A Rake's Redemption (Signet Regency Romance) [Paperback]

Susannah Carleton (Author)

Book Description

Series: Signet Regency Romance | Publication Date: November 2, 2004

It's time for rake Theo Middleford to settle down, but he'll settle for nothing less than a wife with the warmth of a friend and the fire of a mistress. Then he meets a Welsh beauty-and wonders if her gentle mien could mask passion. Likewise, she wonders if his rakish nature hides a weakness for her. Both are determined to find out...

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Signet (November 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451213548
• ISBN-13: 978-0451213549
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,016,909 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very uneventful, November 14, 2004

By 

E. Kay "eclectic6" (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Rake's Redemption (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)

Lady Sarah Mallory, dubbed "the Welsh beauty" by members of the ton, has high hopes of finding a husband this Season. Whenever Lord Dunnelly comes near, her body always trembles with anticipation. Why does he have that sort of effect on her?

After Theo, Viscount Dunnelly, has a brush with death (he was escaping the bedroom of a woman who claimed to be a widow), he decides to change his amorous ways. He decides to find a wife--but it can't be just anyone. He wants someone beautiful and exciting, someone who will stimulate him intellectually and passionately. Does such a paragon exist? Maybe there is more to shy Sarah than meets the eye?

When I started to read "A Rake's Redemption", there were several young people dancing at a ball. It was an intriguing, humorous beginning, and I thought an intricate love tangle would emerge. When one of Sarah's other suitors (appropriately nicknamed "Nasty Ned") came into the picture, I was even more intrigued. Somewhere before the middle of the novel, the book suddenly lost its steam. The intriguing secondary characters disappeared. Nasty Ned didn't come around for at least 100 pages. Theo fell in love too quickly, and the plot got pretty stagnant. I was waiting for something interesting to happen, and it never really did.

All in all, "A Rake's Redemption" is a dull novel by a good writer. Given a good premise, Ms. Carleton can work magic. This is not one of her best. It's average at best. I was just hoping for something better. After all, the back of the book boasts, "Can He Be Tamed?" (referring to Theo being a rake) Why, yes he can! ...After the first 20 pages.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Charming Story, September 19, 2005

By 

D. K. Stokes - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Rake's Redemption (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)

Theo, Viscount Dunnley, has decided it's time to stop being a rake and to find a wife. Since his friends have married members of "The Six," he decides to check out the remaining single ladies of the group, reasoning that if his friends found suitable wives there, so would he.

Sarah Mallory seems a likely prospect, but she tends to act a bit strangely around him, as if she doesn't like him. Theo's intrigued enough by this to focus his attention a little more closely on Sarah.

Sarah is a bit frightened by her reaction to Theo, but she's more frightened by a threatening stalker-like suitor. As she and Theo get to know each other better, she begins to rely on him to protect her from Nasty Ned.

The good:
Sarah's problems with Ned really highlighted for me the everyday perils of a young woman of the ton, for whom reputation is everything, or nearly so. Any action she could take other than avoidance would have much more negative consequences for her than for him.

I loved the hero's logical way of going about the business of finding a wife--it seemed typically male, and was written with great affection.

As always with this author, the witty dialogue is a pleasure to read.

The bad:
Sarah's physical reactions were a bit overdone.

There's not a lot of conflict.

The verdict:
A Rake's Redemption is a charming story that really pulled me in.

It was also fun seeing the characters from the connecting stories again, and I'm looking forward to seeing which one of The Six finds true love next.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Writer -- Good Book, November 19, 2004

By 

Sunhi (East Norriton, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Rake's Redemption (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)

Yes, this novel is fairly uneventful in many ways, and I wish that some few more (normal) events might have occurred, but after reading a lot of HIDEOUS Regency romances, I was impressed with this writer.

This book, more than most, gives the reader an idea of what it would be like to be a young lady in Regency England. There is no freedom, the idea of being left alone in a private room with a man who is not a relative is relatively disconcerting, and if one is harassed by a man, there is almost no one to turn to.

Yes, there are no murders, or evil plots to avert, but, honestly, after reading so many of those, I get extremely tired of Regency romances that NEED to add those to stay interesting. I liked that the young lady in this was a lady and that the gentleman was exactly that.

I think that this author could do with a few lessons in not repeating herself (as she does now) too often, and with learning to add some more interest to a story.

However, all in all, I'll be getting more of her stuff. I hope she never feels the need to add a murder, or a novel wherein characters act like they live in 2000 rather than the 1800s.