A Rogue By Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean

A Rogue By Any Other Name
by Sarah MacLean
Series: The Rules of Scoundrels #1
Publisher: Avon
Publication date:  February 1, 2012
Genre: Historical Romance
Buy: Barnes and Noble/Amazon/ Book Depository

*contains sexual content

What a scoundrel wants, a scoundrel gets . . .

A decade ago, the Marquess of Bourne was cast from society with nothing but his title. Now a partner in London’s most exclusive gaming hell, the cold, ruthless Bourne will do whatever it takes to regain his inheritance—including marrying perfect, proper Lady Penelope Marbury. A broken engagement and years of disappointing courtships have left Penelope with little interest in a quiet, comfortable marriage, and a longing for something more. How lucky that her new husband has access to such unexplored pleasures. Bourne may be a prince of London’s underworld, but he vows to keep Penelope untouched by its wickedness—a challenge indeed as the lady discovers her own desires, and her willingness to wager anything for them . . . even her heart.

A Rogue By Any Other Name is the first in the Rules of Scoundrels series and absolutely yummy. If you’ve been following my blog, you have read my reviews for MacLean’s Love by Numbers series and are probably aware that I adore this author and was sad to see the series end. Her tales captivate me, as they deliver feisty strong-willed heroines and the swoon-worthy men they tame. Imagine my delight when I realized this new series featured a character I met in the last one. I quickly consumed this and loved every delicious moment of it.

Ten years ago the, Marquess of Bourne lost everything in a card game to the ruthless Viscount of Langford.  He has regained his wealth and is part owner of a popular gaming hall called, The Fallen Angel.  He desperately wants to regain the land surrounding his entailed manor Falconwell.  When he learns Marbury has won the land in a card game and made it part of Lady Penelope Marbury’s dowry, he sets off to get the land. He will obtain the land by whatever means necessary. Lady Penelope was a childhood friend of Michael Bourne. She faithfully wrote him, even after the scandal, but she hasn't heard from him since. She was once considered the darling of the ton and was briefly engaged to a Duke; until a scandal occurred forcing her father to break the engagement. Now her father is forcing her to marry this season and has sweetened the pot in order to ensure good offers. Penelope longs for love but may have to settle for less. The tale that unfolds was captivating as these two souls came together. Penelope is not the young girl Michael remembers and the past ten years have changed Michael. He is dark, bitter and cold.

I adore the characters MacLean creates and the dark, sexy, damaged, Marquess of Bourne is no exception. Michael wants revenge but gets a whole lot more than he bargained for. Penelope is the perfect heroine. She is witty, intelligence and the perfect woman to save Michael.  Admittedly I did not like her in Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Dukes Heart. She has grown and I found this mature, feisty head strong woman to be a delight. I hated the Viscount of Langford and delighted in meeting the other owners of the Fallen Angel. These men made me laugh aloud. We get to meet Penelope’s sisters and I am hoping to learn more about them and the other scoundrels.

I love stepping into MacLean’s books and the world she creates. Besides well fleshed out, flawed characters, she brings us humor, suspense and a steamy romances. I have a thing for bad boys and love watching the woman bring them to heel. This author has a knack for offering up a dish that leaves me well satisfied. The romance was hot, steamy, tender, humorous and completely delicious.  Once again I find myself immersed in another series and cannot wait for the next installment.

I highly recommend A Rogue by Any Other Name to fans of historical fiction, romance and strong characters. Sarah MacLean is on my auto-buy list and the next book cannot come soon enough. For a list of all of her titles you can find them on Goodreads, here.

I gave this novel 4.5 coffee cups out of 5.