In The Maddening Lord Montwood, Lucan truly is that sort of man that makes you want to pull HIS hair out until he sees sense, the bet be damned. Yes, the men in this series have all agreed on a wager proposed by him: the one who stays unmarried will be owed significant money, in Lucan’s case, enough to bring him out of debt. Watching Gabriel and Rafe fall for their new brides hasn’t softened his resolve, he is determined to remain strong and untethered. Frances Thorne is similar to earlier heroines in this story: intelligent, determined and in a situation that isn’t entirely of her own making. See, Frances’ father is a poor manager of money, and with him in debtor’s prison, Frances must find a position that will provide her with the ability to survive. A particularly generous offer comes, but for some reason Lord Montwood just will NOT allow her to proceed without sticking his opinion, feet and rather overbearing personality into the mix. But, he is intriguing. Very intriguing. Lucan’s bluster with Frances is much of a sham: he’s completely convinced that he is no better than her disgraced father, and while he will go to great lengths to save her from ruin, he’s not finding himself captivated by her. Not at all. Not even for a moment. Several twists, some devious and nefarious moments from a scoundrel and the determination of Frances to convince Lucan that he is exactly WHO and What she needs and wants, and this story flew by. Humor and heart mixed with equal measure, giving Lucan some truly worrisome moments, from his perspective and mine. Would he be able to believe that he is deserving of happiness and love, and that Frances is what he needs…… You’ll want to read on to know. A perfect installment, perhaps even my favorite of this series, it reads well alone but you will want to know the other characters and follow their own stories. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.