A Rogue by Any Other Name

By: Sarah MacLean

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

Length: 13 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

RITA Award Winner, Best Historical Romance, 2013

What a scoundrel wants, a scoundrel gets....

A decade ago, the Marquess of Bourne was cast from society with nothing but his title. Now a partner in London's most exclusive gaming hell, the cold, ruthless Bourne will do whatever it takes to regain his inheritance - including marrying perfect, proper Lady Penelope Marbury.

A broken engagement and years of disappointing courtships have left Penelope with little interest in a quiet, comfortable marriage, and a longing for something more. How lucky that her new husband has access to an unexplored world of pleasures.

Bourne may be a prince of London's illicit underworld, but he vows to keep Penelope untouched by its wickedness - a challenge indeed as the lady discovers her own desires, and her willingness to wager anything for them...even her heart.

©2012 Sarah Trabucci (P)2012 HarperCollinsPublishers

So good!

I was riveted from the beginning. I enjoyed it as much as I did Wicked and the Wallflower

Such a fun loving story

I love the author, the characters and everything in between giving me a sense, wanting the next book

Enjoyable Romance

I always love Rosalyn Landor's narrations. This book was a fun romance with plucky heroine and hero who thinks he's not worthy. The hero and heroine were childhood friends. He loses his fortune gambling, she's a spinster, he's bent on revenge, they marry so he can regain part of his inheritance, they have misunderstandings, get to know each other again, and they have a happily ever after. Enjoyable listen for commute.

Better than Expected!

I loved this story! I really thought this would be another "bad boy gets tamed" but it was much more. The characters relationship has a sweet history that brings forth the fact they have actually been in love for years! Great love scenes and supporting characters. I am looking forward to the next novel and hope to see more Sarah MacLean on Audible!

I Loved it!

Where does A Rogue by Any Other Name rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I think that this book rates near the top of the books that I've listened to. I would have given the story and overall ratings 5 stars, but I thought that there was just one too many arguments rehashing why Michael should not ruin Tommy and a little too much of Michael's internal self doubt about what he deserved or didn't deserve.

I did enjoy this book and I will listen to it again and again! Sarah MacLean is an excellent writer. I can't wait for the next books in this series!!!!

Which character – as performed by Rosalyn Landor – was your favorite?

I like every character performed by Rosalyn Landor. She is by far my favorite narrator. Love her! She ensures that every character has it's own voice and she always makes all characters believable.

Awesome!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book it is in my "return-to" pile, and I frequently re-play it. Some of Sarah MacLean's books are hit or miss for me, but this one is definitely a hit!

Over Dramatic Delivery Ruined the Story

Rosalyn Landor is usually a good narrator but this book was way over the top as far as acting. It was as if each character wasn't going to live another day. I call it the "John, No, Marsha Effect". The syrupy delivery made it hard for me to concentrate on the story. Perhaps if I'd read the book, I'd feel differently. Too late now.

So I'm giving this book only three stars overall.

The writing is fine, the plot is okay, but I hated the hero

The narrator is good. The writing is fine. The thing I could not overcome was the hero.

I hated him.

He’s a selfish, self-hating whiney brat.

He whines about how he was hurt so badly...because he was so out of control that he bet his entire fortune and ancestral home in a game. Then he spent years plotting revenge—a revenge that apparently requires betraying his two closest childhood friends.

I tried figuring out the timeline, and it seems like he stopped being anyone’s friend long before he lost everything on a bet. So he apparently was a darn crappy friend even before the ‘great tragedy’ ...that he brought on himself.

For his ‘revenge’ against a third party he’s willing to destroy a man who was a childhood playmate...after he abducts, strips half-naked, then ‘ruins’ his female childhood best friend for her dowry. He spanks her, marries her for her dowry, then ignores her. Seriously, I’m not sure how he’s supposed to be better than the villain in the book. Arguably, he’s worse than the villain. The villain egged on someone stupid enough to bet everything he knows on a game of chance. The ‘hero’ is willing to backstab and harm people who have been his friends for revenge against someone else.

And for all of his whining that it was about his ancestral home, he never even visits it after getting it back. There’s no effort to see to its tenants, no effort to rescue the land, no hint of even thinking about fixing the house. He stays in London loving his gaming hell.

I can only conclude the whole mess was solely about his ego.

How the heroine constantly forgave him became a head scratcher. Sure she would get angry, but she always forgave if he just paid attention to her for three minutes straight.

I’ve loved some books by this author, and will read other books written by her. I like her work. But I really hated this hero. He was an overgrown brat.

light and entertaining

I bought this book primarily because of the narrator...Rosalyn Landor.What surprised me was the author,i found this a light read. Easy to follow. It was funny at times and the characters were great. I can't wait for the next book on Cross. I hope Landor will pick up from where she left of!

Good but could've been better

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I enjoyed the book but at the same time I think the development of the romance could’ve been better. This book was a lot of the female lead being prim and argumentative and the male lead trying to put distance between the female lead and himself and not enough romance where you really see them falling for each other. The book had them feeling a lot of physical attraction to each other and then at the end of book the epiphany of love comes and the story is over. And the reason the male lead things he’s such a bad guy, once revealed at the end, is super anticlimactic and really seems like a dumb reason for a man to be so down on himself and brooding.

Would you be willing to try another book from Sarah MacLean? Why or why not?

Even thought the story development could've been better it was still entertaining enough that I'd listen to the next book in the series.