Rogue [Hardcover]

Danielle Steel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 24, 2008

Meet Maxine Williams, a dedicated doctor with three great kids, a challenging career, and the perfect new man in her life. Her only problem? Her irresistibly charming, utterly infuriating ex-husband, aka the . . .

Rogue

Being married to Blake had been an amazing adventure for Maxine. Brilliant, charismatic, and wholly unpredictable, Blake Williams made millions and grabbed headlines as a dot-com entrepreneur. His only shortcoming was as a husband—first his work and then his never-ending quest for fun kept him constantly on the move, far away from Maxine and his family. For five years Blake and Maxine have worked out an odd but amicable divorce, with friendly though infrequent visits, a yacht he lends her every summer, and three children they both adore. Blake enjoys his globe-trotting lifestyle—dating a succession of beautiful, famous, and very young women—while Maxine raises their kids in Manhattan and pursues her passion, working as a psychiatrist, a world-renowned expert on childhood trauma and adolescent suicide. Then everything changes….

For Maxine it starts when she falls in love with Dr. Charles West, a man who is everything Blake is not—mature, grounded, and present. For Blake it begins when a devastating earthquake strikes near one of his palatial foreign homes and he sees hundreds of orphaned children in need of shelter. Now Blake wants Maxine in his life again—as a partner in a humanitarian project that could change countless lives. For Maxine the choice is clear. But Blake’ s sudden transformation—from carefree playboy to compassionate, responsible grown-up—raises questions she’s never managed to answer . . . and some she’s afraid to ask. After all, Maxine is on the cusp of a new life, about to marry Charles, and almost certain that Blake Williams, aka the Rogue, is a man capable of doing anything—except change….

An unforgettable story of two people pursuing happiness from opposite directions, Rogue is a journey of choices and the amazing opportunities that come together—just when life seems to have been successfully rearranged at last.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Romance titan Steel doctors up a familiar formula with fresh results. Having had just about enough of the gadabout ways of dot-com millionaire and perpetual Peter Pan, Blake Williams, Maxine, 42, divorced him five years ago and is raising their three children (ages 13, 12 and six) while running a thriving psychiatric practice specializing in childhood trauma and adolescent suicide. Blake, meanwhile, is continent-hopping among houses in London, Morocco and New York, bedding nubile young things. Maxine and Blake have remained friends, but when a horrific teen suicide case leads Maxine to meet doctor and childless divorcé Charles West, she finally falls for the type of man she thinks she's always wanted: serious, responsible and a bit stuffy. A disaster makes Blake rethink his lifestyle, however, and Maxine suddenly has a choice to make. While Steel never locks in on her characters' emotions, she keeps the pages turning and offers a satisfying twist at book's end that most readers won't see coming. (June)
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Review

“Steel keeps the pages turning and offers a satisfying twist at the book’s end that most readers won’t see coming.”—Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Press (June 24, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385340257
• ISBN-13: 978-0385340250
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.2 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #666,519 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Danielle Steel has been hailed as one of the world's most popular authors, with over 590 million copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include 44 Charles Street, Legacy, Family Ties, Big Girl, Southern Lights, Matters of the Heart, One Day at a Time, and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina's life and death.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars When An Author Writes on Automatic Pilot..., August 4, 2008

By 

Renee (BROOKLYN, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rogue (Hardcover)

Books like this one are the unfortunate result!
I think this is the second Danielle Steel book I've ever read in my life and I'm pretty certain it will be my last. This novel reads like a 320-page outline of a story idea that the author either lacked the time or the desire to fill in and develop. Characters are never fleshed out -- (which I guess is difficult to do with cardboard). Instead of scenes we get summaries of scenes -- as though any action that might have been remotely interesting took place off stage! And I don't think I've ever read so many cliches in one book. In the end, I cared about none of the characters because the writer gave me nothing to care about! In short it's just a horribly, horribly done book that the author seemed to have written with an indifference that shows no respect for the following that has made her a success and very, very wealthy.When I finished this book I was just pissed that I wasted my time -- and money.And the editor of this mess should be fired.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars entertaining romantic triangle, June 28, 2008

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rogue (Hardcover)

Five yeas ago, then late thirties Dr. Maxine Williams was tired of raising four children; three were her preadolescent kids (the oldest was seven at the time) while one was her dot-com wealthy husband Blake. She divorced Blake though they remain friendly; and their three children live with her. Maxine's psychiatric practice specializes in childhood trauma and suicide while Blake is an international womanizer having young females on several continents.

Maxine becomes embroiled in a depressing teen suicide case in which she meets divorced Dr. Charles West. They are attracted to each other as she relishes his commitment and responsibility. Blake becomes embroiled in a tragedy that makes him aware of what he has lost. He suddenly rushes home to persuade Maxine that he has changed. Maxine is torn between two lovers.

This is an entertaining romantic triangle with a terrific final twist. The story line is fast-paced and the lead trio seems genuine as does her three kids. Although the emotions of Maxine pulled by two opposites, the rogue and the responsible one, are never dug deep enough beyond a shallow level to satiate the audience, Danielle Steel's fans will appreciate this well written character driven tale.

Harriet Klausner

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Slow Start but Fantastic Ending..., July 5, 2008

By 

Christine "loves to read" (Setauket, NY, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rogue (Hardcover)

Danielle Steele always has a good story up her sleeve, and Rogue is no exception. The only caveat is that you have to wade through the very slow beginning before the meaty stuff kicks in. Believe me, the first third of the book will put you to sleep, but as the story line picks up, you won't be able to put it down. And the ending makes it all worth it.

Dr. Maxine Williams is a successful, world-renown child psychiatrist who is the single mother of three children. Her ex-husband, Blake Williams, is a free-wheeling, playboy billionaire who loves to party and live life in the fast lane. Ironically, he and Maxine remain very close friends, despite having been amicably divorced five years ago. They are both seem very happy living their separate lives. Maxine meets Dr. Charles West, an internist, through a tragic episode involving one of her young patients, and Blake seems to have fallen very much in love with an eccentric, beautiful English artist. While Blake is in Morocco with plans to build his dream home, a tragedy occurs that shatters his jet-setting world and forces him to "grow up" overnight. He desperately needs his ex-wife's medical expertise, and within a short time, Maxine is thrown head first into a triangle that forces her to choose between the stability she longs for with Charles or the supposedly newly-transformed Blake.

As I mentioned before, this starts off painstakingly slow, but stick with it; the plot picks up and the characters are truly unforgettable. The ending is pretty predictable, but still worth it.