Rescued by a Rogue

Rakes & Rebels: The Beauvisage Family #2

by Cynthia Wright

Originally published as CAROLINE

A CONFIRMED RAKE
In 1783, the Revolutionary War is ended, and Major Alexandre Beauvisage is making his way home, anticipating a return to the wicked pleasures of his former life. However, while riding through the Connecticut woods, Alec comes upon a boy lying unconscious in the autumn leaves...and closer inspection reveals that the figure in breeches is actually a lovely young woman, suffering from amnesia.

ALONE IN THE WORLD
Against his better judgment, Alec christens the foundling Caroline and takes her with him to his home in Philadelphia. Soon, life becomes increasingly complicated as the fiery attraction between them builds and Caro's dangerous past reaches out to her.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Amazon, 18th Century

347 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 18, 2013

About the author

Cynthia Wright is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, best known for her Rakes & Rebels series, 16 intertwining historical romances starring the irresistible Raveneau & Beauvisage families. Her other acclaimed series are Crowns & Kilts and Rogues Go West. Romantic Times Magazine hails Cynthia's novels as "Romance the way it was meant to be."

Cynthia lives in northern California. She enjoys riding a tandem bike and taking road trips in an airstream trailer with her Colombian-born husband, Alvaro & their corgi, Watson. She is also devoted to her two teenage grandsons who live nearby.

You are invited to visit Cynthia's website (where you can sign up for her newsletter and peruse the Books Page):
http://cynthiawrightauthor.com/

You are invited to join Cynthia's private Facebook reader group here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/98606...

View her "Behind the Books" boards on Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/cynthiawright77/

RAKES & REBELS: The Raveneau Family series:
1 - SILVER STORM (André & Devon)
2 - HER HUSBAND, THE RAKE: a sequel novella (André & Devon)
3 - SMUGGLER'S MOON (Sebastian & Julia)
4 - THE SECRET OF LOVE (Gabriel & Isabella)
5 - SURRENDER THE STARS (Ryan & Lindsay)
6 - HIS MAKE-BELIEVE BRIDE (Justin & Mouette)
7 - HER IMPOSSIBLE HUSBAND (Justin & Mouette)
8 - HER SECRET ROGUE (Anthony & Frederica)
9 - HIS FIERY ANGEL (Benedict & Camille)
10 - HIS RECKLESS BARGAIN (Nathan & Adrienne)
11 - TEMPEST (Adam & Cathy)

RAKES & REBELS: The Raveneau Family intertwines with RAKES & REBELS: The Beauvisage Family series:
1 - STOLEN BY A PIRATE: a prequel novella to RESCUED BY A ROGUE (Jean-Philippe & Antonia)
2 -RESCUED BY A ROGUE (Alec & Caro)
3 - TOUCH THE SUN (Lion & Meagan)
4 - SPRING FIRES (Nicholai & Lisette)
5 - HER DANGEROUS VISCOUNT (Grey & Natalya)

CROWNS & KILTS: The St. Briac Family
1 - YOU & NO OTHER (Thomas & Aimee)
2 - OF ONE HEART (Andrew & Micheline)
3 - ABDUCTED AT THE ALTAR (Christophe & Fiona)
4 - RETURN OF THE LOST BRIDE (Ciaran & Violette)
5 - QUEST OF THE HIGHLANDER (Lennox & Nora)

ROGUES GO WEST
1 - BRIGHTER THAN GOLD (Jack & Katie)
2 - IN A RENEGADE'S EMBRACE (Fox & Maddie)
3 - THE DUKE & THE COWGIRL (Geoff & Shelby)
Read less

Reviews

[Katrina Passick Lumsden · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my second book by Cynthia Wright, and I'm a little disturbed at the idea of what she considered the ideal man.

Alec is paternalistic, condescending, possessive, controlling, jealous...you know the drill. He's one of those alpha heroes that says things along the lines of, "You shouldn't have worn that dress because now I can't stop myself".



He's a harmful stereotype. But he's not the only one. Oh, no. Luckily for the hapless reader, Caro is just as bad. She's petulant, childish, and idiotically rebellious. She's the kind of girl who balks at being told to be quiet, stamping her feet and sputtering with indignation, and gets everyone killed by giving away their position. The quintessential TSTL heroine who, of course, lives happily ever after with the overbearing misogynist of her dreams.

Gag me.

[Misfit · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is your standard amnesia plot set in Colonial America (I think it's after the war, but don't quote me). Girl loses memory and is 'rescued' by handsome, wealthy hero. Lots of descriptions of food, parties and clothes and SEX, but not much else happens until time for the final wrap-up and HEA. I see some reviewers complaining the hero is a bit of a jerk, but the introduction to the Kindle version I read said something about special author's cut, so perhaps this has been revised and the old school elements toned down. Who knows, but certainly not worth the effort unless one is in the mood for some brain candy reading.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this book for about the dozenth time and I remember why I love Cynthia Wright's novels so much. She writes with humor and passion and romance. But not in a way I view most historical romances, too cheesy or over-the-top.

I love Caro and Alec's relationship as well as the historical side of the book. It's the way you want your own relationship to be. Real AND romantic.

Off to read the next books in the series, yes, again, for about the dozenth time.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read: 2/29/24
3 stars
RTC

[carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been a long time since I read a straightforward historical romance, albeit one with a mystery running through it. And I enjoyed it, it made a pleasant change.
Sort of book you can read in public too :)

Andre Beauvisage, French/American secret agent/soldier on the side of George Washington during the American Revolution is returning from the war where, of course, the US are victorious. He has also a notorious rake, love 'em and leave 'em reputation, which in the 1780's was seriously frowned upon. Andre finds a young, beautiful woman with severe amnesia and they call her Caroline...Caro for short. He introduces her to his family and friends as a dead friend's daughter, to which, she is now his ward, in his care and protection, until marriage.

The writer's knowledge of the era, places, the society, manners and etiquette is sound. Her knowledge of homes and furniture of that era, of fashion in particular, is excellent.

Throughout there's not only a reluctant on off romance, but the mystery of who Caro really is, and why a particularly nasty individual is after her hand in marriage.

I quite liked most of the characters, Grandmere, especially.

Few minor typos and one niggle...it finished in just the wrong place, just as I wanted to know her reaction to what Andre was about to tell her. Grrr! Yes, I can use my imagination, but reading how Cynthia would have put it even better.

If you like Victoria Holt/Georgette Heyer and their ilk, you will love this writer too.

Border 4/5 stars from me.

[Carol Storm · Rating 5 out of 5]

A proud young nation's blazing birth -- a high-spirited young woman's innocent desires!

Cynthia Wright brought something unique and wonderful to Seventies historical romance. While Rosemary Rogers depicted savage, cynical heroes who often brutalized and humiliated the heroine, Cynthia Wright created fierce but protectively masculine heroes who were both teasing and tender.

When I think of CAROLINE, I remember so many little scenes where Alec and Caroline simply enjoy each other in a playful way. Like the breakfast scene where she's running to tell him something important and he wisecracks, "were you just attacked by an egg?" And she responds by pushing at his bare chest to get his attention! Scenes like that underline how right they are as a couple even when the steaming hot passion is momentarily forgotten.

Oh, but don't forget the hot scenes either! I remember one night in the garden where they quarrel, and Alec kisses her, and when Caroline reels away from him in outrage her furious gasps actually seem to echo off the stone walls of the garden! Those subtle details are what make the difference between a good romance writer and a very, very great one.

Cynthia Wright is a great one -- one of the all time greats. It's so good to know her books are still out there to enjoy!

[Lady Wesley]

Sorry to say that this one did not engage me enough for me to finish it.

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75

[Lady Tea · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rating: Nooooope / 5

Expectations vs. reality = FAILURE in this case.

I thought this would be a sweet story where an older man takes in a girl who's dressed as a boy and who has amnesia, and then cares for her in a very guardian-like manner before becoming attracted to her later on, all the while combatting against his own attraction and desires.

What ending up happening was that his resistance lasts all of 40 pages.



Okay, I suppose that's fine and I CAN live with that and force myself to read through this entire book even though I've just lost interest....

but...

I won't.

[Melluvsbooks]

DNF @ 84% - I downloaded this after seeing a negative review about what a jealous/possessive caveman the hero was… but maybe that reader has never read an historical before?? Because this hero was pretty standard issue for this genre. I thought he was very tame and pretty boring. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I got bored and wasn’t interested in pushing myself to finish. The smex isn’t smexxy with a very low heat level. And the story doesn’t make much sense to me. She has amnesia… that’s the whole reason the H and h thrown together…. But when they come across someone from the h’s past, they don’t bother to ask him who the h really is. It’s really weird. Isn’t that the first thing you’d ask? There are several chances for the hero to do this and he just doesn’t. If the author cares so little for her plot points, then I have a hard time mustering up any give-a-f*ck as well. 😬

[Mariana · Rating 3 out of 5]

typical bodice-ripper

[Regan Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 and 1/2 Stars - Great Beginning to the Beauvisage Series!

Cynthia Wright begins her Beauvisage series with a great post Revolutionary War tale of intrigue and romance. And this new eBook version has lots of improvements. It’s well written with a clever plot and the history will bring the period alive. I highly recommend it.

It is 1783 and Alexandre Beauvisage, erstwhile spy/scout for America, is on his way home to Philadelphia, happy the Peace Treaty has been signed in Paris, when he stumbles upon a young woman in the Connecticut woods dressed as a boy. Obviously suffering from a blow on the head, she has lost her memory and takes the name “Caroline” because it appeals to her. Alec decides to do the noble thing and take the girl to his home to help her but it seems he cannot keep his hands from her. Though it seems quite clear she is an innocent, Alec, a womanizer, takes her innocence then tells her it won’t happen again and she'll find a nice young man who will never know. (Alec is definitely not an honorable man.) In Philadelphia, Alec announces to all Caro is his ward. Caro falls in love with Alec's family--and with him--but he continues to enjoy his mistress and holding Caro at a distance.

I liked Wright's attention to historical detail and her incorporation of real historical figures in American history (like George Washington and many others). She brought the period after the Revolutionary War to life and made me feel like I was living in Philadelphia in the 18th century. I also liked her secondary characters, Alec’s family members in particular, and his mother who was priceless.

Should you want to read more, here is the list of books in the Beauvisage series (I have a combined review on the bundled product):

CAROLINE
TOUCH THE SUN
SPRING FIRES
NATALYA

If you like reading a series in time order, as I do, here are the books in both of Wright's intertwined Raveneau and Beauvisage series in chronological order:

1780 - SILVER STORM
1783 - CAROLINE
1789 - TOUCH THE SUN
1793 - SPRING FIRES
1814 - SURRENDER THE STARS
1814 - NATALYA
1818 - SILVER SEA (originally BARBADOS)
1903 - TEMPEST (to be released in 2012)

[Marilyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

For me, this book was a big disappointment. There were a lot of GR people who remembered reading this fondly and were glad to see this reissued as an ebook. I found it very juvenile and amateurish. Possibly one of the reasons was that it was written in 1977 and reading styles/modes have moved on; it felt very dated. I tried to finish it but it was too much so I skipped ahead to the last two chapters and saved myself a lot of misspent reading time. The coincidences in the denoument were just too unbelievable even in the realm of fiction. To me, this book should be left behind where it no doubt belongs: in 1977.

[Char ღ Denae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I probably didn’t really read this in 1977, I was still in ‘Jr. High’ but I’m not sure exactly when I read it so I put the release date. I do know that it was one of my favorite books and though it was a bit ‘rapey’, I won’t read any rewritten ‘PC’ electronic versions. I don’t think books should be altered because of changing times. I think that readers should take into consideration that these books were written at a time when that was the trend and judge the book by the story, not the style.

[Eileen Dandashi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook Review:

This book, I understand is the debut novel from one of my favored authors, Cynthia Wright. I’m reading through the series. Hopefully, I’ll be listening to the narrated version of each book.

Caroline, otherwise known as Caro, was a sweet, innocent woman who had hit her head on a tree while riding through the wood. When she woke she knew not who she was. She only knew the handsome man kneeling next to her had to be the most handsome man she had ever seen. I could not put this listen down. I’m so happy I have Bluetooth earphones!

Alexander was returning home from a long war – eight years of it, where, though dearly paid for, his country was free of tyranny. He had lost many friends and must now try to pick up the pieces of his life. Very much a rogue with rakish ways he had lots of redeeming qualities, although keeping his hands off Caro was not one of them. To Alec, she had a face of an angel. She drew him to her, with all her beauty, sweetness and sensual innocence. He had to do the right thing by her – he couldn’t leave her alone in the wood, so he would deliver her to his family in Philadelphia and be on his merry way.

I enjoyed how the author wove a passionate love story into the events of this historic period with humor and an abundance of emotional scenes.

Each scene entices the read to question the future of Caro—she is so innocent and trusting. The plot thickens, complicating any ideas Alexander had getting his life back together without getting further tangled with Caro. Needless to say, although well-meaning, Alec did not manage to do the right thing. Or did he?

We learn bits and pieces about Caroline, as she becomes aware of them herself. She knew she should be anxious about her future, who she was, why she was dressed as a boy with only a few articles packed lying beside her in the forest. Yet, she wasn’t. Alexander gave her a sense of security and amazingly she trusted him.

There was quite a bit of suspense later in the book, keeping me listening and HAVING to KNOW. I so enjoyed this read and highly recommend Cynthia Wright’s writing and her books in narration. Her world is touchable — from the magic of her pen!

[ShaynaShayniac.Com · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, I can't believe this book continues to get good reviews. It's a little too rapey for my tastes. And no matter how many rapes or attempted rapes the main character is subjected to, she continues to love it if the man is attractive and be traumatized by it if he isn't.

This would be reason enough to dislike the book, but then, the male protagonist/rapist is a veritable Forrest Gump of the18th century, being personally acquainted with every one of America's founding fathers and then some.

Finally, we wrap up the mystery of the story (which should have been pretty traumatizing but had been virtually ignored during all the raping) turns out to be an ending so obvious that the only thing that kept you from being certain of the outcome was the hope that nobody would be so trite with their storytelling.

This was utter tripe.

[Anita (Hearts and Whodunits) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this historical romance. The characters were so engaging, I kept on wanting to know about them more and more. The plot never lagged, every page made me want to read the next one to see what would happen next. At the end, I was sad because I wanted to spend more time with these characters and live vicariously in their world.

[Nola Arganbright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spell Binding

I have always enjoyed Cynthia Wright's books and this is no exception. The writing is excellent and the story flows easily. Wonderful well developed characters and fact informed background. A true joy to read?

[Andrea AKA Catsos Person]

NTS: Beaware! Amnesia, nuff said.

[Freda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first in the Beauvisage family instalments. The way Cynthia Wright writes indicates how well she has researched her background to her stories. She draws you in either because you know of the time in which she has set her story or you have no knowledge and you want to find out what it was like back then. Her characters are well-rounded and you get involved with their lives whatever they are doing. I find it hard to put Cynthia's books down and they keep me awake way past the time I should be asleep but they are so good to read. I cannot recommend this author highly enough. It is a shame I can only give 5 stars for her endeavours because she deserves so much more.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh dear, I don’t even know where to start. Yes, this is vintage (1977), and, yes, I have taken that into consideration as I prepare to write my review. Vintage doesn’t excuse ridiculousness. If I had read this book in high school, I would have been entranced because it ticks all the boxes of which my teenaged heart dreamed. Helpless innocent heroine, controlling older alpha hero (facepalm), pages and pages describing the heroine’s gowns. In fact, this reads as though it had been written by a high school girl. So here goes.

First, if you take away nothing else from my review, remember this: Caroline is tiny, y’all. I listened to this on audio and actually considered paying for the kindle version for a hot second so that I could tally up our miniature heroine’s tiny attributes.

Let’s see, off the top of my head, I recall:
- tiny waist
- tiny chin (!)
- tiny feet
- tiny hands
- tiny allotment of common sense
- tiny amount of self esteem
- tiny reserves of self control when around the hero, Alec

The basic plot surrounding this tiny wonder - she falls from her horse in post-Revolutionary CT or NY and gets amnesia! She doesn’t know who she is! Alec Beauvisage, emotionally stunted former spy and all around a-hole, picks her up and “rescues” her! They find a charming cabin in which to shelter! He decides her wide-eyed innocent virgin schtick is just an act and seduces her while she’s drunk! Oopsie, she really WAS a virgin! Alec is momentarily remorseful but basically nonplussed. Caroline (not even her real name, because amnesia) looks up at him tearfully and goes out to pet her horse. Two nasty yellow-eyed reptile men (with German accents, no less) promptly corner her in the stable and try to rape her. Alec saves her, completely cementing her adoration. He proceeds to bring her to his home in Philly, sets her up as his ward with a fabu wardrobe, and treats her like dirt. She is deeply depressed whenever they’re apart because she wuvs him. Etc etc. Some yellow-eyed deus ex machina (named Pilquebinder!) shows up from Caroline’s past and insists they’re betrothed. To escape his reptilian clutches, Caroline and Alec flee through a secret passage to his Grandmere’s house and get married on the fly by, I kid you not, Parson Brown, who did the job while he was in town with no preliminaries. What about the banns, hmm? Did you have a special license? You don’t even know her legal name!

I barely paid attention to the rest. The best part was the Alexander Hamilton cameo. That part was great.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

CAROLINE is Cynthia Wright's first book, originally published in 1977. I have read it many times, in the original book form, in the mid-1980s and later in ebook form. This is where the Beauvisage saga begins* and is the second book in the Rakes and Rebels series. Set in post-Revolutionary War Connecticut, Alec Beauvisage is heading home from the war when he finds a young woman who has lost her memory. To try and figure out who this mysterious girl is, Alec brings her home as his ward. As a renowned rake, Alec tries hard to resist Caroline's charms, but Caro is feisty and is not afraid to stand up for herself.

Ms. Wright does an outstanding job of weaving the history of the time, with famous figures showing up as secondary characters. I loved Alex and Caro's dinner with Alexander Hamilton. He even mentions Aaron Burr living around the corner. (On a re-read, my inner HAMILTON fan-girl gave many cheers.) Far from detracting to the story, these historical mentions add flavor and provide context for the action.

To me, CAROLINE is the one book in the Rakes and Rebels series that has the strongest “bodice ripper” feel. While it is not my favorite of the series, I always enjoy reading it. I feel it somehow reads slightly differently than Wright's later books. I know that Wright is very sensitive to the fact that parts in the story read very differently to the modern reader as opposed to the reader from the 1970s/1980s. With that in mind, CAROLINE has been edited at least twice to tweak the story, making it more to the taste of the modern reader.

I would recommend CAROLINE to lovers of historical romance and for all of those HAMILTON fans, this is the first of several of Cynthia Wright's romances set during the late-1700s. Here you will find another perspective of life and love in early America.

*Now there is a prequel, HEART OF FRAGILE STARS, which tells the story of how Alec's parents met. Amusingly, Alec tells Caro a very brief version of his parents' courtship, which is then expanded upon in the prequel.

[Dawn-Desiree · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not sure why I finished this book. I did not feel any connection to the characters, and was not at all drawn in by the story. I enjoyed Silver Storm more,
I found "Caroline" (the character) to be weak and naive which in the end weren't suppose to be her characteristics at all. I was not connected to Alec but that may because we didn't really get to hear from him ( I prefer where story is told equally from both characters.)
I also wonder did they correct the fact that she is not married to Alec but her mother is as her name is not Caroline!!! (The marriage papers would state Caro vs her name.) Again in the end all is happy and tied up with a bow, not so much as Silver Storm.
I find myself curious about Nichola and his story....but it may get better as it was written later, so may be a style I am more familiar with.
It is an ok book, but just ok.....

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost didn't finish this book. The thought that anyone could be as blithe about losing the majority of their memory as Caroline was a bit of a hurdle for me. To go almost immediately from, "Oh my gosh - I can't recall who I am!" to "Oh, well. What name shall I use?" with no intervening angst was a bit improbable. In addition, I wasn't warming up to Alec very much either. I found both his demeanor and his behavior at the beginning of their acquaintance perplexing. Persevering was worth it, though. Some of Alec's weirdness was explained (as well as some plot points that were a bit confusing) later in the book. The later clearing up of what had previously been murky to me raised my rating from two to three stars.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Where do I begin with this review? There are so many things I didn’t like and then there’s one that I did.

So let me tell you what I did like. I liked the setting because the author did an amazing job of researching and writing about the Revolutionary War and the aftermaths of it. She put a lot of attention to historical detail and that just brought the period to life for me.

But that’s about it. I really didn’t like the hero and the heroine even less. Once I disliked them, I basically gave up on their part of the story and read it for the history alone.

I would skip this one if I were you.

Melanie for b2b

[Mhollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as a teen in the early 1980's & fell in love with the book. Actually, I fell in love with all of Cynthia Wright's novels. So when I found out it came out on Kindle, I just had to buy it and give it a re-read. I fell in love with Alec aka Sasha Beauvisage all over again, cynical roué that he is! Caroline is a sweet love story of a honey-eyed gamine who tames a certified rake and Gallic male crankiness ensues! I love that I now have it on my Kindle & I can keep the story with me always! I hope to see many new stories come to life from such a wonderful author!

[IrishAmber · Rating 4 out of 5]

History and Romance

He was arrogant, and cruel with the yo-yo string he had her on. Every time the girl gets attacked she's paralyzed with fear, and allows herself to be taken over. Caroline was irritatingly quiet with everyone about her feelings, except to the irrationally jealous, blabbing sister. She never really expressed any of her feelings or thoughts to anyone until the end. Caroline spoke very little, but followed Alec around like a kicked puppy. Argh! Through the cons, it's worth a read.

[Crystal]

DNF
I can't give this book an honest rating because I couldn't force myself to finish it. I stopped reading 25% into the book. The story never grabbed my interest enough to overlook the ridiculously excessive amount of exclamation points! It seems all the characters in the story like to yell and make dramatic exclamations. It was annoying. The heroine may have become more interesting as the story went on, but I'm afraid here was no hope of the hero becoming a character I could like by the time I gave up.

[Duchess Raven · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good read. I didn't like the intimate situations much. They were forced and not fun. And so many exclamation points!!! The whole story must have been such a surprise!!!!... !!... !!!!!!!!! I don't usually pick on things like exclamation points, but there are an unusual amount in here. It made me laugh. All I could do is read every sentence as if it were a very excited... every sentence. Haha! It's a fun reads though.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was sooo good and i was almost disappointed when the book ended. There were times when I was ready to cry. No book has ever made me cry. I really want to know what happened after. What was the gender of the baby??