Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake (Love By Numbers #1)

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Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake (Love By Numbers #1)

by Sarah MacLean (Goodreads Author)

4.1 of 5 stars 4.10 · rating details · 10,607 ratings · 1,011 reviews

A lady does not smoke cheroot. She does not ride astride. She does not fence or attend duels. She does not fire a pistol, and she never gambles at a gentlemen's club.

Lady Calpurnia Hartwell has always followed the rules, rules that have left her unmarried—and more than a little unsatisfied. And so she's vowed to break the rules and live the life of pleasure she's been miss...more

Paperback, 422 pages

Published March 30th 2010 by Avon

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Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean

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Feb 05, 2011 Eastofoz rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of Kleypas/Quinn/Enoch/Chase/Anna Campbell

Shelves: historical-regency, 2010, favourites, e-book

This book has everything single thing I love about romance novels:

• a kill me now s.o.b alpha hero (be still my pitter pattering heart :D)
• an amazing heroine who is (brace yourself now) **shock** normal
• biting humor
• great repartee
• story focus on h/h 99.9% of the time (a rare breed of book)
• originality for something that's been done 36 gazillion times
• superb tension building
• unpredictability where you’re expecting the predictable (aka bug-eyed scenes)
• chilling meanness
• sex-a-licio...more

112 likes · like · see review

Apr 26, 2010 Shawna rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Lisa Kleypas fans & any historical romance lover!

Shelves: historical-romance, historical-romance-regency, sarah-maclean, hero-cad-rake-rogue‎-scoundrel, heroine-naïve-virgin-like-a-virgin, heroine-odd-spinster-wallflower, humorous-at-times-or-fluffy-fun, i-read-own-faves-keepers, favorites, enemies-to-lovers-opposites-attract, brothers-sisters-cousins-family, 2010-reads, hero-abused-scarred-tortured-angst, hero-alpha‎, hero-bad-boy-playboy, hero-stud-mantel-hall-of-fame, heroine-i-adore, hero-im-gaga-over, offlimits-bf-likekidsister-jailbait, why-do-good-girls-like-bad-boys, best-top-favorites, favorite-romance-couple-hh-pairings, rt-book-reviews-top-pick, heroine-curvy-plump-not-stick-thin, heroine-disguises-as-a-man, heroine-bluestocking-unconventional, heroine-plain-jane-ugly-duckling, best-faves-of-2010, unrequited-love-crush, series-love-by-numbers-ralstons, 5-stars-or-higher, steam-4-smokin, hh-aristocracy-nobility-royalty, sweet-romance-left-smile-on-my-face, heroine-kickass-spirited-strong, heroine-tomboy-lady-in-pants, hh-sweet-nice-paired-vs-gruff-cynic, heroine-badgirl-improper-scandalous, best-wittiest-banter-dialogue, heroine-ridiculed-unpopular, hero-authentic-uber-rake, heroine-free-spirit-quirky, heroine-plucky-lively-feisty-spunky, heroine-in-pursuit, heroine-makeover, heroine-hoyden, heroine-good-girl-tempted-gone-wild, a-all-time-best-of-best-fave-dik, a-all-time-fave-heroine, wager

5+ stars – Historical Romance

What a wonderful, charming, sexy, entertaining, sweet, funny, emotional, steamy, and well-written regency romance with an utterly lovable, quirky, plump, Plain Jane, wallflower, spinster heroine and a sexy-as-sin, tarnished-heart-of-gold rogue hero to die for!

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake is a truly delightful read with everything I love in a historical romance: an engaging story, witty dialogue, humor, drama, emotion, smokin’ hot love scenes, an endearin...more

56 likes · like · see review

Jun 14, 2012 Baba ♥♥♥ Marcus, Tyler, Tate, Dan, Ty, & Hunter rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historicals, sarah-maclean

FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED

"I love you. I love your extravagant name and your beautiful face and your brilliant mind and your ridiculous list and your taste for adventure, which I imagine is very likely going to be the actual cause (view spoiler)

Even though the plot is very predictable, I really enjoyed Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake. It's another winner and delightfully p...more

33 likes · like · see review

Apr 26, 2010 ♡KarLynP♡ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: genre-historical, published-2010, read-2010, steam-hot

An entertaining Regency read. The writing voice reminds me of Eloise James, Suzanne Enoch, Stephanie Lauren. The heat is more pronounced though, I'd say on that level its similar to Kleypas or Gaelen Foley. This is hot! I enjoyed it, and the characters were fun. In many ways it's a typical regency story that centers around all the events the Ton participates in to 'see and be seen' (Balls, operas, shopping on Bond street, museums...etc.) The storyline is a bit of a farce and does require you to...more

17 likes · like · see review

Feb 20, 2012 Suzanne the Mighty ~Satin Seductress~ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, 1-would-sell-my-firstborn-to-posses, girlies-i-would-take-for-a-tequila, author-sarah-maclean, funny-funny-har-har, plain-jane-blue-stocking-spinster, rake-man-whore

2012 Reread! I still love this book, I wish I could give it more then 5 stars!

I really loved this book! I loved the idea of the list of forbidden activities, the lovable rake and the unconventional heroine.

It all starts when 27 year old spinster Callie hears her younger sister having a romantic liason with her fiancee at their betrothal dinner and hears herself described as passive. This instigates her to make a list of actvities that she has always wanted to do, such as gamble at a gentlemans c...more 2012 Reread! I still love this book, I wish I could give it more then 5 stars!

I really loved this book! I loved the idea of the list of forbidden activities, the lovable rake and the unconventional heroine.

It all starts when 27 year old spinster Callie hears her younger sister having a romantic liason with her fiancee at their betrothal dinner and hears herself described as passive. This instigates her to make a list of actvities that she has always wanted to do, such as gamble at a gentlemans club and attend a duel. She actions her first item on the list a passionate kiss, that very night. And who better to kiss then Ralston, the man she has been in love with for 10 years, but who has never noticed her. Notice her he does when she gets into his bedroom and asks for her first kiss, he obliges her but for a price. She must help Ralston introduce his sister into society.

I think everyone at some point has had a similar list to Callie, a list of things they have always wanted to do and hope one day they will be able to pluck up the courage to actually go through with them. The first thing I love about Callie was that she was going to act on her list, she was going to seek out adventure after ten years of waiting for it to come to her.

The infamous list leads Callie and Ralston into a number of both funny and passionalte encounters, which gradually makes Ralston rethink his opnion of the seemingly very proper, plump and plain Callie. The budding relationship between them was funny and sweet, Ms Maclean wrote the banter between them perfectly.

Ralston was a good hero, although I wouldn't put him under the catergory of tortured hero, he did have a painful past that had him distrusting love. He was also wicked enough to be intriging but not distustingly debauched. For those of you who have read The Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas, he sometimes reminded me of a more responsible older brother of St. Vincent. However, as much as I liked Ralston, I found that, for a change, it is Callie that I remember this book for her, her transformation to passive wallflower to adventurous beauty was entertaining to watch unfurl as the romance.

The cast of secondary characters were also fantastic, they were well rounded and each had their own small story. Juliana and Nicholas, Ralston's siblings also have books in this series, and I can't wait to read them!
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17 likes · like · see review

Oct 06, 2012 Dina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, to-blog

I love the inside cover of this book!

17 likes · like · see review

Sep 21, 2011 Karla (Mossy Love Grotto) rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: you know who you are

Recommended to Karla (Mossy Love Grotto) by: not gonna name names

Shelves: historical-romance, regency-england, unrequited-love-or-pathetic-pining, peeve-spinsters-and-wallflowers, peeve-insta-luv, peeves-wanky-wangst, author-is-not-for-me, cliche-cliche-cliche, hero-fake-rake, heroine-annoying-and-way-annoying, heroine-dumb-as-a-post, heroine-outcast, heroine-spinster, my-iq-just-barfed-100-points, omg-my-teeth, overrated, recommended-to-me, wallpaper-historical, when-the-genre-sucks-it-sucks-hard, wtf-was-this, soothing-avocado-mask, woobie-manwhore-womance, the-avon-shelf-of-shame, the-bottomless-pit-of-leonidas, because-i-am-a-bastard-person, read-it-for-the-lolz

There once was a ~~plain and plumpish~~ blubbery waste of space girl with tons of money called Calpurnia, who never got married even though she had some suitors. We're told she's a pragmatic girl who has dreams of marriage, house, home, and children, but she's turned everyone away because they're not the same as that handsome guy she once talked to for a couple minutes a decade ago about how her quaintly Classical name isn't really cause for eternal shame and contemplated suicide.

So in the meantime,...more

34 likes · like · see review

May 02, 2011 Annie (Under the Covers Book Blog) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Annie (Under the Covers Book Blog) by: Leah

Shelves: genre-historical-romance, first-book-in-series, books-i-own, read-in-2011

I’ve always said RULES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN

And I’m sure Lady Calpurnia Hartwell would agree with me on that!

As a twenty-eight year old self-proclaimed spinster, Callie is feeling pretty crappy about how her life turned out. Her younger sister is engaged to be married to a duke , no less, while she’s been put away on the shelf, doomed to be alone and unloved forever.

Tired of sitting around the perimeter edges at all the balls, Callie decides to take a more adventurous route in life. Her plan?...more

18 likes · like · see review

Aug 20, 2010 Juliana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, georgian-historical-romance, set-in-england, set-in-1820s, 19th-century, 4-half-stars, 2010-reads, 2010-apr-reads, 0-reviewed, 0-own-in-dead-tree-form, 4-to-5-stars

Yay!! Finally a good new release, a wonderful new author, and a fantastic shy-wallflower-heroine (4.5 stars)

Summary
"Plain" and spinsterish 28-year-old Lady Calpurnia "Callie" Hartwell is sick of being seen as an old spinster, on-the-shelf, passive, and uninteresting - and thus THE LIST is born. On this list of nine things are activities that normally-shy Callie would never have dared to even contemplate, let alone actually do (gamble at a gentleman's club, drink scotch, smoke a cheroot, attend a...more

25 likes · like · see review

Apr 12, 2010 Lola rated it 2 of 5 stars

SPOILERS/RANT

It was a enjoyable read overall. It's light hearted without all those unconvential villians and secrets for the sake of having a plot. It just focuses on Callie's hilarious determination to break the rules, being a spinster at twenty-eight years old, while falling for Ralston, a rake who gets in her way. Callie also chaperones his half young sister, Juliana, so they get closer. Throw in a slight problem of the hero secretly betting against the heroine before realizing he loves her,...more SPOILERS/RANT

It was a enjoyable read overall. It's light hearted without all those unconvential villians and secrets for the sake of having a plot. It just focuses on Callie's hilarious determination to break the rules, being a spinster at twenty-eight years old, while falling for Ralston, a rake who gets in her way. Callie also chaperones his half young sister, Juliana, so they get closer. Throw in a slight problem of the hero secretly betting against the heroine before realizing he loves her, and Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake is born.

As I said, it's light hearted so I didn't mind that there were no drama-drama going on. I was actually suprised that the love scenes were explicit but it was well done and hot. That factor added more tension between the characters so I liked it. Callie was a sympathetic character, slight annoying at times, but it was fun going through her journey to finally find her HEA. She doesn't dance, sits at the spinsters table, but is wealthy and is joked from behind while she struggles to keep her reputation - the only thing she has until she makes the List.

I don't know, she got guts for doing those stuff but it was funny. As for Ralston - I didn't care for him at all. We get that he's those heroes that denies his love even 3/4 through the book but wants her for himself, etc. He was just another historical hero I've read, so nothing new about him really. It was all Callie. She doesn't care about money, titles and such, just love. She knew what she wanted but refuses anything less without saying her reasons. It was brave of her and I liked that aspect. She doesnt let go of her promises and charges onward. There are aspects I didn't like about her, but meh, I guess it fits with the time period so I won't comment on that.

What I didn't like was how some scenes are left hanging and ignored once Callie and Ralston meet again. It fell flat for their developing relationship. One example is when Callie and Ralston argue and part ways angrily with the idea that Ralston is meeting his mistress (to dismiss her, of course.) Callie is hurt by this and weeps. Next day, she gets slightly hurt accidently meeting with Ralston. Small argument over danger, then he flirts and kisses her and Callie forgets everything. Uh, what happened? It's always the damn make out scene! What the hell is the point of that scene when it's ignored later on? Where's Callie's hurt and anger? No, it's easily forgotten because of the convinient timing.

Which brings me to my second dislike. While there are no villians nor secret linage, there is that word called 'convinience'. Their arguments were witty and meant to built their feelings, but when it strikes Callie in the heart, this novel doesnt do a great job. God, I can't say grovelling scene once the hero apologizes in just a few sentences and the heroine ignores it and feigns indifference but srikes back to the very words so the hero is guilty. Yeah, there's the Callie who doesn't let him walk all over her! There's a small scene or two afterwards so extend it but ya'll know what happens next: they lock lips. Damn it, there it is again. For heat and sexual tension, yeah didn't mind that, but the emotional aspect of hurt failed.

And what made me about to throw the book was the climax. Here, this fun, light read of a likable heroine breaking the rules. Because Callie finds the ultimate betrayal in her mind. She's hurt and angry. Chaos ensues. Hero goes to duel the next day and Callie finds out and worries. The fucking next day, Callie is shrieking on the hill to stop which distracts the hero who gets shot. Insert weeping, sorry, love and they get married. HEA. What the hell. Halfway through the book was so damn convinient. But I reminded myself that this was light-hearted so it was to be expected. It pissed me off, but it was supposed to be.

Overall, if you can ignored nitpicks and some cliche characters, then it is an fun read. The plot is hilarious as is the situations the heroine finds herself in. Liked it.
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14 likes · like · see review

Apr 17, 2010 Rane rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: keeper, regency-romance-napoleonic-era

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake had everything I love about romance novels, humor, drama, wallflowers and a rake. Once I picked this book up, it was very hard to put down, it’s that fun to read.
With a heroine Lady Calpurnia Hartwell or Callie being front and center, a wallflower and now a spinster, Callie was a great lead as she made a list to do, something wild , something that breaks her out of the mold she’s been placed in. What made Callie so great was how relatable she was to t...more

31 likes · like · see review

Feb 20, 2011 Jillian -always aspiring- rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Romance readers who want to read about the Regency period

Shelves: could-have-been-better, 2011-reads, best-characters, best-couples, best-endings, couldn-t-stop-reading-it, forewent-sleep-to-read-it, surprisingly-liked, left-me-with-mixed-feelings, left-me-feeling-conflicted, went-out-of-my-box-to-read, should-have-loved-it-but-didn-t, love-it-for-the-characters, reviewed

Admittedly, Sarah MacLean and I didn't start off on the best foot. Her debut novel, the young adult Regency mystery romance The Season, left me with lukewarm feelings because -- even though I really liked the characters -- I simply had expected more from a book that prided itself on being reminiscent of Austen in some ways. However, after learning of MacLean's recent foray into the realm of adult historical romance, I wanted to give her another chance. Such was my state when I decided to read Ni ...more

11 likes · like · see review

Jun 08, 2013 Gabriella *is awesome* rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: hard-core-romance, historical-friction, swoon-worthy-hero

"NINE RULES TO BREAK WHEN ROMANCING A RAKE" Happens to be a fun yet adventures read about a young spinster callie and her single minded decision to cross out all her rakish wants from her rakish to-do list.....but what she defiantly didn't plan, was to fall for her partner in crime and willing accompliance Gabriel St. John, the Marquess of Ralston who seems to rather take her list quiet seriously, especially ,RULE NO.1 ...

1) To KISS SOMEONE PASSIONATELY

All in all, i cant really say i didn...more

8 likes · like · see review

Nov 15, 2012 ~V~ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

**4 1/2 stars**

I'm not typically a fan of historical romances, specifically Regency romances...all the titles and dialogue have a tendency to drive me a little nutty, but they didn't bother me in this one...dare i say that Sarah Maclean might be making a convert of me!?

It was super sweet and extremely sexy!! Calpurnia being the super sweet and Ralston being the "extremely sexy!!" ;) I love story lines where the bad boy, or in this case the Rake, is brought to his knees by the innocent wallflower...more

12 likes · like · see review

Feb 23, 2011 Vinaya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-liked, guilty-pleasures, romance

Nine Rules to Follow When Writing a (Regency) Romance:

1. Read Georgette Heyer: This one is self-evident. (If it's not, read this)

2. Spinster on the shelf: Make sure your heroine is never the belle of the ball. Young, vibrant beautiful ladies are, of course, infinitely less interesting than pale, passive, middle-aged women who somehow mysteriously retain the fresh bloom of youth and the ability to attract rich, handsome men who are being desperately pursued by 17 and 18-year olds. Right.

3. The ha...more

31 likes · like · see review

Mar 06, 2011 Mojca rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, regency, gr-author, sarah-maclean, part-of-a-series, own, series-trilogy-love-by-numbers, couch-potato-challenge, monthly-challenge-read-march, oscar-winners-challenge, favorites

Lady Calpurnia Hartwell has always known what was expected of her. Be proper, be well-behaved, ne a lady, get married, procreate...Unfortunately, all didn’t go according to plan. All her propriety and good, lady-like behavior has done for her is put her firmly on the shelf, turning her into a 28-year-old spinster. Bye-bye marriage, bye-bye procreation. And she can safely say she’s pretty content with her life...Until her younger sister gets engaged and Calpurnia overhears the betrothed couple sa...more Lady Calpurnia Hartwell has always known what was expected of her. Be proper, be well-behaved, ne a lady, get married, procreate...Unfortunately, all didn’t go according to plan. All her propriety and good, lady-like behavior has done for her is put her firmly on the shelf, turning her into a 28-year-old spinster. Bye-bye marriage, bye-bye procreation. And she can safely say she’s pretty content with her life...Until her younger sister gets engaged and Calpurnia overhears the betrothed couple saying she’s passive.

That does it. She would no longer be passive, she would grab the bull by the ba-eh-horns and live the life she’s always dreamed of living. First order of the business: burn the lace cap. Second order of the business: make a list of things needed to be done to find the real Callie. Third order of the business: start acting on the made list. And what better way to do that than to get kissed. Passionately. And for Callie, there’s only one man who can properly do the job, the man of her dreams, the one she’s been pining after for a decade, Gabriel St. John, the Marquess of Ralston, the biggest rake in London.

In the middle of February I, after a long time, again set foot in a bookstore. I didn’t have a goal in mind, I just wanted to browse. And browse I did, until I stumbled upon a book with a pretty long title for a romance novel. The cover was typical historical romance, the inside cover as well (*rawr*), but the title was funky and I loved the blurb. So, I bought the book (and the sequel). I’ve never been more happy about an impulse-buy than after reading this little gem.

Unlike many historical romances of late, this one was “pretty simple”. As in concentrating solely on the two leads, their story, and their relationship. There were no murders, no dark intrigue, no woman-scorned-deciding-to-off-her-ex-lover...Nothing but the amazing, slightly bitter-sweet, sensual, romantic, tender, touching story of Calpurnia (slight Amanda Quick influence in the weird name?) and Gabriel. A plain, plump spinster and a sexy-as-hell rake embarking on a joined voyage of self-discovery and love.

I adored these two together. They were intellectual equals, able to hold a conversation on different topics, and their banter was fun, spunky, and refreshing. The sparks literally flew and the attraction was palpable, and their mutual passion sensually hot.
There were times I wanted to slap them both upside the head, him for his stubbornness and ass-itude, her for being so blind to her own worth. All in all, they really needed each other, he her for teaching him what real love is, she him for teaching her she was worth everything and more. And I adored that aspect of this story, the learning and discovering oneself and each other part. It was well-written and flowed seamlessly with the romance, contributing to the overall story.

Reading back, I really think I made a mess of this review, but that’s because I don’t really know what to say without getting into a lengthy, spoiler-filled quasi-rant.
Let’s just say I loved it, I went to sleep late, because I had to finish it, I will re-read it, it will stay safely tucked on my keepers shelf, it was a great, lovely, romantic, sensual roller-coaster with a surprising little twist toward the end (that it wasn’t really that much of a surprise, but still worked marvelously), had a wonderful leading couple and great supporting cast, and once again, that I absolutely loved it. (And if I could give it more than 5 stars I would.)(less)

9 likes · like · see review

Jul 26, 2010 Lady Jayne *~*The Beach Bandida*~* rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance-historical, reviewed, owned-read

(4.5 Stars)

I really enjoyed this... but I'm a little sad that it wasn't an OMG-I-LOVED-it!!-5 Star read for me, like it was for others. I really wanted it to be!

I mean, don't get me wrong, I loved the heroine (Lady Calpurnia) and the hero (Gabriel St. John, Marquess of Ralston) and their repartee was great. The chemistry was hot. There were humorous moments. And moments that made me teary for the heroine (mostly - Oh, how my heart ached for "plain and plump" Callie!) and the hero (somewhat). Ma...more (4.5 Stars)

I really enjoyed this... but I'm a little sad that it wasn't an OMG-I-LOVED-it!!-5 Star read for me, like it was for others. I really wanted it to be!

I mean, don't get me wrong, I loved the heroine (Lady Calpurnia) and the hero (Gabriel St. John, Marquess of Ralston) and their repartee was great. The chemistry was hot. There were humorous moments. And moments that made me teary for the heroine (mostly - Oh, how my heart ached for "plain and plump" Callie!) and the hero (somewhat). Maybe that's it…maybe Gabriel just wasn't tortured enough for me. I mean, he had his issues but it just didn't affect me down to my soul, and I think I wanted him to hurt as much as Callie did, and I didn't feel like he suffered enough. Hmm…I'm such a sadist, aren't I? *LOL*

And I feel that I may have ruined my "complete" enjoyment of this book by…

One, reading this during the week, which means only being able to read on the way in to work and a bit before bed. I really should have saved this for a weekend read! :-(

Secondly, I haven't read historicals in a while (except for Lisa Kleypas's latest books - which were great!), having been on a PNR kick. But reading this book and the mention of Brooks, Almacks, details of choosing fabrics at the modiste, the opera, fencing, etc. all reminded me of Judith McNaught's books, which I have been missing of late, and it made me excited as I was reading this. And perhaps that left an unconscious expectation in my mind that that this would be like a McNaught book. However, the lack of dramatic emotional intensity/angst in this story (trademark of a McNaught) left me a little bereft. And that is my fault.

If you are looking for a nice light-hearted and sensual story, with a sexy rake, a very likable heroine who is courageous (to not just continue to accept her lot in life but to seek adventure - and boy, did she ever!), then this will deliver. It was fun and sexy going on this journey of rule-breaking with Callie and Gabriel. I will definitely be reading more books by this author and look forward to Nick's book - Ten Ways to be Adored When Landing a Rake. I also hope Sarah MacLean writes books for Juliana and Benedick.(less)

16 likes · like · see review

Jun 11, 2010 Auntee rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone who likes a good romance

Recommended to Auntee by: Kathrynn M., Eastofoz, everyone

Shelves: historical-romance, 2010_reads, keepers, made_me_cry

I loved this book! Loved it! For the last few years I've drifted away from reading historicals, but with all the rave reviews regarding this book I thought I had to take the plunge and see what all the fuss was about. And all those glowing reviews are not wrong, IMO--this was one delicious read!

I absolutely adored the heroine in this book--and I'm not one who usually falls for the heroine. But there was something so real, likable and relatable about the character of Lady Calpurnia "Callie' Hartw...more

38 likes · like · see review

Jul 22, 2011 Taryn at My Secret Romance rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who loves Historical Romance

Shelves: historical-romance, romance, some-humor, reviewed-by-me

3.5 stars.

This list is a list that Lady Calpurnia, or Callie, made up of all the things that are forbidden for her to do since she is a woman. She figures since she is going to be a spinster for the rest of her life, she wants to live life to the fullest. Let see if I have lived life to the fullest, too.

1. Kiss someone-passionately. Check!

2. Smoke cheroot and drink scotch. Check! Check!

3. Ride astride. Check! Check! Yes, two checks. If you have read the book then you know why the two checks. :)

4...more

9 likes · like · see review

Apr 14, 2010 Dancechica rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

This book was a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed some of it, but most of the book had me either annoyed or rolling my eyes.

A large part of the reason why the book didn’t work for me was the characters, particularly the hero and heroine. They felt like genre stereotypes; like characters I’ve met in a dozen other romances. There was nothing unique or memorable about them.

I couldn’t figure out why the two fell in love with each other. The only thing Ralston seemed attracted to was Calpurnia's “innocence...more

6 likes · like · see review

Jan 25, 2011 Galla rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, this-book-is-awesome

The basic set-up for this novel is something you've seen before if you read historical romances set in the nineteenth century: "plain" spinster meets dashing, profligate man. This is a very well-executed take on the theme with likable main characters, and Callie's list of "rules" to break is a creative and fun plot device (especially since Gabriel has a knack for showing up when she's breaking the rules).

The supporting characters are a good group. Not one person in this book has an evil sibling...more

7 likes · like · see review

Sep 13, 2011 D.G. rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, reviewed

First of all, please know that I’m picky. For a romance to grab me, it has to have a compelling plot, interesting characters and internal consistency. This last quality is what I called when the elements of the story come together to form a cohesive whole. If one of those elements is missing, I start having problems with the book.

Nine Rules has a compelling central plot – a wallflower who decides to eschew convention and her reputation to do things she always wanted to do because she wants to li...more First of all, please know that I’m picky. For a romance to grab me, it has to have a compelling plot, interesting characters and internal consistency. This last quality is what I called when the elements of the story come together to form a cohesive whole. If one of those elements is missing, I start having problems with the book.

Nine Rules has a compelling central plot – a wallflower who decides to eschew convention and her reputation to do things she always wanted to do because she wants to live instead of merely existing. Those nine things have nothing to do with ‘romancing a rake’ so the title is a total misnomer.

After a promising beginning when the heroine realizes she wants to be passive no more, the book becomes very predictable and it falters in the other two areas (characters and consistency.) The characters are likeable but they are cookie cutter historical romance, people you’ve seen over and over in similar stories: the plain but voluptuous wallflower, the rake, the fortune hunter, the badly dressed Mama, the gorgeous mistress, a couple of beautiful and lively sisters (one of the hero’s, one the heroine’s), etc. The characters spew historical romance clichés one after the other so it’s no wonder I had trouble differentiating from others of their ilk:
Hero: I’ve never met a woman like her before!
Heroine: It won’t fit!

Worse, the book has lapses in logic that defy the imagination – the heroine is described as voluptuous but is able to pass as a man by binding her breasts with scraps of linen (!?!) After doing the deed, the ‘smart’ heroine doesn’t worry for a second about the possibility of being pregnant and when the hero brings it up, she tells the hero that the risk is small (what the heck does she know?) There’s never a cohesive explanation as to why she’s a wallflower – she’s rich, titled, engaging and generously endowed so she has a few things going on for her…it amazed me that no man seemed interested in a fortune attached to a pair of large breasts.

All in all, this is not the worst historical romance book I’ve read but I expect to forget everything about it in the next few weeks.
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Jun 14, 2012 Lady Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance

aaawwww! Callie & Gabriel are amazing together! I loved the whole concept of Callie and her list of what proper women 'were not to do' and yet she found the courage to do them. It was wonderful to read as she accomplished each item on her list, how much she began to 'soar' as a women.
What a wonderful story. I look forward to reading more from Ms. MacLean.

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Jan 29, 2012 Jenny E rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-time-favorite, england, favorite-couple, favorite-heroine, have-kleenex-handy, own-book-form, re-read-potential, romance, swoony

5 HUGE STARS!!

What a wonderful read! Honestly, I had a hard time getting into this book, but because it was reviewed so well by a lot of people I follow on GR, I gave it 100 pages before I put it down. Literally on page 99 it hit me, and I was hooked and couldn't put it down from then on! The next 300 pages were AMAZING!! I read until I couldn't keep my eyes open and then woke up with the book first thing on my mind and picked it up again until I finished it!

I love reading books where I actuall...more

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May 03, 2012 Dija rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of cute romances and twins.

Shelves: 2010, cotton-candy-fluff, hr, surprisingly-good, awww, my-reviews, read-in-2012, first-in-series

Summarizing the basic plot in Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake, I came up with the following list:

Aging spinster? Check.
Dashing rogue? Check.
Spinster pining after rogue for years because he's the first man to have truly "seen" her? Check.
Too many coincidences bringing said spinster and rogue together to be anything but believable? Check.
A realistic and genuinely sweet romance? ...Wait a minute.

Callie met Ralston after spending yet another ball as a wallflower. He comforts her and make...more

8 likes · like · see review

Oct 18, 2010 FlibBityFLooB rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, read-in-2010, gender-bender, zaftig-heroine, era-regency-pre-victorian, witty-i-am-not

4.5/5 stars. Before I start this review, I will admit that I really enjoyed this book. I definitely look forward to reading more of this author in the future. I am close to giving the book 5 stars from my enjoyment level reading it, but I am not ready to do that. I hate to harp on the negative, but feel I better explain why I docked this book 1/2 a point :)

Here were my issues:
- There was some really fun talk during the intimate scenes... I always love when the hero talks during his seduction. Ho...more 4.5/5 stars. Before I start this review, I will admit that I really enjoyed this book. I definitely look forward to reading more of this author in the future. I am close to giving the book 5 stars from my enjoyment level reading it, but I am not ready to do that. I hate to harp on the negative, but feel I better explain why I docked this book 1/2 a point :)

Here were my issues:
- There was some really fun talk during the intimate scenes... I always love when the hero talks during his seduction. However, with all the build-up, it seemed that the culmination of the scene kind of fell flat. All talk and not enough sizzle in the end? Not sure how to explain it. It's like getting all worked up about something and that saying to yourself -- wait... was that it? Don't get me wrong! There was plenty of sizzling scenes in the book. Especially with the build-up. But, I wanted More. MORE MORE MORE. :)

- Continuing on the theme of sex... the sex scenes were anything but historical. True, I don't mind some hot sex scenes in my books. *impish grin* However, it irked me in one scene where the female confesses to something I doubt many women did in the 1820s. Perhaps I'm wrong, though. I was also a little perturbed by the deflowering scene. I guess I get annoyed because there should be blood and the author just kind of ignored that fact. It was all a little too convenient.

- My biggest gripe, however, lay in the melancholy dialogue that didn't go far enough. There was a couple scenes where I found myself tearing up a little because of the emotional dialogue. There was an amazing amount of emotion building up, and if the author had taken it slightly further I would have actually shed some tears. Instead, whenever those moments came, a couple paragraphs later everything kind of cleared itself up and some more intimate scenes came out. I wish that the author could have explored the emotional scenes further. I think that would have pushed this book to the 'amazing' category if she had.

I still highly recommend this book. True, it's not exactly the most original book in the historical romance category, but it was definitely entertaining and emotionally charged. I believe that a lot of my goodreads friends will really enjoy it :)(less)

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Apr 24, 2010 Robin (RBBR) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: author-sarah-maclean, historical-romance, love-by-numbers-trilogy

Although apparently not the first book by this author it is my understanding that it is her first Romance. Prior to this one she wrote a Young Adult novel called The Season which if you asked me is Romance intended for a slightly younger audience but enjoyable to all ages.

Anyway this book is about a girl named Calpurnia who does not fit the stereotype of what is considered beautiful and on top of that she has a mother with the fashion sense of a, well she doesn't have any. Callie apparently neve...more Although apparently not the first book by this author it is my understanding that it is her first Romance. Prior to this one she wrote a Young Adult novel called The Season which if you asked me is Romance intended for a slightly younger audience but enjoyable to all ages.

Anyway this book is about a girl named Calpurnia who does not fit the stereotype of what is considered beautiful and on top of that she has a mother with the fashion sense of a, well she doesn't have any. Callie apparently never goes to a modiste until she is much older and the book never really explains why her mother never took her to one but that is the impression I got. Her sister who is several years younger (the number escapes me at the moment) seems to have one she goes to all the time. Callie has pretty much all the odds against her, she's not beautiful by stereotypical standards, she's not small either in chest or body, and her clothes do not flatter her. As a result her first season (discussed in the prologue) is a disaster although during it she meets Gabriel St. John the Marquess of Ralston. The story itself takes place 10 years later. Callie has decided that she is destined or doomed to be a spinster and after a conversation with her brother and based on a conversation her sister has with her fiancee' which she overhears she decides she's tired of following the rules and doesn't want to live her life without having had fun. So, she makes a list of nine things that lady's are not suppose to do such as Drink Scotch, Ride Astride and Smoke Cheroots. Callie sets out to mark the items off her list and in the process repeatedly encounters Gabriel\Ralston. She is actually in love with him having watched him from afar for many years, gotten to know him better in recent weeks and during her first season he was the only one who seemed to show her any care that was based on her not her money.
Course in the end not only does she complete her list but she lands one of the most eligible, sought after bachelors in London. I liked this book and look forward to reading the rest that deal with other main characters such as Gabriel\Ralston's twin brother Nicholas who is younger by 4 minutes. There are parts with steam but not huge amounts of detailed steam.(less)

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Jul 24, 2010 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own-arc, books-i-own, signed-arcs, signed-books

You wouldn't know it from my blog, but I am a HUGE romance fan. I love historical and paranormal romance. If you look at my Goodreads shelves you'll find romance novels scattered among all the ya titles.

My mom and I were going to do a mom and daughter review for this, because she reads more romance novels then anyone I know and I let her read my copy of Nine Rules and she devoured it, and then of course I took it back.... but anyway like I said we were going to do a mother/daughter review, but i...more

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Jun 18, 2010 Pamela(AllHoney) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, bluestocking-wallflower-hr, more-to-love, rakes-rogues-womanizers, hr-georgian-regency, virgin-heroine, 1st-in-series, dukes-earls-viscounts-etc, my-4-star-romances, plain-jane

The first book in the Love By Numbers series. I know people hate it when they read a review that says "I liked it" without a lot of fancy words to back up why they liked it but the truth is, I did like it and I don't have the fancy words to say why. It was a romance with lots of banter. I guess it would qualify for the Ugly Duckling plot-line. The Hunky Rake and the Plain Jane who has loved him for a decade.

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 09, 2010 Crista rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 5-star, favorites, historical, reformed-rake, regency, series

I can thank this book for a lost night of sleep, but I can also thank it for some HUGE reading entertainment!

Lady Calpurnia Hartwell "Callie" is not your typical heroine. She is officially "on the shelf", is described as plain and plump, and has no real hope of ever landing a husband. Callie decides that she's had enough of sitting and watching her life pass by and creates a list of things she wants to experience. All nine activities on her list are scandalous for a lady to engage in, but Calli...more

8 likes · like · see review

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About Sarah MacLean

Sarah MacLean is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of YA and adult romance.

She 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...more

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Books by Sarah MacLean

A Rogue by Any Other Name (The Rules of Scoundrels, #1)

Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart (Love By Numbers, #3)

Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord (Love By Numbers, #2)

One Good Earl Deserves a Lover (The Rules of Scoundrels, #2)

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Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake (Love By Numbers #1)

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