Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
Very spicy romp through ballrooms and bedrooms of Regency England. Entertaining and silly.
adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this book despite it not being my preferred genre.
I found the beginning a little slow, but after the first third of the book I seemed to enjoy it a lot more and I ended up getting quite invested in the characters!
The most enjoyable aspect about it was that Callie was not a meek woman, nor a hardcore feminist, but a relatable woman (perhaps ahead of her time) who had a mind of her own and was very strong-willed etc.
Both her and Ralston had human and relatable flaws as well (that weren’t overdone), so it was great to see them grow as people and towards each other.
I found the beginning a little slow, but after the first third of the book I seemed to enjoy it a lot more and I ended up getting quite invested in the characters!
The most enjoyable aspect about it was that Callie was not a meek woman, nor a hardcore feminist, but a relatable woman (perhaps ahead of her time) who had a mind of her own and was very strong-willed etc.
Both her and Ralston had human and relatable flaws as well (that weren’t overdone), so it was great to see them grow as people and towards each other.
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After being relegated to Spinster Seating, Lady Calpurnia (Callie) makes a list that will catapult her into living with a capital L. Her inadvertent partner in crime that keeps showing up along for her adventures is her unrequited love, Lord Ralston. They are delightful together and I absolutely adored Callie marking off every part of her list.
This book is something of a classic in the romance world, so I figured I should get around to reading it at some point. I can see why it might have made a splash; MacLean presents us with a heroine who wants to escape the confines that society puts on unmarried women, and it's easy to root for her. Overall, though, I found this book to be less than engaging, in part because the pacing wasn't quite to my liking. While I could have gotten into each of the individual narrative threads, there wasn't really a sense of urgency, and a lot of scenes felt like filler. For that reason, this book only gets a middling rating from me.
Writing: MacLean's prose is generally well crafted in that it's clear and precise, making it easy to digest and quick to get through. It's about what you would expect of the romance genre, and it has some moments of levity that will surely make a reader smile. I don't necessarily have anything negative to say about it.
Plot: The non-romance plot of this novel involves a number of narrative threads: Callie, our heroine, is tired of acting like a proper lady, and after ten years of following society's rules and still not finding a suitable husband, she decides to make a list of all the things she's always wanted to do. This list includes very scandalous, non-ladylike activities like gambling, fencing, and smoking cheroot, and as she sets out to cross everything off her list, she becomes entangled with Gabriel, the Marquess of Ralston. Ralston is in need of a lady with a sterling reputation to introduce his half sister to the ton, and Callie agrees to help in exchange for a kiss. However, Ralston soon discovers what Callie is up to and appoints himself as something of a protector and co-conspirator, at first to safeguard Callie's reputation (so that his sister's reputation is also unaffected). But as Ralston gets more and more involved with Callie, the two start to have feelings for one another, and drama ensues.
This plot on its face was a fairly good one in that all characters had something they were striving for. Callie longed for adventure, and Ralston was determined that his sister have a good chance at being socially accepted. However, any excitement I had for the plot was dampened by the slow pace of the novel. MacLean infuses the plot with no sense of urgency, meaning that a lot of scenes (such as going shopping) feel like filler and don't necessarily build on one another. Long periods of time would pass before Callie got to items in her list, and some of them were over and done with so fast that it felt a little cheap. I think this book would have been more successful if more emphasis was placed on the symbolic nature of Callie's list items; for example, fencing could have allowed Callie to express anger, which ladies are supposed to suppress. Maybe drinking scotch could be symbolic of rebelling against the ways women are told what to eat and drink. There's a little of that from time to time, but MacLean seems less interested in delving into what emotional satisfaction Callie gets from the items on her list than she is in setting up situations to throw Callie and Ralston together.
Characters: Callie, our heroine, is easy to root for in that she has a worthy goal. I personally like heroines that struggle against society's expectations, and it was fun seeing her take charge. However, Callie was also something of a naive pushover; while she could be determined and headstrong, she usually caved when Ralston got involved, and after a while, the items on her list felt like chores rather than things she actually wanted to do. Callie also seems to waver back and forth between wanting to escape society and wanting to conform to it; though she longs for adventure, she constantly corrects Ralston's sister on how proper ladies should act, and there wasn't really a sense that the two were putting on an act so that they could get what they wanted from society. It made for some confusing motivations.
Ralston, our hero, isn't by far the worst I've ever read, but there's not a whole lot to him that makes him memorable. He's a Rake of the highest order, but he also cares deeply for his siblings and never actually mistreats anyone - including his former mistress. That's all well and good, but some of his kindness is overshadowed by his overbearing nature. He has a tendency to be quite bossy, and I didn't especially like the way he tried to almost bully Callie into marriage.
Juliana, Ralston's half sister, is sympathetic in that she's in a new country with a family she's always wanted, so it's easy to want to see her happy. I loved that she formed friendships with both Callie and Callie's sister, Mariana, so the three of them had some comraderie that felt natural and easy. The only thing I didn't quite like was that MacLean wrote Juliana as not understanding English idioms (because Juliana's first language is Italian). While I think it was meant to be charming or funny, it instead painted Juliana as somewhat childish or unintelligent.
Mariana, Callie's younger sister, is wonderful for supporting her sister and keeping her secrets. I liked that Mariana and Callie had what truly felt like a co-conspirator relationship, and the esteem Mariana has for Callie is touching. Benedick, their older brother, is similarly admirable and I liked that he was also sympathetic; he seemed to want what was best for Callie, though he doesn't quite understand the limits placed on women. It's forgivable, though, because Benedick very obviously tries his best.
The only characters that I felt were underutilized were Nastasia and Oxford. Nastasia is Ralston's most recent ex-mistress, and at first, I thought MacLean was setting up some kind of rivalry subplot. I was glad that that didn't happen, but as a result, Nastasia felt rather hollow. She does give Callie some parting advice about love, but it doesn't seem to be relevant for long, so as a character, Nastasia feels like filler. Oxford, for his part, is actually there to drive some drama; Ralston makes a bet with him early in the novel that the latter wouldn't be able to win Callie's hand. Oxford, you see, is deeply in debt and would benefit from Callie's dowry, and he suspects Callie is desperate enough to accept him. While I didn't quite mind the bet as a source of drama, it was in and out of focus, which made it feel thrown in at the last minute for some last minute angst. Oxford himself serves his purpose well, but again, he didn't feel much like a real threat or real source of pressure on the plot.
Romance: The romance between Callie and Ralston was... OK. There wasn't a whole lot that was wrong with it, but I also wouldn't call it very memorable. The biggest issue I had with it was that Callie seems to lose all sense of self-confidence or self-determination whenever Ralston is in the picture. She would often be well on her way to doing something for herself, but her feelings for Ralston would get her sidetracked to the point where accomplishing the tasks on her list felt cheap. For example, Callie disguises herself as a man to go gambling, but she lets Ralston take her to a private room in the men's club where they gamble just with each other and then have sex. It didn't feel like Callie was really seeking out adventure to fulfill her desires outside of Ralston, so Ralston felt like her whole world. While I understand that this is a romance, I do like my characters to be mutually supportive of the other and for them to have goals aside from boinking one another.
TL;DR: While Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake is a classic in the historical romance world, there's not a lot to set it apart today, more than a decade after its publication. Though I appreciated following a heroine who struggled against society's stupid rules for women, the pacing of this book left a lot to be desired, and the fixation on the love interest made the heroine's desires feel inconsequential.
Writing: MacLean's prose is generally well crafted in that it's clear and precise, making it easy to digest and quick to get through. It's about what you would expect of the romance genre, and it has some moments of levity that will surely make a reader smile. I don't necessarily have anything negative to say about it.
Plot: The non-romance plot of this novel involves a number of narrative threads: Callie, our heroine, is tired of acting like a proper lady, and after ten years of following society's rules and still not finding a suitable husband, she decides to make a list of all the things she's always wanted to do. This list includes very scandalous, non-ladylike activities like gambling, fencing, and smoking cheroot, and as she sets out to cross everything off her list, she becomes entangled with Gabriel, the Marquess of Ralston. Ralston is in need of a lady with a sterling reputation to introduce his half sister to the ton, and Callie agrees to help in exchange for a kiss. However, Ralston soon discovers what Callie is up to and appoints himself as something of a protector and co-conspirator, at first to safeguard Callie's reputation (so that his sister's reputation is also unaffected). But as Ralston gets more and more involved with Callie, the two start to have feelings for one another, and drama ensues.
This plot on its face was a fairly good one in that all characters had something they were striving for. Callie longed for adventure, and Ralston was determined that his sister have a good chance at being socially accepted. However, any excitement I had for the plot was dampened by the slow pace of the novel. MacLean infuses the plot with no sense of urgency, meaning that a lot of scenes (such as going shopping) feel like filler and don't necessarily build on one another. Long periods of time would pass before Callie got to items in her list, and some of them were over and done with so fast that it felt a little cheap. I think this book would have been more successful if more emphasis was placed on the symbolic nature of Callie's list items; for example, fencing could have allowed Callie to express anger, which ladies are supposed to suppress. Maybe drinking scotch could be symbolic of rebelling against the ways women are told what to eat and drink. There's a little of that from time to time, but MacLean seems less interested in delving into what emotional satisfaction Callie gets from the items on her list than she is in setting up situations to throw Callie and Ralston together.
Characters: Callie, our heroine, is easy to root for in that she has a worthy goal. I personally like heroines that struggle against society's expectations, and it was fun seeing her take charge. However, Callie was also something of a naive pushover; while she could be determined and headstrong, she usually caved when Ralston got involved, and after a while, the items on her list felt like chores rather than things she actually wanted to do. Callie also seems to waver back and forth between wanting to escape society and wanting to conform to it; though she longs for adventure, she constantly corrects Ralston's sister on how proper ladies should act, and there wasn't really a sense that the two were putting on an act so that they could get what they wanted from society. It made for some confusing motivations.
Ralston, our hero, isn't by far the worst I've ever read, but there's not a whole lot to him that makes him memorable. He's a Rake of the highest order, but he also cares deeply for his siblings and never actually mistreats anyone - including his former mistress. That's all well and good, but some of his kindness is overshadowed by his overbearing nature. He has a tendency to be quite bossy, and I didn't especially like the way he tried to almost bully Callie into marriage.
Juliana, Ralston's half sister, is sympathetic in that she's in a new country with a family she's always wanted, so it's easy to want to see her happy. I loved that she formed friendships with both Callie and Callie's sister, Mariana, so the three of them had some comraderie that felt natural and easy. The only thing I didn't quite like was that MacLean wrote Juliana as not understanding English idioms (because Juliana's first language is Italian). While I think it was meant to be charming or funny, it instead painted Juliana as somewhat childish or unintelligent.
Mariana, Callie's younger sister, is wonderful for supporting her sister and keeping her secrets. I liked that Mariana and Callie had what truly felt like a co-conspirator relationship, and the esteem Mariana has for Callie is touching. Benedick, their older brother, is similarly admirable and I liked that he was also sympathetic; he seemed to want what was best for Callie, though he doesn't quite understand the limits placed on women. It's forgivable, though, because Benedick very obviously tries his best.
The only characters that I felt were underutilized were Nastasia and Oxford. Nastasia is Ralston's most recent ex-mistress, and at first, I thought MacLean was setting up some kind of rivalry subplot. I was glad that that didn't happen, but as a result, Nastasia felt rather hollow. She does give Callie some parting advice about love, but it doesn't seem to be relevant for long, so as a character, Nastasia feels like filler. Oxford, for his part, is actually there to drive some drama; Ralston makes a bet with him early in the novel that the latter wouldn't be able to win Callie's hand. Oxford, you see, is deeply in debt and would benefit from Callie's dowry, and he suspects Callie is desperate enough to accept him. While I didn't quite mind the bet as a source of drama, it was in and out of focus, which made it feel thrown in at the last minute for some last minute angst. Oxford himself serves his purpose well, but again, he didn't feel much like a real threat or real source of pressure on the plot.
Romance: The romance between Callie and Ralston was... OK. There wasn't a whole lot that was wrong with it, but I also wouldn't call it very memorable. The biggest issue I had with it was that Callie seems to lose all sense of self-confidence or self-determination whenever Ralston is in the picture. She would often be well on her way to doing something for herself, but her feelings for Ralston would get her sidetracked to the point where accomplishing the tasks on her list felt cheap. For example, Callie disguises herself as a man to go gambling, but she lets Ralston take her to a private room in the men's club where they gamble just with each other and then have sex. It didn't feel like Callie was really seeking out adventure to fulfill her desires outside of Ralston, so Ralston felt like her whole world. While I understand that this is a romance, I do like my characters to be mutually supportive of the other and for them to have goals aside from boinking one another.
TL;DR: While Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake is a classic in the historical romance world, there's not a lot to set it apart today, more than a decade after its publication. Though I appreciated following a heroine who struggled against society's stupid rules for women, the pacing of this book left a lot to be desired, and the fixation on the love interest made the heroine's desires feel inconsequential.
Scribd Audiobook
4.5⭐️s
Callie, a decrepit spinster at age 27, decides she is tired of living life standing still. She makes a list of things men take for granted & decides she is going to live a little. Her first item…a kiss. A passionate kiss. And she turns to her longtime crush to make it happen.
Callie’s deal with the Duke, a barter for a kiss, includes her taking his sister into society. The deal requires her to stay the most bland, upstanding woman of the tonne. But, her list leaves her walking a tightrope & hoping to spend more time with Gabriel.
I did enjoy this story immensely. The setup was new & interesting. I liked that Callie was willing to get out of her rut & move about as a man. She starts out very naive & is scandalized by Gabriel (yet, she wants to hang out at a dive bar.) She & the Duke butt heads over & over, but she stands up for his sister & herself. The third act scandal was a definite scandal & not something tame thrown in to end the book. That’s what sold me on the star rating.
4.5⭐️s
Callie, a decrepit spinster at age 27, decides she is tired of living life standing still. She makes a list of things men take for granted & decides she is going to live a little. Her first item…a kiss. A passionate kiss. And she turns to her longtime crush to make it happen.
Callie’s deal with the Duke, a barter for a kiss, includes her taking his sister into society. The deal requires her to stay the most bland, upstanding woman of the tonne. But, her list leaves her walking a tightrope & hoping to spend more time with Gabriel.
I did enjoy this story immensely. The setup was new & interesting. I liked that Callie was willing to get out of her rut & move about as a man. She starts out very naive & is scandalized by Gabriel (yet, she wants to hang out at a dive bar.) She & the Duke butt heads over & over, but she stands up for his sister & herself. The third act scandal was a definite scandal & not something tame thrown in to end the book. That’s what sold me on the star rating.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I did get bored in the beginning but once we got the ball rolling it was fun! I loved the more emotional second half of the book.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This was my first Sarah MacLean book, and I can see why people love her. I'm not the biggest fan of the guy, but Callie was brilliant and the banter was a lot of fun. It was way, way too long, but it kept me entertained and I'm totally going to read Nick's book next, so I'm counting it as a success