As Rich as a Rogue

Rakes and Rogues #3

by Jade Lee

A most unusual wager

Mari Powel's fiery Welsh temper is up. Peter Norwood, Lord Whitly, is back in town after six years romping around India making his fortune. Mari blames him for her social downfall and has spent all this time clawing her way back into the ton's good graces. How dare he show up on his first day back and publicly embroil her in a bet involving long-awaited apologies, illicit kisses, and Lady Illston's unruly parakeet? Mari is outraged, and is going to show him-and everyone else-what she's made of. Little does she know, the unrepentant Lord Whitly has been dreaming of her all this time. Now he'll do anything to win the wager-along with Mari's heart.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Adult, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Enemies To Lovers

416 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 2, 2016

About the author

Librarian Note: Also writes under the pen name Kathy Lyons.

A USA Today Bestseller, JADE LEE has been scripting love stories since she first picked up a set of paper dolls. Ball gowns and rakish lords caught her attention early (thank you Georgette Heyer), and her fascination with the Regency began. An author of more than 40 romance novels and winner of dozens of industry awards, her latest series is RAKES AND ROGUES. The first one, 50 WAYS TO RUIN A RAKE, is an awesome tale of love and laughter.
And don’t forget Kathy Lyons.. She’s Jade’s paranormal half. Check out her new shifter series GRIZZLIES GONE WILD.
To find all the latest news on Jade or Kathy, visit them at www.jadeleeauthor.com or www.kathylyons.com! And find out where you can meet her at: http://jadeleeauthor.com/appearances

Reviews

[XxTainaxX Curvy and Nerdy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook review. Sometimes book titles make no darn sense. Especially when it ends up having nothing to do with the story. The "rogue" who is not really a rogue is actually a lot of bit broke. Title issue aside, I actually quite enjoyed this read for the most part. The heroine, Mari, was a woman out of her time. Forward thinking, smart, supportive, and kind. She and our hero, Peter, clash at a ball and that event changes both of them in an irreversible way. 6 years later, Peter returns with new purpose and they cross paths again. From parakeets to bar fights these two go through quite the adventure to move forward. In the process, their feelings grow and it's sweet to watch. Peter was a great hero. He was determined, humble, thoughtful, patient, and honest. At times, even to his detriment. The plot was engaging and flowed well. The prose was excellent and the narrator did a great job conveying this. I found the heroine to be frustrating at times, especially when she refused to see what was in her heart. All in all a solid read. Safety: No OW/Sharing. h is considering the suit of OM. She and OM kiss. h is a V. No rape or abuse.

[Bambi Unbridled · Rating 3 out of 5]

Six years ago during her first season, Mari Powel was deemed the Wayward Welsh by Peter Norwood, Lord Whitly. The moniker has prevented her from finding a suitable husband, so suffice it to say that she does not have amiable feelings toward Lord Whitly. Good thing he left the country.

Mari comes from a wealthy, but untitled, Welsh family. As nouveau riche and a father who works, her family is seen as somewhat gauche among the ton. Trying to overcome the Wayward Welsh moniker, for six long years Mari has tried to be the opposite of wayward. She doesn't speak her opinion, she wears bland and boring colors, she pulls her hear back in a severe bun, and she spends most balls doting on the dowagers. In a last ditch attempt to find the right husband, she has engaged Lady Elinor to help her be more circumspect. I felt bad for Mari that she had to try to suppress all her natural instincts and desires... but I enjoyed when her wayward nature burst forth and she found herself disguised as a bar maid, sneaking around the bad part of town or engaging in other unladylike behaviors.

Peter Norwood, Lord Whitly, is the heir to the Earl of Sommerfield. Shortly after he called Mari wayward to a potential suitor, she eviscerated him on the dance floor causing him to leave the country and try to make something of himself in India. Unfortunately, he has come home from India with a good reputation but no money. He also has a plan to take a wife... but he quickly learns that the woman he decided on six years ago now hates him. I liked Peter, though the title of the book threw me off. Peter was neither rich, nor did he act very roguish. To the contrary, he was quite honorably broke. He had grand ideals for the future of Sommerfield, and a strong moral compass when it came to corruption in ton.

The romance between Peter and Mari was hot and cold... but it wasn't quite an enemies to lovers situation. Mari definitely could hold a grudge, and she acted immature at times... but this was somewhat balanced by Peter's steadfast determination to make her his bride. The wager between the two regarding Lady Ilston's parakeet really took a back burner in the story after the initial hullaboo. Instead we focused on Peter's investigation into his father's activities, which allowed Mari to let down her hair and have some excitement in her life. I was missing some of the humor in this book that was present in the previous installments... but I guess Mari's attempts at being circumspect stifled any humorous behavior.

I do wish that Lady Elinor's background and family connections were mentioned earlier in the book - I had forgotten who she was and didn't realize it until pretty late in the book when the sailor duke was mentioned.

I switched back and forth between ebook and audiobook on this one. The narrator, Elizabeth Bidwell, did a good job with the audio performance. She affected believable male and female personas and gave each character their own sound. So the audio had no problems holding my attention, even when the story dragged a bit.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars / 3 flames. Full review posted at Bambi Unbridled.

[Tracy Emro · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book - much more than the previous two.

For six long years, Mari has hated Peter, Lord Whitly. He labeled her at the wayward welsh. For the past six years Mari has worked hard to be a "proper lady". Shortly after they meet, Peter leaves for India.

Mari wants nothing more than to marry and start her own family - but she believes that being the "wayward welsh" has left her unmarried and she blames Peter for that. Now Peter is back and he wants Mari.

Mari and Peter enter into a wager in the day of their reunion and old gossip springs back to life - much to Mari's dismay.

As Mari gets to know Peter, she realizes that she may have misjudged him and she begins to fall for him.

There is a lot going on in this book and Ms. Lee doesn't let the reader know what Peter is doing, so we learn bits and pieces of his story and his plans as Mari finds out.

This book is sweet without being fluffy, yet serious without being dark. There are laugh out loud moments, heartbreaking moments, steamy moments, tender moments, tense moments and moments of danger and then finally a very hard won HEA.

This book is part of a series, but th only connection between the books is Lady Eleanor, who plays a minor role in each story.

I would definitely recommend this book and look forward to what Ms. Lee has in store next!

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mari Powel makes a wager with Lord Whitly, a childhood friend recently returned from India. She’s always regarded him with resentment over harsh words he’d said in the past, and she means to make him pay for them. However, she didn’t realize those words were meant to protect her. Nor did Lord Whitly mean for others to overhear and give her a wayward reputation based on his comments. He’s always regarded Mari with the highest regard and intends to marry her. But can she overcome their past to accept a future together? Well-drawn characters and a mystery regarding Lord Whitly’s father make this a pleasant read.

[Jaci · Rating 4 out of 5]

One wrong word or a made up tidbit of gossip can ruin a young lady's season and the rest of her life. That is what happens to Mari Powel at her first ball after her come out. She is labeled the Wayward Welsh by Peter Norwood, Lord Whitly. For the next six years she hid her true self behind a facade of a boring, proper lady.
She wants to get married and prove that she can be an asset to her husband.

After over 5 years in India, Peter is back in England. He went to India to prove he is not a useless and has come back to woo the woman he fell in love with. His first day back he runs into the woman who owns his heart and makes a wager with her that involves a parakett and a kiss.

I really enjoyed this book, a lovely romance with witty dialogue and a wonderful romance.

Received a complimentary copy for an honest review.

[AnnMarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Rich as A Rogue is the third book in the 'Rakes and Rogues' series by Jade Lee. The book can easily be read as a stand alone one, but I am sure after reading this one, you will want to go back and read the others if you haven't already.

This is the story of Mari Powel and Peter Norwod, Lord Whitly. Mari is a proud Welsh woman who has always had a strong idea of the kind of man she wanted to marry. Her family is wealthy, and she stands to have an excellent dowry. So the first thing on her list of the type of men she didn't want to marry was a fortune hunter. Sadly her pick of husbands became much decreased 6 years ago when Peter Norwood did something unforgivable. Something that made her life change for the worse. They had a terrible argument back then, which not only hurt her, but it hurt Peter too.

After Mari accuses him of being a waste of space, he decides to run away to India where he works as a tax collector for the English. Not a simple job by any means, and in his time over there Peter changed from being a carefree, selfish scoundrel, to a man with responsibilities, a man matured, hardened by what he has had to see and do. In all that time he has never forgotten Mari, nor his love for her, and he hopes the changes in him will help her see him in a better light. He wants to marry her more now than ever.

On his first day back to London he runs into Mari in Hyde Park. She is carrying a bird cage with a parakeet in it for a well known lady in society, Lady Illston. Carrying the bird is one way to keep in the good graces of the 'ton'. As soon as the bird sees Peter it squawks 'winner winner' which gets Mari to notice him. She can't believe that he is back in London and when he approaches her, all wit and charm, she can't help but give him a piece of her mind. He doesn't have any idea why she is so angry with him, and somehow during their heated conversation they end up making a wager over the bird. If she can teach the bird to say something then he will apologise to her in front of everybody at Lady Ilston's upcoming ball. He will have to get down on his knees, with a bouquet of flowers and Mari won't let him stand until she has accepted his apology. If Peter can get the bird to say something too, and wins, Mari has to promise to kiss him, a chaste kiss of course, in front of everybody. They whisper their chosen words to Lady Ilston and so starts the fun and games.

Along side the bet there is trouble afoot involving Peter's father. He has pretty much depleted the family coffers, and is doing something, possibly illegal to have enough money to live on, though not pay his many debts off. Peter is determined to find out what is going on, and while remembering his pursuit of Mari, he is also making every effort to find out what his father is up to, and stop him. Will he achieve his goals?

This book is great because there are the fun, light-hearted moments, most of them involving the Parakeet. Great scenes where Mari tries to teach it one thing, and it continues to say something else. There are also some scenes where peoples' lives are in danger, and of course the mystery behind what Peter's father is doing. Add into all that the very passionate relationship that is developing between our hero and heroine and you have a book that you won't be able to read fast enough to find out how it ends.
The sex scenes in the book are not for those that like their romances with sex behind closed doors, but they are written very well and totally within context of the relationship that Peter has with Mari.

I loved this book and Jade Lee is definitely on my list of favourite authors.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Marsha Keeper Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed at Keeper Bookshelf

Oh, what a delicious time a wager over a parakeet will get Mari and Peter into. For six long years Mari has been hiding her natural self behind dull, drab clothing, an unflattering hair style and a difficult to maintain at times quiet, biddable personality transplant. All to work her way back into the good graces of the ton. Without a titled family, and only her family riches to back her, Mari’s choices for a suitable marriage were quite damaged by one annoying man all those years ago. Wayward Welsh indeed. Had he truly no idea what such a comment could do to a lady’s reputation in London! It was beside the point that she’d cut him down to size as well. Peter had left London to head to India to make his fortune, Mari remained in London to try to repair the damage they both had done to her marriage chances.

Peter has returned to England. A changed man in many ways, but a man still in love with the little spitfire he’d left behind. He intended to make Mari his wife and didn’t see where that would be all that difficult to achieve… until his return six years later, and he got an earful of exactly what his lady love thought of him. Now, he not only has this silly wager to win but also is determined to discover what his father has been doing with the family’s finances. Nothing good, that’s for certain. Peter may have changed, but Mari has as well – and in his opinion, not for the better. He wants his spitfire wayward woman back – and he’s going to enjoy every moment of bring his love back to herself and into his heart.

I enjoyed As Rich As A Rogue very much. Mari is a delightful character. She’s sassy, stubborn and quite willingly gets into mischief. She may have attempted to change her outward appearance for the world she lived in, but within she was still that little spitfire that Peter had wronged with a, to him, simple comment. Peter had matured during his time away and while he understood Mari, he also knew that they would be perfect for each other. He had to get past her anger in order for her to see what was so clear to him.

This entire series has been such fun to read, and this story simply adds to that enjoyment. If you love Regency romance then As Rich As A Rogue should be on your radar.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I
think of this novel. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this story.*

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW

Rakes & Rogues book three. If you missed the first two that’s okay it is perfect as a standalone. Jade Lee brings a horrible situation and remedies it hilariously. At the very beginning you want to hate Peter Norwood, Mari Powell was given a horrible nickname by someone she once liked, but once she overheard him saying bad things about her and her sister she vowed never to forgive him. Mari lived the last six years trying to overcome the name The Wayward Welsh. I wasn’t inclined to kind feeling toward him after his first introduction either; it wasn’t until about halfway through I thought, well damn he is a nice guy. I think one of the most annoying things about Peter was that he was completely oblivious to the harm he caused and didn’t even take the blame for it after he acknowledged it. But the ending was kind of sweet. There is a fine line between love and hate and I think that’s why I enjoy love/hate tropes as much as I do. It’s always enjoyable to see the slow or sudden realization that the characters feelings are not what they thought and after all this time the hurt gets mended and the true feelings are allowed to emerge. That’s what happened with Mari. Peter on the other hand had good intentions when he said what he did, he just said them to the biggest gossip in the known world and his good intentions were taken wrong. In retaliation Mari called him a bunch of names and Peter realized she was right and he left to make something of himself. Now six years later he is back a man who has made a name of himself and now he wants a wife and the only one that he wants is Mari. He just has to convince her of that. How? He is going to do that is with a bet.

The bet, who can teach the bird their phrase will win. Mari would win an apology from Peter on bended knee for giving her the horrid nickname. But if Peter should win he would get a kiss from Mari and so starts his seduction and admitting to Mari why he did what he did.

Overall, the book was funny with a sweet ending. Jade Lee is a great writer she’s always entertaining.

[Ajb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! The main characters, Peter and Mari, both have enough faults to be realistic, and the story line has enough twists and turns to keep a reader interested. I wanted to tell Peter to express himself more, and Mari to stop overthinking and analyzing everything.
There is a strong sense of period portrayed, with the less attractive parts of London honestly described, as well as some of the dangers. If you enjoy Regency romance, this is the book for you!
I received a copy of this book from eBook Discovery in exchange for an honest review.

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this from Netgalley/ Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This is book 3 in a series. I had not read the other two but I was able to follow along quite well. I just did not enjoy it. The story was hard to fall in love with. Peter was just a jerk for much of the book and Mari was kind of ridiculous sometimes. It was just an okay read for me.

[MeiLing · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mari and Peter were both irritating but the tolerable kind.

[Kati · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I had some issue with some of the emotional inconsistencies going on in this story, over all, I liked the interplay between Mari and Peter. It would seem that Mari should've been a bit more emotionally mature than she was, but given that the author sort of addressed that and gave some backstory explaining why the emotional maturity wasn't greater, I can forgive a 24 year old heroine acting like a 16 year old more than I would usually like. Peter..... Needs to learn to talk things through with those he cares about. I guess it's this inconsistency in emotion and lack of real stability between the main characters that causes me to give this only 4 stars instead of 5. I was left really wishing these two characters would get some serious couples counseling, because ultimately their lack of ability to communicate would come back to bite them hard. Too much of their relationship was based on chemistry, too little on real comprehension of each other.

The final reveal was fun, however. I loved that the words that Peter was teaching Greenie were words that would mean so much, not some spiteful or risque phrase as we're led to believe from the beginning.

I honestly couldn't tell you why I'm giving this book 4 stars instead of the 3 that I almost feel it deserves, except I liked it well enough that I'll look for the next book in this series, and that feeling of continued interest in the book-world always leads to more stars rather than less.

[J9 · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I almost quit this one. I felt like I kept missing something. I found myself rereading paragraphs to make sure I knew what was going on, but then realized it was Lee's writing style. Not bad, just different. She does a lot of inferring while in the midst of dialogue, and I'm more used to romance authors assuming we're stupid and telling us exactly what's going on. So this was new to me. Once I got used to it, and understood what she was trying to do, I really enjoyed it.

By the end of the book, I was so enthralled with the story line, I ended up reading the 2nd half of the book all in one weekend, just to see how it ended. I love romance books where it's not necessarily just about the romance, but has a good plot and storyline. This one definitely has it. Both people are definitely hiding secrets and there is a mystery to unfold as well. Very interesting, had me sitting at the edge of my seat, wondering what was going to happen next. Great read, and am looking forward to reading more of Lee.

[Michelle Padilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book through Goodreads Giveaways. I really enjoyed the story of Lord Whitly and Mari. Mari is a Welsh lady with no title but has money. She blames Lord Whitly for her social downfall with the ton. For 6 years she has felt that she isn't good enough for the ton and that no titled man will marry her. Lord Whitly has a few secrets that no one knows and he is back after 6 years of living in India. Can Lord Whitly get in the good graces of Mari? Can Mari forgive Lord Whitly, while trying to find a husband?

[Deb Diem · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Rich As A Rogue is a phenomenal historical romance by Jade Lee. Ms. Lee has provided readers with a well-written book populated with a cast of characters that is entertaining and lovable, right down to the sassy bird. Mari was insulted by Peter, Lord Whitly, before he left for India. Six years later he returns and drags her into a bet with witnesses. Mari and Peter's story is packed with drama, humor, sizzle and action. I love this book and look forward to my next book by Jade Lee.

I read a print copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Evonne Hutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely Regency novel that flows quite smoothly. Several interesting twists that came as a surprise. Mainly it is the story of a woman finding not only romance and sexual fulfillment, but herself. Her hero is perhaps somewhat too much of a crusader to his own determent as the Ton only accept those that meet their criteria. However fortunately for him, he utterly did not understand the power of the woman he called the Wayward Welsh.
I am looking forward to reading more from the same author

[Celz Lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Entertaining. I find myself laughing hard. Written for the modern generation to describe the life, culture and traditions of the 1800s. It’s well written that I could visualize the characters and the surroundings in my mind. The hilarious situations made me laugh out loud. Mari hate Peter because of a comment while Peter suffered more than her because of what she said 6 years ago. A clash between the strong and the weak, the powerful and the one discriminated- the way they think and feel. It’s a funny story with a message.

[Sandra R · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Well written and interesting romance. It was quite different and I enjoyed the parrot. Some intrigue in the poorer part of London's docks and I liked that the hero was the heir and pretty poor. Lots of steamy scenes. Some fun banter.

[Booklover · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meri & Peter

Silly bet with a talking parrot.

This is the third in the series and also the third of Jade Lee's novels that I've read. While the characters and general set up are sufficiently varied, the overall plot has become predictable and formulaic to me.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mmm, it was fun.

I liked it.
I liked Mari's wit, I liked Peter's honesty, I liked Ash's loyalty, I liked it.
I liked the love portion in it, that Peter knew his love and was set to get it, that he loved Mari as a person with thoughts and many facets.
I liked it.

[Marie Piper · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully written book - Mari and Peter are fire, and the whole thing kicks off with a wager over who can teach a bird a phrase first, so... :)

[V · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

[Iris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Badly written. The book contradicts itself in every other line.

[Karena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Joyce Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't like the way it ended, it left loose ends.

[Davida Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore anything by Jade Lee.

[Mel · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF.

[Joann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good read

[DemetraP · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was lighthearted and hilarious. The hero is determined to marry the hero and she's just as determined to marry anyone else, as long as it's not him. There is a wager in the first few pages where the hero and heroine both have to try to teach a green parakeet to speak a new phrase. If he wins, he gets a kiss. If she wins, he has to apologize on bended knee, with flowers, for giving her the nickname The Wayward Welsh.

In another scene he goes to see her father to ask for her hand and the dad's reaction is awesome. Let's just say I learned there is an Indian liquor called Bengal.

I loved the ending. If you're looking for a book without angst, this is the book for you. SPOILER
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
S
.............................The heroine tried to teach the parakeet to say "Happy Day" The hero knew she wasn't doing very well so he bribed the butler to feed the parakeet apple and teach it Happy Day so the heroine would win the bet. Then the hero had the parakeet say his phrase, "Marry me." From the very beginning of the book he was trying to get her to marry him. Awww. How sweet.

[Ki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great addition to the series. Jade Lee definitely knows how to write sexy snokin scenes for her characters. It's Jade Lee after all!

And my ultimate favorite scenes are the kisses. I can never get enough of the kiss scenes and I just have to say that Jade is a master at First Kisses. Gosh those kisses are magical and heart stoppingly breathtaking. It can definitely melt your panties. And to think she couldn't top anymore kiss scenes from her previous book!

Anyways, moving on, both Mari and Peter where very likable characters. I love that Peter from the start has his head on straight and knows what he wants and aims for it -- Mari's hand in marriage. He's brilliant, rational, and ain't afraid to speak about feelings. Finally a man who isn't afraid to commit to emotions and love! He's hilarious and can be oh so irritating but sweet all at the same time. He knows the true nature of Mari's heart and mind and sees right pass her proper ways, teasing it out of her every chance he gets. On the other hand he can be very dark. Because of his father's draining bank account he's very aware of his surroundings and people around him. He doesn't care for society rules and opinions, they don't make him who he is, he does. He knows the worth of items and their sums and has a hand at accounting -- though not of his own interest. He's also mysterious because of the dark dealings he did when he was working in India.

Mari on the other hand is the opposite. She's helplessly curious about everything but aims to tame herself from being "wayward." It also doesn't help that every time Peter is around it gets her blood boiling and brings out the best or worse in her -- her smart and razor blade tongue. But of course this was due course to Peter's labeling of her as a "wayward Welsh" six years ago, which ruined her chances at finding a proper husband. So all her disdain and anger is rightfully aimed at Peter. Though she is filled with longing for love and happiness, she puts her "marriage business" first -- marry for social status and money, not love. She even has a list of conditions her potential husband has to pass, everything that makes a clergy man but not be a clergy man. And Peter is definitely not a proper husband material, no matter how much Peter defines her silly list.

I love that this story was brought on by a wager to teach a parakeet to say a word. Though this was the background for the plot of the story as an obstacle, it wasn't really all that apparent, which was okay because there were so much other things going on that were bringing the characters together. Like Mari finding her own husband and doing things to rattle Peter's composure.

I also loved the energy throughout all the encounters with the characters. All the tension and heat between them were explosive. Even when the fireworks were tuned down and at a rest, your heart was definitely still rapidly beating because they were sharing person and private heartaches.

One thing I found out about this story was that Mari was from another book from Jade, Winning a Bride. She was the younger sister to the heroine, and went by a different name, Megan, which Jade had to change to Mari because Megan wasn't used till late 20th century. Any who, this definitely change my look on Mari because I absolutely adored Megan, and if that was Mari, she was definitely not the same girl I first met. She was definitely more tamed and proper then, which is great to know because in her story we got to see her grow and become the lady she's meant to be.

But knowing this behind-the-scenes information, I thought it strange that her father was not mentioned as Lord Lawton like he was in the other book, whereas in this one he was just simply Mister Powel. Strange. I'll have to ask Jade this question.

Any who, though there were some moments I was fisting to the sky in fits, I absolutely loved this one. Peter having to show Mari that he's worth her stubborn and wayward heart and Mari finding it in her heart to love with her enemy. And gosh Peter had to fight for her, razor blade tongue and hilarious humiliation and all.

Definitely on my keeper shelf and a must read recommendation.

*This ARC was provided by the publisher for an honest review.