Dashing-but-disgraced Lord Boyce Parker has
finally found a chance to win back his reputation and get
back into his father's good graces. If he can be the
winner of one of five challenges for English gentlemen,
he can claim honor, money, and the chance to win the hand
of a lady. In order to win, he must find a spectacular
way to get to Paris; Eve Mountefloy's father's hot air
balloon will do the trick. Eve herself is a woman of
science downtrodden by her oppressive duty to her ailing
father. She and Parker go on a brief flight toward Paris,
but an accident befalls them upon landing. The singing
rake and the strong-willed lady must navigate a sea of
troubles, both natural and man made, to make themselves
safe and to share their scientific observations with the
world. When Eve's father demands she make an engagement
she does not desire, Parker must find it in himself to be
serious and win her back before it's too late.
WHEN A RAKE FALLS is a delightful romance and a
very quick read. The prose is light and effortless,
carrying the story right alone. There are some parts that
plod along, but for the most part this is just a fresh
and pretty thing to read. It's not heavily dramatic or
overblown with fantasizing. I think that's a good quality
in a romance novel. So often the source of conflict is a
misunderstanding which results from both involved parties
being stubborn or foolish. In this book, the conflict
stems from outside sources: the backwards father, the
balloon crash, the looming threat of the engagement,
societal pressures, expectations for women in 1820s
England. I cannot express how nice it is to avoid the
dramatic misunderstanding; WHEN A RAKE FALLS displays
excellent mastery of the craft.
As for the "rake" of this novel, his is a
fascinating character in that he is not a true rake. A
true rake blows through women, from single to married to
widowed, without once considering their feelings, their
virtues, or their reputations. Parker seems to be the
ever-charming ladies' man, but beyond a few widows he has
had no mistresses. He has a great deal more respect for
women at the beginning of the book than most of his peers
do even at the end. He sings delightfully, acts as though
he has no cares in the world, shows tender feelings for
the animals with which he interacts, and still has fears
which make him very real.
Miss Mountfloy is very cute and sincere, but
she's not quite the heroine this novel deserves. She is a
woman dedicated to science, but she doesn't have the
oomph needed to put the men who put her down in their
places. If the character was written to be a dutiful
daughter and happy housewife, that's all well and good,
but Eve's passion for science demands that she have more
of a backbone in this time period. I think she's a great
character and I'd like to see more of the strength she
shows in the very end of the novel. The other characters
are along the lines of Eve Mountfloy: somewhat flat and
not particularly memorable, but with great potential.
WHEN A RAKE FALLS is a fairly typical romance
novel, but that does not make it any less excellent. It
has an excellent pace, good characters, and prose the
likes of which you don't often see in historical
romances. I would recommend this to anyone who needs a
little lift to their spirits, pun very much intended.
He's racing to win back his reputation
Having hired a balloon to get him to Paris in a daring
race,
Lord Boyce Parker is simultaneously exhilarated and
unnerved
by the wonders and dangers of flight, and most of all by
the
beautiful, stubborn, intelligent lady operating the
balloon.
She's curious about the science of love
Eve Mountfloy is in the process of conducting weather
experiments when she finds herself spirited away to France
by a notorious rake. She's only slightly dismayed-the rake
seems to respect her work-but she is frequently distracted
by his windblown physical magnificence and buoyant
spirits.
What happens when they descend from the clouds?
As risky as aeronautics may be, once their feet touch the
ground, Eve and Boyce learn the real danger of a very
different type of falling...
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