Customer Reviews

Lizzie's Rake

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Every once in a while you come across an author totally unfamiliar and you decide to take a chance. I did this years ago with Anne Gracie and more recently with Elizabeth Rolls and both are on my keeper shelf. I can't recall how I found Hazel Statham but somehow I got there via a comment on amazon. Please, everyone who loves the traditional regency, take note: this author has produced books that are charming, full of lovely characters, contain beautifully crafted prose and sweet, fulfilling stories.

Lizzie's Rake is the story of a young woman whose wastrel brother has lost the family estate in a card game and then disappeared to the USA. The estate is won and lost another time and thus comes into the hands of the Earl of St Ive, known amongst the ton as a Super Rake. Actually, the earl is kind hearted, loyal to his family, decent and a good landlord. He attracts women to be sure but he is fair with them and no one really has cause to complain about being connected to him.

When he decides to inspect his new winnings, he meets Lizzie and her younger twin brother and sister, now left destitute and soon to be homeless. Lizzie is a girl of strength of character but has had much thrust upon her unfairly and now has to deal with it. Maxim, the Earl of St Ive, decides that he will help her and, in so doing, for the first time in his life falls in love, truly, madly deeply.

The usual misunderstandings arise as the course of true love does not run smoothly with Lizzie refusing to own up to her own feelings and Maxim dismayed that she can't see that he really means it. Perhaps she protests too much but, well, it's a fairy tale afterall!

If I had to make a criticism here, it would be that we should know more about Lizzie's brother. I found it difficult to accept that the young lord would abandon his family without a second thought and that he is never mentioned again after the opening scenes. Indeed, I rather thought Maxim should have brought him to brook.

Well, fans, here is a good read, a comfort read, with a very admirable hero and feisty heroine. One of my private rules for giving a book 5 stars is that I have to fall in love with the hero. Yes, I did with Maxim!

Highly recommended for lovers of the traditional regency. There was sexual tension without looking behind the bedroom door and excellent dialogue and carefully wrought narrative description.

Lizzie's Rake is a delightful story. Fast paced but with easy to follow plot. This reminds me of the Harlequin romances 30 years ago--the kind I
read as a girl. The "bedroom door" stays closed in this sweet romance, so
if you're looking for something you'd let your daughter read, this is it.
I will definitely read more of Ms. Statham!

I found this to be a charming book. Hazel has captured the Regency period perfectly. Elizabeth is a strong young woman who refuses to be pressured and Maxim is a man who unwillingly loses his heart to her. William and Lucy are sweet and completely taken with Maxim. Aunt Bella is simply lovely. With a bit of mystery and a lot of romance, Lizzie's Rake is a delightful read. I was surprised that it wasn't longer, but I soon realized that it was enthralling and just the right length.

I think that Maxim reformed a bit quickly, but perhaps finding his world unexpectedly turned upside down by a defiant girl was enough to do that. And, I do wish that we knew more about Elizabeth's older brother and what happened to him after he lost the estate by gambling. But, at any rate, Hazel has created some endearing characters. The romance is passionate, but sweet and appropriately honorable. A delightful, historical read and easily recommended.

From the very beginning, the reader feels immersed in the unique society of early nineteenth century England called the Regency period. From London society to the cold Yorkshire country, events unfold that influence the characters' lives at every turn.

Maxim Beaufort Earl of St. Ive, a true Corinthian, member of the Four Horse Club, and much sought after by the females of London society, both the respectable and the not so respectable, won Briarhall in Yorkshire at the game table. This out-of-the-way property alters his life.

Elizabeth Granger and the ten-year-old twins, Lucy and William along with the housekeeper Mrs. Rush reside at Briarhall with Elizabeth managing things the best she can after their brother gambled away everything then departed for the Americas.

Lizzie's Rake has all the ingredients of a Regency romance. While the plot is predictable, it is so well written with delightful characters, one is caught up in events making this a most satisfying story of a rocky road to love.

Maxim's Aunt Bella, Lucy, and William are winsome characters that come alive and add new dimensions to the story. While Ingles, Elizabeth's ex-fiancé brings an undercurrent into the lives of the hero and heroine that creates misunderstandings, pain and misery--emotionally and physically.

Hazel Statham's unobtrusive writing style makes the reader feel involved in the happenings. While Lizzie finds her way in a society alien to the one she grew up in, Maxim, known as "The Indomitable", finds himself at a loss as he strives to gain Lizzie's love and trust in light of his past life with its excesses. The resolution to the problem has more than a little hurt in it.

Originally posted at [...]

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Be swept away by an historical romance that will leave you feeling satisfied, in "Lizzie's Rake" by Hazel Statham.

Infamous rake and Corinthian, Maxim Beaufort, Earl of St. Ive, winds up in possession of a property in Yorkshire after a card game. Traveling to see what fixes would be necessary to make Briarfield ready for sale, the earl finds the former owner's daughter, Elizabeth Granger and her siblings living on the estate. Maxim is drawn to Lizzie, but she refuses to have anything to do with the man who plans to steal her home.

When a suspicious fire destroys Briarfield, Maxim makes plans for Lizzie and her younger siblings to temporarily live on his estate. Sharing an appreciation for horses, but little else, Elizabeth rejectes Maxim's proposal of marriage. Her trust having been betrayed before, Lizzie doesn't find it easy to trust anyone, and the earl's reputation with the ladies certainly doesn't win her over. But the earl is known as "The Indomitable" and he's not about to give up.

This is the second book by Hazel Statham that I've read, and I know I'll be first in line when her next book comes out.

In "Lizzie's Rake", Statham has once again created a cast of interesting and complex characters who pull you immediately into the storyline. Other than her complete knowledge of the Regency era and her ability to paint the picture for her reader, Statham's greatest strength is her characters. Multi-faceted, and yet, seemingly simple and straightforward at times, Lizzie, Maxim, and a host of other characters make this Regency romance a charming and delightful read.

A romance novel that every reader will feel comfortable sharing, the perfect combination of characters, an interesting plot, a tiny bit of mystery, and a love of horses work together to create a story that you'll want to read more than once.

"Lizzie's Rake" by Hazel Statham is Regency romance at its finest.

When Maxim Beaufort, Earl of St. Ive, finds himself owner of a property in Yorkshire, his first inclination is to dispose of it. But he has no idea that Elizabeth Granger and her younger siblings are still living there and would have no place to go. Although a notorious rake, Maxim also has a heart, and refuses to cast them out.

Maxim doesn't expect to find himself irresistibly drawn to Lizzie, even to the point of wanting to settle down with her as his wife. But his troubles only begin when he proposes. Lizzie has no reason to trust that he has reformed, and that he would make a suitable husband.

Lizzie is a sensible girl, but she also feels her growing attraction to the Earl. How can she marry him when his reputation follows him everywhere?

Hazel Statham has created a charming story set in England in the early 1800s. In a perfectly proper courtship, Maxim woos Lizzie, trying to convince her of his sincerity. And when London society tries to sway her against him, she must determine who she wants to believe.

Lizzie's Rake is a delightful read for anyone who enjoys a good romance.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

What a delightful book this is! I had never heard of this author so I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy this book, and I was pleasantly surprised. Lizzie's Rake is a wonderful romance set in the Regency Period, but it's not your average historical romance. I found the characters to be entertaining and very fleshed out, and not just Maxim and Elizabeth, but her siblings, Aunt Bella and others were written so you felt that you knew them. It also wasn't your usual fighting-our urges type of romance where the man is constantly trying to get her into bed. The bedroom door stays firmly closed in this one and would be perfectly fine for younger readers. It's nice to have a hero who goes out of his way to preserve the reputation of the heroine. I found this book to be charming and fast paced, and well worth picking up. I'd heartily recommend it.

Lovers of Historical Romance will simply fall under the spell of Lizzie's Rake from the beginning. Elizabeth Granger and her younger twin siblings have come to find out that they are about to be evicted from their beloved home. However, Maxim Beaufort, who has come to own their home, has changed his mind after meeting the three. Everything seemed rather settled, until a tragic fire consumes and destroys their home.

Against her better judgement, Lizzie takes Maxim up on an offer to reside at one of his residences. There is tension between the two, yet there is also a strong pull of desire. Maxim is a well known playboy, but has he met his match in Lizzie? Can she learn to trust him and trust the fact that he can change his ways?

Lizzie's Rake is a delightful combination of romance, a bit of suspense and a lesson in love and trust. What I found particularly enjoyable was the fact that the author, Ms. Statham, threw in a few twists and turns within the story. This lent a new dimension to the story, rather than just the torturous/trying to fight love theme that is typical in Historical Romance.

In the beginning, I had a bit of a hard time getting into the story, I think the main cause being the many names that Maxim is called by. There are times he is referred to as Maxim, others as Earl and then others as St. Ive. Once I became use to this and had it straight in my mind, the reading flowed much smoother and I was able to get into the story very quickly. Lizzie's Rake is an enjoyable and fun read - one that I found myself eager to return to again and again. The characters are delightful, dialog engaging and storyline engrossing.

Ms. Statham does a wonderful job in showing off her talent in Lizzie's Rake and makes it a perfect read to settle back with and just escape the everyday doldrums.

I love a good regency and have been a fan of Georgette Heyer for forty-three years. I've been very disappointed over the last few years with the direction that Regencies have been taking, way more explicit sex than necessary, in my opinion.

And so I was very happy recently to stumble across a recommendation for this author's books and downloaded a sample of Lizzie's Rake to my Kindle. I felt that it was worth taking a chance on an author I hadn't read before, so I went ahead and purchased the full book.

As far as the story itself, I have no complaints. The author follows faithfully through with historical details and her descriptions are very nice.

The problem I have with the book is that the characters feel rather wooden. She takes the hero and the heroine from meeting through their inevitable attraction, but I don't really get a feeling for why they are attracted. I feel more that she is telling me they are attracted but she doesn't show me the little things that indicate the attraction is growing. So I am left feeling kind of ... ehh.

I will try downloading a sample of another of her books just to give her a fair shot and because I didn't necessarily dislike the book, I just didn't feel as engaged as I should have felt.