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Notorious Rake, Innocent Lady (2008)

by Bronwyn Scott(Favorite Author)

3.56 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0373294964 (ISBN13: 9780373294961)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Harlequin

series

Ramsden Brothers

review 1: I might be finally outgrowing this genre. Or, this is not nearly as good as everyone says it is.Julia, the heroine, is in a bind. Her uncle is pawning her off to a disgusting, rich old man, who has it in his mind to take cause their financial ruin. But he requires his bride to be a virgin, so Julia takes steps to rid herself of her virginity, by finding the most notorious rake in London, Paine Ramsden. The one night stand becomes something much more as Paine becomes her lover and protector.I will start with the first with the names. or 'Paine Ramsden'. Is it just me, but does that even sound like a gentleman's name, let alone a sexy hero's? I just don't understand. Then there is Julia's family. She keeps saying that they are good people, but what the marriage they arranged... more for her is disgusting. Especially if the man is rumored to have the Pox. I was also bothered by the excessive usage of the word: countenance. So much that I don't even know what it means anymore. I feel like that word has not been used correctly in every occasion. As the title suggests, there is a rakish hero who lives in the edge of society, but he has good morals for someone like that (considering the past and all). The worst part of the book was the weird sexual philosophy that is supposed to 'educate' the innocent miss. Yin and yang, Kama Sutra, some metaphysical explanations. It was so weird to read and felt so out of place.The characters had little development (lots of 'tell' instead of 'show'). I was hoping for some humor, but that didn't happen either. I didn't really feel the chemistry between the H/H. They also had a huge age difference.Maybe I'm expecting too much quality from this book, but it does not successfully deliver an entertaining romantic relationship. I finished it only because it had such good reviews and ratings and I thought that I might like it by the end.
review 2: This was a good book with a very likeable hero and heroine. When Julia Prentiss is promised in marriage to a vile lecher by her uncle, she decides that the only way to escape the marriage is to lose her virginity. She has heard tales of the rake, Paine Ramsden, and she decides he is the only man she knows of who is dishonorable enough to agree to her ruin. Paine, who was exiled from England a dozen years ago, has recently come back and become the owner of a gambling hell. He is agreeable enough to ruin Julia, but then his honor kicks in and he is unable to let her go to face her uncle and her betrothed. Julia's betrothed is the man who caused Paine to be exiled, and Paine decides to step in and protect Julia while gaining his own revenge. The relationship between Paine and Julia deepen as they go to his estranged brothers and put a plan in motion to free Julia from what seems to be a dark future. This Harlequin Historical was a very quick read. I do not usually enjoy the plot device of the young innocent female being pursued by an older villainous male, but I thought that it was nicely done in this book. Most of the story was focused on the hero and heroine without the villain being in the forefront too often. I liked the way that helping Julia made Paine see that he wasn't beyond redemption and that he could have a future that included a family. As Julia began to know Paine, her complete faith and trust in his goodness was touching. I found this to be an enjoyable book, and I look forward to more by this author. less

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