laurenjodi's review against another edition
4.0
A Rogue by Any Other Name
4 Stars
Michael Lawler, Marquess of Bourne, lost everything - his land, his money and his reputation - in a single game of cards. Swearing vengeance, Bourne waits eight years for the opportunity to ruin the man who destroyed his life. Dealing with the social consequences of a broken engagement, Penelope Marbury is resigned to life as a spinster until Bourne charges back into her life and offers her the adventure of a lifetime. But can Bourne move past his obsession with revenge to give Penelope and himself the love that they both desperately need…
Series Note: This is book #1 in the spin-off to MacLean’s Love By Numbers series, the first of which, Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake, is one of the best historical romances in recent memory. While it is not 100% necessary to read the original series, Penelope and Michael’s story is loosely related to the 3rd book Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart.
There is much to enjoy in this book - solid writing and pacing, engaging dialogue, a lovable heroine and an intriguing revenge plot. Unfortunately, the hero’s cold cruelty undermines the romance for much of the story.
While the villain is certainly despicable and Michael’s desire for vengeance is quite understandable, his ruthless calculation and callous action toward Penelope make it exceedingly difficult to like him. That said, he does ultimately redeem himself and the HEA at the end is satisfying.
In contrast, Penelope's strength of will and determination to live life to the fullest make her an exceptional heroine. Despite her love for Michael, she is under no illusions as to his faults and confronts him with his asinine behavior at every turn. Seeing his confusion and bewilderment at the “Amazon” his wife becomes is highly entertaining as are the spicy scenes between the two.
Another highlight of the book is the camaraderie between the eponymous scoundrels of the series, Bourne, Cross, Chase and Temple. Their honest friendship is rare to see in historical romance (being more the purview of military romantic suspense) and their banter as well as the occasional fisticuffs are fun to read.
The epilogue introduces to next couple in these series and I am eager to read Pippa and Cross’s story.
4 Stars
Michael Lawler, Marquess of Bourne, lost everything - his land, his money and his reputation - in a single game of cards. Swearing vengeance, Bourne waits eight years for the opportunity to ruin the man who destroyed his life. Dealing with the social consequences of a broken engagement, Penelope Marbury is resigned to life as a spinster until Bourne charges back into her life and offers her the adventure of a lifetime. But can Bourne move past his obsession with revenge to give Penelope and himself the love that they both desperately need…
Series Note: This is book #1 in the spin-off to MacLean’s Love By Numbers series, the first of which, Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake, is one of the best historical romances in recent memory. While it is not 100% necessary to read the original series, Penelope and Michael’s story is loosely related to the 3rd book Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart.
There is much to enjoy in this book - solid writing and pacing, engaging dialogue, a lovable heroine and an intriguing revenge plot. Unfortunately, the hero’s cold cruelty undermines the romance for much of the story.
While the villain is certainly despicable and Michael’s desire for vengeance is quite understandable, his ruthless calculation and callous action toward Penelope make it exceedingly difficult to like him. That said, he does ultimately redeem himself and the HEA at the end is satisfying.
In contrast, Penelope's strength of will and determination to live life to the fullest make her an exceptional heroine. Despite her love for Michael, she is under no illusions as to his faults and confronts him with his asinine behavior at every turn. Seeing his confusion and bewilderment at the “Amazon” his wife becomes is highly entertaining as are the spicy scenes between the two.
Another highlight of the book is the camaraderie between the eponymous scoundrels of the series, Bourne, Cross, Chase and Temple. Their honest friendship is rare to see in historical romance (being more the purview of military romantic suspense) and their banter as well as the occasional fisticuffs are fun to read.
The epilogue introduces to next couple in these series and I am eager to read Pippa and Cross’s story.
chloeclairebear's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
geo_ix's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the book but something (I can’t really put my finger on what it is - characters or story) just didn’t work 100% for me. It was super easy to read and enjoyable but not lovable. Perhaps I needed more emotion. Some more depth to the characters. I never really felt anything they did besides once towards the very end.
The epilogue has me really excited for book two however.
The epilogue has me really excited for book two however.
camilacadibe's review against another edition
4.0
I love Penelope, I loved Bourne - especially once Pen slapped some sense into him.
atris_lauraborealis's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I flew through the first half of this book but by 60% of the way through it became repetitive. I liked that they had a shared childhood, but his "scoundrel-y" ways weren't enough for me. He was a scoundrel for the first 100 pages and never again. I also struggled with inconsistencies throughout: she's perfect Penelope, she's ruined, she wants adventure, she wants nothing to risk her sister's chances at a good marriage. I like conflicting forces at work within a character but these weren't conflicting, they just changed to serve the story. Bourne struggled with a similar problem and there were too many internal asides from both of them despairing of how they could ever be loved. It grew tiresome. I liked the concept; the idea of the gambling hell is very cool and I'd love to have learned and seen more about it. Not sure if I'm willing to read another in the series to do so though. I fear most of these characters will exist to serve the story and not as their own beings within this world.
alexaliz's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0