Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake (Love by Numbers, #1)

by Sarah MacLean

'Fabulous' Eloisa James
'Smart, sexy, and always romantic' Julia Quinn
'For a smart, witty and passionate historical romance, I recommend anything by Sarah MacLean' Lisa Kleypas

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 . . .

This is the first novel in the Regency romance Love By Numbers trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean - perfect for fans of Lisa Kleypas and Eloisa James

Love By Numbers series:
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake
Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord
Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart

Praise for Sarah MacLean:

'Sarah MacLean has reignited the romance genre with a bolder edge' The New Yorker

'Funny, smart, feminist and roastingly hot' BookRiot.com

'Do yourself a favor and discover the compelling magic of Sarah MacLean' Amanda Quick

'MacLean writes with an entirely unique blend of elegance and ferocity that bursts from every page' Entertainment Weekly

'Great chemistry, intelligence and sparkling humor' RT Book Reviews

Reviewed by Angie on

4 of 5 stars

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Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake was so adorable! I love Historical Romance where the heroine decides to challenge society and do whatever the heck she wants! Callie is no great beauty. At least that's what her mother, aunt, and the snobby ton have her to believe. At 28, she's firmly on the shelf and has resigned herself to being a spinster. However, she refuses to be seen as passive anymore. She wants to live a little! So Callie devises a list of activities that young, unmarried men are allowed to do, but would be improper for a woman. First on that list: kiss someone passionately. And she has just the man in mind.

Nine Rules to Break was just super fun! I loved Callie from the beginning. She's not overly innocent. She knows what goes on behind closed doors, and she wants to experience it herself! In fact, she gets drunk and then heads to the Marquess of Raltson's home to get her kiss! She's mistaken for a prostitute by his butler, but no matter! He has a reputation, so he does indulge her, but he wants something in return: help his long lost sister come out into society! Callie has the most squeaky clean reputation of anyone (as long as no one finds out about her list), so she'd be perfect to assist his "low born" sister. From there, it's one adventure after another!

There's also a bet plot, which I wasn't the hugest fan of. The Duke of Oxford claims that he can get Callie to marry him. He's not interested in her at all, just her very generous dowry. Ralston bets a ridiculous sum that it'll never happen! Of course, bets never turn out good. At least he didn't bet that he would be the one to marry her. But the big confrontation near the end left me a bit annoyed. Callie has every right to be upset that she was part of a bet, but she also knows that half the things Oxford was saying were false. He's a delusional drunk, but she never pauses to think about the straight up lies he told. I guess she was just upset that the man she loves would enter a bet over her at all, but still. Don't listen to the drunk!

I really enjoyed Nine Rules to Break! I loved witnessing Callie complete all of the items on her list! There's plenty of gender-bending, since she needs a way to get into a gentlemen's club for gambling and fencing. I also thought Raltson's twist on "riding astride" was clever! You, rake, you! Not to mention the duel! It was just a lot of fun!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 28 July, 2015: Finished reading
  • 28 July, 2015: Reviewed