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Society Scandals #2

The Rake's Ruined Lady

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DISHONORABLE INTENTIONS ON HIS MIND!

Beatrice Dewey keeps falling for unsuitable men. She believes the man she loved, Hugh Kendrick, is lost to her forever, and now her new fiancé has canceled their wedding!

But then Hugh reenters her life trailing rumors of illicit love affairs in his wake. Instead of marriage, he offers her a very public, passionate kiss! To succumb to his skillful seduction would be the ultimate road to ruin, but is there enough of the old Hugh left to convince Bea to give him another chance?

"The sexual tension between the hero and heroine is palpable." —RT Book Reviews on The Wanton Bride

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

5 people are currently reading
49 people want to read

About the author

Mary Brendan

95 books26 followers

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5 stars
11 (14%)
4 stars
19 (25%)
3 stars
24 (32%)
2 stars
12 (16%)
1 star
8 (10%)
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for Kelly.
1,658 reviews49 followers
September 16, 2014
As you can probably tell from the low rate, I just wasn't taken by this book.

I just couldn't get into Hugh as a leading hero, he was just too obsessed with lusting afer Beatrice, rather than loving her. Generally I felt that Beatrice and Hugh just didn't connect intellectually or emotionally which made their relationship seem shallow. Sure, they said they were in love, but there was no real evidence of that in the novel.

Beatrice was far too much of a wet blanket to even contemplate liking. With all her scowling and frowning and just generally being a stick in the regency mud. I also didn't like that she came across as a poor judge of character, naive and a bit, well, stupid. You need at least one characteristic to get behind, but she didn't seem to have any.

Beatrice and Hugh kept harping on about their passionate past which had ended with tragedy and yet again, this was not developed. There was no evidence, no memories of gropes a midnight, no stolen kisses or romance... not even a limerick!
This gets me to another point which is that the book was all tease and foreplay and no down and dirty action. Their relationship was founded on lust and yet there was no lust going on!


In general then, the plot I have already forgotten, the characters weren't likable and there was no action.
42 reviews
June 1, 2019
Just so bad. It’s a short book. I thought it was going to be a quick, fun read. Instead I got sooooo many random stories that didn’t really contribute to the plot and terrible characters. It was horrendous. Do not read.
Profile Image for Lea.
8 reviews
January 20, 2025
Bad. DNF after few chapters.

Full of modern americanisms and as if written by somebody who got the knowledge of the period of an american adaptation of a dickensian movie. And badly written. No. Just NO.
1,205 reviews
March 14, 2019
Wow such a fun tale with engagements , mistresses, cute baby , interfering friends n family, conniving mother n daughter n all that excludes the main couple n their journey
Profile Image for Rebecca.
244 reviews18 followers
March 17, 2016
Too many people "sensing" things and just trailing off in the middle of a thought... While I enjoyed the plot of both books, I wasn't enjoying the writing style or what I mentioned in my previous sentence. It all took me out of the flow of the story. I loved Hugh, but I kept wavering back and forth on Bea. I would feel bad for her and then she would do something dumb, causing that to vanish. I much preferred Elise and Alex's story, even though it had the same drawbacks.
Profile Image for Harlequin Books.
18.4k reviews2,805 followers
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January 12, 2016
"Regency fans will easily recognize the tried-and-true story of a good girl caught in scandal and a roguish hero with a heart of gold. It’s a plot that always satisfies, and Brendan’s charming characters make the read worthwhile for a warm evening’s pleasure" (RT Book Reviews).

Miniseries: Society Scandals
146 reviews1 follower
December 31, 2016
Another good one by Mary Brendan. A nice young lady finds it hard to find a partner for marriage for various reasons. She gets jilted again by someone she trusts only to fall again in love with the first man she fell in love with and this time her first love is fighting for keeps even though he initially thinks only temporary.
Good story nice characters. I liked reading the novel
Profile Image for Jessica.
1,219 reviews40 followers
August 14, 2018
I knew it that I won't really like this book from the beginning. It was quite boring. Sorry to say this. :(


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Second time reading, it was okay. not too boring, but I was hoping for an happy-ending epilogue. it would be a very sweet closing.
Profile Image for Pamela Fernandes.
Author 36 books107 followers
April 3, 2017
This book has all the twists and turns. It keeps you turning the pages. Bea has just been jilted by her fiancee and her former flame, Hugh who also backed out of making her an offer is back. She hates to admit that she still loves him even though he has paramours all over the city and India. The book is quite interesting in that Bea is a mixed bag. She's level headed and impulsive, and then says some of the most interesting things. Hugh can be a stinging in his remarks, but otherwise makes for a good hero.The romance is okay but its the suspense that makes it work.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews

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