Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake
This is Sarah MacLean's first book, and it's pretty much guaranteed that I will now track down and read everything she's written. It didn't feature any of the characters I've come to love from her more recent books. But it does have the wonderful, bold Callie and Gabriel, who can't help but fall head over heels for her.
Callie has spent the last decade playing by the rules. She has an immaculate reputation and nothing else to show for it. When her younger sister gets engaged, and it looks like Callie is destined for a life of spinsterhood, she sets out to enjoy all the things she's been denying herself. Along the way she captures the attention of notorious rake, Gabriel. Gabriel has just discovered his half-sister, and he needs help introducing her into society. He strikes a bargain with Callie - she helps his sister and he'll help her. But before he knows it, he's in way over his head.
This book was a ton of fun, and Callie strikes an excellent balance between chafing at the restrictions society places on her as a woman and wanting all the things society has promised will be hers if she plays by the rules. She wants to fall in love and have children. She also wants to try scotch and learn how to fence. She's a romantic at heart who discovers an inner courage and thirst for adventure over the course of the novel.
The biggest weakness is MacLean's sudden shifts in perspective. She's mastered this in her more recent books, and it didn't honestly bother me too much. But it was occasionally jarring to slip from Callie's perspective to Gabriel's for a paragraph or two before switching back. It's a minor quibble, though. For the most part I thoroughly enjoyed the ride this story took me on.
Callie has spent the last decade playing by the rules. She has an immaculate reputation and nothing else to show for it. When her younger sister gets engaged, and it looks like Callie is destined for a life of spinsterhood, she sets out to enjoy all the things she's been denying herself. Along the way she captures the attention of notorious rake, Gabriel. Gabriel has just discovered his half-sister, and he needs help introducing her into society. He strikes a bargain with Callie - she helps his sister and he'll help her. But before he knows it, he's in way over his head.
This book was a ton of fun, and Callie strikes an excellent balance between chafing at the restrictions society places on her as a woman and wanting all the things society has promised will be hers if she plays by the rules. She wants to fall in love and have children. She also wants to try scotch and learn how to fence. She's a romantic at heart who discovers an inner courage and thirst for adventure over the course of the novel.
The biggest weakness is MacLean's sudden shifts in perspective. She's mastered this in her more recent books, and it didn't honestly bother me too much. But it was occasionally jarring to slip from Callie's perspective to Gabriel's for a paragraph or two before switching back. It's a minor quibble, though. For the most part I thoroughly enjoyed the ride this story took me on.
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