The Wild Baron (Baron Series) [Paperback]

Catherine Coulter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1997 | Series: Baron Series

Catherine Coulter introduces the dashing Carrington brothers with the story of Rohan, a man with a rakish reputation but a heart of pure gold...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Charade meets Raiders of the Lost Ark in this Regency-period romantic adventure from the author of Rosehaven. Coulter, renown for off-the-wall plotlines, offers a little of everything?spice, mystery, murder and the search for the Holy Grail?as she tells the story of the Carrington clan. The Carrington brothers are not what they seem; Rohan, famed for his debauchery, is actually quite saintly. His late brother, George, thought to be a scholarly wimp, had been a heartless rake. When commoner Suzannah Hawlworth announces that she is George's widow, her life is threatened by someone who believes she possesses a valuable map. To protect Suzannah and her young daughter, Rohan brings them to his London townhouse and marries her. They soon discover that a locket George had given her contains not only a map, but a key to a cask that holds a magical chalice and the future of humanity. The sudden switch from Jane Austen to Steven Spielberg is disconcerting to say the least, but Coulter's sense of humor and solid writing manage to make it work in the end.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA?This romance has it all?mystery, treasure-hunt adventure, and humor. The society gossips of London in 1811 are stunned: Rohan, popular rake and ladies man, has had a wife and child for five years. Readers know this is not the complete truth: Rohan is not the cad of his reputation and he has only recently married Susannah to help her and to try to solve several mysteries concerning his dead brother, George. Coulter is careful to work in the historical background details necessary to understand the secrets within the story. The dialogue is witty and the plot moves rapidly. Susannah's youth and innocence in believing that her marriage to George was genuine will appeal to impressionable teens.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Jove (April 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0515120448
• ISBN-13: 978-0515120448
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #575,301 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #55 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( C ) > Coulter, Catherine R.

More About the Author

Catherine Coulter is the author of the New York Times-bestselling FBI thrillers The Cove, The Maze, The Target, The Edge, Riptide, Hemlock Bay, Eleventh House, Blindside, Blowout, Point Blank, Double Take and TailSpin. She lives in northern California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Part romance, part mystery, part pure farce, May 3, 2000

By 

Laurie Gold "bookie" (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wild Baron (Baron Series) (Paperback)

The Wild Baron is quite simply one of the most delightful booksI've read. I applaud the panache and aplomb with which CatherineCoulter has created this diverting Regency-era tale of romance andsuspense. While the spine of the book calls it simply a novel, it is part romance, part mystery, part pure farce. It is pure delight, especially for those ex-or-about-to-be-ex Catherine Coulter fans. This book will change your mind. It changed mine.

At the start of this clever tale, Rohan Carrington, Baron Mountvale, sets out to uncover a mystery. How is it possible that his cold fish of a younger brother supposedly "ruined" one Susannah, whom he wed and left penniless before he died? After all, it is Rohan who is the family rake, upholding the reputation of both his studly father and magnificently debauched mother, known throughout England for their charm and philandering ways.

But Rohan is not at all what he seems. Trust me. He is a delightful, wonderful hero who gets caught up in a mystery and falls in love along the way with Susannah, who wasn't at all lucky with his dead brother George. Susannah, her younger brother, and her little daughter Marianne , are gathered up by Rohan and moved to his country estate, where he plans to look after them and falls in love along the way.

As does Susannah, her younger brother, and her little daughter Marianne, because Rohan is, as I said, a pretty wonderful fellow. Unfortunately, someone wants something that Susannah has, only she doesn't know what it could be. As the mystery unravels, we meet Rohan's beautiful and youthful mother, a close friend of Rohan's who could well be the hero of a sequel, along with some of George's unsavory friends, who, along with another brother to Rohan, are up to absolutely no good, no good at all.

What with cat races, a limerick-singing horse trainer, a miniature map and tiny key, dead Bishops, reliquaries, etc., Catherine Coulter takes the reader on a fast-moving ride throughout the English and Scottish countryside. There's a mystery to be solved and Rohan must prove to Susannah that what men and women can do for each other is lovely, not disgusting.

Say what you will, but Catherine Coulter can write a great love scene when she wants to. Surprisingly, this book seemed a bit tame , but my sense is that this book is being marketed more toward the mainstream, so perhaps that's why.

The Wild Baron is utterly captivating. It is a quick, funny, suspenseful read filled with lovable lead characters, enjoyable secondary characters, and a cast of villains that will lead you on a merry chase. The end result of the mystery is outlandish, but this is fantasy and I had no trouble accepting the outcome Ms. Coulter presented.

If you have given up on this author or had contemplated doing so, I suggest giving this author another try and reading this book. If you want to read another Coulter book that presents a wonderful, good-guy hero, I'd suggest Night Fire.

The reason this book won't be joining my all-time keeper list? Not quite enough sizzle shown between Rohan and Susannah. Though referred to quite a bit and shown in little ways, there weren't enough actual love-making scenes for this book to earn 5-hearts from me. While love scenes don't usually make or break a book for me, it's something I've come to expect from this author. When she does it right, she does it better than practically anyone else. When she does it wrong, it is about as stimulating as a trip to the OB-GYN, as my old friend Leslie McClain wrote in her review of Rosehaven for The Romance Reader.

In the case of The Wild Baron, the love scenes were great, but there weren't enough. Still, this is a terrific book that should satisfy readers who appreciate good humor, great characters, and fine suspense.

TTFN, Laurie Likes Books

Publisher, All About Romance END

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well I can say this, January 14, 2004

By 

General Pete (SC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Wild Baron (Baron Series) (Paperback)

Since I wasn't reading the book I can't make a judgment on the book.

I was listening to the audio book and I can say this..Never in my life have I been subjected to a more dry and lifeless naraiton. Save yourself much agrivation and don't get the audio version. I would have loved a chance to get into the book but unfortunatly I couldn't stand the book long enough to have the oppritunity.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WONDERFUL CHANGE OF PACE FROM ALL THE MOVERN DRIVEL, June 21, 2006

By 

M. Hartmann "abayyan" (Milan, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wild Baron (Baron Series) (Paperback)

REGENCY TIME - it was change of pace to actually read about an uperclassman [English] who was trying to maintain a lurid reputation while actually not living so.

His courtship and handling of a precarious reputation had him juggling very difficult situations. How could he be a notorious rake and yet know how to handle children?

As for pure farce? where? It turned out to be a very entertaining plot - not supposed to be real - just entertainment.

Well worth the money - Highly recommended - especially compared to the junk put out nowadays.

Judge for yourself -