According to Cambridge Dictionaries online, a rake is defined as “a man, especially one who is rich or with a high social position, who lives in an immoral way, especially having sex with a lot of women …”. In order words, a cad, a bounder, a totally disreputable sort who casts that certain degree of attractive allure which sets hearts a-flutter. The type of person who of course needs ‘saving from himself’ by just the right person who comes alongside …
Well lets introduce Lord Sebastian Hastings, established and trusted captain of the private household regimental guard for the Regelence royal family household. He’s fantastic at his very trying responsibilities – especially since none of the aforementioned family members seem to heed instructions to submit to heightened security protocols in the wake of recent diabolical political acts against the family. Apart from work taking up much of his time, he’s been having a ball of a time flouting societal mores with all manner of nubile young lords and societal social climbers. In other words – he’s got a ‘reputation’.
Prince Colton (affectionately named Prince Calamity by the harried household staff, electronic butler and security units), has been not so secretly pining after Sebastian for years – a fact that has not gone amiss by his close friends, brothers and parents, and especially by the object of his obsession. Since Colton has only barely just ‘come of age’, it would not have been the ‘done thing’ for the Captain of the Household Guard to reciprocate attentions thrown at him by the second youngest Townsend prince. But has that coolness toward Colton been the result of professional duty or has it been feigned indifference?
To re-focus his energies after a particularly disappointing encounter with Lord Sebastian, Colton diverts his attention to his other great love – horses and horse-breeding/racing. The focus of much of this book is therefore on all things equine. This of course fits in nicely with the allure of entire the regency setting – trailing mud into the newly polished marble hallways after a brisk morning canter on a spirited young filly … ignoring disapproval from the head of household staff whilst rifling dispiritedly over the breakfast sideboard display when ‘fixing oneself a plate’. I’ve come to the opinion that it can only work for MCs in regency titles when one is either a member of royalty or wealthy entitled landed gentry, or betrothed to one of those, or related to one of those, or actively pursued by one of those. Heaven help you of you are a member of the ‘downstairs’ crowd in a regency titles … your passing presence is barely noted!
Following from the earlier sci-regency titles of the series – political shenanigans and danger is raised by the disappearance of an ex-admiral’s family who may or may not have useful information behind the machinations of the inter-galactic military machine. Mysterious stalkers are shadowing the King. But Langley fails yet again to give sufficient time and plot to these elements … which is disappointing. Sebastian has deep secrets which he’s concealing from Colton and the trusting royal family – would this have terrible consequences for the latter?
The primary focus remains largely on Colton and Sebastian’s growing relationship – and I for one had some difficulty with the about-turn in Sebastian’s affections for the younger man – it seemed abrupt and slightly forced to me. Having experienced the previous two titles in the series, I could anticipate/foresee plot developments bringing the requisite ‘compromising’ of Prince Colton’s royal reputation in order to bring these two together. Langley does her usual thing with the angst and misunderstandings between the two MCs, who spend most of the book jumping to wrong conclusions and judgements about each other – but who also cannot resist jumping onto each other in the hay whenever opportunity arises.
IMO – this is the least successful title of the series to date. I was more interested with various secondary characters than either Sebastian or Colton – in fact I would have preferred the book to have focussed on the revised version of the formerly staid and stuffy Crown Prince Rexley and his rascally betrothed - Trouble. Even the hysterically amusing youngest prince Tarren (think Lydia from Austin’s P&P) was a more interesting character; I’m hoping the next book will prove a better read when featuring one of these other characters and Langley would do well to provide a better balance between the romance and the sci-fi espionage elements as promised in the first book.
Well lets introduce Lord Sebastian Hastings, established and trusted captain of the private household regimental guard for the Regelence royal family household. He’s fantastic at his very trying responsibilities – especially since none of the aforementioned family members seem to heed instructions to submit to heightened security protocols in the wake of recent diabolical political acts against the family. Apart from work taking up much of his time, he’s been having a ball of a time flouting societal mores with all manner of nubile young lords and societal social climbers. In other words – he’s got a ‘reputation’.
Prince Colton (affectionately named Prince Calamity by the harried household staff, electronic butler and security units), has been not so secretly pining after Sebastian for years – a fact that has not gone amiss by his close friends, brothers and parents, and especially by the object of his obsession. Since Colton has only barely just ‘come of age’, it would not have been the ‘done thing’ for the Captain of the Household Guard to reciprocate attentions thrown at him by the second youngest Townsend prince. But has that coolness toward Colton been the result of professional duty or has it been feigned indifference?
To re-focus his energies after a particularly disappointing encounter with Lord Sebastian, Colton diverts his attention to his other great love – horses and horse-breeding/racing. The focus of much of this book is therefore on all things equine. This of course fits in nicely with the allure of entire the regency setting – trailing mud into the newly polished marble hallways after a brisk morning canter on a spirited young filly … ignoring disapproval from the head of household staff whilst rifling dispiritedly over the breakfast sideboard display when ‘fixing oneself a plate’. I’ve come to the opinion that it can only work for MCs in regency titles when one is either a member of royalty or wealthy entitled landed gentry, or betrothed to one of those, or related to one of those, or actively pursued by one of those. Heaven help you of you are a member of the ‘downstairs’ crowd in a regency titles … your passing presence is barely noted!
Following from the earlier sci-regency titles of the series – political shenanigans and danger is raised by the disappearance of an ex-admiral’s family who may or may not have useful information behind the machinations of the inter-galactic military machine. Mysterious stalkers are shadowing the King. But Langley fails yet again to give sufficient time and plot to these elements … which is disappointing. Sebastian has deep secrets which he’s concealing from Colton and the trusting royal family – would this have terrible consequences for the latter?
The primary focus remains largely on Colton and Sebastian’s growing relationship – and I for one had some difficulty with the about-turn in Sebastian’s affections for the younger man – it seemed abrupt and slightly forced to me. Having experienced the previous two titles in the series, I could anticipate/foresee plot developments bringing the requisite ‘compromising’ of Prince Colton’s royal reputation in order to bring these two together. Langley does her usual thing with the angst and misunderstandings between the two MCs, who spend most of the book jumping to wrong conclusions and judgements about each other – but who also cannot resist jumping onto each other in the hay whenever opportunity arises.
IMO – this is the least successful title of the series to date. I was more interested with various secondary characters than either Sebastian or Colton – in fact I would have preferred the book to have focussed on the revised version of the formerly staid and stuffy Crown Prince Rexley and his rascally betrothed - Trouble. Even the hysterically amusing youngest prince Tarren (think Lydia from Austin’s P&P) was a more interesting character; I’m hoping the next book will prove a better read when featuring one of these other characters and Langley would do well to provide a better balance between the romance and the sci-fi espionage elements as promised in the first book.