Book Review: A Most Devilish Rogue by Ashlyn Macnamara

This is a warm story, rich in romance.
A Most Devilish Rogue
by Ashlyn Macnamara

• File Size: 1099 KB
• Print Length: 352 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (August 27, 2013)
• Sold by: Random House LLC
• ASIN: B00BO4GSVG

Genre: Historical Romance
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: August 27, 2013
Fans who adore Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Sabrina Jeffries will savor Ashlyn Macnamara’s sensual new novel, which proves that two hearts are better than one.
Years ago, when Isabelle Mears was still a young miss too infatuated to know better, she surrendered her innocence to a dishonorable man. Though ruined and cast out from society, she has worked hard to shelter her illegitimate son, Jack. Having sworn off men in her quiet but dignified life, Isabelle is unprepared for the deep longing that rips through her when a handsome stranger rescues her rambunctious six-year-old from the pounding ocean surf.
George Upperton is a man in trouble with debts, women, and a meddling family. He is, by all accounts, the last gentleman on earth Isabelle should be drawn to. But loneliness is a hard mistress, and caution gives way to desire . . . even though Isabelle is convinced that happiness can’t be found in the arms of such a devilish rogue. Only when Jack is kidnapped does Isabelle discover the true depth of George’s devotion—and how far a good man will go to fight for the woman whose love is all that matters.

Review:
George Upperton appears at first to be a rather offensive aristocratic man who has built up debt through gambling and supporting a mistress with costly tastes. When his mistress announces bad news – she is pregnant – George escapes town to join his family at a country party of a good friend.  He hopes to find some friendly card games where he can win enough to bring his debts current, complete plans for a revenge he is seeking for a friend and make provisions for his ladybird. Meanwhile he has to dodge his mother who is pushing him towards a suitable marriage.

George strolls down to the beach just in time to rescue a young boy. Jack, a precocious lad of six, clings to George and decides that the waves and George are fun. Jack’s mother, Isabelle, is understandably distressed. She is grateful but wary considering her past experience with a man of ton who took advantage of her innocence leaving her pregnant, ruined and outcast by her family.

George and Isabelle are drawn to each other even though he doesn’t need complications in his life and she doesn’t need to be used or scorned by anyone new. She gets enough disdain even from the locals who look down their noses because of her circumstances.

When Isabelle gets a threatening note about Jack she ends up seeking George’s help to find the boy. Then Isabelle’s house servant/companion, Biggles, disappears the next day. George enlists the help of his male friends to try to find her son. At first Isabelle is welcomed into the manor house until her own haughty cousin steps in the room and proclaims her shame.

Most of the town see George as he describes himself: “A simple man who plays too deep, drinks too much, and enjoys too many ladies outside the bonds of marriage.” (Location 3299.)  But Isabelle sees beyond the shallow facade to the man of sensitivity, gentleness and kindness.

I didn’t like George at first but as his sensitive nature was revealed he became much more likeable. I did like Isabelle, especially for her strength in the face of being outcast to raise her son with little help. I liked the rich warmth of the story and the kidnapping plot. However I was a little disappointed that the kidnapping occurs and then the majority of the book proceeds to share the developing romance and passion between George and Isabelle. It seemed quite a long time before the hunt for Jack and Biggles led anywhere.

I had issues with playing the piano at midnight and not disturbing anyone in the manor. Also I felt like there were unanswered questions with Isabelle’s relationship with her father. Even with these issues I did enjoy the book. I would only wish for less focus on the sensual romance and more on the substantive plot. But for readers who love a sensual romance - this should fill that craving very nicely.

I received this for an honest review for Random House and the author as part of a Blog Tour. Please see Author Guest Post and Giveaway for more about the book and a chance to win.

A Few Words on Gambling - Guest Post by Ashlyn Macnamara with GIVEAWAY!

I don’t know whether England possessed an official national sport during the Regency period, but I would argue if it did, that sport was gambling. The betting books in gentleman’s clubs such as White’s hold the evidence of wagers on anything from raindrop races to whether a certain couple might wed at the end of the season. They wagered on cock fights, horse races, and boxing matches. Even such seemingly staid venues as balls and Almack’s were incomplete without their card rooms—where entire fortunes might be won and lost.

The compulsion to lay a sporting wager or two wasn’t restricted to the men, either. No one thought anything of a lady sitting down to a respectable game of whist.

But the real gamblers haunted gaming hells. While White’s and Brook’s and Boodles all had card rooms, such clubs mainly served as an exclusive spot for men of the upper class to gather and discuss various issues of the day. Gaming hells were more like a casino, and they existed to relieve a man (or a woman, although I can’t imagine any respectable woman haunting such a place) of his blunt.

A time-traveller from our era might even recognize some of the games of the day. Played with dice, hazard was a forerunner of craps. The object of vingt-et-un was to see which player could come closest to twenty-one without going over—just like the game we call blackjack. Roulette has existed since the 18th century or earlier—physicist Blaise Pascal accidentally invented the roulette wheel in his search for a perpetual motion machine. Contract bridge traces its roots, in part, to a less complicated game called whist.

One of the more famous of these establishments was Crockford’s. Founded in 1793 on St. James street among the other gentlemen’s clubs, its true raison d’être was to separate wealthy young bucks from their allowances. At its height, the club was the most famous gaming house in Europe in spite of—or perhaps due to—a reputation for boisterousness. The casino’s eponymous owner invented the principal that the house always wins, which allowed him to amass a vast personal fortune, enough to rise from his working class roots to own more than one home, including one in fashionable Mayfair.

And what of the poor members of the aristocracy he fleeced? A gentleman considered his markers debts of honor—and accordingly paid them off before he paid tradesmen such as his tailor.

Now you may ask yourself what any of this has to do with my upcoming release,  A Most Devilish Rogue. As you might imagine, a gentleman with roguish qualities might well find himself within a gaming establishment within the course of a story. He may even land himself in a spot of trouble. To find out how this comes about, you may want to read the book. Here is the blurb:

Years ago, when Isabelle Mears was still a young miss too infatuated to know better, she surrendered her innocence to a dishonorable man. Though ruined and cast out from society, she has worked hard to shelter her illegitimate son, Jack. Having sworn off men in her quiet but dignified life, Isabelle is unprepared for the deep longing that rips through her when a handsome stranger rescues her rambunctious six-year-old from the pounding ocean surf.

George Upperton is a man in trouble with debts, women, and a meddling family. He is, by all accounts, the last gentleman on earth Isabelle should be drawn to. But loneliness is a hard mistress, and caution gives way to desire . . . even though Isabelle is convinced that happiness can’t be found in the arms of such a devilish rogue. Only when Jack is kidnapped does Isabelle discover the true depth of George’s devotion—and how far a good man will go to fight for the woman whose love is all that matters.

In the meantime, plenty of other romance heroes have found themselves in a similar situation. Others have even owned the casinos. Tell me about your favorites in the comments.

Ashlyn Macnamara writes Regency romances with a dash of wit and a hint of wicked. She considers this writing gig her midlife crisis, but figures it’s less risky than rock climbing or skydiving. When not writing, she looks for other excuses to neglect the housework, among them knitting, reading and wasting time on the internet in the guise of doing research. Despite her insistence on looking toward the past, she can be found on her website, Facebook, and Twitter. She also likes to play at being a Duchess from time to time.

 A Most Devilish Rogue                       

Ballantine Books * Coming August 27, 2013

ISBN-10: 034553476X  * ISBN-13: 978-0345534767

Paperback:

Please watch for my review which will be posted mid-day on Thursday, August 22.

GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway