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The Rake | 
 enlarge | Author: Mary Jo Putney
Publisher: Topaz
Category: Book
Buy New: £46.43
New (3) Used (6) from £2.87
Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 184497
Media: Paperback
Pages: 352
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.9
ISBN: 0451406869
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780451406866
ASIN: 0451406869
Publication Date: April 1998
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW Allow 6-14 work days for delivery. Ships from NEW YORK-USA by AIR-MAIL. No VAT or extra charges. Excellent Customer Service. Email confirmation of order * LABEL: TOPAZ !n!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
Straight into my top ten August 26, 2008
CJ (London, UK)
This is only the second MJP book I've ever read but I would rate it in my top ten list of historical/regency romances. It's an extremely well written, intense book about a complicated hero and a strong heroine.
Reggie Davenport is the Rake of the title with a dreadful reputation. He's a damaged individual who has so far spent his life womanising, gambling and above all, drinking to excess yet he is inevitably charming, has a wicked sense of humour and you find that he has his own code of honour. He is given a chance to turn his life around when his cousin gives him a prosperous estate in Dorsetshire and there he encounters the steward responsible for running his property so successfully.
The steward in question, AE Weston, turns out to be Alys Weston who has her own demons to escape from. The story of their developing relationship is really well drawn, the author lets you see into the heads of both of the main protagonists. The plot lines are believable and there are two charming secondary romances. A big part of the story concerns Reggie's gradual realisation of his dependence on alcohol and his fight to become sober but this is all really sympathetically done and well woven into the story line. Alys's support is vital and gives their relationship a great added dimension.
I absolutely loved both the main characters, found the whole story charming, funny on occasion and also very moving in parts. It's a shame this book is out of print - it deserves to be reissued.
Good thoughtful romance January 16, 2008
Ana G. "A book smuggler" (UK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Reggie is a consummate rake. Which means that he spends his days doing nothing but indulging himself with women, gambling and all-nighters. He also has the usual issues: difficult childhood, no one who really loved him after his family died when he was 8, plus the fact that his inherited rights have been denied to him. You must be asking yourself, how is he different from the truckload of Tormented Heroes around?
The difference is that he has a serious drinking problem. He is also suffering from depression: he realises that he has nothing to live for and at the age of 37 he cannot keep up with his younger mates. He is suffering from constant memory loss that usually follows a night of debauchery and it is not unusual that he wakes up feeling like the world is crumbling apart, full of bruises he does not know how he came about or money he does not remember he won. A voice keeps telling him that this way of life is going to kill him and he despairs.
So it is no surprise when he jumps at the chance life is giving him when his cousin, who recently inherited the family title, decides to give his mother's estate back to him. Strickland is where he was born and where he lived a happy life until he was 8, a estate that it should have been his for years but his eviiiiil uncle wouldn't allow it. I could not help but to think that Strickland was to Reggie what Tara was eventually to Scarlett O'Hara- a lifeline, a source of strength where he could go and try to change his life.
Alys is a 30 year old spinster who is also running from her past. She is capable, smart and has earned her living for years as a governess and later on as the steward of Strickland, a job she got based purely on her references. Reggie's uncle never interviewed her for the position and everyone in London just assumed she was a man. She is accepted and respected by everyone in the region and soon enough by Reggie too, who realises that she is brilliant at what she does.
On top of her brains, she also has a heart - she has 3 wards that she must raise by herself and she is the friend who provides Reggie with the support that he needs.
I loved Alys - she is a force to be reckoned with but to me, the book belongs to Reggie and his struggle to fight his inner demons, to stop drinking and to become a better man so that he could be with Alys.
I was very surprised to see how delicately and yet seriously, the author dealt with the issue of alcoholism in the book. But this is still a romance novel and there are also moments that there are silly, flirty and sensual and a few secondary plots there were also interesting. And of course, eventually we are granted with the happily ever after that these two deserve
A great favorite! June 10, 1999
I was very pleased to see this wonderful novel reissued (in a slightly revised version). It remains my favorite Putney book, and I've read it more than once. A fascinating and charismatic hero, a smart and strong heroine, a sensitive and intelligent story which is nonetheless full of wit, and a lovely 18th century English countryside setting. What more could a reader want?
The Rake is a romance with depth and substance. May 19, 1999
All of Mary Jo Putney's romance novels are extraordinary in terms of their depth, substance,and human feeling. The Rake is an excellent example. A Regency rake decides to stop the hard drinking that men of his class habitually indulge in--and finds it almost impossible in a time before alcoholism was understood. This unusual romance hero and the equally unexpected heroine, who holds down a man's job, inhabit a novel that is a definite keeper.
The Best! Right up there with Veryan and Heyer. September 25, 1998
This book has to establish Mary Jo Putney as one the the best in the Romance writing field; right up there with Patricia Veryan and Georgette Heyer. A strong, independent heroine, a hero with flaws that he works to overcome, good plot, etc. Just overall great writing.
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