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    A Rogue by Any Other Name: The First Rule of Scoundrels
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    A Rogue by Any Other Name: The First Rule of Scoundrels
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    A Rogue by Any Other Name: The First Rule of Scoundrels
    Ebook472 pages6 hours

    A Rogue by Any Other Name: The First Rule of Scoundrels

    By Sarah MacLean

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    What a scoundrel wants, a scoundrel gets. . .

    A decade ago, the Marquess of Bourne was cast from society with nothing but his title. Now a partner in London's most exclusive gaming hell, the cold, ruthless Bourne will do whatever it takes to regain his inheritance—including marrying perfect, proper Lady Penelope Marbury.

    A broken engagement and years of disappointing courtships have left Penelope with little interest in a quiet, comfortable marriage, and a longing for something more. How lucky that her new husband has access to an unexplored world of pleasures.

    Bourne may be a prince of London's illicit underworld, but he vows to keep Penelope untouched by its wickedness—a challenge indeed as the lady discovers her own desires, and her willingness to wager anything for them . . . .even her heart.

     

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateFeb 28, 2012
    ISBN9780062065384
    Unavailable
    A Rogue by Any Other Name: The First Rule of Scoundrels
    Author

    Sarah MacLean

    A life-long romance reader, Sarah MacLean wrote her first romance novel on a dare, and never looked back. She is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of romances translated into more than twenty languages, a romance columnist, and the co-host of the weekly romance novel podcast, Fated Mates. A graduate of Smith College and Harvard University, she lives in New York City.

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    Reviews for A Rogue by Any Other Name

    4/5

    509 ratings46 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I can hardly believe how quickly I devoured this book! What a truly emotional roller coaster the OTP went through, and I spent much of the book not quite crying, but with an ache in my chest that surprised me. Every conversation was fraught with painful revelations waiting to be stirred up. I wanted the hero to put aside his need for revenge as much as the heroine wanted him to because they clearly belonged together. He needed to let go. I loved her spirit of adventure hiding underneath all the proper behaviour and self-sacrifice. I am definitely looking forward to the next books in this series.
    • 3/5
      Sweet, but Michael was such a jerk that I wanted Penelope to ditch him. His discovery of love's true power was not enough to lead to my forgiveness for his many sins. I liked Penelope, and her letters to Michael quite a bit, and Tommy was sweet. It was enough to get this to average. For the first 100 pages I was thinking a 2 star would be a gift, but it did very much improve.
    • 3/5
      His desire for revenge has sustained him for nearly a decade, now Bourne sees the possibility of regaining his estate and destroying his enemy. What Michael doesn't count on is having to marry his childhood friend to gain the dowry of his former estate, nor does he plan to fall in love.
    • 4/5
      Received this in Book Riot's quarterly subscription. People who don't regularly read [YA, Sci-fi, Romance] sometimes tend to look down on that genre. I get that, because in my case it's true.

      When I was younger, I sneaked a peek at some books my mom deemed "too trashy" and ended up reading a ridiculous story centered around blond twins named "Danger" and "Dare" (I'm not kidding). Either Danger or Dare had gone missing, and it was up to her twin and a policeman with chiseled abs and zero professionalism to find her, while having lots of steamy trysts along the way.

      Another early sally into the world of romance novels introduced me to cringe-inducing euphemisms like "love canal".

      But this one mostly avoided both of those pitfalls (wildly unrealistic characters and uncomfortable sex-words). I still couldn't read more than a couple of chapters at a time, but in small doses it was pretty enjoyable.
    • 3/5
      Sarah MacLean is a great historical romance author. Her writing impresses me. I liked the characters in this book, though I will admit that Michael's I'm-not-good-enough-for-her stance got a little stale over time. All in all, a solid read, but not my favorite of her books.
    • 4/5
      I read "A Rogue by Any Other Name" because one of my favorite authors, Ilona Andrews, recommended it, and I am very glad I did.The book was an enjoyable quick read, with likable protagonists (even though, yes, Michael acts like a total ass for most of it) and great humor (Penelope's inner dialog about pirates when she first meets Bourne had me chuckling). I can't vouch for historical accuracy, but I can promise a few hours of entertainment :-)I will definitely check out other books by Sarah MacLean.
    • 4/5
      Ten years ago, in 1821, the aristocratic Michael Bourne lost his entire inheritance in a card game. Ever since, he has desired nothing more than to reclaim his land and extract his revenge on the man who took it from him. But recently that land was sold to the daughter of Micheal's estranged childhood friend, Penelope, and her father is now offering it as part of her dowry. So, of course, Michael determines to marry her, even though she has been holding out for a man she truly loves.Yes, it's a romance novel. I... am not a romance novel reader. But I was sort of challenged to expand my horizons a little with this book, and never let it be said I backed down from a bookish challenge, or from a bit of literary horizon expanding. The verdict? It was okay. The heroine was decent, neither a soppy damsel in distress nor a 21st century woman in 19th century clothing. The sex scenes were actually a bit sexy, which I find is often not the case for me, and were mercifully free of "throbbing manhood"s or other embarrassing euphemisms. And there was even the vague semblance of a plot, what with all the stuff about the inheritance and the revenge. (OK, it was a very vague semblance, but that's still more than I expected.)There are some flaws, though. MacLean has this odd writing tic, where any time her characters get introspective or emotional she starts writing these choppy little one-sentence paragraphs and italicizing entire sentences for no particularly good reason. But that turned out to be less annoying than I though it would be; after a while, I mostly stopped noticing it. A slightly bigger issue is that Michael was rather more of a jerk than he should have been if I was supposed to be invested in him enough to care about breaking through the jerky exterior to the less-jerky man underneath. (Although at least there are decent reasons for Penelope to be that invested.) My main complaint, though, is that it drags a bit in the middle, where we're treated to a few too many repetitions of "Ooh, he cares about me after all! No, wait, he is just using me. Woe!" from her and "No, I must not get emotionally involved!" from him, before all the romantic tension resolves itself a bit too abruptly. But maybe that's just par for the course for this sort of thing. The romantic dialog also gets kind of over-the-top mushy at the end, but I imagine that's also to be expected.Anyway. It was overall an okay read, and not off-putting, as I feared it might be. I'm guessing that for fans of romance this is a good one, but it's still not really my sort of thing. There's a clear hook at the end for a sequel, featuring the sister of this book's heroine, but I'm going to stop here and call it a day on the romance reading.
    • 4/5
      First off.. I LOVED the letters between the hero/heroine at the beginning of the chapters. This book is the first in "The Rules of Scoundrels" series. Michael and Penelope were a good couple, and I was glad to read her story after what happened in the other one. (Eleven Scandals to start to win a duke's Heart). I did find that Michael seemed to take a bit too long for me to come around.. but their time and conversations together made up for that. I also love the secondary characters, Phillipa and Cross! Can't wait to read their stories.
    • 4/5
      Romance novels aren't usually my first choice for leisure reading, but I heard a recommendation for Maclean's Rules of Scoundrels series from a source which I have never yet found to be wrong about what books are worth one's time, so I decided to give the first one a go.This was mostly a delight. It is a straight-up romance, so there are some predicable tropes and a fair helping of (just shy of porno-) graphic sex. But the tropes are played out in mostly believable (and sometimes subverted) ways, the sex writing is smart, and (and this is a near-requirement for me to sit still for sex scenes that last for more than a sentence or so) the sex (the way of it, not just the fact of it) is important to characterization and plot. The story has some emotional depth; the heroine is (eventually) determined, independently minded, and unapologetic; the "rogue's" motivations arise believably from his history without existing only to make him a villianous, bad-boy romance hero; and there are a number of simply fun, fun scenes in which it's a joy to watch these characters get into scrapes, snipe at one another, and dole out comeuppances. The sentence-level writing is pretty clean, and the plotting reasonably tight. My only real complaint was the repetition of certain phrases and images almost verbatim, and while that was quite annoying, it didn't happen often enough to seriously diminish my opinion of the book. It's not got the complexity or dexterity of prose to approach the literary, but A Rogue by Any Other Name is the best kind of bubblegum read: fun, quick, and sometimes snappy. I imagine I'll be on to book two in the near future.
    • 4/5
      Loved this book. Exactly what I needed after reading the Hunger Games.
    • 4/5
      I loved the premise of four men, on the outs with their families, joining forces and going into business together, having a gaming establishment in London. Each one contributes with a skill of his own, as an accountant, a manager, a security, and the owner.

      I disliked the hero almost as much as I liked the heroine. As for the plot, I was torn in two as well. I liked it in theory, but not in execution. The pace of the story was okay, although it did meander from time to time.

      This author is a hit or miss for me. this story started out great, middle way it took a wrong turn, but then it course corrected ... a bit. In the end, I have to admit that the parts I liked outweighed the parts I didn't.

      Melanie for b2b
    • 3/5
      This book was very bipolar for me. Parts of the story were fun and intriguing, and I loved the characters; at other times, I hated both of them and things dragged.
    • 3/5
      3 and half stars.

      Full review to be posted soon:

      This was a cute historical romance, which featured childhood friends who are forced into a marriage of convenience. The hero, Bourne is a jaded and cynical man after losing his lands to his guardian in a card game and is on mission to get his revenge. He seizes this chance when they become part of a dowry of his childhood friend Penelope and compromise and forces her to marry, which becomes a marriage of convenience so that her sisters chances to marry well aren't jeopardised and they form a partnership of sorts. I really love this trope and I loved the exchanges that Penelope and Bourne share. However I really felt at the midway point, the pacing got bogged down and I was getting tired of the way Bourne kept pushing her away so he would not feel vulnerable which got tiring. But the ending was fantastic and I loved the scene where it was Penelope who took control which was something she never had throughout her life and I loved that she did it in style!
      Sexy love scenes, witty repartees and child-hood sweethearts in a marriage of convenience is a great combination despite the slow middle, this was a fun and quick read!
      I look forward to the followups which will feature the partners of Bourne's Gambling club and the excerpt for the next book looks fun!
    • 2/5
      Eh, it was okay.
    • 3/5
      Michael, the Marquess of Bourne, lost it all when he was 21. A gambling addict since his parents died as a teenager, he risked all of his ancestral homes and fortune on a single hand of Black Jack. And just like that, he lost it all. Since then, Michael has sworn to get revenge on the man he believes stole his legacy from him and is determined to regain his family lands by any means necessary. Even if that means hurting people along with way.Enter Lady Penelope Marbury, Michael's childhood neighbor and sweetheart. The two used to be best friends until Michael disappeared after his parents' deaths. After a disastrous broken engagement to the Duke of Leighton (hero of Maclean's Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart) and 4 lackluster proposals since then, Penelope is practically on the shelf. No longer a prize, her father adds the recently acquired Falconcrest, Michael's childhood home, to her dowry to sweeten the pot. Determined to get his home back, Michael kidnaps her and basically forces her to marry him. Michael is a prick. From the start, he is way too harsh, too dark and too brooding. I understand he's lost everyone and revenge has been his one goal for nearly a decade, but my goodness it was like he didn't have a single redeeming quality! Whenever he was nice to Penelope, it was for his own benefit. I just didn't feel like what happened to him warranted him being so mean toward her. And it wasn't just Penelope. He was a jerk to everyone, which made me wonder how he even came to have friends like Cross, Temple, and Chase in the first place.To put things in perspective, Temple who is also the Duke of Lamont had been falsely accused of murdering his father's soon-to-be wife and had been outcast for nearly the same amount of time and even he was not as much of jerk as Michael was. What's worse is, I feel like Michael never took any responsibility for his actions. Unlike what happened to Temple (which was completely out of his control), Michael's choices directly orchestrated his downfall. And yet he kept accusing Langford of pushing him to gamble more rather than accepting the fact that he himself chose to keep going. Langford hadn't been holding a gun to his head so Michael could have stopped at any point. But he chose not to. It's hard to feel sorry for him when he doesn't even own up to his own actions.I felt sorry for Penelope. After witnessing the Duke of Leighton's love for his wife, she dreamed of a love match of her own. Instead she would up with a jerk like Michael. What saves this book from being a complete failure is the fact that I actually liked Penelope. She was strong and wanted to steer her own life for once. And it was she who finally took down Langford. Michael just simply didn't deserve her unfortunately.
    • 4/5
      Fun, fun romance novel with English manners and wicked men and beautiful, adventurous women. Seems to be the first of a series about sisters looking for suitable husbands in historical England. Good story and fun characters. Michael is extremely wicked and handsome and appealing and Penelope is the perfect partner for him. Very fun to read.
    • 5/5
      Another stellar release from MacLean.

      Michael is a dark and tormented man. Penelope is a bright and innocent woman. Together they are...perfect. Her inner strength came through wonderfully. I very much enjoyed watching her grow into her own...and watching him fall for her as she did.

      I ended the novel feeling warm and fuzzy inside. What more can a reader ask for?
    • 5/5
      Michael, the Marquess of Bourne, lost everything one night in a game of cards. Ten years later, he has not only surpassed the wealth he lost, but he is also one of the owners of an exclusive gaming hell called The Fallen Angel. Bent on revenge and the need to gain back all he has lost, he finds that he cannot pass up the chance at winning back his ancestral home, he'll do anything it takes to get it back, even if it means acquiring a wife in the process. Lady Penelope Marbury understands that spinsterhood awaits her. She's dealt with a broken engagement and boring courtships that have left her pining for something more. When her childhood friend Michael, whisks her away one night promising adventure and the illicit pleasures of the London underworld, she finds his promises too hard to resist. Sarah MacLean can do no wrong!! I love and own everything she's ever written for a reason... she's awesome!! Her books are awesome!! Her characters are awesome!! Need I say more? As a big fan of Ms. MacLean's Love By Numbers series, I was overjoyed to learn that she would have a breakout series - The Rules of Scoundrels: "Four scoundrels, each whispered about in ballrooms across London. Four aristocrats, each exiled from society, now royalty in the London underworld. Four loves, powerful enough to tame the darkness... and bring these fallen angels back into the light."Michael and Penelope were wonderful. Michael was dark and brooding - he's tormented, sarcastic and jaded (I love 'em like that!) and treats Penelope at arms length. He's a man with one thing on his mind... revenge, and nothing will stand in the way of him avenging himself. Penelope is feisty and witty and so full of life. I loved how proper she was even when Michael had her at her wits end.I adore stories of childhood friends becoming lovers and I especially loved reading Penelope and Michael's letters at the beginning of each chapter. I think it was splendidly done how you get to know their past through their letters without getting full chapters reminiscing on their time as children growing up. As with all her characters, Ms. MacLean makes you fall head over heels for them. Michael and Penelope's love story was swoon worthy. Michael was such a tormented character - it was hard not to feel as emotionally wrought out as Penelope was when it came to her feelings for him. These are the types of characters you become invested in - feeling their hurts and joys just as much as they do. Their happily-ever-after was a hard one to come by which made it even sweeter in the end.I cannot wait to see what Ms. MacLean has up her sleeves for the other three scoundrels in the series. I shall anxiously be awaiting the next in the series - One Good Earl Deserves a Lover. eeek!
    • 3/5
      Entertaining, but it's hard to keep this particular book separated from other "gaming hell/revenge" historical romances I've read.
    • 4/5
      Read from September 15 to 19, 2013I haven't read a straight-up (capital R) Romance novel in a long time and I'm pretty sure I've never read a Historical Romance before (unless the Pink Carnation or Outlander counts). Usually the romance I read is mashed up with mystery or supernatural creatures and they're more sexy-time lite. This is not sexy-time lite.When you aren't a regular reader of a genre, you definitely have ideas of what it is and I met everyone of those ideas in some unexpected ways while reading this book. Honestly, I just didn't expect to enjoy it so much. Penelope was feisty and Michael was charming and together they were wonderful.I will admit I had to Google ton because it was used so often I started to question what I thought it meant. In doing so I got a little insight into the different kinds of Regency romances and how a series occasionally works (group of men and they all find a wife to put it in simplistic terms). It was something I remembered from reading contemporary romances by Carly Phillips (the Chandler Brothers series) and attempting a Nora Roberts a few years ago. Of course, while reading this I thought, "oh, they'll all be the same, I probably won't read the rest of the series." I'm an idiot. As soon as I read the last chapter, I checked out the next book and started reading itIt's just fun to escape into this world and I'm very glad I finally visited the world of Romance again.
    • 4/5
      Sarah MacLean has a new series of books about fallen angels. These four aristocrats whose scandals have exiled them from society are now princes of the underworld. Lords Bourne, Temple, Chase, and Cross have become the powerful owners of the gaming club The Fallen Angel. This first book, A Rogue by Any Other Name: The First Rule of Scoundrels, is the story of Michael Lawler, the Marquess of Bourne who learns that love is more powerful than revenge.In 1821 Bourne was just out of school when he caught the gambling bug. With one card he lost everything but his title to his guardian, Viscount Langford. This action cast him out of society, out of his home, and into poverty. In the underworld he worked tirelessly to gain the funds to restore his inheritance. He became a ruthless partner in a gambling club, The Fallen Angel. Ten years later his opportunity for revenge presents itself. He not only has a shot at regaining his ancestral home, Falconwell, but also taking revenge on Viscount Langford.Bourne is willing to do whatever it takes, even marrying to gain Falconwell. The Marquess of Needham & Dolby has sweetened the dowry of his oldest daughter, Penelope Marbury. Penny has been always been the good daughter. In fact, she has been in love with her childhood friend, Michael, but did not have the courage to defy her parents and society when Michael was disgraced. She was supposed to marry the Duke of Leighton, but he threw her over to marry for love. Since then, she hasn't had many prospects. And adding Falconwell to the pot will certainly entice a man to marry a twenty-eight-year-old with a broken engagement in her past. After being compromised by Michael, Penny realizes that she is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Bourne is not the Michael she remembers. So she makes the best of a bad situation. She agrees to marry Bourne on the condition that the scandal of their marriage doesn't affect her sisters, that he reenter society, and that he find suitable husbands for her two unmarried sisters. Penelope gambles that she can give Bourne a happy and good marriage, that the Michael she knew and loved as a child has not died. However, that involves getting Michael to give up his plan of revenge and to chose a life with her.This was novel filled with adventure and romance. I learned a bit more about the seedier side of London, plus I liked these two childhood friends. Their "love match" starts out as a lie and turns into something each character deserves--a loving and happy partnership. Penny grows more courageous and adventurous and Michael discovers that revenge is not worth the possibilitly of losing the love of one's life.According to her web site MacLean is at work on the next book in the series: One Good Earl Deserves a Lover. I look forward to reading another fallen angel's love story.
    • 1/5
      Got this book in my BookRiot Quarterly box. Romance is not my genre, but I gave it a go anyway. Didn't like it. Shallow and silly.
    • 5/5
      I loved it! What a wonderful story (and I must get the next in the series immediately!!). The heroine is lovely and realistic and still hoping for the best. And flawed. In ways that she could see and try to improve and in ways that snuck up onto her. And her man. My oh my. You feel sorry for him. You hate him. You want to hold him. You certainly want to shag him :) And you want them to both figure it out.

      I had a couple of odd couple of moments when I waited on baited (slightly irritated) breath for some major plot twist and I was totally wrong. Delightfully so. Loved it. Two thumbs up. Enjoy!
    • 5/5
      Great story and excellent narration!
    • 4/5
      Penelope was a very interesting heroine. On the surface a typical aristocrat but one who has been affected by a broken engagement. She ends up married to Bourne (I have to admit I spent most of the book picturing Matt Damon) who is looking for revenge against his guardian who betrayed him. Interesting characters and premise. I think I am looking forward to the next book even more.
    • 5/5
      Read from March 20 to 23, 2013Listened for BookClub (Audible)Overall Rating: 4.50Story Rating: 4.50Character Rating: 4.50Audio Rating: 4.00 (not part of the overall rating)First Thought when Finished: I immediately bought book 2 because I needed some more Scoundrels at the end!Story Thoughts: I love Historicals where the lead guy loses everything but seems to rise from the ashes even if he is disreputable (I always say that with a Ving Rhames voice). This series is so far hitting the sweet spot with me in that regard. Bourne is disreputable and darn well set on getting his childhood home back. Penelope is his childhood friend and current block in getting it back. Their journey was fun, fast-paced, and full of hijinks on both of their parts.Character Thoughts: Both leading characters were a hit with me. In fact, I would say they were downright delightful.I would also argue that Pen is almost better at living on the edge than Bourne! That means she had gumption, a spine, and level head on her shoulders. Everything that makes a good historical (or any genre) leading lady. I loved Bourne's friends (the guys for the next 2 books) and Pen's sister (who I think is just going to make me cheer from beginning to end in her book).Audio Thoughts: Narrated by Rosalyn Landor /Running Time 13 hrs and 16 mins Rosalyn Landor did a wonderful job on the narration. Her voices were distinct and each character had their own "swagger". The pacing, emotion, and accents were pretty spot-on also. I have a few other books that were narrated by her on my TBR. I know I won't be disappointed!Final Thoughts: I already downloaded book 2 and can't wait to squeeze it into my reading agenda!
    • 5/5
      Excellent book. Very interesting love story. Great ending. I loved reading this book.
    • 4/5
      When Penelope charges into the room to confront and play cards with the villain.
    • 3/5
      Lighthearted read. Bit weak in some places, stronger in others. I enjoyed the letter snippets at the start of the chapters - I felt that really gave a good insight into the characters. The revenge plot was a little ridiculous but it is what it is and overall the story was enjoyable. I enjoyed the banter between Phillipa and Penelope and even Olivia and wished there had of been more of that but perhaps in the next book.
    • 4/5
      Sometimes I'm in need of a light, fun, romantic novel and this one was perfect. It had its flaws, but nevertheless, I enjoyed the characters, the story, and the romance, and I'll likely be picking up the sequel soon.