The Notorious Rake
I’ve been on the search for some good spinster stories. I get a kick out of reading romances involving more mature female lead characters, and in this pursuit of something to read, I stumbled across a review for a vintage Regency romance by Mary Balogh called The Notorious Rake. It did not disappoint.
Mary Balogh is among a select few whose older novels are just as enjoyable to read now as their latest creations. What drew me in was how it began. Unlike other novels that take a moment to paint a background, establish characters, and then lead into the story, this book starts with a bang.
Mary Gregg, Lady Mornington, laments how thunderstorms have brought her naught but misfortune and landed her in the current predicament she is in, having involved herself with Lord Edmond Waite, the last man she would have wittingly taken as a lover. And with that bit of news, the story begins. It was a fun read.
Lord Edmond is a rake by all definitions of the word, pursuing nothing but pleasure. So much so that his possession of Mary in their intimate encounter due to the storm leaves him confused, but determined to make her his mistress. He soon realizes that Mary is going to be harder to convince of such. She is having second thoughts and regrets her rash actions because now she can’t seem to get rid of a man who is so at odds with her proper, orderly world that everyone is aghast that he dares to intrude upon it.
The best part about this book is his relentless pursuit of Mary, first in confusion as to how she could refuse him when they were so apparently well matched between the sheets (why would she scorn the offer of his sexual prowess to be placed at her disposal?). Later, he is even more conflicted because his feelings are deeper than he anticipated, yet Mary is entirely set against his pursuit and has welcomed the attentions of another more prim suitor, the Viscount, Lord Goodrich.
It’s fast-paced and never skips a beat. The romance is strong, the love scenes are lukewarm at best, but perhaps that is more due to the fact that this book was published as a Signet Regency Romance.
Fans of Mary Balogh will not be disappointed, and anyone looking for a good story about a smart spinster and the reformation of her rakish lover will be quite pleased.
One Comment
Dennis T
Thank you for your review. You prompted me to buy this book which is next up on my reading list.
Dennis