Review: A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean
SYNOPSIS:
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 such unexplored pleasures.
Bourne may be a prince of London’s 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.
REVIEW:
So I reached out to several friends for their historical romance recommendations, and Sarah MacLean was one of the first names dropped by several of them. So I decided to start my journey into historical romances with her work. The story starts off dreadfully slow, I listened to the audio book and I it took about 2-3 hours into the book for me to sink into the story.
At one point I thought about giving up but decided to keep listening, because surely it would get better…and it did! The story line picked up, numerous enchanting secondary characters were introduced, and I fell into the world of 1800s London. It was a fun listen, weird and complex to think about how things operated at the time and how things are so vastly different from modern times, but I enjoyed the listen none-the-less.
Bourne and Penelope have a complicated relationship. From childhood friends, to strangers, then to enemies/lovers? I feel bad for Penelope, it so sad to think that at 28 she is a spinster and her family is horrid. Her mother is obsessed with opinions, her sister Olivia is obsessed with herself, and overall the family just seems un-supportive. Bourne is a complicated man, all harsh edges, a harsher attitude, he was an alpha-a-hole till the very end. I would have liked to have seen more conversation between Bourne and Penelope but everything between them was heated arguments and searing passion.
I adored the other men at The Fallen Angel, I hope they each get a story. As well as Pippa, Penelope’s other sister who is inquisitive and loves science. These characters brought so much livelihood to this story and are what really made me enjoy the listen. To simply put it, this story was a refreshing read. I don’t think I would come back and listen again, but a solid choice as I venture into a new genre.
LINKS:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
