Orphaned Reginald Davenport was raised by his uncle with the
prospect of inheriting an earldom. When an unexpected heir
turns up, Reggie turns to carousing to find solace. Instead,
he soon finds himself a slave to the bottle. A last chance
at redemption comes in the form of Strickland, his ancestral
home, bestowed on him by the new earl, his cousin. The old
earl ignored the estate, except to take the money it brought
in, but it is prosperous, thanks to the mysterious steward,
A. E. Weston.
When Reggie arrives at Strickland, he's surprised to find
that the "A" stands for Alys. His steward is a woman, who
wears men's clothes when it suits her and runs the estate
well despite some of the men's dislike of a woman in charge.
He finds he likes this strong, bold, beautiful woman, but
Alys has secrets that could put everyone on the estate at risk.
THE RAKE is one of Mary Jo Putney's first Regency novels,
revamped a bit for reissue. Reggie and Alys are attracted to
each other from their first meeting, but they both have
reasons not to get involved. Alys is hiding from her own
past, and she's responsible for three children she
"inherited" from a previous employer. She can't risk losing
her job by having an affair with the boss. For his part,
Reggie recognizes that Alys is a gently-bred lady, and he
doesn't want to ruin her. He's also recognizing and battling
his own addiction to alcohol.
Reggie and Alys are complex and believable characters, and
Putney has surrounded them with a well-drawn supporting
cast, and an equally complex plot that churns with inner
turmoil, outside threats, and day-to-day struggles. I found
the alcoholism thread a bit heavy-handed but otherwise well
done. It's a real joy to see these two overcome the
challenges they face and find happiness together. The story
even includes a couple of bonus happy endings. Though the
setting and characters are unusual, THE RAKE should satisfy
readers who love a good Regency love story.
From the acclaimed romance writer, Mary Jo Putney, comes The
Rake, a
polished version of her original award-winning The Rake and
the Reformer.
Reggie Davenport, a self-destructive man, leavened by wit
and humor and
painful honesty, is making one last, desperate bid to change
his lift. It was
predicted that his life, disinherited and disgraced, would
come to a violent end.
But fate has given him one final chance to redeem himself,
by taking his place
as the rightful master of Strickland, his lost ancestral
estate. Here he makes
acquaintance with Lady Alys Weston, a strong, independent
woman who is far
better at giving love than receiving it. She fled a world
filled with mistrust and
betrayal and was finished with men, yet how could she have
predicted that
Strickland's restored owner would awaken a passion more
powerful than
anything she has ever known? A passion that will doom or
save them both...if
only they can overcome their pasts and dare to believe in
the wondrous power
of love.
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