Historical Romance Review: Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart
By Sarah MacLean
🎧 Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik 
Love by Numbers, Book 3 
Book 16 of 2024

I absolutely love Sarah MacLean’s historical romances. I do think the original covers of these are a little cringey, maybe I’m more of a discreet cover person? But don’t let the cover fool you – this book is amazing.

You do not have to read these books in order, but I think when you do you get to know the characters more and are even more excited for their books. Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart follows Julianna, half sister to the men in the first two books. 

This is an utterly engrossing opposites attract romance. Julianna is looked down on by the ‘ton because of her mother’s scandalous past, and also because she is half Italian. If you like your female leads feisty, passionate, and independent, you’ll absolutely love this one!

[book synopsis]

There is no telling where a scandal might lead…

She lives for passion.

Bold, impulsive, and a magnet for trouble, Juliana Fiori is no simpering English miss. She refuses to play by society’s rules: she speaks her mind, cares nothing for the approval of the ton, and can throw a punch with remarkable accuracy. Her scandalous nature makes her a favorite subject of London’s most practiced gossips… and precisely the kind of woman the Duke of Leighton wants far far away from him.

He swears by reputation.

Scandal is the last thing Simon Pearson has room for in his well-ordered world. The Duke of Disdain is too focused on keeping his title untainted and his secrets unknown. But when he discovers Juliana hiding in his carriage late one evening—risking everything he holds dear—he swears to teach the reckless beauty a lesson in propriety.

She has other plans, however; she wants two weeks to prove that even an unflappable duke is not above passion.