LUCK BE A LADY is Book 4 in the Rules for the Reckless series by Meredith Duran. Set in Victorian England, LUCK BE A LADY showcases Catherine Everleigh, a spinster managing her family's auction house, and Nick O'Shea, a merciless crime lord. The interplay between the two is lively and engaging. The villains are well-played, and the forces arrayed against our hero and heroine feel believably nefarious. Fans of Courtney Milan and Tessa Dare, if they don't already know and love Duran, will be delighted to discover this book.

Catherine has been strictly raised from a young age by her father to take over the appraisal duties at her family's auction house in London. Unfortunately, her wastrel brother is the frontman for the business and is embezzling money for his own political aspirations. Catherine cannot take control of her half of the auction house unless she marries, but her evil brother is scheming to marry her off to a crony who will prevent her from working. Catherine proposes to O'Shea that they enter into a secret and chaste marriage in order to blackmail her brother.

Of course, this plan for a so-called 'white marriage' never works in Romancelandia. The hero and the heroine can't keep their hands off each other, and it's so enjoyable to watch them fall in love and thwart their enemies along the way. Catherine and O'Shea have great chemistry. Watching Catherine try and fail to keep O'Shea at arms length is incredibly satisfying. It's so beautiful to watch the two become better people as they grow closer as well. Duran is one of my go-to historical romance authors whose work I always enjoy, and LUCK BE A LADY is no exception.