A wonderfully talented new author joins the Avon Romance family—Sarah MacLean, who fans of Eloisa James and Julia Quinn will immediately take into their hearts! Sarah’s delectable debut, Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake, is the Regency Era romp readers have been waiting for—fresh, fun, and wonderfully romantic—placing her solidly in the company of Elizabeth Hoyt, Sophie Jordan, and others of the new generation of exciting up-and-comers.
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake
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Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Combine a few tried and true romance tropes, like the wallflower spinster and the jaded rake, with some improbable but amusing misadventures, and you have the makings of an entertaining Regency debut. Lady Calpurnia Hartwell, a plain but wealthy 28-year-old who refuses to marry a man who only desires her fortune, acts on a long-held crush and flings herself at Gabriel St. John, marquess of Ralston. Gabriel finds her antics more amusing than enticing, but his half-wild half-sister needs an impeccable chaperone and he chooses Callie for the role. Their proximity creates an infinite series of opportunities for the rake to practice his wiles on the more than willing wallflower. The 19th-century clothes are luscious, the 21st-century sensibility is raunchy, and it's all implausible, escapist fun. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
Wow, what a great book! I love it. One of the best wrenching-heart scenes ever...Fabulous! (Eloisa James )
MacLean’s devilishly fun debut novel is an absolute delight: rich in supple wit, suffused with sensuality, and enlivened with a wonderfully engaging cast of characters. (Booklist (starred review) )
An entertaining Regency debut.... The 19th-century clothes are luscious, the 21st-century sensibility is raunchy, and it’s all implausible, escapist fun. (Publishers Weekly )
MacLean has penned a fast-paced, funny tale with a marvelous cast of characters who captivate and enchant. This book should come with a warning: Once you start, you won’t want to put it down! (Romantic Times BOOKclub )
MacLean’s devilishly fun debut novel is an absolute delight: rich in supple wit, suffused with sensuality, and enlivened with a wonderfully engaging cast of characters. (Booklist (starred review) )
An entertaining Regency debut.... The 19th-century clothes are luscious, the 21st-century sensibility is raunchy, and it’s all implausible, escapist fun. (Publishers Weekly )
MacLean has penned a fast-paced, funny tale with a marvelous cast of characters who captivate and enchant. This book should come with a warning: Once you start, you won’t want to put it down! (Romantic Times BOOKclub )
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More About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Sarah MacLean grew up in Rhode Island, obsessed with historical romance. Her love of all things historical helped to earn her degrees from Smith College and Harvard University before she finally set pen to paper and wrote her first book. Sarah now lives in New York City with her husband, their dog, and a ridiculously large collection of romance novels.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
84 of 89 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing A Rake (or 9 Rules for short) is the first ever adult romance novel I have ever read and I think Sarah MacLean may have just led me to a whole new genre to explore! After having read her Young Adult title (and first book), The Season I knew I would read anything else she wrote and this book took my breath away! Coming to 9 Rules from The Season was very natural and just ramped up everything a little bit more. I love that they are both from the same world and time period.
Now it's time for some details. Main character Callie is someone that I could instantly relate to, she isn't as young as the other society girls and has been labeled a spinster and has been almost forgotten about. She realizes that after playing the part society has cast her in she really hasn't had any fun and hasn't gotten anything out of being a good polite woman and so the list is born.
The whole idea of Callie completing a list of basically un-lady like and scandalous tasks is written in a very clever and funny way. Seeing someone try something new is usually always funny and when they have to sneak around in disguises and in the pitch black night it's all the more fun. And add in Ralston and you are very much set!
I loved every single character in this book, pretty much as much as I loved Callie (except for maybe her mother, lol!). From her younger sister Mariana who is engaged, to her older brother Benedick, to Ralston (swoon) and his brother Nick to everyone else. The characters are fabulous. I'm very excited that this is the first of 3 books in this series because I definitely want more where this came from (as if you couldn't tell!).
And the romance, how can I say this politely, it was HOT! (And 2 months later having read a stack of romances, it's still the HOTTEST!) I loved all the back and forth between Callie and Ralston too, the misunderstandings, the stubbornness, the flirting and the silliness it was just adorable! I loved how they would end up hidden in corners, empty hallways and all sorts of places just slightly out of range of the ton, it was dangerous!
I took my time with this book, a week to be exact because I really wanted to enjoy it. I finished it 4 days ago and I haven't really been able to get into anything else since. This book was a complete and absolute treat! RECOMMEND!
Now it's time for some details. Main character Callie is someone that I could instantly relate to, she isn't as young as the other society girls and has been labeled a spinster and has been almost forgotten about. She realizes that after playing the part society has cast her in she really hasn't had any fun and hasn't gotten anything out of being a good polite woman and so the list is born.
The whole idea of Callie completing a list of basically un-lady like and scandalous tasks is written in a very clever and funny way. Seeing someone try something new is usually always funny and when they have to sneak around in disguises and in the pitch black night it's all the more fun. And add in Ralston and you are very much set!
I loved every single character in this book, pretty much as much as I loved Callie (except for maybe her mother, lol!). From her younger sister Mariana who is engaged, to her older brother Benedick, to Ralston (swoon) and his brother Nick to everyone else. The characters are fabulous. I'm very excited that this is the first of 3 books in this series because I definitely want more where this came from (as if you couldn't tell!).
And the romance, how can I say this politely, it was HOT! (And 2 months later having read a stack of romances, it's still the HOTTEST!) I loved all the back and forth between Callie and Ralston too, the misunderstandings, the stubbornness, the flirting and the silliness it was just adorable! I loved how they would end up hidden in corners, empty hallways and all sorts of places just slightly out of range of the ton, it was dangerous!
I took my time with this book, a week to be exact because I really wanted to enjoy it. I finished it 4 days ago and I haven't really been able to get into anything else since. This book was a complete and absolute treat! RECOMMEND!
48 of 50 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I don't mean to gush, but this was a really lovely romance. Well written, with a very appealing heroine and hero, some really good secondary characters, in particular the twin brother and half sister of the hero, who I imagine will have their own stories eventually. If you try to summarize the story, there's not really that much to it, but it was such fun to read and gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling. 28-year-old Lady Calpurnia Hartwell is plump, plain, on the shelf, and feeling that life is passing her by. She has given up on finding her one true love and decides she just needs to live, really live, and makes up a list of nine things she would like to do, if she could just get up the courage to do them. They are slightly scandalous and could ruin her spotless reputation if she were discovered doing them. Number One on her list is to have a Passionate Kiss and she picks our hero Gabriel St. John, a slightly rakish Marquess, as her kissing partner, since he is the man she has had a secret crush on for ten years. Well, this brings him into her life and his interference and participation in the other eight adventures on her list. He does so because he wants to protect her reputation and keep her from being discovered in the act of pursuing these slightly scandalous activities. Along the way her crush develops into real love and he realizes that this plump and plain woman is really lovely, sexy, bright and exciting to be with. Reading this gives you the same kind of feeling as watching a top-of-the-line romantic comedy like the oldies but goodies, "Sleepless in Seattle", "You've Got Mail", or "While You Were Sleeping". Not similar plots, just that same warm fuzzy feeling.
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Even though I'm not a romance reader on the whole, I really loved this book. If you read Sarah MacLean's The Season, you know she's all about strong, smart heroines- and in 9 Rules, Callie is no different.
Society says she's been put on the shelf, destined to be a spinster. Callie, however, has other plans- which include gambling at the gentleman's club, getting involved in a duel, and kissing Gabriel St. John, the Marquess of Ralston. As you might imagine, this causes more than couple problems for Callie, and everyone else!
This book is witty, sexy and just plain fun to read. I couldn't put it down.
Society says she's been put on the shelf, destined to be a spinster. Callie, however, has other plans- which include gambling at the gentleman's club, getting involved in a duel, and kissing Gabriel St. John, the Marquess of Ralston. As you might imagine, this causes more than couple problems for Callie, and everyone else!
This book is witty, sexy and just plain fun to read. I couldn't put it down.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Romance
In the end I really enjoyed this book, but it took me a while to come around. The description of Callie at the beginning of being this sad, chubby, 28-year-old lonely spinster just... Read more
Published 5 days ago by Maggie
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very much enjoyed this book
It was fun and a fast read....i ended up just devouring it. I am not certain how true to the time period it was...but...it was fun none the less.
Published 8 days ago by Carah
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very good author
I like her people. They have humor, sass, compassion and human-ness- just like all of us. Made me read all of her books.
Published 10 days ago by headmyers
5.0 out of 5 stars
loved it
Good characters, fun dialogue, makes you laugh and cry. A good read altogrther. I really enjoyed this book. It made me want to read others by this author.
Published 13 days ago by Rosemary Dunlap
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read
Great book but the author usually holds my attention. The book is hard to put down once you start reading. Has humor and interesting story line,
Published 14 days ago by w. hauser
3.0 out of 5 stars
Worth Reading, 3.5 stars
When the heroine is 17 years old, in her come-out ball, she is disappointed to see that the only men who ask her for dance are either too old or fortune hunters. Read more
Published 18 days ago by S. Boddapati
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it!
It's book is one of Sarah maclean's best. Love the hero and heroine. Lots of mischief and passion. Have read it multiple times.
Published 20 days ago by glindsey
4.0 out of 5 stars
a great read
Really enjoyed this book and author. Loved the ending, so exciting I sat upon bed and squealed! Wish I could read St. John's book.
Published 20 days ago by Obsessive rom reader
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nine Rules to Break When Financing a Rake by Sarah MacLean
I would recommend this book because it had characters who are fun, loving and strong, they show how vulnerable a person can be and still win.
Published 1 month ago by Constance J. Knauff
4.0 out of 5 stars
Light-hearted fun!
I read romance on occasion when I want something quick and entertaining, where I know what the outcome will be, ie. happily ever after. This one fit the bill nicely. Read more
Published 1 month ago by LN
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