Sometimes a Rogue

Lost Lords, Book 5

De: Mary Jo Putney

Narrado por: Steven Crossley

Sometimes...

Even the most proper young lady yearns for adventure. But when the very well bred Miss Sarah Clarke-Townsend impulsively takes the place of her pregnant twin, it puts her own life at risk. If the kidnappers after her sister discover they've abducted Sarah instead, she will surely pay with her life....

A rogue...

Rob Carmichael survived his disastrous family by turning his back on his heritage and becoming a formidable Bow Street Runner with a talent for rescuing damsels in distress. But Sarah is one damsel who is equal to whatever comes. Whether racing across Ireland with her roguish rescuer or throwing herself into his arms, she challenges Rob at every turn.

©2013 Mary Jo Putney (P)2014 Recorded Books

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Exquisitely and sensitively written." ( Library Journal)

"Intoxicating and not-to-be missed." (Romantic Times)

Rob reconciled

Borrowed through my Audible Plus membership.
Putney is one of my favorite early historical romance writers and is good at adding suspense.
Rob Carmichael tracks Sarah Clarke-Townsend into Ireland when she was kidnapped by rebels who were targeting her sister Mariah, the Duchess. He frees her and they dodge rebels and storms only to be tossed up on the beach by his family home. To his major consternation, Rob finds out he’s the new Earl. His brother died of a riding accident after Rob started the hunt for Sarah, and his father died only months before.
Sarah helps Rob deal with his grandmother, a thieving manager, the castle, the estate, his finances, and the daughter he never knew about. As soon as Sarah’s family receives word, they all travel to join Sarah and Rob. After going back and forth they decide to marry and family stays to help prepare and party.
The humor in some events and dialogue made this story for me. For those needing suspense, those pesky rebels manage to turn up again. The surprise is surely who is behind those rebels.
I was disappointed in Crossley’s narration as he kept giving Ash some weird sort of half Indian accent, and goofed up some other character voices.

She is as roguish as he is!

He is a Bow Street Runner, in the right place at the right time.
She is a twin sister, willing to place herself in danger, to prevent her sister and unborn child being taken by kidnappers.
They come together, after a flight across England and Ireland. Working together, to elude the rogues intent on mayhem and possible murder.
Yes, another romance, with drama and adventure at its core.
A rather good read, or if listening to the audiobooks, a rather engaging tale, with the narrator's vocalizations characters adding further dimension to the overall experience.

Good

It wasn’t as good as her other books but it was still good. It was very interesting how she brought characters from previous books to the helpers and villains in this one. It was very cool to “see” old friends.

Enjoyable listen

Good balance of adventure, romance and depth. The narrator was pleasing to to listen to and added emotion to the story

Slow

The plot sounded so good in theory, but this was lamentably boring and slow paced. With an hour left to finish I found myself falling asleep every time I attempted to listen.

Mary Jo Putney has a number of great books, but this one falls a bit short, imo. There is nothing particularly “wrong” with the writing, but aside from kidnapping scoundrels (who play a minor part) conflict is minimal and the things that contrive to keep the couple apart are overly simplistic and easily overcome. It seems that this story simply goes on and on with nothing of any importance really happening. In all honesty, it would have been far more interesting to read about Rob and his teenage love affair which resulted in him having a child out of wedlock. It’s a shame the author killed off his first love. She was a far more interesting character.

The narrator, too, is an unfortunate choice. His voice choices make every character sound very unattractive, both physically and in temperament.

Best in series

One of my favorite heroines and heroes ever. A man that isn't threatened by a woman, and a woman that doesn't want to emasculated her man. Excellent!

4.5 rounded up to 5

Complex well developed story, maybe a little too long. Good characters, strong heroine, honorable self-sufficient hero. I like the tie in with the previous books featuring other former students of the Westerfield Academy (a school for “bad boys” from “good families”). I personally would have liked a little more character development and less adventure. As nice as hero Rob was, we don’t see deep enough into his soul to him to make him swoonworthy. On the other hand, there is more than enough adventure for my taste, including, but not limited to a flight across Ireland, a life-threatening storm at sea, and a pitched grand finale battle. I realize that’s pretty much what you can expect when reading a Mary Joe Putney Regency romance. It’s just not my personal preference.
That said, it’s an interesting, well written book and considering that it was free with Audible Plus, a good deal.

Unique story line!

My Musings

I found this book through the Kindle Unlimited program and was able to purchase the audio version for an excellent price as well. I vaguely remembered reading some of the other books in the Lost Lords series years ago, and like Ms. Putney’s writing style. I am so glad I discovered this excellent tale of friendship blossoming into true love.

Sarah Clark-Townsend willingly puts her life in danger to save her very pregnant sister from kidnappers, bend on spiriting her away, by pretending she is the duchess. While she has longed for adventure, she may have gotten more than she has bargained for.

Rob Carmichael, a Bow Street Runner and one of the Lost Lords of the School of Westerfiled, arrives at his friend, the Duke of Ashton’s home to find his household in an uproar. The duchess is in labor and her sister has been abducted. He quickly offers to find her sister and bring her home.

When Rob finds Sarah, will he be able to get her safely away from her abductors, while still keeping his heart intact, or will this adorable golden chick with a fluffy cloud of blonde hair worm her way passed his barriers?

Sarah is an outstanding heroine. She is brave, fearless and intensely loyal, yet able to be a completely feminine woman and a lady through and through. Her tender nature comes through from the first page and only grows stronger as the story progresses. Her easy acceptance of Rob’s illegitimate daughter, not only acceptance, but willingness to take her in hand, melted my heart.

Rob is such a wonderful hero, determined to protect those in his care, a loyal friend and an honorable man all rolled into a handsome rogue in the bargain. The title is great for this story as it fits Rob perfectly. While many were convinced he is a rogue, including his cantankerous grandmother—delightful character by the way—he is actually not a rogue at all. He is a Bow Street Runner no less, fighting to right wrongs and defend justice. He has a past filled with heartache and plenty of reason for him to be cynical, but Rob has not let it color his true character.

The romance between Sarah and Rob grows steadily as the tale unfolds. There is physical attraction from the start, but neither of them believe they can love again, both having loved and lost in their past. Their marriage starts out based on companionship and desire, but by the end of the story, it becomes a love match that will stand the test of time. I always enjoy “friends to lovers” stories since I have one of my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed the narrative by Steven Crossley. He reads with emotion, easily able to bring the characters to life. His voice tone for the females is credible and allowed me to forget that a male was the reader. He also has a good handle of the accents of this wide cast of characters. I look forward to listening to future books performed by him.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading/listening to Sometimes a Rogue and plan to continue with the Lost Lords series. If you enjoy a great love story with plenty of action and a good deal of suspense along the way, then you will enjoy this book as much as I have. Happy reading!

Not the best of her stories

In my opinion this is a so-so story by MJP. She consistently writes such great stories that my expectations are probably to high. I can name three or four of her books that i have read so often I could
probably recite them by heart. Shattered Rainbows, The Rake and The Bargain come immediately to mind.
She sets a high expectation in me so what might be a 5 star for some other reader is just a 3 star.in my book.

A Fun Listen

This story is a bit slow paced, but it picks up momentum along the way. The narrator is good and he handles the various accents well. I will look for more of this author’s works.