Nine Rules to Break When Romancing A Rake

by Sarah MacLean

Published by: Avon

My Rating: 

A lady does not smoke cheroot. She does not ride astride. She does not fence or attend duels. She does not fire a pistol, and she never gambles at a gentlemen’s club.

Lady Calpurnia Hartwell has always followed the rules, rules that have left her unmarried—and more than a little unsatisfied. And so she’s vowed to break the rules and live the life of pleasure she’s been missing.

But to dance every dance, to steal a midnight kiss—to do those things, Callie will need a willing partner. Someone who knows everything about rule-breaking. Someone like Gabriel St. John, the Marquess of Ralston—charming and devastatingly handsome, his wicked reputation matched only by his sinful smile.

If she’s not careful, she’ll break the most important rule of all—the one that says that pleasure-seekers should never fall hopelessly, desperately in love.

My Review:

I absolutely loved reading Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake.  This is the type of book that is perfect for a romance reader, it’s cute, sweet, smexy, and leaves you with that whimsical romance feeling.

I have had this book on my To-Read list ever since it released.  While looking for a good book to read, I saw all of the positive reviews and comments for this one and decided to go for it.  I downloaded it to my kindle, and once I began reading, I didn’t want to stop.

Calpurnia, Callie, was not quite what I expected.  She is a very proper lady, always doing what she was told.  She considered herself a Plain-Jane and naturally migrated to the spinster section at balls and events.  However, underneath her proper exterior was a woman who wanted adventure and excitement.  When Callie’s younger sister becomes engaged and Callie firmly on the shelf, she decides to start living.  She makes a list of things a lady should never do and decides to do them.  When Callie decides to cross items off her list, she goes all out, determined to get the full experience.  Unexpectedly, the Marquess of Ralston becomes very closely linked with her list and the two develop an unexpected attraction.

I loved Callie’s determination and her courage.  When she decided to accomplish all of the items on her list, she did not skimp out.  She had the mindset of “in for a penny, in for a pound.”  As Callie began her adventures, she began to learn more about herself and develop her confidence.  She was also very caring for others, she was never overly jealous of her sister.  As for Gideon, the Marquess of Ralston, he had a hidden personality as well.  He presented himself as a cold-hearted rake, but he truly cared for his family, and came to care for Callie.  Both Gideon and Callie learned much about themselves through this book, and their adventures proved to be fun and romantic at the same time.

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake is a book that flows beautifully.  There was never a point where I felt confused, angry with characters, or unhappy with the story line.  I loved following the story and became fully absorbed in the book.  I love how everything came together, how Callie accomplished her list and the relationships worked out.  There are more books in the Love by Numbers series, and I can’t wait to read them all.

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