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The Rake's Proposal
A scandalous secret was part of the dowry Katherine Sutcliff would bring to her bridal bed. And any prospective suitor on the Marriage Mart would have to live with it - or live without "her"! But her pressing need for a suitable match was diverted by her most "unsuitable" attraction to the disreputable Lord Benjamin Sinclair.
A rakish life had been Benjamin's choice, but now the adventurous gentleman was tempted to stay closer to home. How else could he keep a watchful eye on Kate Sutcliff, when the gangly girl he'd teased in childhood had grown into a most unconventional beauty?
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 2006
3 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Elliott
33 books8 followersSarah Elliott grew up in Pennsylvania and studied English at Smith College. Shortly after completing Reforming the Rake, she moved to London to get a master's degree in art history. She lives there still, and shares a flat with her boyfriend and their ever-expanding collection of books, broken antique furniture, vinyl LPs, and Indian spices. When she's not writing, she enjoys cooking, shopping, and lazing about.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 26, 2012
I have to admit that I actually enjoyed this book. I’ve been reading heavier material lately and really needed a break. I wanted something that was fun and easy to read with a minimum of effort. In short, I wanted to be mindlessly entertained. And, to a degree, I was. However, I must admit that I never did figure out who the villain was until it was revealed at the end of the book! (Truth be told, I am ashamed to admit this!)
As all of my readers know, I happen to enjoy this particular time period for historical romances. That being said, I suppose this book had an advantage from the start. I would say the author adequately handled the setting, keeping a good part of the societal conventions of the time intact. Although there wasn’t much development of the setting itself, it didn’t detract as one does not pick up a romance expecting a detailed setting. Furthermore, it wasn’t truly necessary for the purposes of this book. The reader can take enough common knowledge and presumption into the reading of this book to easily get past any lack of development of the setting.
The plot was actually good. I don’t recall having come across a plot in which the heroine of the story has to marry in order to continue running the family business. Nor do I recall a book, especially a romance, in which I haven’t figured out the plot within the first few chapters. It was nice to be kept guessing for a change. As for the pacing, I can’t complain. It wasn’t too fast, nor did it bog down and bore me. I would say it was nicely paced start to finish.
I enjoyed the characters as well. It was nice to see both of the main characters grow and come to new conclusions about their lives and their thoughts on love and marriage. I believe this book is probably a sequel to another book so I won’t complain that the two main supporting characters of Robert and Charlotte Gordon weren’t developed more. I am certain that had I read the first book this wouldn’t have nagged at me in the least. That said, I will say that the villain of the book was a bit clichéd. But this is romance and one expects a certain amount of cliché. And since the clichés in the main characters didn’t bother me at all (in fact I didn’t even think of them until I started writing about the clichéd villain) I will certainly let this cliché pass as well.
As for the author’s actual ability to write decent, well-formed and engaging sentences, which all my readers know is a big deal to me, I will say that the author did well. I do not like scrawny, half-formed paragraphs heavy laden with elementary sentences and vocabulary. Thankfully, Ms. Elliott committed none of those sins. I won’t say the writing is scholarly, but at least there are some complex sentences, mid-range vocabulary and correct grammar for the most part.
All things considered, I would recommend this book to others. In fact, I don’t think I would relegate this book to a beach read/weekend read only category. Certainly it is not on par with the classics, but I still enjoyed the book and think others who enjoy romance would enjoy the book as well. I will say that I would not recommended this book for younger readers. Although the sex is not liberally sprinkled about the book nor is it especially graphic, it is there. At my house this would be relegated to the adult only section. Of course, it is probably far more mild than what most teens see on TV or hear their friends talk about, so it could ultimately be said that perhaps older teen readers could read the book. However, with so many other titles out there I would encourage them to read something else.
As all of my readers know, I happen to enjoy this particular time period for historical romances. That being said, I suppose this book had an advantage from the start. I would say the author adequately handled the setting, keeping a good part of the societal conventions of the time intact. Although there wasn’t much development of the setting itself, it didn’t detract as one does not pick up a romance expecting a detailed setting. Furthermore, it wasn’t truly necessary for the purposes of this book. The reader can take enough common knowledge and presumption into the reading of this book to easily get past any lack of development of the setting.
The plot was actually good. I don’t recall having come across a plot in which the heroine of the story has to marry in order to continue running the family business. Nor do I recall a book, especially a romance, in which I haven’t figured out the plot within the first few chapters. It was nice to be kept guessing for a change. As for the pacing, I can’t complain. It wasn’t too fast, nor did it bog down and bore me. I would say it was nicely paced start to finish.
I enjoyed the characters as well. It was nice to see both of the main characters grow and come to new conclusions about their lives and their thoughts on love and marriage. I believe this book is probably a sequel to another book so I won’t complain that the two main supporting characters of Robert and Charlotte Gordon weren’t developed more. I am certain that had I read the first book this wouldn’t have nagged at me in the least. That said, I will say that the villain of the book was a bit clichéd. But this is romance and one expects a certain amount of cliché. And since the clichés in the main characters didn’t bother me at all (in fact I didn’t even think of them until I started writing about the clichéd villain) I will certainly let this cliché pass as well.
As for the author’s actual ability to write decent, well-formed and engaging sentences, which all my readers know is a big deal to me, I will say that the author did well. I do not like scrawny, half-formed paragraphs heavy laden with elementary sentences and vocabulary. Thankfully, Ms. Elliott committed none of those sins. I won’t say the writing is scholarly, but at least there are some complex sentences, mid-range vocabulary and correct grammar for the most part.
All things considered, I would recommend this book to others. In fact, I don’t think I would relegate this book to a beach read/weekend read only category. Certainly it is not on par with the classics, but I still enjoyed the book and think others who enjoy romance would enjoy the book as well. I will say that I would not recommended this book for younger readers. Although the sex is not liberally sprinkled about the book nor is it especially graphic, it is there. At my house this would be relegated to the adult only section. Of course, it is probably far more mild than what most teens see on TV or hear their friends talk about, so it could ultimately be said that perhaps older teen readers could read the book. However, with so many other titles out there I would encourage them to read something else.
February 16, 2019
Nice story
August 5, 2021
Book club challenge complete....read a Mills and Boone. Wasn’t so painful and certain descriptions didn’t end in a ........ either. Don’t tell anyone but I might have actually enjoyed.
September 22, 2022
It dragged a bit too much for me, and I'll never ever ever enjoy romances involving two people endlessly pushing each other away, or trying to hurt each other, because ~*~reasons~*~
April 15, 2025
Meh... a charming romance. Kind of expected situations in this book.
April 12, 2011
Katherine Sutcliff & Lord Benjamin Sinclair
Upon her dad's death, Kate inherited his company but can't publicly run it because she's a woman (set in early 1800's) so she goes to London for the season to find a husband. Ben is brother's best friend who's a vagabond sailor. She's kidnapped twice and he saves her but her reputation is ruined.
Upon her dad's death, Kate inherited his company but can't publicly run it because she's a woman (set in early 1800's) so she goes to London for the season to find a husband. Ben is brother's best friend who's a vagabond sailor. She's kidnapped twice and he saves her but her reputation is ruined.
October 30, 2007
Further proof that I hate romances, but it was intriguing to find out who was stalking her.
January 8, 2009
"When he held her in his arms, her common sense vanished..." (60) describes this book, and many other in its genre, to a T at the moment.
April 6, 2013
Enjoyable if fluffy romance.
But if read in the wrong mood it would be possilbe to be overcome with an urge to kick both or hero & heroine for wanton idiocy.
But if read in the wrong mood it would be possilbe to be overcome with an urge to kick both or hero & heroine for wanton idiocy.
August 29, 2011
An impressive writing style for a Mills and Boon novel. All over top stuff! I hope that my prose will one day be as well crafted as this was.
August 13, 2016
Cute story.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews