareness, growth and, above all, some truly amusing circumstances in which she learned these lessons. For Olivia was too much – too determined to see every injustice and rush in to quell it without actually considering the problems in a way that was deeper than her initial impression. And then, she was so busy being ‘righteous’ and ‘enlightened’ (and she was far more aware of the inequities in financial and social situations than her peers), that she never actually doubted her rightness in making a stand, or in fact, her rightness about her decisions about other people’s feelings. So much in her own belief in her way being right, and others requiring her guidance that she is spectacularly set back in her quest to move forward in proposing to a man, who truly isn’t at all interested. And then we have Edward: born on the wrong side of the blanket yet afforded the education and money of others in the upper classes with one huge difference: his father rescued him from placement in an orphanage, claimed him and provided him with love and support that many Lords and Ladies should admire. Having his best friend be a Lord and the object of Olivia’s apparent affection, Edward is thrown by the insistent curiosity he has for her. Of course, his friend is determined that an accident of birth should not influence Edward’s reception in society or search for a wife: and with Edward’s father receiving some troubling news about his health, Edward’s talked into a promise to find a wife in short order. Enter Bennet and his challenge to Olivia: her determination to suss out and eliminate all injustices make her the perfect person to see Edward accepted into society and help him to find a match. Say what you mean. Unless what you mean will upend your entire life. In which case, you should probably shout. ~ Lady Oliva’s Particular Guide to Being Reckless Olivia had me laughing out loud in places and cringing in others- while Edward missed no social graces in appearing as a gentleman, and perhaps is all the more intriguing for his heart and understanding of the world around him – good, bad and pretentions alike. While it was obvious to everyone (but Olivia’s parents and she herself) that she and Bennett were too alike in their determination to make a difference with little else to build a relationship upon, it is her twin Pearl who instantly sees the potential for love to bloom between Olivia and Edward: a notion that Bennett himself had and used that thought to thrust them together. And Oliva is blissfully unprepared for overthinking her own heart until the situation is so in her face that she can’t figure it out. Fortunately for her, she does have her twin Pearl to discuss things with – and help her to sort things out. Of course, nothing is as simple as them being compatible and Edward’s obvious enjoyment of her bossiness, but the ride to the end – full of missteps, laughs and some clothes-destroying kittens is a delightful one. Sure to please fans of the series and these sisters who, despite their parent’s and society’s desires for proper tend to fall out of the norm quite frequently. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.