Francesca's Rake [Mass Market Paperback]

Lynn Kerstan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 28, 1997

HE PLANS TO WOO, WIN, AND WED THE MOST UNSUITABLE BRIDE HE CAN FIND!

Though she possessed a vast inheritance at age one-and-thirty, Francesca was taller than most men and better educated. If all that failed to spook a potential suitor, her illegitimate birth to an Italian commoner would do the trick.

She was perfect! Viscount Clayburn, the most notorious rake in London, spent his whole life rebelling against his manipulative father. Now, to thwart a plot to marry him off to an heiress of prime farmland, he found a woman unacceptable to his father . . . but most pleasing to himself.

Though she had no intention of succumbing to the seduction of this silver-eyed devil, Francesca was aware of an amusing fact: The rake had no idea he was trying to seduce the very woman his father wished him to marry!

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

When his domineering, self-centered father foils his plans to buy a military commission, ties up his funds, and demands he marry an heiress he's never met, the infamous rakehell Viscount Clayburn agrees only to marry within the year?and then sets out in search of the most socially unacceptable bride he can find. The results are surprising, especially to him. A charming, reformable rake and a fiery, independent bluestocking with a hint of scandal in her background spar their way to love in this nicely crafted Regency. Readers will enjoy the exceptionally nice use of language, well-written dialog, and good sexual tension, as well as brushes with a few social issues. Rita winner Kerstan (Christmas Ghost, Zebra, 1995, coauthored with Alicia Rasley) lives in San Diego.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Delicious fun, peopled with unforgettable characters. The "Tongue," Lady Eudora Swann, is so outrageous as to leave the reader chuckling. Clayburn's own reformation from rake to besotted lover is sensitively written, as is Francesca's inner battle not to allow her attraction to a rake to overcome her basic good sense. Lynn Kerstan has created a most charming reading experience highly recommended by this reviewer. -- Romance Forever, June-July 1997

Francesca's Rake is a delightful and charming easy-to-read story with an irresistible hero and heroine and strong secondary characters. A light-hearted romance that entertains. -- Rendezvous, May 1997

Galen Pender's most bitter enemy is his father, the Earl of Montford. The Earl is determined to have Galen marry a neighbor's daughter to secure some bordering land. Galen has dubbed the unknown woman the Albatross and will have no contact with her. He would like nothing better than to defy his father and win. The only way to do that is to marry someone his father would disapprove of and secure the money left to him by his grandmother upon the birth of a son or daughter. He discovers the perfect woman for his plan at a country inn. Francesca is a hot-tempered beauty acting as chaperone to a noble's daughter. And upon their first meeting, she wants nothing to do with him. The quest is on! Francesca, the Duke of Sotherton's daughter, had resisted her father's request to chaperone her cousin for the coming Season. Her father was ill and she knew it was only a ruse to pry her from his bedside and expose her to society. At one-and-thirty, she had no illusions regarding her prospect for marriage. And she didn't look forward to keeping her flighty cousin Olivia under tight rein. Galen discovers in London that Francesca isn't the chaperone he supposed her, but continues his pursuit. However, when she seems immune to his charm and his father's rigid disapproval thaws, he suspects they know something he doesn't! Francesca's Rake is a delightful look at the choices available to women during the Regency period. Lynn Kerstan combines historical reality with a fascinating hero and heroine. The romance sizzles! A fun read!Linda Fitzner -- Copyright © 1994-97 Literary Times, Inc. All rights reserved -- From Literary Times

Ms. Kerstan utterly charms us with a sinfully delicious hero, scathingly wicked repartee and heartmelting romance. -- Romantic Times, June 1997

This is a delightful book with an engaging hero and heroine who fall in love despite their best efforts not to! The dialog sparkles. courtship is very humorous, and there are some entertaining secondary characters. This is the Regency genre at its best--light, witty and romantic. -- Old Book Barn Gazette, May 1997

Wry and wonderful. Lynn Kerstan deserves praise not only for a delightfully convoluted tale but for her imaginative plot. My question is why isn't Ms. Kerstan's name up there with other contemporary luminaries...? An extraordinary story teller. -- Romance Communications, May 1997

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Ivy Books (April 28, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449227669
• ISBN-13: 978-0449227664
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,431,070 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The hero is extremely likable., December 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Francesca's Rake (Mass Market Paperback)

With a hero this likable it's at times difficult to understand why the heroine insists on disliking him. Francesca was pretty much the downfal of this novel for me. She was a bit too bitter and too unwilling to enjoy the attentions of what seemed to be a very enjoyable man. Kerstan's novel "Married in Haste" is better.