trueromance

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing A Rake

by, Sarah MacLean

HERO:   Gabriel St John, The Marquess of Ralston

HEROINE:  Lady Calpurnia Hartwell

STORYLINE: The story begins with the heroine, Callie, outside of the ballroom seeking fresh air in the labyrinth, thinking over her first season & what a disaster it has been. Our hero, Ralston, hears Callie approach & quickly curtails her path. They exchange in polite conversation before he slips away. Callie is intrigued by Ralston & quietly follows him only to find him engaged with another woman.

Eight years go by & Callie is thought of Ralston often. One may say she is pining for him. Once night after dinner her family is discussing her sisters betrothal ball & Callie starts to feel a little overwhelmed. Callie slips out of the room seeking her older brother to commiserate with. Callie expresses her frustration as having now been labeled as a spinster while not even having experienced anything! Callie then decides, it is time she experiences life & comes up with a list of rules for her to break:

1-KISS SOMEONE, PASSIONATELY

2-SMOKE CHEROOT & DRINK SCOTCH

3-RIDE ASTRIDE

4-FENCE

5-ATTEND A DUEL

6-FIRE A PISTOL

7-GAMBLE

8-DANCE EVERY DANCE AT A BALL

9-BE CONSIDERED BEAUTIFUL, JUST ONCE

After a few glasses of sherry & conversation with her brother, Callie sneaks out of the house & hires a hack to transport her to Ralston’s home where she intends on breaking a few rules. Callie realizes she may have imbibed a bit much & begins to second guess her decision as the butler escorts her to Ralston’s room — the butler assumes the Marquess has called for a lightskirt so he takes Callie post haste to Ralston’s chambers. There we find our hero playing the pinaforte, absorbed in his music. Ralston hears the butler approaching & assumes he has brought his mistress whom he’s been trying to break off with & explains to Nastasia that he is no longer interested, soon to find out it is not she but another woman, & so the story begins.

Up to this point, as a reader, I’ve enjoyed the authors voice & writing style, however, one key question sticks in my mind . . . why does the heroine wait 8 years for Ralston? As a modern woman, I’ll admit, I may have pined at one time, but not for 8 years! Good God! 3 months maybe & then have moved on. I realize in the 1800’s a woman is probably more apt to pine for a longer period of time, but to relate this story to today’s reader, isn’t 8 years a bit much?

Now, that was my first reaction - - - then I think, there is more to this story, right? I’m sure the author explains this obsession of Callie’s for the Marquess & it will be explained later on in the book, right?

So, now satisfied with this reasoning, I read on . . . .

Ralston recruits Callie to help him introduce his sister into society. Callie agrees to the arrangement, I mean, why not? This will bring her closer to Ralston & ultimately the opportunity she was waiting for (& let’s face it, the author needed a ploy to bring Callie & Ralston together & this works just as good as any — & basically, I love it!).

As the story continues, there is one point in the book where Callie is beginning to see, after many outings with Ralston & Juliana, that he is much different than she dreamed . . . this flesh & blood man has faults & attributes that she had not envisioned. Now that Callie knows more about Ralston, she is not sure what to think, however, the desire is there & that is what makes this debut a MUST BUY!

I have to share this funny line; don’t you always look for that one, memorable line?   Callie had attempted to slap Ralston at the theater. Now at home with her maid discussing the evening, Anne comments to Callie, “I’m not sure, particularly considering the fact that you attempted to strike him in a public theater.” Callie says, “Exactly! There’s nothing cowardly about that!” Anne says, “Nothing ladylike about it either.” LOL – Love it!

About 60% thru the book, Callie has broken 2 rules & now has 7 more to go, so, she decides to fence at the local men’s club dressed as a man. Ironically, she is paired up with Ralston! Ralston soon discovers his fencing partner is not a man but Callie, as well as, finds her list of rules. Ralston worries that she will ruin her reputation which in turn will not help Juliana’s entrance into society one bit, so what can a rake do? Ralston offers to accompany Callie to execute her rule breaking escapades.

Hopefully, I’ve intrigued you while not giving away too much of the story. Mark your calendar’s for March 30^th 2010 & pick up your copy of Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake at your local Borders store or preorder it now!

The ending is awesome. . not only will you find out how breaking the rules brings Ralston & Callie together, but, you’ll find out about his twin brother Nick; what happens to Juliana; & why in the world would somebody pine for someone 8 years

This is a MUST READ! Until tomorrow, Happy Romance!

QUESTION OF THE DAY:    Have you ever pined after a man? For how long? What was the outcome? Don’t worry, I’ll share my secrets too!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sarah MacLean, grew up in Rhode Island, where she spent much of her free time bemoaning the fact that she was more than a century too late for own Season. Her unabashed addiction to historical fiction helped to earn her a degree in European History from Smith College before she moved to New York City to pursue a career in publishing. After receiving a Masters in Education from Harvard University, Sarah returned to New York, where she lives with her husband, their dog, and a ridiculously large collection of romance novels.