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Saved from Disgrace #1
The Ton's Most Notorious Rake
She vowed to stay clear of men…
But can she resist the ton’s most notorious rake?
Alone in the dirt, her ankle in agony, the last person Molly Morgan wants to come to her rescue is the handsome yet infuriating Beau Russington. Molly does her utmost to avoid scandalous rakes like Russ, but his dangerous allure shakes up her quiet country life. The sparks between them could be explosive, if Molly only dare surrender…
But can she resist the ton’s most notorious rake?
Alone in the dirt, her ankle in agony, the last person Molly Morgan wants to come to her rescue is the handsome yet infuriating Beau Russington. Molly does her utmost to avoid scandalous rakes like Russ, but his dangerous allure shakes up her quiet country life. The sparks between them could be explosive, if Molly only dare surrender…
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 20, 2018
29 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Mallory
206 books116 followersSarah Mallory is the pen name for Melinda Hammond.
Born in Bristol, England, UK, she grew up telling stories. She would make up adventures to relate to her school friends during break times and lunch hours, and she was once caught scribbling a story instead of listening to the French lesson. As a punishment, her teacher made her translate the story into French! She left school at sixteen and worked in offices as varied as stockbrokers, marine engineers, insurance brokers, biscuit manufacturers and even a quarrying company.
She married at nineteen, but continued to work until the birth of her first child. It was at that time that she decided to try her hand at her first love—writing, and shortly after the birth of her daughter she had her first book, Fortune's Lady, published under the pen name of Melinda Hammond. This was quickly followed by two more historical novels, Summer Charade and Autumn Bride, but with the birth of her twin sons the demands of family life meant that writing had to take a backseat for a few years. A compulsive scribbler, she never stopped writing and continued to work on research for her novels, experimenting with contemporary scenarios as well as writing pantomimes for her children's school. In 1989 the family moved to an isolated Pennine farmhouse in West Yorkshire, not far from Brontë country, where the family expanded to include a dog, two gerbils and a dozen chickens. The growing family needed funding and she went back to work full-time. The writing had to be put on hold.
Then, in March 2000, Sarah stepped off a curb and landed in hospital with one ankle broken and one badly sprained. This laid her up on a sofa for twelve weeks and gave her the time she needed to finish a novel. She wrote as Melinda Hammond and Maid of Honour was published the same year. Since then she has never looked back. She's published more than a dozen books under this pen name and has won the Reviewers' Choice Award in 2005 from Singletitles.com for Dance for a Diamond. Her novel Gentlemen in Question was a Historical Novel Society Editors' Choice Title in November 2006. In 2012 her novel The Dangerous Lord Darrington won the Love Story of the Year by the Romantic Novelists' Association. She is now concentrating on writing romantic historical adventures for Mills & Boon.
Born in Bristol, England, UK, she grew up telling stories. She would make up adventures to relate to her school friends during break times and lunch hours, and she was once caught scribbling a story instead of listening to the French lesson. As a punishment, her teacher made her translate the story into French! She left school at sixteen and worked in offices as varied as stockbrokers, marine engineers, insurance brokers, biscuit manufacturers and even a quarrying company.
She married at nineteen, but continued to work until the birth of her first child. It was at that time that she decided to try her hand at her first love—writing, and shortly after the birth of her daughter she had her first book, Fortune's Lady, published under the pen name of Melinda Hammond. This was quickly followed by two more historical novels, Summer Charade and Autumn Bride, but with the birth of her twin sons the demands of family life meant that writing had to take a backseat for a few years. A compulsive scribbler, she never stopped writing and continued to work on research for her novels, experimenting with contemporary scenarios as well as writing pantomimes for her children's school. In 1989 the family moved to an isolated Pennine farmhouse in West Yorkshire, not far from Brontë country, where the family expanded to include a dog, two gerbils and a dozen chickens. The growing family needed funding and she went back to work full-time. The writing had to be put on hold.
Then, in March 2000, Sarah stepped off a curb and landed in hospital with one ankle broken and one badly sprained. This laid her up on a sofa for twelve weeks and gave her the time she needed to finish a novel. She wrote as Melinda Hammond and Maid of Honour was published the same year. Since then she has never looked back. She's published more than a dozen books under this pen name and has won the Reviewers' Choice Award in 2005 from Singletitles.com for Dance for a Diamond. Her novel Gentlemen in Question was a Historical Novel Society Editors' Choice Title in November 2006. In 2012 her novel The Dangerous Lord Darrington won the Love Story of the Year by the Romantic Novelists' Association. She is now concentrating on writing romantic historical adventures for Mills & Boon.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 25, 2018
I've given this a B at AAR.
Sarah Mallory is someone whose work I enjoy, so I was pleased to pick up The Ton’s Most Notorious Rake, a charming, standalone historical romance that warns about the unfairness of judging people based on their reputations rather than by their actions. Our hero may be the most notorious rake, but notoriety and actuality are very different things, and it’s a distinction that our heroine initially fails or refuses to recognise as she jumps to conclusions based on hearsay and her own fears and prejudice.
Mrs. Molly Morgan is only twenty-four years of age, but has been a widow for a number of years. Since the death of her husband, she has made her home with her brother, Edwin Frayne, who is the vicar of Compton Parva, and has used some of her widow’s jointure to set up Prospect House, a place of refuge for young women in difficult situations. The place now houses ten inhabitants, some of them women who were ruined by unscrupulous men, some, women who ran away from unwanted marriages, some who were unfairly dismissed from their employment – whatever the reason, the women run the house and the farm, supporting themselves by growing their own produce and selling the excess at market, along with other sundry items produced by members of the household.
Prospect House is Molly’s pride and joy, and she is perturbed when Edwin tells her that Sir Gerald Kilburn has come to stay at the neighbouring property of Newlands with a large party of friends. Molly is immediately on the defensive and worried for the virtue of the ladies of Prospect House; Sir Gerald is reputed to run with a fast set and he and his friends have reputations that indicate they are everything Molly despises. Edwin assures her that everything is most proper; Sir Gerald’s sister is one of the party, there is an older lady who acts as her chaperone and there are a number of other, respectable ladies there, too, suggesting it is “not a party of rakish bucks intent upon setting the neighbourhood about by the ears.” Molly is unconvinced however, especially given that Sir Gerald’s oldest friend, Mr. Charles Russington, is also at Newlands, a man reputed to be so incredibly attractive that “no lady in town is safe.”
Edwin’s laughing suggestion that perhaps, if he is so irresistible, Mr. Russington has fled to the country to escape the ladies isn’t so far from the truth. A second son with an independent fortune of his own, Russ has become rather bored with the usual round of pleasures available to him. High-stakes gaming and heavy drinking have never been his style, and almost all the women setting their caps at him are more interested in his money than in him. Watching his father marry a new young wife who bled him dry and then ran off with her Italian lover has made Russ determined to avoid a similar fate – yet he can’t deny that the idea of finding someone with whom to share his life is one that has been occurring to him more and more often of late.
When he first meets Molly Morgan, he is taken with her sweet smile and laughing eyes – until, that is, she realises who he is and her regard changes to one of open dislike and disdain. Russ can’t understand it – he’s not personally vain, but he knows that those aren’t the normal reactions his attentions provoke in women, and he at first wonders if her attitude is a ruse to pique his interest. But then his sense of humour kicks in, and he allows that some of her not-so-veiled insults were amusing – as well as quite cutting.
Molly is certainly guilty of making hasty judgements about their new neighbours, as her brother points out more than once. It’s clear early on that while she is concerned for the reputation and safety of the residents of Prospect House – which can exist within their small community only as long as its respectability is unquestionable – she is also motivated by her own experiences and has formed very strong prejudices as a result. But as time passes and she sees more of Russ, the harder it is for Molly to continue to believe him to be the man rumour paints him. He’s kind, honourable and genuine and they develop a friendship based on mutual interest and affinity; Molly enjoys conversing with Russ, and likes his quick mind and sense of humour, while Russ admires Molly’s quiet efficiency and her dedication to protecting the women at Prospect House.
There’s a strong undercurrent of attraction running between these two, and Ms. Mallory takes her time developing their relationship and bringing them together. This is a romance which concentrates fully on the love story with little extraneous action or filler (although there are actually a couple of secondary romances in the book, one of which has a part to play in the main storyline) and the conflict arises almost exclusively from Molly’s prejudices and insecurities. There are a couple of times she veers dangerously close to being unlikeable, but fortunately, the author manages to pull her back from the brink, even when she makes a grave error that almost destroys her friendship with Russ. He’s furious, but when he calms down, he realises there is more to Molly’s distrust of men than mere hearsay, and his concern for her – even though she’s hurt him – is wonderful to see.
The Ton’s Most Notorious Rake is, to put it simply, a lovely read. Russ is a gorgeous hero; handsome and charming of course, but more than that, he’s a decent, caring man who realises that he wants something else from life – and when he finds it, isn’t about to let it slip away. Molly is generous and warm, but experience has taught her distrust and wariness, and the way Russ gradually breaks down her barriers and gets beneath her skin is extremely well done. Their romance develops over time, and there’s a real sense of their discovering something new about one another with each subsequent meeting. The ending is just a tad contrived, with Russ jumping to unfortunate conclusions of his own, but that’s a minor criticism of what is essentially a tender, emotionally satisfying love story that deserves a recommendation.
Sarah Mallory is someone whose work I enjoy, so I was pleased to pick up The Ton’s Most Notorious Rake, a charming, standalone historical romance that warns about the unfairness of judging people based on their reputations rather than by their actions. Our hero may be the most notorious rake, but notoriety and actuality are very different things, and it’s a distinction that our heroine initially fails or refuses to recognise as she jumps to conclusions based on hearsay and her own fears and prejudice.
Mrs. Molly Morgan is only twenty-four years of age, but has been a widow for a number of years. Since the death of her husband, she has made her home with her brother, Edwin Frayne, who is the vicar of Compton Parva, and has used some of her widow’s jointure to set up Prospect House, a place of refuge for young women in difficult situations. The place now houses ten inhabitants, some of them women who were ruined by unscrupulous men, some, women who ran away from unwanted marriages, some who were unfairly dismissed from their employment – whatever the reason, the women run the house and the farm, supporting themselves by growing their own produce and selling the excess at market, along with other sundry items produced by members of the household.
Prospect House is Molly’s pride and joy, and she is perturbed when Edwin tells her that Sir Gerald Kilburn has come to stay at the neighbouring property of Newlands with a large party of friends. Molly is immediately on the defensive and worried for the virtue of the ladies of Prospect House; Sir Gerald is reputed to run with a fast set and he and his friends have reputations that indicate they are everything Molly despises. Edwin assures her that everything is most proper; Sir Gerald’s sister is one of the party, there is an older lady who acts as her chaperone and there are a number of other, respectable ladies there, too, suggesting it is “not a party of rakish bucks intent upon setting the neighbourhood about by the ears.” Molly is unconvinced however, especially given that Sir Gerald’s oldest friend, Mr. Charles Russington, is also at Newlands, a man reputed to be so incredibly attractive that “no lady in town is safe.”
Edwin’s laughing suggestion that perhaps, if he is so irresistible, Mr. Russington has fled to the country to escape the ladies isn’t so far from the truth. A second son with an independent fortune of his own, Russ has become rather bored with the usual round of pleasures available to him. High-stakes gaming and heavy drinking have never been his style, and almost all the women setting their caps at him are more interested in his money than in him. Watching his father marry a new young wife who bled him dry and then ran off with her Italian lover has made Russ determined to avoid a similar fate – yet he can’t deny that the idea of finding someone with whom to share his life is one that has been occurring to him more and more often of late.
When he first meets Molly Morgan, he is taken with her sweet smile and laughing eyes – until, that is, she realises who he is and her regard changes to one of open dislike and disdain. Russ can’t understand it – he’s not personally vain, but he knows that those aren’t the normal reactions his attentions provoke in women, and he at first wonders if her attitude is a ruse to pique his interest. But then his sense of humour kicks in, and he allows that some of her not-so-veiled insults were amusing – as well as quite cutting.
Molly is certainly guilty of making hasty judgements about their new neighbours, as her brother points out more than once. It’s clear early on that while she is concerned for the reputation and safety of the residents of Prospect House – which can exist within their small community only as long as its respectability is unquestionable – she is also motivated by her own experiences and has formed very strong prejudices as a result. But as time passes and she sees more of Russ, the harder it is for Molly to continue to believe him to be the man rumour paints him. He’s kind, honourable and genuine and they develop a friendship based on mutual interest and affinity; Molly enjoys conversing with Russ, and likes his quick mind and sense of humour, while Russ admires Molly’s quiet efficiency and her dedication to protecting the women at Prospect House.
There’s a strong undercurrent of attraction running between these two, and Ms. Mallory takes her time developing their relationship and bringing them together. This is a romance which concentrates fully on the love story with little extraneous action or filler (although there are actually a couple of secondary romances in the book, one of which has a part to play in the main storyline) and the conflict arises almost exclusively from Molly’s prejudices and insecurities. There are a couple of times she veers dangerously close to being unlikeable, but fortunately, the author manages to pull her back from the brink, even when she makes a grave error that almost destroys her friendship with Russ. He’s furious, but when he calms down, he realises there is more to Molly’s distrust of men than mere hearsay, and his concern for her – even though she’s hurt him – is wonderful to see.
The Ton’s Most Notorious Rake is, to put it simply, a lovely read. Russ is a gorgeous hero; handsome and charming of course, but more than that, he’s a decent, caring man who realises that he wants something else from life – and when he finds it, isn’t about to let it slip away. Molly is generous and warm, but experience has taught her distrust and wariness, and the way Russ gradually breaks down her barriers and gets beneath her skin is extremely well done. Their romance develops over time, and there’s a real sense of their discovering something new about one another with each subsequent meeting. The ending is just a tad contrived, with Russ jumping to unfortunate conclusions of his own, but that’s a minor criticism of what is essentially a tender, emotionally satisfying love story that deserves a recommendation.
Read
January 13, 2020This is the first book in the series to which Beauty & the Brooding Lord belongs (a book I really loved).
And I ... quite liked this?
Mallory is clearly A+ at her job so this is a really polished piece of work but, ehhhh, it just didn't pull me in the way Beauty & the Brooding Lord did - although the heroine of that book makes an appearance at about the 65% mark and I was just delighted to see her. Although it also made me slightly sad because she's so spirited and carefree and she has such a journey to go on before she finds herself again.
Anyway, anyway: the actual book I read, not the other book I was pining after. I genuinely can't tell if it was a mistake to read this straight after Beauty because I was so taken by Beauty that anything would have been coloured by it. But there's still a lot to like here: a principled heroine who has been through some stuff, a rakish hero is nowhere near as a heartless as he pretends to be, a vivacious supporting cast, and sparkly writing throughout.
But. Ehhhhh.
This book takes place within a rural community--a large part of the action revolving around Prospect House, a charitable organisation that takes in and teaches skills to so-called fallen women so they get their lives back on track--which means there's a large-ish cast and an enjoyable secondary romance, and of course Serena rocking up to cause havoc at some point, and necessarily less focus on the hero and heroine.
Both of whom are very complex people, shaped by and conscious of, their role in society and could have--for me--done with more page time to work through that. I liked them both and wanted them to work towards a deeper understanding of each other but I ended up finding the progression of their relationship very back-and-forthy: she's wary of him because she's damaged by past trauma and knows he's a rake, they become friends, they have a misunderstanding, they desire each other deeply, they miss their friendship, he feels he'd be a bad husband, but doesn't want to make her his mistress etc. etc. I wish I'd had a better handle on *what* and *where* the change happened. Like, she was literally terrified of kissing him earlier in the book but then she lets him get off in a back room at a ball without batting an eyelash (not that I think she should have reacted with distress - I just wanted to know how she got from point a to point b emotionally speaking). And then he's convinced he can't make her a good husband but then he gets jealous because he think she's run away with someone else and so proposes? What? Come on.
And maybe I'm just holding the book to an unfair standard but the character work in Beauty is so intricate, y'know? You see Serena change moment-to-moment, when she's scared, you know why she's changed, and when she makes choices, you understand why she makes them. And the courage in her *to* make those choices. I didn't get that from these two, even though I felt it was all there, waiting for me to connect with.
Except for whatever reason I never quite got there.
Some other random thoughts:
1. Beware rosacea sufferers: florid complexions in Mallory books nearly always mean you're evil
2. I appreciate the on-going lack of slut-shaming and the way the heroines are allowed to exhibit and experience desire
3. Mallory heroes are always super committing to getting their lady off. I love it.
4. I really could do without the "married to abusive commoner" thing. In romance in general. Just once I'd like an upper class heroine to marry a poor person and be treated well. Wasn't super keen on the faithless Irish solider being a trope either.
5. I know accidentally pregnancy happens but why do heroines in histrom only have to look at a penis funny to get impregnated? Like it takes work to knock someone up. It really does.
6. Enjoyed the whole Prospect House subplot, but it's hardly mentioned in book 2. Is it going to be a continuing thang?
7. The hero and heroine are constantly falling off horses / gigs / their own feet in secluded country lanes and getting rescued by each other: the first couple of times I was like, oh okay, these things happen, by the THIRD I was like what is wrong with you people, why can't you stay on a horse for five minutes?
8. More heroines called Molly please. I dunno why. Just like the name.
And I ... quite liked this?
Mallory is clearly A+ at her job so this is a really polished piece of work but, ehhhh, it just didn't pull me in the way Beauty & the Brooding Lord did - although the heroine of that book makes an appearance at about the 65% mark and I was just delighted to see her. Although it also made me slightly sad because she's so spirited and carefree and she has such a journey to go on before she finds herself again.
Anyway, anyway: the actual book I read, not the other book I was pining after. I genuinely can't tell if it was a mistake to read this straight after Beauty because I was so taken by Beauty that anything would have been coloured by it. But there's still a lot to like here: a principled heroine who has been through some stuff, a rakish hero is nowhere near as a heartless as he pretends to be, a vivacious supporting cast, and sparkly writing throughout.
But. Ehhhhh.
This book takes place within a rural community--a large part of the action revolving around Prospect House, a charitable organisation that takes in and teaches skills to so-called fallen women so they get their lives back on track--which means there's a large-ish cast and an enjoyable secondary romance, and of course Serena rocking up to cause havoc at some point, and necessarily less focus on the hero and heroine.
Both of whom are very complex people, shaped by and conscious of, their role in society and could have--for me--done with more page time to work through that. I liked them both and wanted them to work towards a deeper understanding of each other but I ended up finding the progression of their relationship very back-and-forthy: she's wary of him because she's damaged by past trauma and knows he's a rake, they become friends, they have a misunderstanding, they desire each other deeply, they miss their friendship, he feels he'd be a bad husband, but doesn't want to make her his mistress etc. etc. I wish I'd had a better handle on *what* and *where* the change happened. Like, she was literally terrified of kissing him earlier in the book but then she lets him get off in a back room at a ball without batting an eyelash (not that I think she should have reacted with distress - I just wanted to know how she got from point a to point b emotionally speaking). And then he's convinced he can't make her a good husband but then he gets jealous because he think she's run away with someone else and so proposes? What? Come on.
And maybe I'm just holding the book to an unfair standard but the character work in Beauty is so intricate, y'know? You see Serena change moment-to-moment, when she's scared, you know why she's changed, and when she makes choices, you understand why she makes them. And the courage in her *to* make those choices. I didn't get that from these two, even though I felt it was all there, waiting for me to connect with.
Except for whatever reason I never quite got there.
Some other random thoughts:
1. Beware rosacea sufferers: florid complexions in Mallory books nearly always mean you're evil
2. I appreciate the on-going lack of slut-shaming and the way the heroines are allowed to exhibit and experience desire
3. Mallory heroes are always super committing to getting their lady off. I love it.
4. I really could do without the "married to abusive commoner" thing. In romance in general. Just once I'd like an upper class heroine to marry a poor person and be treated well. Wasn't super keen on the faithless Irish solider being a trope either.
5. I know accidentally pregnancy happens but why do heroines in histrom only have to look at a penis funny to get impregnated? Like it takes work to knock someone up. It really does.
6. Enjoyed the whole Prospect House subplot, but it's hardly mentioned in book 2. Is it going to be a continuing thang?
7. The hero and heroine are constantly falling off horses / gigs / their own feet in secluded country lanes and getting rescued by each other: the first couple of times I was like, oh okay, these things happen, by the THIRD I was like what is wrong with you people, why can't you stay on a horse for five minutes?
8. More heroines called Molly please. I dunno why. Just like the name.
January 20, 2020
I thought this book had good writing and character development if you can separate it from the awful, tragic pacing.
It's just...nothing happens. Until suddenly the hero reaches and kisses the "hinge" of Molly's thighs.
eh?
I liked the slow burn and back and forth between the two MCs, then it just froze in time until that particular scene, so not great. And also I thought this book was a bout 500 pages, so also not great.
It's just...nothing happens. Until suddenly the hero reaches and kisses the "hinge" of Molly's thighs.
eh?
I liked the slow burn and back and forth between the two MCs, then it just froze in time until that particular scene, so not great. And also I thought this book was a bout 500 pages, so also not great.
February 6, 2018
I like how Mallory has you engaged from the initial meeting between Russ and Molly and then she takes you on a slow meaningful voyage of discovery as these two moves past their own personal challengers and find that life can be good to them. The budding romance is sweet and tender, Mallory has carefully built their story up in a way that your learning something new about each of them as the story unfolds, and I really like that. It’s a novel way of getting to know the character’s and their personal histories – especially with Molly, it’s the perfect way of discovering her true personality.
Beau Russington has a wild and dark reputation, one that has society mama’s scuttling their little debutant darling’s away to safety his charming and rakish behaviour is legendary stories of just how bad he is has made to all drawing rooms across the country, so when the man himself turns up in Molly’s sleepy little village she is instantly on edge he is the last thing that they want in their village. She knows that his kind could destroy all her hard work that she has done at Prospect House, but more than that once she meets the charming rake and she sees exactly what an alluring man he is, she knows that he could very well destroy her.
Beau Russington has a wild and dark reputation, one that has society mama’s scuttling their little debutant darling’s away to safety his charming and rakish behaviour is legendary stories of just how bad he is has made to all drawing rooms across the country, so when the man himself turns up in Molly’s sleepy little village she is instantly on edge he is the last thing that they want in their village. She knows that his kind could destroy all her hard work that she has done at Prospect House, but more than that once she meets the charming rake and she sees exactly what an alluring man he is, she knows that he could very well destroy her.
August 17, 2024
3.5 stars
February 26, 2020
Pretty well written with several strong points going on for it. But also pretty boring. The rake is not a rake at all and Molly changes her mind constantly without any work being shown for it. Not to mention that I disliked the abusive past and plot line a lot.
It was just ok. I stupidly have the entire series so I’ll probably read them at some point. But let’s just say I would have DNFed this one had I not been stuck in an airplane for 13 hours with limited reading material.
It was just ok. I stupidly have the entire series so I’ll probably read them at some point. But let’s just say I would have DNFed this one had I not been stuck in an airplane for 13 hours with limited reading material.
March 3, 2019
Awesome story!! Quick read!! Love the proper British spelling of words & the factual details of the English countryside! Our leading protagonists were full of charm & wit! Props the author for writing in the era the novel was projected around the Victorian time! It was fun getaway from the more traditional London Season! Nevertheless as enjoyable to read about the small town lifestyle especially with a strong female lead and the Tons Most Notorious Rake 😂 😍
May 9, 2020
oh, man, folks, this held such promise...I swear. If I do a run of Historical Romances, I am picking up stories with Rakes and Wallflowers, first and always. This one gave me everything I could have asked for and gotten without asking, just as a nice sidebar gift.
Except...it fell into that bottomless well that Contemporary Romances are the worst culprits of...the heroine who talks herself into sex or sexual release and then...grumps and bemoans when she gets exactly what she has been pushing out of her mouth...
...Never get involved in a land war with Asia--uh, no, wait...That's Princess Bride...
It's NEVER TRUST A RAKE. Or NEVER FALL IN LOVE WITH A RAKE...Uh, because he is a rake and all he wants is some booty, not your heart.
What does she do...not only does Molly proposition him, using her body like coinage...which appalled him--THANK GOD!, but she allows him to take her to his bed-chamber, secretly, during a house party...and eh, while they didn't have penetrative sex, she still gave him every orgasm or orgasmic pleasure she never had with her dirty rotten husband.
Here is what never sits perfectly in my simple-minded brain. Heroines always start out on the good end...ya know...they talk so much shit in their own heads that even the sight of HIM disgusts them to a certain extent. And I mean, except when he does something that sheds light on how handsome and sexy he looks...clothed.
And Molly never says it as contemporary heroines do in romances, but she hasn't had good sex since before she got married. Well, wait, even that experience wasn't too great as she was a virgin and then the lover went off to war, leaving her with a baby. And then her parents finagle her a proper husband who doesn't mind about the baby, except he does.
And, well, this was what doesn't correlate with me and my brain...Molly has suffered not just tragedy but deep mental and emotional trauma...heavy abuse from her "husband" and the fact that him kicking her while she was down, on the ground, caused her to lose her baby...
What gives me confusion and causes me to cross-hairs of strange lightning bolts of wild wonder is...Molly talks a huge big talk...especially as she used that moment from an abusive husband and losing her baby to help other women down in life to change their life and get proper jobs so they can feed themselves and their children. Molly has a set of rules she abides by...and she finds herself being stricter with the women in her group home than she is within herself.
MEN ALWAYS HAVE AN AGENDA and women are last on their list. MEN WILL GET WHAT THEY WANT FROM WOMEN AND THEN THEY LEAVE or become completely shitty to you.
I mean, as I stated... she will discourage women in men pursuing and doing pursuing on their own, allowing single men to come to their home...even have protective guards around the estate to keep men O-U-T from sneaking in and getting these women they think are automatic "prostitutes". None of them are, they are all just down on their luck women who need a helping hand, and Molly and the women who help her run the group home give them that added boost.
But yet, Molly will start to push back from Beau Russington...the Hero, the Rake...who is often called "Russ". Molly watches him in action with women, so she knows who and what he is. And, sadly Russ will never deny it and man, can Molly sometimes be rather way-too honest with him and he takes the gut punches.
But at some point, I don't know why...inside Molly's head is a gradual shift where she devalues herself and her body. As I said before...she is so tired of fighting and struggling with her attraction to Russ...as she cannot seem to get away from him...which is a lie, as he seems to be everywhere, which is another lie, too.
See, because Molly is a widow, she returned to her brother's home who is the Vicar and she helps maintain the household for him until he gets a wife. The Vicar keeps being invited to way-too-many parties and he continues to keep dragging Molly to these parties...and this is ALWAYS where Russ, the Rake is located. All Molly has to do is NEVER GO OUT, which is apparently what she has done for far too long and everyone she knows wants her to change suddenly. Stop wearing her maudlin, widow's frocks, and wear some color...stop wearing severe hair-dos...and go out on the floor and dance, dance, dance at these frequent house parties...Molly complains to us she can never seem to rid herself of Russ's presence...well because she never tells her brother N-O.
Not only is her brother interested in the next-door neighbor's sister...two women from the group home she set-up have started flirtatious romances that grow into love and marriage. But at first, Molly assumes these men simply want to bed and not wed them, so she will not simply struggle with her own attraction to Russ, the Rake, but she will keep tabs on the other women's relationships and often offer her two worthless cents. Mainly because of that thing I told you she instantly does for some weird reason...she devalues herself. She thinks because her husband ruined her, with abuse and neglect, and whatnot that she is less than her own self. She is worth nothing except as offering her body as payment owed...O_O...I mean, this from the woman who has been pushing a Women's freedom movement since the first chapter scales down her own worth to just a mere sex object to hand over to a known Rake...to Russ.
At first, Russ refuses, but then when he takes her offer, bringing her to his bedchamber...my mind simply falls off the cliff of ever appreciating this book's overall message. Whatever it tried to prove to me for the first 50-60% has just lost me forever and can never get me back. Not for nothing and no one. And it all boiled down to what was said and done during and after their sexual intimacy...because even by this time...Molly was over-reactive to Russ's deal with making shockingly hard grabs for her arms or shoulders. Not that she would beat on him to get away and struggle within his grasp just that she would overdramatize very simple unobtrusive moments with Russ. Molly would work herself to such an inner rage she would blow off for an unknown reason all over Russ, but he took, always asking why? what was so wrong? What did he do? And Molly would often storm off, like a dejected child, never giving away her secrets...because not many...well, wait, no one knew of her husband's physical abuse or that he was the cause of her miscarriage.
People who knew her, who cared for her, simply wanted her to GET OVER IT. TO MOVE ON from widowhood and mourning the loss of this great, fabulous husband and Molly would never confess, just take that stuff and do whatever anyone told her to do. She was always easily malleable...letting her Vicar brother drag her around...letting girlfriends dictate her "looks"...how she dressed and how she did her hair. It made it seem like Molly was making choices but then while she is at those parties...dressed in that new colorful garb and wearing her hair differently...she is complaining she doesn't want to dance or be there or do anything but return home and hide away.
Granted she is only a mere 24 but she acts much like a 60yr old widow...and she appeared fine in the first half of the book but then suddenly she wants this "change" being forced on her by Russ's half-sister, who she is being strong-armed to chaperon. I mean...if you DO NOT want to be around Russ, the Rake so badly...just don't allow the half-sister to live with you and Bro-the-Vicar...and then ya know... don't make a decision to chaperon her and take her under your wing, except she really puts herself under the sister's wing because this is really when serious changes start to come off of Molly and everybody around her is clamoring for her to STOP IT WITH ALL THIS MOURNING WIDOW BS!!
I just...I hated to see what happened to Russ and Molly after their intimacy...because it fully made this book drop to a solid 3-rating. Russ decides ONE NIGHT will be enough even though he has growing feelings for Molly. And Molly is feeling rejected so severely she has now become one of those downtrodden women she tries to protect at the group home...where she allowed a guy...remember the Rake--to use her body and NOW she suddenly finds morals again and then wants him to LOVE her and show feelings or emotions of some sort. She got exactly what she always knew he was...and he was exactly who he always said he was going to be...a Rake until the end. He is willing to let her go, move on, and watch her find and marry a good man for a good husband.
Well, lad-dee-freakin'-dah...I lost enjoyment from this point on which meant I suffered in the last 40%...where Russ & Molly avoid one another...and Russ learns he does love Molly and wishes to be a good husband to her. And Molly? She does this weird...turnaround, I suppose you could say...where she flirts and flounces her wares to any man she can...therbey making Russ utterly jealous and rageful...until the point when miscommunications abound and Russ never paying fucking attention to this "best friend's" personal life...AT ALL to know this guy was falling in love with someone NOT MOLLY. Russ thinks his friend, Sir Gerard...and Molly are off to Gretna Green or eloping or some dumb shit...when actually she is chaperoning her young charge from the group home, Fleur...and...uhm...there is a rather disparaging scene given to us of Russ thinking he is storming into a room where he will find Gerard and Molly compromised...and Russ says some rather abhorrent words to her in the heat-of-the-moment...basically calling her a trollop/whoreish...and maybe telling her to shut her disgusting mouth...and la-la...I mean, O_O...whut-the-eff?
Russ fucked that scene up to all hell and back, but yet Molly forgave him and jumped into his arms, both of them dumb enough to confess love finally and making a quickie proposal to be married in under 24hrs by special license since two other couples were about to be wed, too. I just...I couldn't anymore. Well, they got their HEAs, so, yay...and then a mini-Epilogue showed us an even deeper HEA with a baby about to be christened, so, double-yay...whatever...
Except...it fell into that bottomless well that Contemporary Romances are the worst culprits of...the heroine who talks herself into sex or sexual release and then...grumps and bemoans when she gets exactly what she has been pushing out of her mouth...
...Never get involved in a land war with Asia--uh, no, wait...That's Princess Bride...
It's NEVER TRUST A RAKE. Or NEVER FALL IN LOVE WITH A RAKE...Uh, because he is a rake and all he wants is some booty, not your heart.
What does she do...not only does Molly proposition him, using her body like coinage...which appalled him--THANK GOD!, but she allows him to take her to his bed-chamber, secretly, during a house party...and eh, while they didn't have penetrative sex, she still gave him every orgasm or orgasmic pleasure she never had with her dirty rotten husband.
Here is what never sits perfectly in my simple-minded brain. Heroines always start out on the good end...ya know...they talk so much shit in their own heads that even the sight of HIM disgusts them to a certain extent. And I mean, except when he does something that sheds light on how handsome and sexy he looks...clothed.
And Molly never says it as contemporary heroines do in romances, but she hasn't had good sex since before she got married. Well, wait, even that experience wasn't too great as she was a virgin and then the lover went off to war, leaving her with a baby. And then her parents finagle her a proper husband who doesn't mind about the baby, except he does.
And, well, this was what doesn't correlate with me and my brain...Molly has suffered not just tragedy but deep mental and emotional trauma...heavy abuse from her "husband" and the fact that him kicking her while she was down, on the ground, caused her to lose her baby...
What gives me confusion and causes me to cross-hairs of strange lightning bolts of wild wonder is...Molly talks a huge big talk...especially as she used that moment from an abusive husband and losing her baby to help other women down in life to change their life and get proper jobs so they can feed themselves and their children. Molly has a set of rules she abides by...and she finds herself being stricter with the women in her group home than she is within herself.
MEN ALWAYS HAVE AN AGENDA and women are last on their list. MEN WILL GET WHAT THEY WANT FROM WOMEN AND THEN THEY LEAVE or become completely shitty to you.
I mean, as I stated... she will discourage women in men pursuing and doing pursuing on their own, allowing single men to come to their home...even have protective guards around the estate to keep men O-U-T from sneaking in and getting these women they think are automatic "prostitutes". None of them are, they are all just down on their luck women who need a helping hand, and Molly and the women who help her run the group home give them that added boost.
But yet, Molly will start to push back from Beau Russington...the Hero, the Rake...who is often called "Russ". Molly watches him in action with women, so she knows who and what he is. And, sadly Russ will never deny it and man, can Molly sometimes be rather way-too honest with him and he takes the gut punches.
But at some point, I don't know why...inside Molly's head is a gradual shift where she devalues herself and her body. As I said before...she is so tired of fighting and struggling with her attraction to Russ...as she cannot seem to get away from him...which is a lie, as he seems to be everywhere, which is another lie, too.
See, because Molly is a widow, she returned to her brother's home who is the Vicar and she helps maintain the household for him until he gets a wife. The Vicar keeps being invited to way-too-many parties and he continues to keep dragging Molly to these parties...and this is ALWAYS where Russ, the Rake is located. All Molly has to do is NEVER GO OUT, which is apparently what she has done for far too long and everyone she knows wants her to change suddenly. Stop wearing her maudlin, widow's frocks, and wear some color...stop wearing severe hair-dos...and go out on the floor and dance, dance, dance at these frequent house parties...Molly complains to us she can never seem to rid herself of Russ's presence...well because she never tells her brother N-O.
Not only is her brother interested in the next-door neighbor's sister...two women from the group home she set-up have started flirtatious romances that grow into love and marriage. But at first, Molly assumes these men simply want to bed and not wed them, so she will not simply struggle with her own attraction to Russ, the Rake, but she will keep tabs on the other women's relationships and often offer her two worthless cents. Mainly because of that thing I told you she instantly does for some weird reason...she devalues herself. She thinks because her husband ruined her, with abuse and neglect, and whatnot that she is less than her own self. She is worth nothing except as offering her body as payment owed...O_O...I mean, this from the woman who has been pushing a Women's freedom movement since the first chapter scales down her own worth to just a mere sex object to hand over to a known Rake...to Russ.
At first, Russ refuses, but then when he takes her offer, bringing her to his bedchamber...my mind simply falls off the cliff of ever appreciating this book's overall message. Whatever it tried to prove to me for the first 50-60% has just lost me forever and can never get me back. Not for nothing and no one. And it all boiled down to what was said and done during and after their sexual intimacy...because even by this time...Molly was over-reactive to Russ's deal with making shockingly hard grabs for her arms or shoulders. Not that she would beat on him to get away and struggle within his grasp just that she would overdramatize very simple unobtrusive moments with Russ. Molly would work herself to such an inner rage she would blow off for an unknown reason all over Russ, but he took, always asking why? what was so wrong? What did he do? And Molly would often storm off, like a dejected child, never giving away her secrets...because not many...well, wait, no one knew of her husband's physical abuse or that he was the cause of her miscarriage.
People who knew her, who cared for her, simply wanted her to GET OVER IT. TO MOVE ON from widowhood and mourning the loss of this great, fabulous husband and Molly would never confess, just take that stuff and do whatever anyone told her to do. She was always easily malleable...letting her Vicar brother drag her around...letting girlfriends dictate her "looks"...how she dressed and how she did her hair. It made it seem like Molly was making choices but then while she is at those parties...dressed in that new colorful garb and wearing her hair differently...she is complaining she doesn't want to dance or be there or do anything but return home and hide away.
Granted she is only a mere 24 but she acts much like a 60yr old widow...and she appeared fine in the first half of the book but then suddenly she wants this "change" being forced on her by Russ's half-sister, who she is being strong-armed to chaperon. I mean...if you DO NOT want to be around Russ, the Rake so badly...just don't allow the half-sister to live with you and Bro-the-Vicar...and then ya know... don't make a decision to chaperon her and take her under your wing, except she really puts herself under the sister's wing because this is really when serious changes start to come off of Molly and everybody around her is clamoring for her to STOP IT WITH ALL THIS MOURNING WIDOW BS!!
I just...I hated to see what happened to Russ and Molly after their intimacy...because it fully made this book drop to a solid 3-rating. Russ decides ONE NIGHT will be enough even though he has growing feelings for Molly. And Molly is feeling rejected so severely she has now become one of those downtrodden women she tries to protect at the group home...where she allowed a guy...remember the Rake--to use her body and NOW she suddenly finds morals again and then wants him to LOVE her and show feelings or emotions of some sort. She got exactly what she always knew he was...and he was exactly who he always said he was going to be...a Rake until the end. He is willing to let her go, move on, and watch her find and marry a good man for a good husband.
Well, lad-dee-freakin'-dah...I lost enjoyment from this point on which meant I suffered in the last 40%...where Russ & Molly avoid one another...and Russ learns he does love Molly and wishes to be a good husband to her. And Molly? She does this weird...turnaround, I suppose you could say...where she flirts and flounces her wares to any man she can...therbey making Russ utterly jealous and rageful...until the point when miscommunications abound and Russ never paying fucking attention to this "best friend's" personal life...AT ALL to know this guy was falling in love with someone NOT MOLLY. Russ thinks his friend, Sir Gerard...and Molly are off to Gretna Green or eloping or some dumb shit...when actually she is chaperoning her young charge from the group home, Fleur...and...uhm...there is a rather disparaging scene given to us of Russ thinking he is storming into a room where he will find Gerard and Molly compromised...and Russ says some rather abhorrent words to her in the heat-of-the-moment...basically calling her a trollop/whoreish...and maybe telling her to shut her disgusting mouth...and la-la...I mean, O_O...whut-the-eff?
Russ fucked that scene up to all hell and back, but yet Molly forgave him and jumped into his arms, both of them dumb enough to confess love finally and making a quickie proposal to be married in under 24hrs by special license since two other couples were about to be wed, too. I just...I couldn't anymore. Well, they got their HEAs, so, yay...and then a mini-Epilogue showed us an even deeper HEA with a baby about to be christened, so, double-yay...whatever...
March 3, 2018
There's nothing I like better than a good Regency Rake and Beau Russington is up there with the best. of them. Swoon-worthy from the very start of the novel, Beau oozes charisma, sex appeal and more than a hint of danger, in fact, he is everything that Molly Morgan detests. So, when Beau and his equally rakish friends arrive in the small northern village of Compton Parva, Molly is determined to keep these profligate men away from Prospect House, the home she runs for 'fallen women'. That Molly is the main benefactor of this home harks back to a bad experience which happened some time ago in her own past and which has left her distrustful of all men.
I was quite entranced by the story, and found that I thoroughly enjoyed the sparring which goes on between Beau and Molly. Trying to resist the lure of attraction between them is what makes the book so delicious to read. Molly's steadfastness, particularly in her dealings with the women at Prospect House, is to her credit but, it is the intoxicating, and at times infuriating presence of Beau, which sets her heart a fluttering. The other delightful characters who flit into and out of the story add interesting depth, whilst the less than likeable characters add the necessary light and shade,to this well written Regency romp.
If you enjoy Regency romances with a touch of intrigue and more than a hint of 'will they or won't they' romance then this story will certainly appeal.
I was quite entranced by the story, and found that I thoroughly enjoyed the sparring which goes on between Beau and Molly. Trying to resist the lure of attraction between them is what makes the book so delicious to read. Molly's steadfastness, particularly in her dealings with the women at Prospect House, is to her credit but, it is the intoxicating, and at times infuriating presence of Beau, which sets her heart a fluttering. The other delightful characters who flit into and out of the story add interesting depth, whilst the less than likeable characters add the necessary light and shade,to this well written Regency romp.
If you enjoy Regency romances with a touch of intrigue and more than a hint of 'will they or won't they' romance then this story will certainly appeal.
August 21, 2018
learning to trust is hard work Molly Morgan lives quietly with her brother in his vicarage, helping to run a house for "unfortunate" women when her life is disruped by Sir Gerald Kilburn and his house party, particularly Beau Russington who is everything she thinks she should despise, but how come he attracts her so much. Beau Russington is a renouned rake, well able to talk to women except for Molly who keeps him on his toes.
They're the core romance but ther are a few others and it's interesting to see the relationships build.
Entertaining and light.
They're the core romance but ther are a few others and it's interesting to see the relationships build.
Entertaining and light.
October 30, 2018
I do not normally read Historical Romance but I really enjoyed this book. The story of a widow that starts a house for abused women and the romances that develops between some of the characters that suffered abuse was quite heartwarming. I enjoyed the banter between the romantic leads. The book was short but very entertaining.
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September 4, 2020Rating: 3.5 Stars ⭐️
I really liked Beau but his reputation as a rake was more tell then show. The book is slow burn and there is chemistry between the character however they get together to late in the story for me.
I really liked Beau but his reputation as a rake was more tell then show. The book is slow burn and there is chemistry between the character however they get together to late in the story for me.
February 16, 2019
An entertaining and fun novel about a woman intent on social change and a man who needs change - what could be more entertaining?!
March 12, 2018
Review for RHR to come.
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March 11, 2018:) :) :) I really enjoyed reading this one. Experienced a wide range of emotions and was emotionally satisfied. ~ Kim
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