A Rogue By Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean

A fun and emotional romance
5 stars

Ten years ago, Michael Lawler, Marquess of Bourne, was left with nothing to his name except his title. Now a partner in London’s most notorious gaming hell, Michael is a cold and ruthless man who will stop at nothing to get his revenge - even marrying Lady Penelope Marbury - his childhood friend for her dowry.

Penelope was put firmly on the shelf when she was jilted and left for fortune hunters. She is determined to find adventure, passion and love. Luckily for her, Penelope dreams of finding all these things with her new husband, even if he’s no longer the fun loving man she remembers.

Bourne is determined to spare Penelope from the hard and unsavoury man he has become but he has no power to fight against the love that she will offer if he takes the greatest risk of all.

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Sarah MacLean has been an auto buy for me ever since I read the wonderful Nine Rules... This story doesn’t quite reach the same heights but I still loved it and definitely feel it’s deserving of 5 stars.

Michael is my favourite kind of hero - tortured, full of angst and feels undeserving of, while really in need of, the love of a good woman. I also just adored Penelope. She appeared briefly in Eleven Scandals... but this book starts a new series (the Rules of Scoundrels Quartet) so there’s no need to have read any books to understand and enjoy this one. Penelope was feisty and fun while also being quite vulnerable and naive at times. She was someone that I really rooted for from beginning to end.

The relationship between Michael and Penelope was filled with chemistry and passion. The letters that started off each chapter were a lovely addition and really built on the pair’s past relationship. It was also easy to see the pair growing and falling in love which was a treat to read and kept me turning the pages at all hours.

I’m looking forward to the other stories in the series and would recommend this book to you if you like a fun and interesting romance with great characters and good storytelling. 5 stars.

Eleven Scandals to Start to Win A Duke's Heart by Sarah MacLean

Enjoyable romance and good end to the series

4 stars

Juliana Fiori may be the sister to a powerful Marquess but that doesn’t mean she’s a simpering English miss. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth as trouble and scandal seem to follow her wherever she goes and the ton delights in making her the subject of their gossip.

Simon Pearson, the Duke of Leighton doesn’t have room in his perfect, ordered life for scandal of any kind. He is too focussed on his reputation, title and keeping his secrets well hidden. But Juliana presents a temptation that he can’t quite resist and when she promises to show him passion – he might just find he’s not as above love as he first thought.

This is the third and final book in MacLean’s Love By Numbers trilogy and one that I’ve been very much looking forward to. I don’t suppose it needs to be read in order but I think you would understand more of the back story (and be aware of Juliana and Simon’s history) if you’ve read the first two books – Nine Rules to Break When Romancing A Rake and Ten Ways To Be Adored When Landing A Lord.

From the first page I was hooked by this book. I loved Simon and Juliana from MacLean’s first two books and couldn’t wait for them to get their own story. Juliana was the feisty Italian that I came to expect and Simon was even more of the disdainful, arrogant duke than he first appeared.

The story kept me interested and I couldn’t put the book down. Until about the middle. Then, for some reason, I became a little disenchanted. Simon and Juliana seemed to be on a neverending cycle of her doing something scandalous, him being disdainful and neither of them ever bending, learning or changing. It picked up again towards the end and I liked the ending although, if I’m honest, I didn’t feel that I ever got to completely understand the characters, their love or their motivations.

I’ve still given this book 4 stars because I’ll admit that since I was so looking forward to this book it probably could never have lived up to my expectations. Add to that the fact that it could never beat the exceptional Nine Rules to Break… and I’ve probably given worse books more stars.

Overall I still really liked this book and would recommend it to someone who enjoys a good ol’ Regency romance. It’s well written, engaging and I’m sure you will enjoy it. I’ll also eagerly be waiting for MacLean’s next book and the start of The Fallen Angel’s series, A Rogue By Any Other Name.

Ten Ways to be Adored When Landing a Lord by Sarah MacLean

Entertaining novel but a little lacking

4 stars

Lord Nicholas St John is determined to get away from London and the simpering misses determined to catch him since he was named London’s Lord to Land. So when he’s hired to find a missing heiress in Yorkshire he jumps at the chance.

What he doesn’t expect is to find Lady Isabel Townsend – daughter of a nefarious wastrel and the most enticing and infuriating woman he’s ever laid eyes on.

Isabel has serious money worries and serious secrets that she’s determined to keep. What she doesn’t expect is that Nick could be the solution to all her problems and might uncover he secrets one kiss at a time.

Like another reviewer said, this book suffers massively when compared to MacLean’s previous novel, Nine Rules to Break When Romancing A Rake, which I agree was a truly wonderful read.

Having said that, I did actually quite enjoy this book on its own and although it didn’t set my world on fire, it’s still a well-written and fairly enjoyable tale to pass the time.

This book features Nick, the twin brother to the hero of Nine Rules… although the books do stand alone quite nicely and you don’t have to have read the first one to read this one. Personally, I would have liked to see more of Gabriel and Callie from the first book but that’s just me.

Both Nick and Isabel were likeable and sympathetic characters although I didn’t feel any deep or memorable emotions either for them or from them. Regardless, I liked their interactions and thought they went well together as a couple.

I think the main problem with the story was that there was too much going on. With Minerva House, the love story, the secondary love story, the Duke, the boy Earl – there wasn’t enough time dedicated wholly to Nick and Isabel to make me truly believe.

After all I’ve written I’m beginning to wonder whether I’ve been too generous with my 4 star rating. But when I look at the book as a whole I enjoyed reading it, it was well written and it captured my attention so I’ve decided to stick with the 4 stars. It’s not the best but it’s worth a look if you have it on your shelf or you enjoyed MacLean’s first book. I also look forward to reading MacLean’s next book Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart which I’m hoping will be Leighton’s story to continue the series.

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing A Rake by Sarah MacLean

Adorable, entertaining romance

5 stars

At the ripe old age of 28, Lady Calpurnia Hartwell is firmly on the shelf. Relegated to the spinster seating at every ball and on the fringes on society, Callie is a little more than unsatisfied by her lot. So she vows to make a change in her life and do all the things that she’s always wanted to do even if she has to break society’s rules to do it.

But stealing a midnight kiss, smoking a cheroot, learning to fence and drinking in a tavern aren’t as easy to achieve without a willing partner. And willing or not, the handsome rake Gabriel St. John, the Marquess of Ralston, soon finds himself caught up in Callie’s adventures.

I absolutely adored this book and it’s definitely one of the best that I’ve read in a long time. Gabriel is a delicious rake but he’s such a rich character and it’s so entertaining to see him almost baffled by his growing feelings towards Callie. Callie herself was such a refreshing heroine. She was so endearing and likeable that I felt really engaged with her and really rooted for her. Together the pair had the kind of chemistry that gives you butterflies in your stomach and makes you think about the story even when you’re not reading.

The plot itself was witty, clever and so entertaining. Despite Callie undertaking scandalous tasks, the book never got ridiculous and you always cheered for Callie. There were times when I laughed out loud, times when I felt Callie’s pain and times when I was almost giddy at the sweetness of the romance between Callie and Gabriel. There were also no clichés and the secondary characters were as rich and full as the main pair but without ever overshadowing the actual love story. Gabriel’s twin brother, Nick, gets his own story in the next book Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord. I’m hoping that other characters that appear in this book also get their own stories in the future.

Overall this is a book that leaves you with a warm, fuzzy feeling. It’s so well written and so engaging that you’re sure to enjoy it and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good romance. I will definitely be looking out for any new stories written by Sarah McLean. 5 stars.