The Lady Knows Best

February 27, 2023
Craig (the Love and Let Spy series) puts a cute spin on arranged marriage in the launch of her Regency set Goode’s Guide to Misconduct series. When scandalous lady’s advice columnist Daphne Burke, aka Miss Busy B, encourages a letter writer to call off her wedding to the rakish Miles, Viscount Deveraux, a furious Miles, who has a lot riding on a bet that he will find a bride, threatens to out Daphne as her pen name if she doesn’t find him a replacement fiancée. When Daphne is unable to find someone willing to marry “that devil, Deveraux,” she offers to play the blushing bride herself, but on the condition Miles must court her for two weeks before the wedding. Her goal is to gather enough intel to write an essay on the dangers of dating a rogue and then jilt him. But Daphne’s plan backfires when she realizes that Miles’s reputation is more fiction than fact. Meanwhile, as Miles learns more about the clever wallflower, his heart joins his money on the line. Craig avoids unnecessary drama, opting for a smooth transition into love while serving up a few laughs, plenty of chemistry, and a strong emotional connection. This is a promising series start. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary.

February 17, 2023

Daphne Burke stumbles upon the opportunity to do something meaningful by becoming the advice columnist Miss Busy B. for a ladies' magazine. In her first column, she advises a young lady to call off her engagement, creating a new scandal for the season as it involves a rakish gentleman who has made a bet on marrying by June. A simple dance at a ball with that devil, Viscount Miles Deveraux, leads to unexpected consequences, but Daphne concocts a risky plan to humiliate Miles and teach a lesson to rakes in her next assignment for the magazine. She offers herself as a replacement bride and insists Miles court her, never expecting that he isn't the devil he appears to be. Craig (Nice Earls Do) returns to the Burke clan, who appeared in the "Rogues and Rebels" books, in this first title of a new series. Those who loved the elder siblings' stories will enjoy their involvement in Daphne's. VERDICT Readers who enjoy independent heroines and not-so-villainous rakes will love getting to know Daphne and Miles, especially if they love the fake engagement trope and close-knit families.--Morgan Lockard

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2023
Love has nothing to do with an advice columnist and a rake entering into a courtship. Daphne Burke has always felt somewhat out of place among her successful siblings, so she jumps at the chance to become the new advice columnist for Mrs. Goode's Magazine for Misses, often referred to as Goode's Guide to Misconduct for its subversive content. When her advice leads to a woman breaking off her engagement, the jilted fiance--Miles, Viscount Deveraux, also known as "that devil, Deveraux"--believes the columnist should be responsible for finding him a new bride so he can win a bet. She may have written under the pseudonym Miss Busy B., but Miles quickly deduces her identity. He threatens to expose her, but she offers herself for marriage as long as he agrees to court her first. Secretly, she plans to use the time as research into his rakish ways to write about for the magazine, and the ensuing scandal will ensure she doesn't have to marry him. They both begin questioning their plans and secret agendas, though, when they start falling in love. This book kicks off a new series, although some of Daphne's siblings were featured in Craig's previous titles. Their inclusion here unfortunately slows the pace with extraneous information that doesn't advance this story or add depth to the bland main characters. Daphne's and Miles' feelings toward each other change, but neither has any real, earned personal growth. The intriguing premise is let down by dull, by-the-numbers plotting with no richness or originality. Completely forgettable.

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