Customer Reviews

The Notorious Rake

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4 star:		(1)
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2 star:		(2)
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I loved this book. I generally don't read romances but have recently become addicted to Regencys, especially Mary Balough. This is my favourite so far. Lord Edmond Waite is completely surprised when he and Mary, Lady Mornington are thrown into each other company during an evening at Vauxhall Gardens. Forced to take shelter during a thunderstorm, Lord Edmond is overtaken by Mary's passionate lovemaking; he would never have expected such a thing from the very prim and proper bluestocking. He so awed he decides to make her his mistress. He's even more shocked when a week later he's fallen in love with her. Despite Mary's protests Lord Edmond pursues her voraciously even though she looks at him and his rakehell lifestyle with disgust, the only things she likes about him are his lovemaking (which isn't enough) and his aunt.

When they find themselves in each others' company at the aunt's houseparty Edmond attempts to make himself completely disgusting to Mary but finds he needs her emotional support when confronted by the family after fifteen years.

This novel has great sweetness, humour and sadness at its core as well as Balough's wonderfully descriptive storytelling.

Probably my all time favorite Balogh novel (and I've read just about all of them). The hero broke my heart.

Left to bear his family's grief and guilt over a horrible tragedy in his youth (think along the lines of the movie "Ordinary People"), the hero set out to prove he was every bit as terrible as they said he was. He is a rake who despises himself for being a rake. When he meets a lovely and passionate widow he sees the dream of love and family again within his grasp. . . but he cannot allow himself to reach out and take it. Only by healing his past (and having his father and brother accept their share of the responsibility) can the hero hope to have a future.

Cleaning out my closet this week, I came upon an old paperback copy of the Notorious Rake by Mary Balogh. I thumbed through it and ended up sitting down and re-reading it (for the fourth or fifth time) It really is, I think, one of her best novels. The book's romance and conflict isn't contrived between the two main characters. You can understand and believe the attraction between the two and also understand why they both would resist such an attraction.

The resolution was particularly sweet with Mary helping to bridge the gap between Edmond and his family. Very good book!

Lady Mary Gregg is what is normally called a bluestocking: she dresses plainly, doesn't care for balls and parties, and prefers to spend her time discussing literature, philosophy and so on. She's far from the type of woman whom the known rake, Lord Edmond Waite, would be interested in - and yet, stranded alone together in Vauxhall Gardens in the middle of a thunderstorm, they discover each other in the most intimate way possible.

How could this have happened? This is exactly what Mary asks herself once she's home again. She hates men of Lord Edmond's type; he was a rake in the worst possible sense, and she was well aware that only a few months earlier he'd been involved in a scandal with another woman, who had apparently almost run off with him while engaged to another man. But Mary is terrified of thunderstorms due to a childhood trauma, and she knows that she can't exactly blame Lord Edmond for making love to her; in her terror, she had pleaded with him to do it. But it will never happen again. He is not her type. He is everything she despises... and yet. And yet she is powerfully attracted to him, as she has never been to any other man. Not even Marcus, the Earl of Clifton (hero of A Counterfeit Betrothal), who was her close friend for so many years.

As for Edmond, still stinging from Felicity's rejection, he is equally determined that Mary is not his type. Despite the fact that being with her haunts his dreams, he knows very well that he doesn't belong in her world, and he can't imagine her wanting to belong in his. And yet he is still attracted to her: Mary, the mousy bluestocking, a type of woman he tells himself is beneath his notice. He can't seem to stop himself coming up with excuses for them to meet, and when they do, he can't prevent himself baiting her just to see her shaken out of her studied politeness.

No, Edmond and Mary are worlds apart... or are they? For Mary, little by little, begins to discover that Edmond is not the ignorant, heartless, Philistine rake he pretends to be. She gradually discovers, to her shock, that he can be hurt. That *she* can hurt him. And also that he has a knowledge of culture and literature better than her own - but why does he try to hide it? And what is the mystery surrounding his brother's death, when Edmond was only eighteen, and for which the world - including Edmond himself - holds him responsible?

Is Edmond really such a notorious rake as he appears?

Can Mary use her engagement to another man to put Edmond out of her mind and make him keep away from her?

This is in many ways an unforgettable book, and Edmond is one of my favourite `tortured' Balogh heroes. We begin by disliking him - and for anyone who read the first book in this linked trilogy, The Trysting Place, the dislike is even greater. But by even a quarter of the way into the book, we find our perceptions changing. We haven't even found out any of Edmond's secrets by this stage, which is what is so skilful about Balogh's writing. She can make readers feel empathy even for a character we should dislike. But as we learn more and more about Edmond, discovering along the way that he is compassionate, sensitive and capable of showing great nobility, we long to know the real secrets of his past - and for him to find the happiness he deserves.

A keeper, this book, if you can get your hands on it.

The Notorious Rake starts quite surprisingly with what looks like the climax of a story: Mary Gregg, Lady Mornington, blames herself for letting her terror of thunderstorms push her into Lord Edmond Waite's arms one night in a secluded shelter at Vauxhall. Mary hates everything about Lord Edmond: he is a luscious, lewd, mocking and spiteful libertine, a rake of the worst kind, whose reputation makes him the black sheep among the ton. He's still accepted among his noble peers only because of his wealth and title, but everyone in London despises him, most of all Lady Mornington. She, on the other hand, evolves around the high ton; she's famous for the literary salons she organises every week, and she managed to keep her reputation intact despite the rumours of a liaison she might have had with a married male friend.

But on the night of Vauxhall, everything changes for Mary. Her unexplainable but nonetheless very real physical attraction to Edmond revolts her. And at first, when Edmond pursues her for days without taking no for an answer, the reader is bound to hate Lord Edmond Waite and his tactics that not any better than those of a stalker's.

And therein lies the strength of this story: the hero is a truly tortured character, who first offers to us the image he gives to the world, and whose true self is progressively uncovered both by the heroine and the reader, one step at a time. For Lord Edmond is a very tortured and loveable character, who put love to a far corner of his being long ago and decided not to bother with the painful emotion any more.

Lord Edmond's character is no doubt fascinating. He's mocking, vulgar and obnoxious most of the time, but the mask is progressively pulled off his face as he keeps pursuing his quest for Lady Mornington's body (but despite what he claims, is it just her body he's pining for?) and she valiantly fights her attraction to him.

This story is one of two heroes that everything seems to keep apart, but shows us that reputation are deceitful and that every character is a lot more complicated than what they appear.

Yet another Mary Balogh keeper!

found this in a used book store and became an instant fan. love that she writes the male point of view in addition to the female's. unfortunately, she doesn't seem to write signet regency romances anymore, and her longer books are just too long. the "notorious rake" however is just right...good characters, good story, good length...good read.

Lady Mary Gregg is what is normally called a bluestocking: she dresses plainly, doesn't care for balls and parties, and prefers to spend her time discussing literature, philosophy and so on. She's far from the type of woman whom the known rake, Lord Edmond Waite, would be interested in - and yet, stranded alone together in Vauxhall Gardens in the middle of a thunderstorm, they discover each other in the most intimate way possible.

How could this have happened? This is exactly what Mary asks herself once she's home again. She hates men of Lord Edmond's type; he was a rake in the worst possible sense, and she was well aware that only a few months earlier he'd been involved in a scandal with another woman, who had apparently almost run off with him while engaged to another man. But Mary is terrified of thunderstorms due to a childhood trauma, and she knows that she can't exactly blame Lord Edmond for making love to her; in her terror, she had pleaded with him to do it. But it will never happen again. He is not her type. He is everything she despises... and yet. And yet she is powerfully attracted to him, as she has never been to any other man. Not even Marcus, the Earl of Clifton (hero of A Counterfeit Betrothal), who was her close friend for so many years.

As for Edmond, still stinging from Felicity's rejection, he is equally determined that Mary is not his type. Despite the fact that being with her haunts his dreams, he knows very well that he doesn't belong in her world, and he can't imagine her wanting to belong in his. And yet he is still attracted to her: Mary, the mousy bluestocking, a type of woman he tells himself is beneath his notice. He can't seem to stop himself coming up with excuses for them to meet, and when they do, he can't prevent himself baiting her just to see her shaken out of her studied politeness.

No, Edmond and Mary are worlds apart... or are they? For Mary, little by little, begins to discover that Edmond is not the ignorant, heartless, Philistine rake he pretends to be. She gradually discovers, to her shock, that he can be hurt. That *she* can hurt him. And also that he has a knowledge of culture and literature better than her own - but why does he try to hide it? And what is the mystery surrounding his brother's death, when Edmond was only eighteen, and for which the world - including Edmond himself - holds him responsible?

Is Edmond really such a notorious rake as he appears?

Can Mary use her engagement to another man to put Edmond out of her mind and make him keep away from her?

This is in many ways an unforgettable book, and Edmond is one of my favourite 'tortured' Balogh heroes. We begin by disliking him - and for anyone who read the first book in this linked trilogy, The Trysting Place, the dislike is even greater. But by even a quarter of the way into the book, we find our perceptions changing. We haven't even found out any of Edmond's secrets by this stage, which is what is so skilful about Balogh's writing. She can make readers feel empathy even for a character we should dislike. But as we learn more and more about Edmond, discovering along the way that he is compassionate, sensitive and capable of showing great nobility, we long to know the real secrets of his past - and for him to find the happiness he deserves.

A keeper, this book, if you can get your hands on it.

On the day he turned twenty-one, they blamed Lord Edmond Waite for the death of his brother. Slowly, fifteen years pass and Edmond Waite's soul continues to decay. He survives his endless days by living life as a womanizer, a gamester, and a drunkard. Only his wealth and rank ensure his limited acceptance by the ton.

Lady Mornington, Mary Gregg, is a lady in every sense of the word. She is a widow and has arranged a comfortable life surrounded by class, both, in her choice of friends and her lifestyle. Mary Gregg, also, has laid with Edmond Waite much to her chagrin.

This exposé is how Mary Balogh opens "The Notorious Rake" and in doing so, the author wins her reader's full attention. Now, Mary Gregg tries in vain to rid herself of Lord Edmond Waite's recognition; thus, Balogh releases her story's target.

Lord Edmond Waite first made his appearance in Balogh's "The Trysting Place." Here the author has taken his character and examined his obnoxious behavior -- behavior shaped from guilt, rejection and grief.

The character of Mary Gregg appeared in "The Counterfeit Betrothal." Balogh's fans know these three books as the Waite Series: "The Trysting Place," "The Counterfeit Betrothal," and finally "The Notorious Rake." They are Signet Regency Romance books, out of print, difficult to find, and are pricey.

"The Notorious Rake" is very good, demonstrating Mary Balogh's growth as a writer with each release. Here she is in complete control, her writing, her character development, and her storyline are top notch causing her reader to crave for more. Hunt down these little treasures; they are well worth the effort.

Grace Atkinson, Ontario - Canada.

I can't really praise this book. I've enjoyed a number of Mary Balogh's short Regencies, but this one is sub-par.

I thought the heroine was very under-written. Her main characteristic seems to consist of being afraid of thunderstorms, and, to keep telling the hero "No No No" (when in her heart & other body parts, she's "Yes Yes Yes"). Very shallow.

The hero is drawn a little more interestingly, but I thought the reason for his estrangement from his family was very poor.

(SPOILER ALERT - SPOILER BELOW:)

The men in his family get the hero drunk on his 21st birthday. He goes riding, and his older brother breaks his neck trying to jump a fence after him. And the family calls the HERO a murderer, and have nothing to do with him for 15 YEARS? Crazy! Much later in the story, the hero's other brother and his father, FINALLY admit that they have some culpability in the oldest son's death, but that wasn't enough for me. Not for 15 years of their unjustified hatred of the hero, and given his pain over the situation (which is the main reason he becomes a careless rake).

(END OF SPOILER)

Finally, the connection between the hero & heroine doesn't seem logical. It is only based on physical attraction at first, and no later depth gets attached to it. While reading this story, I kept waiting for something richer to emerge --perhaps the heroine becoming a healing force in the hero's miserable life as a rake-- but this never came. The book was getting tiresomely repetitive by the end, despite an interesting beginning (which merits my 2-star rating).

Only recommended for die-hard Balogh fans.

Back before authors began writing multiple-novel 'family series' romances, Balogh occupied the throne formerly held by the great Georgette Heyer as Queen of Regency romances, relatively short (by today's standards) novels. She eventually emerged as the best of the post-GH authors (although Elsie Lee gave her a real run for the money with "The Nabob's Widow", an amazingly good and funny novel if you can ever find a copy).

Although "The Notorious Rake" is perhaps a hair below her best work "The Temporary Wife", mostly because Lord Edmund Waite is more repellant a character, in the space of a few pages Balogh skillfully flips your emotions in reverse. Suddenly you find yourself rooting for Edmund and even liking him - a trick that few authors can pull off well, even in these days of overly lengthy tomes and endless panting sex scenes.

This is Balogh at her best. It is much more difficult to write a short novel or story than a long one. She hit a peak with "Rake" and "Wife" that she didn't reach again until the creation of the Bedwyn family novels. If you can find either of these two early stories at a reasonable price, get them! I believe, BTW, "Temporary Wife" is being reissued in 2011, but I haven't heard that "Notorious Rake" is due the same treatment. I wish they would; it deserves a new audience.