Confessions from an Arranged Marriage by Miranda Neville

Minerva Montrose had gone to lie down to alleviate her migraine never knowing that her life would forever be changed by the simple act.  She is flabbergasted to wake up to a man's head beneath her skirts--and not just any man.  Oh no.  Only the most unreliable, most insufferable man in all of London, Lord Blakeney.  Realizing what must happen after they are discovered, the couple agrees to marry and attempt to make it look like a love match.  Ha!  The mutual loathing between Minerva and Blake is deep and surely nothing good can come of it....or can it?

Blake can not believe the hole he has dug for himself.  Honestly, trying to play a joke on a friend gets him leg-shackled to the most annoying, superior woman in all of London.  The heir to a dukedom, he is a gentleman beneath his devil-may-care attitude and he knows his duty.  What he is not expecting though is to actually discover what a delight Minerva is.  But as Blake is hiding a shameful secret beneath his fun facade, he is reluctant to take Minerva into his confidence even when a new tragedy forces him to become more of a man than he may be ready for.

This was another wonderful romance from the delightful Miranda Neville!  I love a good marriage of convenience story and this is an excellent one.  Our couple already has a slight history together (The Dangerous Viscount) and you could just fell the mutual dislike they felt for each other.  Sigh, but the ones that dislike each other the most are the ones that fall for each other the hardest.  Minerva has high hopes to do something worthwhile in the political area and since her marriage will allow her to eventually be duchess to a powerful political seat, she is happy to try and find her place amongst all the men.  What she can not understand is how Blake can just blow off so much regarding the political force of his family.  But even with her hesitations due to these feelings, she still starts to slowly see Blake as a wonderful, caring man who needs the love of a good woman.  And while Blake's secret prevents him from being as vocal about matters as Minerva would like, he does take the time to listen to her and in the process he discovers that Minerva is passionate and caring about those around her.  Overall, I really enjoyed this story!  There was a bit too much emphasis on the political side for me (that just doesn't interest me much) but it does not hinder the story enough to really bother me.  This is a sweet, sexy romance of a couple forced together by scandal that discover each other through the bonds of their marriage.  I do wish we had seen a bit more resolution to Blakes secret and I do also wish he had confided in Minerva sooner than he did but overall, well done.  I would recommend this book for fans of marriage of convenience mixed with a sexy couple who loathe each other already but come to find the real, passionate natures of each other.  4 stars

I received an eARC of this book from Avon via edelweiss.com

The Burgundy Club
(This one could be read as a standalone but probably best read in order, at least The Dangerous Viscount)