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robazizo's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Enjoyable, but not great. It felt like the protagonists spent too little time together. This book also made me like Leighton and Juliana's book a whole lot less, knowing what pain their union caused Penelope. The epilogue with Cross and Philippa is intriguing though!
Enjoyable, but not great. It felt like the protagonists spent too little time together. This book also made me like Leighton and Juliana's book a whole lot less, knowing what pain their union caused Penelope. The epilogue with Cross and Philippa is intriguing though!
allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Oh, boy. This read was a reminder for me of why backlists are dangerous. I've recently gotten into the Hell's Belles series and was eager to see what else Sarah MacLean had written given a) her expansive career and b) the fact that all the series she's written are intertwined. It sounded like a fun challenge and a way to enjoy a good number of historical romances because it's a trusted author. I was mistaken.
But first, the good news. A Rogue by any Other Name has some Pride and Prejudice vibes given an eldest sister (Penelope) with no brothers and plenty of sisters to suffer from her spinster status (plus a mom with anxiety over social status). Yet Penelope holds out for love until her parents issue an ultimatum. Her father has attached a piece of land he won at cards to her dowry to attract suitors by season's end. Penelope is haunted by the demand she settle on someone, not only because she prefers spinsterhood to a loveless match but also because the land in question once belonged to her childhood friend-- the disgraced Marquess of Bourne, Michael to her.
Ok, cool. So that was the good news. But: Bourne and his friends kick things off with a very "boys will be boys" style conversation that gave me the ick. His two business partners rib him for his attention to clothing and poetic leanings by calling him a woman. But at least he's "a woman with a mean right hook." Masculinity saved! Somewhat! I kept with it because I know how much better MacLean's later works are in this arena. And I hoped that would be the end of it so I could focus on the better aspects of the story. Nope.
I'm never ever ever into actively intimidating women (or anyone else) as a sexy moment. Hoping to scare someone into submission is horrifying period. A scene where Michael meets Penelope's enthusiasm at reconnecting with an old friend with this exact type of behavior leads to him literally throwing her over his shoulder to kidnap her and hold her hostage with a ruined reputation. She's speaking to him as a friend and he takes this tack because of what-- trauma? Losing your wealth is definitely shitty but like. How does that entitle you to bully those with less power than you, ones that had nothing to do with your past hurts? Men get to use their sadness for some bullshit, and I'm not about it. He later chooses to show some emotions as a way to manipulate rather than out of genuineness, which made me even more mad. I understand it's a Hades/Persephone vibe, so the toxicity fits the bill perfectly. I just hate when retellings put a veneer over it to say, this is ok, actually! It's romantic! It's feminist, even! Instead of just owning up to the fact it's problematic as hell. And I'm so tired of "innocent miss meets worldly scoundrel" when there's no balance to it. I've seen it done well but rarely.
The story escalates the spiciness factor quickly, re: captured damsel. I can't stand the physical intimacy paired with the hostage situation and the emotional constipation, delivered without humor. When lashing out comes from a place of drama like "look how tortured he is" I'm out.
I wanted to hold out for personal growth, but I was too annoyed to see it through. DNF @33%. With a foundation like this, I don't see it going in a direction I like based on tropes, etc. even if it improves. Penelope will likely suffer a lot more abuse disguised as all he can offer. Not today. Also, I just read a book with an excellent revenge plot, and this one doesn't measure up. A man's hurt feelings don't impress me much if he's going to take it out on everyone else. That's not valiant-- it's childish and selfish. Someone tell Penelope there's nothing sexy about that.
I think I'll continue with my blacklist adventure, though? I'm hoping to see an upward trend that reconnects me to Hell's Belles, which I adore. If this were my first exposure to MacLean's work, I think I'd be done with it.
But first, the good news. A Rogue by any Other Name has some Pride and Prejudice vibes given an eldest sister (Penelope) with no brothers and plenty of sisters to suffer from her spinster status (plus a mom with anxiety over social status). Yet Penelope holds out for love until her parents issue an ultimatum. Her father has attached a piece of land he won at cards to her dowry to attract suitors by season's end. Penelope is haunted by the demand she settle on someone, not only because she prefers spinsterhood to a loveless match but also because the land in question once belonged to her childhood friend-- the disgraced Marquess of Bourne, Michael to her.
Ok, cool. So that was the good news. But: Bourne and his friends kick things off with a very "boys will be boys" style conversation that gave me the ick. His two business partners rib him for his attention to clothing and poetic leanings by calling him a woman. But at least he's "a woman with a mean right hook." Masculinity saved! Somewhat! I kept with it because I know how much better MacLean's later works are in this arena. And I hoped that would be the end of it so I could focus on the better aspects of the story. Nope.
I'm never ever ever into actively intimidating women (or anyone else) as a sexy moment. Hoping to scare someone into submission is horrifying period. A scene where Michael meets Penelope's enthusiasm at reconnecting with an old friend with this exact type of behavior leads to him literally throwing her over his shoulder to kidnap her and hold her hostage with a ruined reputation. She's speaking to him as a friend and he takes this tack because of what-- trauma? Losing your wealth is definitely shitty but like. How does that entitle you to bully those with less power than you, ones that had nothing to do with your past hurts? Men get to use their sadness for some bullshit, and I'm not about it. He later chooses to show some emotions as a way to manipulate rather than out of genuineness, which made me even more mad. I understand it's a Hades/Persephone vibe, so the toxicity fits the bill perfectly. I just hate when retellings put a veneer over it to say, this is ok, actually! It's romantic! It's feminist, even! Instead of just owning up to the fact it's problematic as hell. And I'm so tired of "innocent miss meets worldly scoundrel" when there's no balance to it. I've seen it done well but rarely.
The story escalates the spiciness factor quickly, re: captured damsel. I can't stand the physical intimacy paired with the hostage situation and the emotional constipation, delivered without humor. When lashing out comes from a place of drama like "look how tortured he is" I'm out.
I wanted to hold out for personal growth, but I was too annoyed to see it through. DNF @33%. With a foundation like this, I don't see it going in a direction I like based on tropes, etc. even if it improves. Penelope will likely suffer a lot more abuse disguised as all he can offer. Not today. Also, I just read a book with an excellent revenge plot, and this one doesn't measure up. A man's hurt feelings don't impress me much if he's going to take it out on everyone else. That's not valiant-- it's childish and selfish. Someone tell Penelope there's nothing sexy about that.
I think I'll continue with my blacklist adventure, though? I'm hoping to see an upward trend that reconnects me to Hell's Belles, which I adore. If this were my first exposure to MacLean's work, I think I'd be done with it.
nosaxophone's review against another edition
lighthearted
- 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
4.25
hmonkeyreads's review against another edition
3.0
From Book Riot Quarterly box #3.
A splendid trip down memory lane! Oh my how I used to love a good Regency romance!
I've fallen out of the habit of buying and reading pure romance novels but I still enjoy them when I do read. There's nothing too surprising here - feisty heroine meets lovable rogue but this one is slightly different in that it spends most time on the seedy side of London and not in the uptight zone of Almack's.
I'm sure I'll read the next book in the series to see bookish Pippa find love with her ginger haired rogue as was teased in the final pages.
A splendid trip down memory lane! Oh my how I used to love a good Regency romance!
I've fallen out of the habit of buying and reading pure romance novels but I still enjoy them when I do read. There's nothing too surprising here - feisty heroine meets lovable rogue but this one is slightly different in that it spends most time on the seedy side of London and not in the uptight zone of Almack's.
I'm sure I'll read the next book in the series to see bookish Pippa find love with her ginger haired rogue as was teased in the final pages.
pagesofpemberley's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 // This one started off strong—a vague Hades & Persephone retelling, with childhood friends-to-enemies-to-lovers. The guy starts off as an ACTUAL villain, which I respect. I found Penelope to be a bit spineless for my taste—her innocence is fine, but she’s constantly sighing “but he’s my husband” every time he does something dastardly.
Penelope finally finds her spine and everything was looking great until the last 15% of the book, where the dialogue got SO hokey and overwrought and the villainous MC suddenly starts spouting poetry and kissing Penelope's feet—I was physically cringing at parts. I would have appreciated the relationship to have a more consistent pace of development.
Still excited for the couple that was teased for the sequel though.
Penelope finally finds her spine and everything was looking great until the last 15% of the book, where the dialogue got SO hokey and overwrought and the villainous MC suddenly starts spouting poetry and kissing Penelope's feet—I was physically cringing at parts. I would have appreciated the relationship to have a more consistent pace of development.
Still excited for the couple that was teased for the sequel though.
loyaultemelie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
According to Libby I finished this book in 6 hours and 42 minutes and if that isn't proof that I highly enjoyed this book, then I don't know what is. I hope not to make a habit of staying up til 2:00 reading romance novels on a week day.
That being said I came away from this book a little more conflicted with what rating to give it than the last book. I think this really is for one reason - the mileage I have for 'will they won't they.' This book is almost 100% will they won't they. In some ways it was refreshing. The climax (ha) of the book was really something, and though I wouldn't want to spoil it, I really did love it.
That being said, the pages right before that when I, on my kindle, could not see how many pages were physically left, were beyond frustrating. Every time I thought the characters had progressed emotionally it seemed they woke up the next day and were right back to their normal selves. Until they interacted again, refell in love, the cycle repeats. I realize that human beings are like this, tend to be very quick to swing from emotion to emotion, especially when a decade of trauma is involved. But ugh, how frustrating.
Still, I did love the plot. I love that it moved very fast in the beginning. I loved that the characters were undeniable horny for one another (one of two good ways to do enemies to lovers imho, or, I wouldn't call it enemies, but bitter people to lovers). I liked the fact that this book had a very clear and well planned out storyline, unlike the last book which was drama after drama with sometimes little foreshadowing. Did this successful destroy the frustration? Yes and no. I was always going to rank it highly. How highly, well if the review changes within the next few months we'll see the answer.
Regardless I would recommend it, it's a fun read. Congrats Sarah MacLean, I will now be reading all your books.
Oh, and romance novelists please a little more attention to period accurate dress for my unhinged self please.
That being said I came away from this book a little more conflicted with what rating to give it than the last book. I think this really is for one reason - the mileage I have for 'will they won't they.' This book is almost 100% will they won't they. In some ways it was refreshing. The climax (ha) of the book was really something, and though I wouldn't want to spoil it, I really did love it.
That being said, the pages right before that when I, on my kindle, could not see how many pages were physically left, were beyond frustrating. Every time I thought the characters had progressed emotionally it seemed they woke up the next day and were right back to their normal selves. Until they interacted again, refell in love, the cycle repeats. I realize that human beings are like this, tend to be very quick to swing from emotion to emotion, especially when a decade of trauma is involved. But ugh, how frustrating.
Still, I did love the plot. I love that it moved very fast in the beginning. I loved that the characters were undeniable horny for one another (one of two good ways to do enemies to lovers imho, or, I wouldn't call it enemies, but bitter people to lovers). I liked the fact that this book had a very clear and well planned out storyline, unlike the last book which was drama after drama with sometimes little foreshadowing. Did this successful destroy the frustration? Yes and no. I was always going to rank it highly. How highly, well if the review changes within the next few months we'll see the answer.
Regardless I would recommend it, it's a fun read. Congrats Sarah MacLean, I will now be reading all your books.
Oh, and romance novelists please a little more attention to period accurate dress for my unhinged self please.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
solaana's review against another edition
2.0
The "I love her but I don't deserve her but I can't let her go so I'll just fuck with her yeah that'll work" thing gets tiresome after a while.
hlizmarie's review against another edition
4.0
A fun read! Of course it's a historical romance so you know how the overarching plot will go but I have to say this one was a bit different and more enjoyable because of it. I adored Penelope and the woman she became over the course of her struggles with Michael. She was brilliant by the end! I loved her fire and her fight which seemed very real and not at all contrived just to create turmoil between our main characters. One of my main issues with the historical romance (or any romance) is that the characters often fall magically right into love and the history between Michael and Penelope gave them a nice foundation to work from. The letters, sent and unsent, explained quite a bit and made all of the eventual happiness more real to me. I went straight from this one to the next one and will happily keep reading this series.
poorashleu's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted here
It seems I have jumped full into the historical romance field with no questions besides looking at friends recommendations lists. A Rogue by Any Other Name came into my life because it was recommended by friends and my library’s overdrive app. While the overdrive app is 50/50 in accurate recommendations, this is one that I enjoyed. Huzzah!
While the Marquess of Bourne and Lady Penelope once were friends, they no longer are. Marquess of Bourne, or Michael lost everything in a card game around ten years ago. While he found this to be the!worst!thing!ever! it is actually the kick in the ass he needed to get the fire in his life that made him do something with his life. While this makes him vengeful and a bit of an asshole, that one moment changed his life forever. Lady Penelope’s life was shaped by the moment that she broke her engagement off and was the talk of the season, for multiple seasons.
Bourne, or as Penelope calls him, Michael, is determined to get his estate back and the only way he can figure out to get it back is to essentially kidnap, compromise and force Penelope into marrying him. What Michael doesn’t know is that Penelope has loved him for most of her life. Even when he left her, she always loved him, her childhood friend. While he treats the marriage as a business proposition, filled with negotiations and threats, she treats it more as something that is filled with a sort of love. She is not naive, she knows that he views it as a business deal, but to her it’s more than that.
What MacLean made work was that about halfway through the novel, Michael comes around, he begins to realize that he’s been a bit of an asshole. Not even a “bad boy” but a pure asshole and he begins to try to make amends. What he doesn’t expect is that Penelope doesn’t make it easy. She knows, from experience that people don’t just change and she is suspicious of the fact that Michael is willing to change so quickly. What doesn’t change however is Michael and his need for revenge and how it might tear the couple apart. While this is my first MacLean novel, I don’t plan on letting this be my last.
It seems I have jumped full into the historical romance field with no questions besides looking at friends recommendations lists. A Rogue by Any Other Name came into my life because it was recommended by friends and my library’s overdrive app. While the overdrive app is 50/50 in accurate recommendations, this is one that I enjoyed. Huzzah!
While the Marquess of Bourne and Lady Penelope once were friends, they no longer are. Marquess of Bourne, or Michael lost everything in a card game around ten years ago. While he found this to be the!worst!thing!ever! it is actually the kick in the ass he needed to get the fire in his life that made him do something with his life. While this makes him vengeful and a bit of an asshole, that one moment changed his life forever. Lady Penelope’s life was shaped by the moment that she broke her engagement off and was the talk of the season, for multiple seasons.
Bourne, or as Penelope calls him, Michael, is determined to get his estate back and the only way he can figure out to get it back is to essentially kidnap, compromise and force Penelope into marrying him. What Michael doesn’t know is that Penelope has loved him for most of her life. Even when he left her, she always loved him, her childhood friend. While he treats the marriage as a business proposition, filled with negotiations and threats, she treats it more as something that is filled with a sort of love. She is not naive, she knows that he views it as a business deal, but to her it’s more than that.
What MacLean made work was that about halfway through the novel, Michael comes around, he begins to realize that he’s been a bit of an asshole. Not even a “bad boy” but a pure asshole and he begins to try to make amends. What he doesn’t expect is that Penelope doesn’t make it easy. She knows, from experience that people don’t just change and she is suspicious of the fact that Michael is willing to change so quickly. What doesn’t change however is Michael and his need for revenge and how it might tear the couple apart. While this is my first MacLean novel, I don’t plan on letting this be my last.