NO GOOD DUKE GOES UNPUNISHED – Sarah MacLean
The Third Rule of Scoundrels , Book 3
Avon Books
ISBN: 978-0-06-206854-5
December 2013
Historical Romance

William Harrow, Marquess of Chapin and heir to the dukedom of Lamont, was a carefree, hedonistic young man twelve years ago…until the eve of his father's fourth marriage. He met an attractive young miss in the garden and was soon romancing her. But the next morning he awoke alone in a strange bed with no memory of the night. He was soon found naked and bloody…in the bed of his father's bride-to-be. The young lady was never to be seen again. No proof could be found that he killed her, but he was shunned by family and the world. Since that time, his father died, and now William is called The Killer Duke. He's become a partner in a notorious gaming hell called The Fallen Angel, where he's called Temple…and also the unbeatable bare-knuckle boxing champion. When one of the establishment's unlucky patrons loses heavily, he's allowed to win it all back by beating Temple in a fight. So far, though many have tried, no one has ever done so.

Temple's latest challenger is Christopher Lowe, the brother of his “victim.” Lowe is desperate, for he's lost everything he possesses…and all of his sister's besides. Mara Lowe, Temple's supposed victim, changed her whole life when she ran away that night. She now calls herself Margaret MacIntyre, a soldier's widow, and runs a home for illegitimate sons of the aristocracy. Mara never meant for the duke's son to be thought a murderer; how he must hate her! She must now go and bargain with him to save her brother a beating, but mostly to get back the money to save the two dozen boys in her care. The first meeting does not go well, but it does make Temple realize that he is not a murderer after all! A thirst for revenge grows, and he finds her at the orphanage.

A battle fraught with emotion—and no small attraction as well—ensues between Temple and Mara. NO GOOD DUKE GOES UNPUNISHED is heavily into vengeance, guilt, dangers, and ultimately restitution and forgiveness, all the while delivering a difficult and sensuous romance between two unlikely lovers.

Following A ROGUE BY ANY OTHER NAME and ONE GOOD EARL DESERVES A LOVER, this is the third emotion-packed tale about the four scandal-ridden aristocrats who are partners in The Fallen Angels. I highly recommend NO GOOD DUKE GOES UNPUNISHED; reading it is no punishment at all!

Jane Bowers