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

Good story great characters

Sarah MacLean's style of writing was an adjustment for me. This story as with her others is well-written...yet.....there's just a little too much angst for me. While the characters are very likeable, they're just not very believable therefore the dialogue is a bit contrived. Regardless, this is my third (or more) time to listen...it's just not my favorite.

Weak heroine!

Penny was just too weak for my liking and I love a strong Heroine! I 'm not impressed by the character development in penny's personality. She was first introduced in the love by numbers series, book 3 eleven scandals to start to win a duke's heart and she was very mean and not a likeable character in my opinion in that book or this one. ( Read eleven scandals to start to win a duke's heart first to get the full backstory on her broken engagement with her ex fiancee).

In this book she moves from a belle of her first season who was used by her previous fiancee to a aging spinster manipulated into a farce marriage by her childhood friend only to use her as a means to an end. She was looked down on by her sisters for not making a good match, her husband's abhorrent behavior towards her was so disrespectful it made me cringe for most of the book. The plot was ok but sometimes it felt very slow.

I mostly enjoyed it

...but the harping on about revenge, then the sermon Penelope gives about choosing love over revenge was a bit much. I also hate when the hero waxes poetic about how he's just not good enough for the heroine, which Bourne does an awful lot, so that wasn't great. There were other things that I think made it difficult to stay immersed in the story, but overall, I did enjoy it.

First in The First Rule of Scoundrels series

Not a story to tax your brain too much, but it was enjoyable despite moments when I wanted to give the hero a good kick for being idiotic. I'll be keen to see the next story in this series, but it looks like we have quite a wait as 'One Good Earl Deserves a Lover' isn't due to be published until early in 2013. As always, Rosalyn Landor is awesome narrating.

Cringy at times

The good:

I liked the basis of the story. Guy loses family land in game of cards. Has to marry his childhood friend to get it back. Both hate each other at the start but end up falling in love. Predictable but enjoyable.

Penelope is a great female protagonist. Strong and sassy with a good head on her shoulders.


The bad:

The narrator did such an excellent job with the voices of the other characters but the voice of Michael (the main character) was horrible. I almost couldn't finish it. The voice she gave him made him so unattractive to me.

The last chapter was very corny. Every thing out of Michael's mouth made me cringe.

Not my favorite

I am falling in love with Sarah MacLeans novels; however this one is not one of my favorites. I am not sure if I dislike it because of the characters or the narration. I have listened to several of her other books narrated by Justine Eyre and prefer her. Landor makes Bourne sound old and Penelope very young. Many times I felt like it was a father scolding a child which made it hard to get into the romance.

Don't get me wrong...I have enjoyed Landor's performance in other books just not this one. I am going to give the other books in this series another chance based on that and the fact that I am loving Sarah.

Surprisingly naughty

I haven’t listened to historical fiction before and this was an entertaining introduction. I love how the characters developed

great book

Great start to a wonderful series, loved the angst between Bourne and Penelope. Can't wait for the next book.

Pretty lame story

Young lord tricked into losing his entire fortune in card game – disappears for a while – makes new fortune with a gaming hell and is determined to get revenge on the man who won his first fortune. Marrying a woman who now has the best part of the land from his first fortune gives him the means to get revenge. She does not want him to strike out. Will he fall in love with her and give up his plan? Interesting in parts but still is a pretty stupid plot filled with unbelievable and silly situations. However the narrator is good.

GREAT ROMANCE - GREAT SERIES!

I'd listened to book 2 & was starting book 3 in my library's app & my library didn't have book 1. When I started book 3 I knew I had to hear book 1 of the series before going any farther & to my delight found ibook 1 in Audible! There would be millions of VERY happy wives if men read the steamy scenes in this series, as the men in these series DEFINITELY know how to please a woman! I realize now most , if not all,, men haven't a clue...& that is sad! A woman would do ANYTHING to be loved as these men do. Women need to teach their hubby's a few of the tricks that these men amazingly know. It'd make for much happier marriages & women would be asking for sex every night as men want them to. I now know why a lot of women don't care as much for sex as men. To be blunt, men need to learn to not just please themselves, as there are 2 in the act.. Women need to be happy too fellas!! Happy wifes=happy lives. (Smile!)