A man's past doesn't have to map his fate, especially when a woman holds the key to his destiny in this timeless novel by "New York Times" bestselling author and legend in historical romance "Mary Jo Putney"...Disinherited and disgraced, Reginald Davenport's prospects cried for a dire end. But fate has given him one last chance at redemption - by taking his rightful place as the heir of Strickland, his lost ancestral estate. Davenport knows his way around women, yet nothing prepares him for his shocking encounter with Lady Alys Weston. Masquerading as a man in order to obtain a position as estate manager of Strickland, Alys fled a world filled with mistrust and betrayal. She was finished with men - until Strickland's restored owner awakens a passion she thought she would never feel. A passion that will doom or save them both ...if only they can overcome their pasts...
The Rake
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About the Author
Mary Jo Putney graduated from Syracuse University with degrees in eighteenth-century literature and industrial design. A New York Times bestselling author, she has won numerous awards for her writing, including two Romance Writers of America RITA Awards, four consecutive Golden Leaf awards for Best Historical Romance, and the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for Historical Romance. She was the keynote speaker at the 2000 National Romance Writers of America Conference. Ms. Putney lives in Baltimore, Maryland. Visit her Web site at www.maryjoputney.com.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By LBM
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I have read probably hundreds, if not thousands, of romance novels since I was a teenager, and I would put this one unequivocally, in the top ten.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars
43 reviews
40 of 47 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
This may be the top HR in my Hall of Fame historical romances.
Mar 27 2012
By Old Latin teacher
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Or at least it's in a tie with Loretta Chase's Lord of Scoundrels for top billing. LoS has a bit more humor and this one has a tad more poignancy but each is excellent in its own special way. I have this Putney HR already in 2 paperbacks: The original 1989 The Rake and the Reformer (Super Regency, Signet) and the slightly rewritten 1998 reprint The Rake. For me it's such a great HR that I've now bought the e-book also . That way it's right at my fingertips for a reread instead of having to dig through my HR keeper boxes.
It's a beautiful, heartwarming and heartwrenching romance. The heroine Alys has run away from her home and her past and is now working as farm manager for the estate of Reginald Davenport, whom she has never met. Reggie is a gambler, rake and alcoholic, who, at the beginning of the story, finds himself in difficulties that require him to retreat to his estate.
Reggie, in spite of his many defects, is so charismatic that the reader prays all through the book that he can be reformed. And Alys is a delightfully strong woman, no shrinking violet. The developing relationship between the two is a joy to read, with great sexual chemistry, humor and many a poignant moment. It's a moving, powerful story that deals with alcoholism and troubled pasts and is so worth the read.
What is the mystery of Alys's past? Who is she really? Will Reggie be able to overcome his demons? Will these two charismatic characters find their happy ending? Well, read the book and find out. It's a great romance and for me it's a classic!
It's a beautiful, heartwarming and heartwrenching romance. The heroine Alys has run away from her home and her past and is now working as farm manager for the estate of Reginald Davenport, whom she has never met. Reggie is a gambler, rake and alcoholic, who, at the beginning of the story, finds himself in difficulties that require him to retreat to his estate.
Reggie, in spite of his many defects, is so charismatic that the reader prays all through the book that he can be reformed. And Alys is a delightfully strong woman, no shrinking violet. The developing relationship between the two is a joy to read, with great sexual chemistry, humor and many a poignant moment. It's a moving, powerful story that deals with alcoholism and troubled pasts and is so worth the read.
What is the mystery of Alys's past? Who is she really? Will Reggie be able to overcome his demons? Will these two charismatic characters find their happy ending? Well, read the book and find out. It's a great romance and for me it's a classic!
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
It is a truth universally acknowleged that reformed rakes make the best husbands!
Mar 28 2012
By AustenFan
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am so in love with this book. Just finished it and it has to go in my top 3 historical romance novels!
Reginald Davenport is the male lead, the rake. "Davenport was a complicated man, one who could act with both heroism and villainy, though he was neither hero nor villain. A man who, while not old, was certanly not young; who had the recklessness to crate problems for himself, and the honesty to admit he had done so". Reggie is the central character in this novel, and it would be impossible not to be so, he has such a personality that things get to naturally revolve around him! The author makes us fall in love with him.
Alys Weston a woman and the steward in Reggie's recently acquired estate, quite unusual. She is also a very dominant character, strong personality, proud and stubborn, with a very mysterious past. She is also the guardian of three minors, William, Peter and the beautiful Meredith. As a 30 year-old spinster she has given up on love and marriage, but she secretly dreams of a fulfilled life where she is the woman loved by a man. Well, who doesn't?
The encounter of these two unhappy people in their own way is a love story that develops gradually. There is no instant reforming, no instant seeing the light for the hero here. Mary Jo Putney does a wonderful job in reforming this rake and making it believable to us, readers, that it was the natural way to go.
I don't want to give up much of the story, but please know that this novel is 410 pages of pure bliss and sheer romance.
Reginald Davenport is the male lead, the rake. "Davenport was a complicated man, one who could act with both heroism and villainy, though he was neither hero nor villain. A man who, while not old, was certanly not young; who had the recklessness to crate problems for himself, and the honesty to admit he had done so". Reggie is the central character in this novel, and it would be impossible not to be so, he has such a personality that things get to naturally revolve around him! The author makes us fall in love with him.
Alys Weston a woman and the steward in Reggie's recently acquired estate, quite unusual. She is also a very dominant character, strong personality, proud and stubborn, with a very mysterious past. She is also the guardian of three minors, William, Peter and the beautiful Meredith. As a 30 year-old spinster she has given up on love and marriage, but she secretly dreams of a fulfilled life where she is the woman loved by a man. Well, who doesn't?
The encounter of these two unhappy people in their own way is a love story that develops gradually. There is no instant reforming, no instant seeing the light for the hero here. Mary Jo Putney does a wonderful job in reforming this rake and making it believable to us, readers, that it was the natural way to go.
I don't want to give up much of the story, but please know that this novel is 410 pages of pure bliss and sheer romance.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Embracing Their Passions
April 5 2012
By Rae Smith
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
'Lady' Alys Weston is about 200 years ahead of her time. She's a hardworking and prolific estate manager for an absentee landlord. In her mid-twenties, she is raising three orphaned foster children as a single parent. Enter the new estate owner, Reggie Davenport, a good looking, hard drinking wastrel about 40 years of age who recently found out he is the owner of said estate. Besides following the format of long looks and misunderstandings on the rocky road to true love, the author chose to address alcohol addiction among the upper classes. Huzzah! Typically we only read how 'blue ruin' affected the lower classes. Poor Reggie never stood a chance as the addiction was inherited both maternally and paternally. The author also has several really good side stories going. If you are a fan, you will be happy to meet up with a few of the lost Lordlings here too. NOTE: I had read about how tough life was for the boys at Eton, but I was unaware the lesser students were served only one meal a day and locked in a run down dorm for over twelve hours a day. I totally get why Princess Diana had fits about sending a very young William off to public school, especially when he was showing such a competitive and blood thirsty streak as a little footballer.
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4.3 out of 5 stars
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