Title: A Rogue by Any Other Name
Author: Sarah MacLean
Publisher: Piatkis Books
Release Date: 1st February 2013
Source: Bought
Rating: 4 out of 5
Description:
What
a scoundrel wants, a scoundrel gets. . .A decade ago, the Marquess of Bourne
was cast from society with nothing but his title. Now a partner in London's
most exclusive gaming hell, the cold, ruthless Bourne will do whatever it takes
to regain his inheritance--including marrying perfect, proper Lady Penelope
Marbury. A broken engagement and years of disappointing courtships have left
Penelope with little interest in a quiet, comfortable marriage, and a longing
for something more. How lucky that her new husband has access to an unexplored
world of pleasures. Bourne may be a prince of London's illicit underworld, but
he vows to keep Penelope untouched by its wickedness--a challenge indeed as the
lady discovers her own desires, and her willingness to wager anything for them
. . . .even her heart.
I don’t tend to read a lot of
historical romance, but after seeing so many people rave about The Rules of
Scoundrels series by Sarah MacLean I decided to give it a go. I’m glad that I
did because this book was an absolute gem. Combining humour, defiant
characters, scandal and swoony romance, Sarah MacLean has written a fantastic
historical romance. One that I would recommend to everyone. The characters are
the heart of this book. The romance and plot is entirely driven by the choices
the characters make. Bourne and Penelope just leap of the page and immediately
pull you into the world surrounding The Fallen Angel and its illustrious
owners.
Told from both Bourne and
Penelope’s points of view A Rogue by Any Other Name is Bourne’s story of
vengeance and retribution. Ten years ago Bourne lost everything in a card game
except his title. Now he’s part
owner of the gambling hell, The Fallen Angel. The only thing Bourne wants is
revenge on the man who took everything away from him. His plan involves getting
back everything he’s lost and the only way to do that is to marry Lady Penelope
Marbury. As it turns out Bourne’s
path to revenge involves falling in love with his wife. This is a historical novel set in a time
where women were not given much value and were expected to be proper. However
Penelope is not a meek, quiet sort of a person. She was bold, had a backbone
and played the game masterfully. She’s pushed into an undesirable marriage but
she sets the stakes and makes sure she gets everything she wants out of it.
Essentially Penelope is the hero of this story and not her male counterpart.
She’s the one that saves the day making this story much more interesting.
MacLean writes such complex,
conflicted characters whose actions drive the plot and whose weaknesses prevent
them from having a happy ending. Bourne is driven by revenge when we first meet
him, but as he gets to know Penelope his priorities change and he learns a few
lessons about himself. He starts
of as a terrible husband. I loved that Penelope didn’t put up with his crap.
Their relationship at the beginning was tumultuous. Definitely a push and pull
sort of a relationship. As the
story goes on Bourne changes his ways. In the end both Bourne and Penelope
change each other and grow together. Bourne learns that there is more to life
than revenge and Penelope learns to be bolder. Plus the tension in this book is
thick enough to cut with a knife. The romance is defiantly steamy and swoony.
The Fallen Angel was the perfect
backdrop for this story with its numerous secrets and vibrant staff. I can’t
wait to see what other secrets it holds. There were letters at the start of
each chapter that were written by Penelope and Bourne. There were a good way to
get to know the characters and their back-story. They gave the characters
depth.
A Rogue by Any Other Name was a
fantastic historical romance. A must read for fans of the genre or anyone
looking for a romantic read.
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