What do you think?
Rate this book
To Wed a Rake
Previously published as A Proper Englishwoman in the anthology
Talk of the Ton.
Betrothed since they were children, Gilbert Baring-Gould, Earl of Kerr, and the Honorable Emma Loudan are not quite what one would call a perfect match. The whole Ton knows him to be a complete rakehell, hardly the ideal spouse for a lady.
When he horrifies the Ton by announcing that he won’t go through with the marriage until Emma is carrying his child — or did he say that she was already carrying a child? — the gossips (and Emma) go wild.
Obviously she should hand this Beelzebub his ring back directly. But curiosity, and a strong wish to teach her brazen-faced fiancé some manners, demand that she beat him at his own game.
So she does.
It’s the story of a reluctant bridegroom (engaged since childhood, and hasn’t seen his fiancée in years), a bride who’s losing her patience, and a wild night in which the said bridegroom meets a wicked, delicious Frenchwoman…or is she?
Betrothed since they were children, Gilbert Baring-Gould, Earl of Kerr, and the Honorable Emma Loudan are not quite what one would call a perfect match. The whole Ton knows him to be a complete rakehell, hardly the ideal spouse for a lady.
When he horrifies the Ton by announcing that he won’t go through with the marriage until Emma is carrying his child — or did he say that she was already carrying a child? — the gossips (and Emma) go wild.
Obviously she should hand this Beelzebub his ring back directly. But curiosity, and a strong wish to teach her brazen-faced fiancé some manners, demand that she beat him at his own game.
So she does.
It’s the story of a reluctant bridegroom (engaged since childhood, and hasn’t seen his fiancée in years), a bride who’s losing her patience, and a wild night in which the said bridegroom meets a wicked, delicious Frenchwoman…or is she?
86 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2005
230 people are currently reading
813 people want to read
About the author
Eloisa James
97 books9,566 followersNew York Times bestselling author Eloisa James writes historical romances for HarperCollins Publishers. Her novels have been published to great acclaim. A reviewer from USA Today wrote of Eloisa's very first book that she "found herself devouring the book like a dieter with a Hershey bar"; later People Magazine raved that "romance writing does not get much better than this." Her novels have repeatedly received starred reviews from Publishers' Weekly and Library Journal and regularly appear on the best-seller lists.
After graduating from Harvard University, Eloisa got an M.Phil. from Oxford University, a Ph.D. from Yale and eventually became a Shakespeare professor, publishing an academic book with Oxford University Press. Currently she is an associate professor and head of the Creative Writing program at Fordham University in New York City. Her "double life" is a source of fascination to the media and her readers. In her professorial guise, she's written a New York Times op-ed defending romance, as well as articles published everywhere from women's magazines such as More to writers' journals such as the Romance Writers' Report.
Eloisa...on her double life:
When I'm not writing novels, I'm a Shakespeare professor. It's rather like having two lives. The other day I bought a delicious pink suit to tape a television segment on romance; I'll never wear that suit to teach in, nor even to give a paper at the Shakespeare Association of America conference. It's like being Superman, with power suits for both lives. Yet the literature professor in me certainly plays into my romances. The Taming of the Duke (April 2006) has obvious Shakespearean resonances, as do many of my novels. I often weave early modern poetry into my work; the same novel might contain bits of Catullus, Shakespeare and anonymous bawdy ballads from the 16th century.
When I rip off my power suit, whether it's academic or romantic, underneath is the rather tired, chocolate-stained sweatshirt of a mom. Just as I use Shakespeare in my romances, I almost always employ my experiences as a mother. When I wrote about a miscarriage in Midnight Pleasures, I used my own fears of premature birth; when the little girl in Fool For Love threw up and threw up, I described my own daughter, who had that unsavory habit for well over her first year of life.
So I'm a writer, a professor, a mother - and a wife. My husband Alessandro is Italian, born in Florence. We spend the lazy summer months with his mother and sister in Italy. It always strikes me as a huge irony that as a romance writer I find myself married to a knight, a cavaliere, as you say in Italian.
One more thing...I'm a friend. I have girlfriends who are writers and girlfriends who are Shakespeare professors. And I have girlfriends who are romance readers. In fact, we have something of a community going on my website. Please stop by and join the conversation on my readers' pages.
After graduating from Harvard University, Eloisa got an M.Phil. from Oxford University, a Ph.D. from Yale and eventually became a Shakespeare professor, publishing an academic book with Oxford University Press. Currently she is an associate professor and head of the Creative Writing program at Fordham University in New York City. Her "double life" is a source of fascination to the media and her readers. In her professorial guise, she's written a New York Times op-ed defending romance, as well as articles published everywhere from women's magazines such as More to writers' journals such as the Romance Writers' Report.
Eloisa...on her double life:
When I'm not writing novels, I'm a Shakespeare professor. It's rather like having two lives. The other day I bought a delicious pink suit to tape a television segment on romance; I'll never wear that suit to teach in, nor even to give a paper at the Shakespeare Association of America conference. It's like being Superman, with power suits for both lives. Yet the literature professor in me certainly plays into my romances. The Taming of the Duke (April 2006) has obvious Shakespearean resonances, as do many of my novels. I often weave early modern poetry into my work; the same novel might contain bits of Catullus, Shakespeare and anonymous bawdy ballads from the 16th century.
When I rip off my power suit, whether it's academic or romantic, underneath is the rather tired, chocolate-stained sweatshirt of a mom. Just as I use Shakespeare in my romances, I almost always employ my experiences as a mother. When I wrote about a miscarriage in Midnight Pleasures, I used my own fears of premature birth; when the little girl in Fool For Love threw up and threw up, I described my own daughter, who had that unsavory habit for well over her first year of life.
So I'm a writer, a professor, a mother - and a wife. My husband Alessandro is Italian, born in Florence. We spend the lazy summer months with his mother and sister in Italy. It always strikes me as a huge irony that as a romance writer I find myself married to a knight, a cavaliere, as you say in Italian.
One more thing...I'm a friend. I have girlfriends who are writers and girlfriends who are Shakespeare professors. And I have girlfriends who are romance readers. In fact, we have something of a community going on my website. Please stop by and join the conversation on my readers' pages.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
January 18, 2022
Emma and Kerr. 88 page Novella. Current Kindle price of $8.99 for a novella seems rather high. A cute, quick little story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2020
This did not work for me. And actually, I'm not sure this is just in the way that sometimes Eloisa James doesn't quite work. There's probably an element of that, but there's also an element of 1) this is a novella and there's really no relationship development given that the basic set-up is a childhood arranged marriage and the characters have only met in person a handful of times, making this one heck of a case of insta-love, and my more substantive issue, 2) if you're going to adapt one of Shakespeare's comedies, why on earth would you pick All's Well That End's Well? I saw it staged once, and my major take-home (and all I remember of the play) is "Man, the hero's a douchebag!"
Because he is.
This thing tries to skirt around that fact by pointing out that the hero's clearly quoting All's Well when he undertakes his main act of douchebaggery, but given he does it in public, this is a world where a woman's reputation is easily destroyed, and while it's fine that he may not want to marry immediately/have more time to sow his wild oats, nothing justifies his lack of concern for his utterly blameless fiance's feelings/reputation/whatever. Particularly given the strong case of insta-love means that this essentially goes down the road of the heroine seducing him, and him deciding he's in love.
Basically it's annoying source material to begin with, coupled with a case of insta-love and unlikeable characters, and no amount of charm and hand-waving after the fact can erase that.
Maybe don't adapt All's Ell that End's Well unless you're going to really develop it, because the basic story, well, it's not that charming. It don't think it lends itself to a light touch.
Because he is.
This thing tries to skirt around that fact by pointing out that the hero's clearly quoting All's Well when he undertakes his main act of douchebaggery, but given he does it in public, this is a world where a woman's reputation is easily destroyed, and while it's fine that he may not want to marry immediately/have more time to sow his wild oats, nothing justifies his lack of concern for his utterly blameless fiance's feelings/reputation/whatever. Particularly given the strong case of insta-love means that this essentially goes down the road of the heroine seducing him, and him deciding he's in love.
Basically it's annoying source material to begin with, coupled with a case of insta-love and unlikeable characters, and no amount of charm and hand-waving after the fact can erase that.
Maybe don't adapt All's Ell that End's Well unless you're going to really develop it, because the basic story, well, it's not that charming. It don't think it lends itself to a light touch.
December 2, 2015
Tão fofinho.
Normalmente não gosto de contos, me dá uma sensação de que faltou alguma coisa, mas nesse eu não senti. Parecia que eu conhecia os personagens, lido sobre eles e esse conto, apenas um complemento. Adorei o jogo entre eles, o modo que a Emma topou bater de frente com o Gil. E o final..aiaia...maravilhoso!
Normalmente não gosto de contos, me dá uma sensação de que faltou alguma coisa, mas nesse eu não senti. Parecia que eu conhecia os personagens, lido sobre eles e esse conto, apenas um complemento. Adorei o jogo entre eles, o modo que a Emma topou bater de frente com o Gil. E o final..aiaia...maravilhoso!
September 5, 2019
I didn't realize this was a novella when I started it. NOVELLAS ARE THE WORST! Why are novellas. In this case, it meant that Eloisa James realized she had an appointment across town and traffic was getting worse so she just wrapped things up real quick and peaced out. It was going ok till then. But novella.
Read
February 17, 2022A fun novella.
November 13, 2019
Tease, that’s all it is !!!!
May 2, 2018
"I have to win the challenge," Emma explained, "because otherwise Kerr will see no particular reason not to continue in his indifferent ways. I think it best to take him in hand before we marry."
Emma sets out to London to teach her wayward fiancè Kerr a lesson - and to win his challenge! This story was incredibly entertaining and fun, too bad it wasn't full novel length.
The competition had begun.
November 15, 2017
This book would have been amazing if it hadn't been so short. If I'd been aware of how small this book was I wouldn't have ever read it. I liked the characters and the plot line. I hated how quickly it ended and how he suddenly knew and how she just out of nowhere was in love with him and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.
August 8, 2019
The concept of the story was nice, however, the events that followed wasn’t. I like the ending scene, but I didn’t like that it ends abruptly. The characters are dumb in every way and the lack of common sense is painful to read.
November 12, 2024
After having read quite a few rather negative reviews, I didn't expect much from this very short novella. The first few pages with their flurry of correspondence through London and beyond, however, were incredibly entertaining. Eloisa James at her very best!
Once the actual plot began, I kept being amused. Unfortunately, the story was too short, as usually is the case with novellas, and the ending was too abrupt to my taste. Besides these two nuisances, I'm glad to have read this fun little gem of a story.
Once the actual plot began, I kept being amused. Unfortunately, the story was too short, as usually is the case with novellas, and the ending was too abrupt to my taste. Besides these two nuisances, I'm glad to have read this fun little gem of a story.
May 17, 2013
A delightful Regency romance novella, razor-sharp and not a word wasted. Bought it on my Kindle as I was waiting for my ferry and had read it by the time my ferry had come. Not a yawn in sight.
April 16, 2015
Lovely!
April 15, 2021
Rating: 3 stars
What I Liked: I really enjoyed this novella. It’s both cute and sexy and it made me smile whilst I was reading it. The plot is simple and everything moves along at a good pace.
I liked both main characters, Emma and Gil. I liked Emma’s determination and that she rose to his challenge. I also liked Gil, more than I thought I would at the start -
I also thought that was handled quite well given the limited space.
What I Didn’t: There wasn’t really anything I hated, except obviously I would have liked more of it. The ending did feel a bit rushed but I get that it’s a novella and it needed to wrap up when it did.
Overall: It’s good fun and the story is told well.
Would I Recommend It?: Yes, if you want an easy to read historical romance with a hidden identity plotline and a reformed rake for a hero.
Would I Read Something By The Author Again?: Yes.
Content Warnings:
What I Liked: I really enjoyed this novella. It’s both cute and sexy and it made me smile whilst I was reading it. The plot is simple and everything moves along at a good pace.
I liked both main characters, Emma and Gil. I liked Emma’s determination and that she rose to his challenge. I also liked Gil, more than I thought I would at the start -
I also thought that was handled quite well given the limited space.
What I Didn’t: There wasn’t really anything I hated, except obviously I would have liked more of it. The ending did feel a bit rushed but I get that it’s a novella and it needed to wrap up when it did.
Overall: It’s good fun and the story is told well.
Would I Recommend It?: Yes, if you want an easy to read historical romance with a hidden identity plotline and a reformed rake for a hero.
Would I Read Something By The Author Again?: Yes.
Content Warnings:
March 26, 2018
I think I’m in love with Eloisa James — I’ve got this irrational urge to ignore my hefty tbr shelf and just drink up all her works.
So anyway, about this book. It’s a regency novella, and was really light. What you see in the blurb is exactly what you get — there’s no added drama, really. It doesn’t take long to read the book, it got over in a jiffy.
Self control is important, so I’m not going to embark on an Eloisa James spree now, but I think I’ve got a favourite regency author. Mazel tov!
So anyway, about this book. It’s a regency novella, and was really light. What you see in the blurb is exactly what you get — there’s no added drama, really. It doesn’t take long to read the book, it got over in a jiffy.
Self control is important, so I’m not going to embark on an Eloisa James spree now, but I think I’ve got a favourite regency author. Mazel tov!
January 22, 2021
This was a short novella--which I didn't realize when I borrowed it from my library. A few of the sections are written completely as letters, which I really enjoyed, and I felt James did a good job of showing how rumours spread and evolve through her choice of letters and who was relaying what to whom.
A short, enjoyable read for a rainy evening.
A short, enjoyable read for a rainy evening.
January 25, 2021
Arranged Married
Short story .Over the years I read this Authors books they are usually long and drawer out .A hate and love relationship.This book is different I think she loves her man and wants to trick him.Kerr wants to marry but has put it off,Have to read to see if her trick works.If two hearts can come together after all.I liked this book good writeing
Short story .Over the years I read this Authors books they are usually long and drawer out .A hate and love relationship.This book is different I think she loves her man and wants to trick him.Kerr wants to marry but has put it off,Have to read to see if her trick works.If two hearts can come together after all.I liked this book good writeing
December 4, 2021
A cute little novella this succeeds in making All’s Well that Ends Well a fun little romp. For that I’m upping this to 4 stars - I have a sneaking fondness for the play and the general plot of getting errant fiancé to come up to snuff.
Being a novella, the romance is quick but I didn’t mind that. Short quick read with the nice little ending. 👍
Being a novella, the romance is quick but I didn’t mind that. Short quick read with the nice little ending. 👍
January 24, 2021
I was disappointed at the end. I think the plot would've been better if he hadn't known it was Emma, they broke off the engagement and they met again in London when she started her husband hunt. I feel like he needed to grovel a bit before the happy ending for being a douchebag.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2021
Short but so good!
I loved this story! The letters that start the telling of this wonderful tale and the strong fun woman who waited years to finally get her fiancé to the alter. I could have read this forever!
I loved this story! The letters that start the telling of this wonderful tale and the strong fun woman who waited years to finally get her fiancé to the alter. I could have read this forever!
December 30, 2023
Four stars for a novella, which are usually too packed (unless couple was childhood friends/formerly together). I would have loved to see this as a full book with more development but thought it was good for a novella
November 26, 2018
liked it but a lil unbelievable how quickly they fell in love (a couple of hours) , but then maybe i'm just being picky lol
December 13, 2018
I love Eloisa's work.
December 9, 2020
Short and sweet
I would have loved these characters to have a longer story, but I enjoyed what I read. I didn’t realize when I purchased on Kindle that it was a novella.
I would have loved these characters to have a longer story, but I enjoyed what I read. I didn’t realize when I purchased on Kindle that it was a novella.
September 17, 2021
10/25/19 2 stars
November 15, 2021
I don't usually read novellas but I do occasionally. Fun but not long enough for me
May 5, 2023
What a Coo!
I was on pinss and needles toward the end of the book! But, Emma and Gil came through and I could relax an believe that true love wins in the end! A keeper for Sure💓
I was on pinss and needles toward the end of the book! But, Emma and Gil came through and I could relax an believe that true love wins in the end! A keeper for Sure💓
January 16, 2024
An unconventional regency romance, but a quick read.
February 6, 2024
Good quick read
Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews