Reviewed by Maureen Dangarembizi for Readers' Favorite

Lady Reckless by Scarlett Scott is the third book in the Notorious Ladies Of London series. The story is set in London in 1885. Lady Helena Davenport has been engaged to Lord Hamish White against her will. As reasoning with her father is out of the question, coming up with a scheme to make herself ineligible for marriage is the only escape. Ruination is the answer. Finding a willing rake to deflower her is easy. Unfortunately, she finds her brother’s best friend waiting for her in Lord Forsyte’s rooms. He is appalled by her desperate actions and is determined to save her from her foolishness. What he doesn’t understand is that he is the man she loves and she can never have him because he is already engaged to someone else.

Scarlett Scott is a master of writing emotionally tempestuous historical romance. The dynamic between Lady Helena and Lord Gabriel was very entertaining. The woman was more shocking in her behavior than the hero, which is rare in historical fiction. The dialogue was lively and kept me wanting to read the next scene where the two collided. Lord Gabriel’s inflated sense of honor caused a lot of trouble but I’m glad he finally came to his senses. Lady Helena was a resourceful young lady who did everything she could to solve her problems, if not always wisely. She didn’t sit around waiting for life to happen to her. Her nature prompted a man who would have married a woman he didn’t love just because he felt he had to. I haven’t read the previous books in the series but I feel this will be a wonderful addition to your historical romance to-read list.