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Snowbound with the Notorious Rake
One wicked Christmas night
Trapped by a blizzard, the sight of notorious rogue Sir Lawrence Daunton almost makes school teacher Rose Westerhill turn back into the snow! When it becomes apparent she has nowhere else to go Rose accepts his offer of shelter, vowing to remain indifferent to his practiced charm.
But as the temperature outside drops, she finds the wicked rake's sizzling seduction impossible to resist. For one stolen night Rose abandons her principles and her body! to his expert ministrations. Christmas with the rakish Lawrence promises to be a thoroughly improper yuletide celebration.
Trapped by a blizzard, the sight of notorious rogue Sir Lawrence Daunton almost makes school teacher Rose Westerhill turn back into the snow! When it becomes apparent she has nowhere else to go Rose accepts his offer of shelter, vowing to remain indifferent to his practiced charm.
But as the temperature outside drops, she finds the wicked rake's sizzling seduction impossible to resist. For one stolen night Rose abandons her principles and her body! to his expert ministrations. Christmas with the rakish Lawrence promises to be a thoroughly improper yuletide celebration.
281 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
3 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Mallory
211 books117 followersSarah Mallory is the pen name for Melinda Hammond.
Born in Bristol, England, UK, she grew up telling stories. She would make up adventures to relate to her school friends during break times and lunch hours, and she was once caught scribbling a story instead of listening to the French lesson. As a punishment, her teacher made her translate the story into French! She left school at sixteen and worked in offices as varied as stockbrokers, marine engineers, insurance brokers, biscuit manufacturers and even a quarrying company.
She married at nineteen, but continued to work until the birth of her first child. It was at that time that she decided to try her hand at her first love—writing, and shortly after the birth of her daughter she had her first book, Fortune's Lady, published under the pen name of Melinda Hammond. This was quickly followed by two more historical novels, Summer Charade and Autumn Bride, but with the birth of her twin sons the demands of family life meant that writing had to take a backseat for a few years. A compulsive scribbler, she never stopped writing and continued to work on research for her novels, experimenting with contemporary scenarios as well as writing pantomimes for her children's school. In 1989 the family moved to an isolated Pennine farmhouse in West Yorkshire, not far from Brontë country, where the family expanded to include a dog, two gerbils and a dozen chickens. The growing family needed funding and she went back to work full-time. The writing had to be put on hold.
Then, in March 2000, Sarah stepped off a curb and landed in hospital with one ankle broken and one badly sprained. This laid her up on a sofa for twelve weeks and gave her the time she needed to finish a novel. She wrote as Melinda Hammond and Maid of Honour was published the same year. Since then she has never looked back. She's published more than a dozen books under this pen name and has won the Reviewers' Choice Award in 2005 from Singletitles.com for Dance for a Diamond. Her novel Gentlemen in Question was a Historical Novel Society Editors' Choice Title in November 2006. In 2012 her novel The Dangerous Lord Darrington won the Love Story of the Year by the Romantic Novelists' Association. She is now concentrating on writing romantic historical adventures for Mills & Boon.
Born in Bristol, England, UK, she grew up telling stories. She would make up adventures to relate to her school friends during break times and lunch hours, and she was once caught scribbling a story instead of listening to the French lesson. As a punishment, her teacher made her translate the story into French! She left school at sixteen and worked in offices as varied as stockbrokers, marine engineers, insurance brokers, biscuit manufacturers and even a quarrying company.
She married at nineteen, but continued to work until the birth of her first child. It was at that time that she decided to try her hand at her first love—writing, and shortly after the birth of her daughter she had her first book, Fortune's Lady, published under the pen name of Melinda Hammond. This was quickly followed by two more historical novels, Summer Charade and Autumn Bride, but with the birth of her twin sons the demands of family life meant that writing had to take a backseat for a few years. A compulsive scribbler, she never stopped writing and continued to work on research for her novels, experimenting with contemporary scenarios as well as writing pantomimes for her children's school. In 1989 the family moved to an isolated Pennine farmhouse in West Yorkshire, not far from Brontë country, where the family expanded to include a dog, two gerbils and a dozen chickens. The growing family needed funding and she went back to work full-time. The writing had to be put on hold.
Then, in March 2000, Sarah stepped off a curb and landed in hospital with one ankle broken and one badly sprained. This laid her up on a sofa for twelve weeks and gave her the time she needed to finish a novel. She wrote as Melinda Hammond and Maid of Honour was published the same year. Since then she has never looked back. She's published more than a dozen books under this pen name and has won the Reviewers' Choice Award in 2005 from Singletitles.com for Dance for a Diamond. Her novel Gentlemen in Question was a Historical Novel Society Editors' Choice Title in November 2006. In 2012 her novel The Dangerous Lord Darrington won the Love Story of the Year by the Romantic Novelists' Association. She is now concentrating on writing romantic historical adventures for Mills & Boon.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 28, 2016
3.5 stars rounded up
I picked up Snowbound With the Notorious Rake because I generally enjoy books by Sarah Mallory and because I was in the mood for something wintry right after Christmas. Although the story begins during a Yuletide snowstorm, it actually spans a year and isn’t especially Christmassy, so I didn’t feel weird reading it in January! It’s a fairly predictable story but a well-written one and the relationship between the central characters is imbued with a real sense of longing and sensuality.
The eponymous rake is Sir Lawrence Daunton, who has holed himself up at his hunting box in the wilds of Exmoor in order to avoid spending Christmas with his family. They love him and he loves them, but since the death of his fiancée fourteen months previously, he has found it difficult to spend time with them because they suffocate him with their sympathy and condolences, and because he feels incredibly guilty at having neglected Annabelle while he lived a life of dissipation and idleness in London.
He’s settling in for an evening by the fire with a bottle, when a knock at the door throws his plans for a quiet, gently drunken mope into disarray. An attractive young woman is on the doorstep, her coach having taken a wrong turn in the snowstorm, and by now, the weather is so bad that it is not possible for her to continue her journey.
Rose Westerhill is a widow who lives in the village of Mersecombe some ten miles away, where she is the local school teacher. She is initially alarmed at the prospect of spending time alone with a man whose name regularly appears in the gossip rags, but is soon surprised to discover that Lawrence is nothing like she would have supposed. He’s kind and funny, and while he does make a few flirtatious remarks, she knows she is safe with him. Over the few days they are stuck together, they talk and laugh and get to know each other a little, and Rose is disturbed to find that she is very attracted to him. The feeling is most definitely mutual, and the couple agrees to one night together, after which they will go their separate ways.
But next morning, Lawrence finds it isn’t easy to let Rose go, and wants to see her again. However, she is adamant. She has a respectable life in Merescombe and her young son to look after; and besides, she doesn’t believe that a man of Lawrence’s reputation can reform. Her late husband was a womaniser and gambler, and she has first-hand experience of the misery that can accompany loving such a man.
Rose returns home to her school, her son Sam, and her fiancé, shipping merchant, Magnus Emsleigh, haunted by dreams of the handsome rake she thinks never to see again. So ten months later, the last thing she expects is to come face to face with Lawrence in her own sitting room.
Lawrence has been busy during those ten months, attending to business and to his estates, his previous lifestyle having lost its attraction for him. When a friend – the brother of Lawrence’s late fiancée – asks him to look into the matter of a ship lost in suspicious circumstances, he is initially dismissive, wondering how he can have anything to contribute to such an investigation. But when he discovers that the ship was owned by Magnus Emsleigh, and that many of the crew lived in and around Merescombe, he changes his mind in the hope of seeing Rose again.
The story proceeds fairly much as one might expect, with Lawrence striking up a friendship with Sam, something Magnus has never managed, believing that children should be seen and not heard, and coming to realise, from talking to the locals and the captain and crew of the Sealark that something is indeed not quite right, and that there is an insurance fraud being perpetrated. Rose avoids him when she can, afraid of her growing feelings for a man whose past is far from a shining example of respectability. Her fears are natural given her past experiences, but she is a little too intractable, seeming to want to believe the worst of Lawrence, even though he is doing his best to show her that he is a changed man. Yet the attraction between them is impossible to deny, and Rose eventually comes to admit that perhaps she was wrong and that it IS possible for a man of dissolute habits to reform.
The book is well-written and the central characters are engaging and well developed, in spite of Rose’s insistence on believing the worst of Lawrence until fairly late on in the story. On the downside, the identity of the villain is fairly obvious and the ending is overly dramatic, but that didn’t take anything away from my overall enjoyment. Most of all, I liked that while Rose was the catalyst for Lawrence’s decision that he wanted to live a different life, she wasn’t the only reason and it was a change he wanted to make for himself as well.
Snowbound with the Notorious Rake isn’t a taxing read, but it’s an enjoyable one, and I certainly didn’t regret the couple of hours I spent on it.
NB- this title doesn't seem to be available singly any more; it's secondhand paperbacks, or it's available in One Snowy Regency Christmas
with A Regency Christmas Carol by Christine Merrill.
I picked up Snowbound With the Notorious Rake because I generally enjoy books by Sarah Mallory and because I was in the mood for something wintry right after Christmas. Although the story begins during a Yuletide snowstorm, it actually spans a year and isn’t especially Christmassy, so I didn’t feel weird reading it in January! It’s a fairly predictable story but a well-written one and the relationship between the central characters is imbued with a real sense of longing and sensuality.
The eponymous rake is Sir Lawrence Daunton, who has holed himself up at his hunting box in the wilds of Exmoor in order to avoid spending Christmas with his family. They love him and he loves them, but since the death of his fiancée fourteen months previously, he has found it difficult to spend time with them because they suffocate him with their sympathy and condolences, and because he feels incredibly guilty at having neglected Annabelle while he lived a life of dissipation and idleness in London.
He’s settling in for an evening by the fire with a bottle, when a knock at the door throws his plans for a quiet, gently drunken mope into disarray. An attractive young woman is on the doorstep, her coach having taken a wrong turn in the snowstorm, and by now, the weather is so bad that it is not possible for her to continue her journey.
Rose Westerhill is a widow who lives in the village of Mersecombe some ten miles away, where she is the local school teacher. She is initially alarmed at the prospect of spending time alone with a man whose name regularly appears in the gossip rags, but is soon surprised to discover that Lawrence is nothing like she would have supposed. He’s kind and funny, and while he does make a few flirtatious remarks, she knows she is safe with him. Over the few days they are stuck together, they talk and laugh and get to know each other a little, and Rose is disturbed to find that she is very attracted to him. The feeling is most definitely mutual, and the couple agrees to one night together, after which they will go their separate ways.
But next morning, Lawrence finds it isn’t easy to let Rose go, and wants to see her again. However, she is adamant. She has a respectable life in Merescombe and her young son to look after; and besides, she doesn’t believe that a man of Lawrence’s reputation can reform. Her late husband was a womaniser and gambler, and she has first-hand experience of the misery that can accompany loving such a man.
Rose returns home to her school, her son Sam, and her fiancé, shipping merchant, Magnus Emsleigh, haunted by dreams of the handsome rake she thinks never to see again. So ten months later, the last thing she expects is to come face to face with Lawrence in her own sitting room.
Lawrence has been busy during those ten months, attending to business and to his estates, his previous lifestyle having lost its attraction for him. When a friend – the brother of Lawrence’s late fiancée – asks him to look into the matter of a ship lost in suspicious circumstances, he is initially dismissive, wondering how he can have anything to contribute to such an investigation. But when he discovers that the ship was owned by Magnus Emsleigh, and that many of the crew lived in and around Merescombe, he changes his mind in the hope of seeing Rose again.
The story proceeds fairly much as one might expect, with Lawrence striking up a friendship with Sam, something Magnus has never managed, believing that children should be seen and not heard, and coming to realise, from talking to the locals and the captain and crew of the Sealark that something is indeed not quite right, and that there is an insurance fraud being perpetrated. Rose avoids him when she can, afraid of her growing feelings for a man whose past is far from a shining example of respectability. Her fears are natural given her past experiences, but she is a little too intractable, seeming to want to believe the worst of Lawrence, even though he is doing his best to show her that he is a changed man. Yet the attraction between them is impossible to deny, and Rose eventually comes to admit that perhaps she was wrong and that it IS possible for a man of dissolute habits to reform.
The book is well-written and the central characters are engaging and well developed, in spite of Rose’s insistence on believing the worst of Lawrence until fairly late on in the story. On the downside, the identity of the villain is fairly obvious and the ending is overly dramatic, but that didn’t take anything away from my overall enjoyment. Most of all, I liked that while Rose was the catalyst for Lawrence’s decision that he wanted to live a different life, she wasn’t the only reason and it was a change he wanted to make for himself as well.
Snowbound with the Notorious Rake isn’t a taxing read, but it’s an enjoyable one, and I certainly didn’t regret the couple of hours I spent on it.
NB- this title doesn't seem to be available singly any more; it's secondhand paperbacks, or it's available in One Snowy Regency Christmas
with A Regency Christmas Carol by Christine Merrill.
November 17, 2011
The blurb is seriously misleading. I mean, yes, all of it happens - woman caught in blizzard, spends Christmas alone with notorious rake, yadda yadda. Fun. But that was, like, the first 3 chapters and then there was a murder mystery and villains and being caught at gunpoint, and that was unexpected. A mostly fun read, I like this author, but more snowbound next time, please.
November 24, 2014
I found this book on some list of 'best romance novels of all time'. I think it's a good book, but it all depends on how you read it.
It's not literature. The story is very thin. The female heroin infuriated me by times. How could she be so clueless and superficial? I loved her son though who was very bright and honest.
The men in the story were okay. The 'rake' from the title was a believable character. His opponent was a bit too shallow, too caricature.
All in all it was a fun book to read. If you're looking for a few hours of mindless entertainment, this is perfect for you. And I felt really smart figuring out what was going on, about 100 pages before the heroine did :D
It's not literature. The story is very thin. The female heroin infuriated me by times. How could she be so clueless and superficial? I loved her son though who was very bright and honest.
The men in the story were okay. The 'rake' from the title was a believable character. His opponent was a bit too shallow, too caricature.
All in all it was a fun book to read. If you're looking for a few hours of mindless entertainment, this is perfect for you. And I felt really smart figuring out what was going on, about 100 pages before the heroine did :D
January 14, 2018
A fast-paced romance set in Regency times, which made for a quick read. Not recommended if you are looking for major intrigue, or period descriptive in the novel (dress, politics, personalities, etc.)
September 18, 2018
2,5 stelle
December 20, 2019
yeah.. Not as well written as the others I read (this year). And that's quite and achievement considering this a just a sappy romance story.
April 7, 2025
Very nice story
November 26, 2011
Completely unoriginal but exquisitely written historical romance. From the reluctant strangers stranded in an inaccessible but cozy hideaway, through the will-she-won't-she, does-he-doesn't-he dithering development, to the dramatic pistol-packing standoff, this narrative runs on well-worn rails.
So well-worn that the first hint of the eventual outcome jars like a bump in an otherwise comfortable ride.
Some of the dialogue struck me as anachronistic, and the OED would seem to agree, but this is a minor distraction compared to the joyful quality of the writing. Ms Mallory seems to write effortlessly and sweeps the reader along through a rich landscape of vivid, almost tactile descriptions.
Who cares if the story is an oldie-but-goldie -- with a singer of this quality almost any song would sound great.
So well-worn that the first hint of the eventual outcome jars like a bump in an otherwise comfortable ride.
Some of the dialogue struck me as anachronistic, and the OED would seem to agree, but this is a minor distraction compared to the joyful quality of the writing. Ms Mallory seems to write effortlessly and sweeps the reader along through a rich landscape of vivid, almost tactile descriptions.
Who cares if the story is an oldie-but-goldie -- with a singer of this quality almost any song would sound great.
December 19, 2011
One of the best-written and enjoyable Harlequin historicals to hit the shelves in months is Sarah Mallory’s holiday offering Snowbound with the Notorious Rake. Other books might be about romance, but this tender and touching tale is about love. The plot is tightly written, the emotions are genuine and memorable, and the heat level is a beautiful joining of bodies as well as souls. A mystery and good sub-characters round out the plot. If you’re looking for a good read for a winter’s—or any other—day, Snowbound won’t disappoint.
July 28, 2019
Mais um clichê gostosinho
Mais um livro daqueles que se lê entre um mais forte e outro. Uma história leve, mas que prende muito a atenção. Um notório libertino, uma viúva quase puritana (quase), uma tempestade de neve, um noivo interesseiro e uma criança linda... mistura perfeita para uma boa diversão.
Recomendo...
Mais um livro daqueles que se lê entre um mais forte e outro. Uma história leve, mas que prende muito a atenção. Um notório libertino, uma viúva quase puritana (quase), uma tempestade de neve, um noivo interesseiro e uma criança linda... mistura perfeita para uma boa diversão.
Recomendo...
March 31, 2012
Really not enough believable conflict to support the length of the novel.
Read the review on Truth Beauty Freedom and Books>>>
Read the review on Truth Beauty Freedom and Books>>>
August 9, 2016
This book was adorable, and I didn't want to stop reading it. The hero is a reforming rogue with a bad reputation who finds in the heroine a goal - be better in order to be worthy of her.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews