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Rake's Reward
Desperate to support her widowed mother, Marina Beaumont had agreed to become a companion to a dowager countess and found herself in an impossible situation. She had never anticipated the position would force her to deal with Kit Stratton -- a renowned rake who would stop at nothing to get the revenge he sought...even if it cost Marina all that she held most dear.
For unable to restrain the dowager's gambling habit, Marina soon found herself paying the price for Kit's sweet revenge on the widow. And the only way this rake would agree to her request to forfeit the money he was owed was if Marina gave him the reward he most desired....
For unable to restrain the dowager's gambling habit, Marina soon found herself paying the price for Kit's sweet revenge on the widow. And the only way this rake would agree to her request to forfeit the money he was owed was if Marina gave him the reward he most desired....
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
1 person is currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
Joanna Maitland
64 books14 followersI am a Scot, born and raised in Glasgow, one of the friendliest places in the world. Unfortunately, there were not many career opportunities in Scotland at the time I left University, and so I migrated to London. Living in England didn't stop me from hankering after the glorious wildness of the Scottish mountains and lochs, but short visits were the best I could do.
I have always been a history fan, fascinated by the detail of how our ancestors lived. I try to imagine the effects of working by candlelight rather than electricity, and how they coped with all that coal and water carrying, all that horse dung in the smelly, unswept streets. I marvel at the idea of scythe men creating a bowling green lawn, or seamstresses hand-sewing every stitch of a spider gauze gown. And I shudder at the extravagances of the rich, who could gamble away tens of thousands of pounds at a sitting, while the working poor subsisted on only a few shillings a week.
Like most writers, I have always scribbled. At school, I concocted a handwritten magazine with tiny writing that hardly anyone could read. I wrote stories and poems for school magazines and competitions. As an exchange student in France, I wrote reams of letters filled with pretty wild imaginings and some bad poetry (in rather suspect French).
When we were living abroad, I started writing children's stories. My children liked them, of course, but the publishers didn't. Then one day, I found Mills & Boon historicals, and I was hooked. I used to write on the commuter train to London and back, for about two hours a day. It was very peaceful in those days; most commuters were hiding behind their newspapers, and mobile phones hadn't been invented. At one stage, I spent several journeys playing piquet against myself with a miniature pack of cards, in order to be sure that all the scores I was quoting in my story were possible. My fellow passengers looked curiously at me out of the corners of their eyes, but nobody ever broke the silence to ask what on earth I was doing. Just as well, probably. What could I have said?
It took me nearly nine years of rejections to get one of my manuscripts accepted. It was published in 2001, as A Penniless Prospect, and short-listed for the New Writer's Award of the Romantic Novelists' Association. I'm still writing Regencies, but I've been studying medieval history since I stopped working full-time, and I'm now planning stories set in that period, too.
When we moved away from London commuterland a few years ago, we did try to find a new home in Scotland, but it didn't work out. We settled near the Welsh border instead. It's an ideal location. The countryside is full of medieval history--ruined castles, Offa's Dyke, cathedrals and churches, black and white villages--and some of the scenery reminds me of Scotland.
I have now indulged my love of Scotland a little by writing a book set there — Bride of the Solway. When I was researching the story, I spent some time in the Border country, visiting the ruined castles and admiring the spectacular scenery. You can see pictures of some of the settings I used in the book here and read some of the romantic background. There are also tales about Gretna marriages and the perils of the Solway on my research snippets page. I found it all fascinating, and I plan to write more stories set in Scotland.
I have always been a history fan, fascinated by the detail of how our ancestors lived. I try to imagine the effects of working by candlelight rather than electricity, and how they coped with all that coal and water carrying, all that horse dung in the smelly, unswept streets. I marvel at the idea of scythe men creating a bowling green lawn, or seamstresses hand-sewing every stitch of a spider gauze gown. And I shudder at the extravagances of the rich, who could gamble away tens of thousands of pounds at a sitting, while the working poor subsisted on only a few shillings a week.
Like most writers, I have always scribbled. At school, I concocted a handwritten magazine with tiny writing that hardly anyone could read. I wrote stories and poems for school magazines and competitions. As an exchange student in France, I wrote reams of letters filled with pretty wild imaginings and some bad poetry (in rather suspect French).
When we were living abroad, I started writing children's stories. My children liked them, of course, but the publishers didn't. Then one day, I found Mills & Boon historicals, and I was hooked. I used to write on the commuter train to London and back, for about two hours a day. It was very peaceful in those days; most commuters were hiding behind their newspapers, and mobile phones hadn't been invented. At one stage, I spent several journeys playing piquet against myself with a miniature pack of cards, in order to be sure that all the scores I was quoting in my story were possible. My fellow passengers looked curiously at me out of the corners of their eyes, but nobody ever broke the silence to ask what on earth I was doing. Just as well, probably. What could I have said?
It took me nearly nine years of rejections to get one of my manuscripts accepted. It was published in 2001, as A Penniless Prospect, and short-listed for the New Writer's Award of the Romantic Novelists' Association. I'm still writing Regencies, but I've been studying medieval history since I stopped working full-time, and I'm now planning stories set in that period, too.
When we moved away from London commuterland a few years ago, we did try to find a new home in Scotland, but it didn't work out. We settled near the Welsh border instead. It's an ideal location. The countryside is full of medieval history--ruined castles, Offa's Dyke, cathedrals and churches, black and white villages--and some of the scenery reminds me of Scotland.
I have now indulged my love of Scotland a little by writing a book set there — Bride of the Solway. When I was researching the story, I spent some time in the Border country, visiting the ruined castles and admiring the spectacular scenery. You can see pictures of some of the settings I used in the book here and read some of the romantic background. There are also tales about Gretna marriages and the perils of the Solway on my research snippets page. I found it all fascinating, and I plan to write more stories set in Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 2, 2020
Modern feel; decent author, but all gambling and crime--didn't interest me.
March 5, 2021
Marina Beaumont became a companion to Dowager Lady Luce who has a gambling obsession. Marina's job was to keep Lady Luce from gambling away the estate. However, Kit Stratton is Lady Luce's sworn enemy and vows to take her down. In the process, he comes into contact with gently-raised Marina who despises him on sight. Unfortunately, Lady Luce lost to Kit and Marina goes to Kit to ask him to forgive the vowel. Kit will but he wants Marina to submit to him in return. Can she do it? Marina found herself drawn the infamous Kit and Kit has never met a woman like Marina.
Despite the poor reviews, I really enjoyed the story. Yes, the plot meanders a lot but the people were believable. Gambling was a great pastime among the wealthy of the time; it wasn't pretty in many cases. "Rake's Reward" is enjoyable and a good beach read.
Despite the poor reviews, I really enjoyed the story. Yes, the plot meanders a lot but the people were believable. Gambling was a great pastime among the wealthy of the time; it wasn't pretty in many cases. "Rake's Reward" is enjoyable and a good beach read.
March 15, 2015
All those internal monologues of the heroines...soliloquies, yet I'm not feeling the angst. Very long and draggy book for some reason though Emma and the Dowager were colourful characters. I think I am going to put the book in the library exchange corner...
September 25, 2009
Regency
February 21, 2012
Some bits were good others were very annoying.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews