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Wednesday League #3
The Rake's Revenge
The Rake's Revenge by Gail Ranstrom released on Nov 24, 2004 is available now for purchase.
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 27, 2025
DNF, pg 50-some + the finale. I just can’t get into this one.
[Spoilers.]
It’s not the idea of revenge, per se, but rather the hero’s utter lack of logic that totally crippled my interest. What a doofus. 🙄 The heroine’s own plan wasn’t terribly bright, but at least she had sympathetic motivation. Compare that to the hero whose nebulous scheme was driven by revenging a woman he didn’t love but married because their parents decreed it should happen—a woman who also didn’t love him, not to mention passed off her bastard as his heir (which he knew about but didn’t care when she was alive) while continuing to flaunt her affairs, including one with the man she wanted to marry in the first place…a woman who was then murdered by Moroccan pirates when she ran away to be with said man in Venice. (Yes, really.) And for THIS he wants to destroy a stranger’s life? Seriously? I get that he’s struggling with PTSD, but c’mon. Kindly direct your pissy whinging at an appropriate target.
Anyhoo. Moving on, because meh. 😬 Standard DNF 2 stars.
{Note: This book is part of my ongoing quest to pluck tomes I’ve had unread for 7+ years & either love-and-keep or DNF-and-donate.}
[Spoilers.]
It’s not the idea of revenge, per se, but rather the hero’s utter lack of logic that totally crippled my interest. What a doofus. 🙄 The heroine’s own plan wasn’t terribly bright, but at least she had sympathetic motivation. Compare that to the hero whose nebulous scheme was driven by revenging a woman he didn’t love but married because their parents decreed it should happen—a woman who also didn’t love him, not to mention passed off her bastard as his heir (which he knew about but didn’t care when she was alive) while continuing to flaunt her affairs, including one with the man she wanted to marry in the first place…a woman who was then murdered by Moroccan pirates when she ran away to be with said man in Venice. (Yes, really.) And for THIS he wants to destroy a stranger’s life? Seriously? I get that he’s struggling with PTSD, but c’mon. Kindly direct your pissy whinging at an appropriate target.
Anyhoo. Moving on, because meh. 😬 Standard DNF 2 stars.
{Note: This book is part of my ongoing quest to pluck tomes I’ve had unread for 7+ years & either love-and-keep or DNF-and-donate.}
December 22, 2010
The Rakes Revenge
This was an enjoyable story of the love affair of Rob McHugh (Lord Glenross) & Afton Lovejoy.
Rob has just come back from imprisonment in Algiers and Afton has bought her younger sister to London for her first season. Afton's Aunt Hen has just been murdered and she has decided to become Madame Zoe (her aunt worked as a fortune teller) to help find the murderer. Rob wants revenge with Madam Zoe as he believes she is responsible for the death of his wife and child. He has also met Afton at the balls they have attended at the same time and is falling in love with her.
He eventually finds out that Afton and Madam Zoe are the same person. They decide to band together for a common goal of finding the murderer.
This is part of a series with the Wednesday League ladies - they meet once a fortnight to help solves crimes and help the less fortunate. Other stories involve, Afton's sister Dianthe, her Aunt Grace and Rob's mate Ethan Travis.
A mystery and a bit of loving - a fun read.
This was an enjoyable story of the love affair of Rob McHugh (Lord Glenross) & Afton Lovejoy.
Rob has just come back from imprisonment in Algiers and Afton has bought her younger sister to London for her first season. Afton's Aunt Hen has just been murdered and she has decided to become Madame Zoe (her aunt worked as a fortune teller) to help find the murderer. Rob wants revenge with Madam Zoe as he believes she is responsible for the death of his wife and child. He has also met Afton at the balls they have attended at the same time and is falling in love with her.
He eventually finds out that Afton and Madam Zoe are the same person. They decide to band together for a common goal of finding the murderer.
This is part of a series with the Wednesday League ladies - they meet once a fortnight to help solves crimes and help the less fortunate. Other stories involve, Afton's sister Dianthe, her Aunt Grace and Rob's mate Ethan Travis.
A mystery and a bit of loving - a fun read.
August 15, 2012
Ah, now I truly did love this one! The duplicity of the characters, the plot (although the 'baddie' was so obvious it wasn't even funny) were both delights to read. Something about this era, the ton, something draws me in. Just a world of class I can't even imagine. I guess if I'd been alive then I wouldn't have even had a look in at their society; a bastard for starters, and with one of my last name's being 'Farmer' it's not hard to imagine where my family began. Still, I fall into the glittering web, and as of yet, I have not found a way to get out!
March 11, 2019
Una bella storia d’amore tinta di giallo in una Londra degli inizi 800. Madame Zoe è una cartomante ed aiuta economicamente i nipoti rimasti orfani. Quando Afton e Dianthe Lovejoy la raggiungono a Londra per il debutto in società della piccola Dianthe lei è stata assassinata. Per non creare uno scandalo e infangare il nome della famiglia e quello della zia Grace che le ospita, viene tenuto segreto è Afton prende il posto della zia Henrietta come cartomante, è risoluta a trovare il colpevole.
Lord Robert MecHugh IV Conte di Glenross è riuscito a fuggire dalla prigione del Bey dopo mesi di prigionia e torture. Non è però riuscito a salvare la sua famiglia. Le cicatrici che porta sulla pelle arrivano fino alla sua anima. È intenzionato a vendicarsi di Madame Zoe, la ritiene responsabile delle sue tragedie, le chiede un incontro e si fa leggere le carte, fino a quando non iniziano una serie di omicidi, che riconducono sempre a lui come autore. Quando scopre che anche Madame Zoe è stata uccisa e che Afton sta impersonando i suoi panni per scoprire il colpevole non resta loro che collaborare.
Il libro è scritto bene anche se ahimè con molti errori di battitura e ti coinvolge dall’inizio alla fine. Bello il personaggio di Afton, una ragazza decisa tenace che non ha paura di dire quello che pensa e prova
Lord Robert MecHugh IV Conte di Glenross è riuscito a fuggire dalla prigione del Bey dopo mesi di prigionia e torture. Non è però riuscito a salvare la sua famiglia. Le cicatrici che porta sulla pelle arrivano fino alla sua anima. È intenzionato a vendicarsi di Madame Zoe, la ritiene responsabile delle sue tragedie, le chiede un incontro e si fa leggere le carte, fino a quando non iniziano una serie di omicidi, che riconducono sempre a lui come autore. Quando scopre che anche Madame Zoe è stata uccisa e che Afton sta impersonando i suoi panni per scoprire il colpevole non resta loro che collaborare.
Il libro è scritto bene anche se ahimè con molti errori di battitura e ti coinvolge dall’inizio alla fine. Bello il personaggio di Afton, una ragazza decisa tenace che non ha paura di dire quello che pensa e prova
June 18, 2019
Suspense to the end
Hard to put down. Lots of unexpected twists a turns to the very end. Love prevails in the end. Yea
Hard to put down. Lots of unexpected twists a turns to the very end. Love prevails in the end. Yea
January 2, 2014
This started of mildly entertaining. It was painfully obvious who the bad guy was from the moment he appeared but I thought it might still be fun.
It did not take me long till I hated everybody.
There's the male lead with a Tragic And Tortured Past (literally...he was tortured by evil Moroccans just before the books starts). He's called Rob Jerk. The female lead (who oddly has different names in the German and English version...to avoid confusion let's just call her Stupid) has a murdered aunt. Sort of. Somebody has murdered Madame Zoe, a fortune teller. Madame Zoe is really Stupid's aunt but only few people know about that. Stupid decides the best course of action is to claim Zoe wasn't murdered but just injured, pretend to be her and wait for the killer to try again.
Yeah...why not. (Conveniently a gypsy once taught her how to read Tarot cards when she was a child...of course she doesn't believe in fortune telling but she still remembers over 60 Tarot cards, their meanings and the different ways you can lay the cards from back then).
At the same time Jerk appears. He is mad at Zoe because he blames her predictions for the death of his wife (whom he never loved and who never loved him) and her son (who isn't his son but the result of her cheating on him, something which he was totally fine with). Zoe told them that she would meet her fate on a journey and the fate turned out to be getting killed by Moroccan pirates.
Jerk also meets Stupid and of course does not know that she is Zoe, he just thinks Stupid is totes hot.
Then the fun starts because Jerk keeps telling Stupid she should stay away from him because otherwise he wouldn't be able to contain himself.
Because it's totally her responsibility when they are dancing at a social gathering, the light suddenly fails, he drags her in a corner and kisses her.
Her logical reaction to this is..spending more time in dark rooms and corners with him because he's so hot and manly...and did we mention hot?
Jerk is super-conflicted because Stupid is so hot but he can never love again after his wife..whom he never loved and he doesn't want to do that to Stupid. He also really needs sex because he has this pain in his loins and he can't go to a prostitute (because Stupid) and oh don't you suffer with him and his manly pain?
(Have you tried masturbation?)
The keep meeting on different occasions and after much angsting on Stupid's side Jerk inevitably finds out that she is Zoe. He yells at her, Stupid decides it wouldn't make any difference if she told him that it was really her aunt who made the prediction that lead to his wife's death because it's not as if he's mad at Zoe for this specific reason..
Wait...
Then they have some hate-sex and decide to catch the killer together (because he's also trying to frame Jerk for the murders).
More sex. More angsting. People keep trying to kill Stupid and she keeps going in dark roads/rooms/alleys alone.
Will she survive despite all odds?
Will they find the real killer who, as mentioned has a massive neon-sign saying I DID IT flashing over his head (despite there not yet being neon-signs in Victorian times...a time-traveler brought it specifically for him)? Or will Jerk get hanged for his crimes?
Will Jerk be able to forgive Stupid that her aunt made the predictions that caused his wife's death? Can they ever be happy together?
You'll have to read to find out..if you want.
It did not take me long till I hated everybody.
There's the male lead with a Tragic And Tortured Past (literally...he was tortured by evil Moroccans just before the books starts). He's called Rob Jerk. The female lead (who oddly has different names in the German and English version...to avoid confusion let's just call her Stupid) has a murdered aunt. Sort of. Somebody has murdered Madame Zoe, a fortune teller. Madame Zoe is really Stupid's aunt but only few people know about that. Stupid decides the best course of action is to claim Zoe wasn't murdered but just injured, pretend to be her and wait for the killer to try again.
Yeah...why not. (Conveniently a gypsy once taught her how to read Tarot cards when she was a child...of course she doesn't believe in fortune telling but she still remembers over 60 Tarot cards, their meanings and the different ways you can lay the cards from back then).
At the same time Jerk appears. He is mad at Zoe because he blames her predictions for the death of his wife (whom he never loved and who never loved him) and her son (who isn't his son but the result of her cheating on him, something which he was totally fine with). Zoe told them that she would meet her fate on a journey and the fate turned out to be getting killed by Moroccan pirates.
Jerk also meets Stupid and of course does not know that she is Zoe, he just thinks Stupid is totes hot.
Then the fun starts because Jerk keeps telling Stupid she should stay away from him because otherwise he wouldn't be able to contain himself.
Because it's totally her responsibility when they are dancing at a social gathering, the light suddenly fails, he drags her in a corner and kisses her.
Her logical reaction to this is..spending more time in dark rooms and corners with him because he's so hot and manly...and did we mention hot?
Jerk is super-conflicted because Stupid is so hot but he can never love again after his wife..whom he never loved and he doesn't want to do that to Stupid. He also really needs sex because he has this pain in his loins and he can't go to a prostitute (because Stupid) and oh don't you suffer with him and his manly pain?
(Have you tried masturbation?)
The keep meeting on different occasions and after much angsting on Stupid's side Jerk inevitably finds out that she is Zoe. He yells at her, Stupid decides it wouldn't make any difference if she told him that it was really her aunt who made the prediction that lead to his wife's death because it's not as if he's mad at Zoe for this specific reason..
Wait...
Then they have some hate-sex and decide to catch the killer together (because he's also trying to frame Jerk for the murders).
More sex. More angsting. People keep trying to kill Stupid and she keeps going in dark roads/rooms/alleys alone.
Will she survive despite all odds?
Will they find the real killer who, as mentioned has a massive neon-sign saying I DID IT flashing over his head (despite there not yet being neon-signs in Victorian times...a time-traveler brought it specifically for him)? Or will Jerk get hanged for his crimes?
Will Jerk be able to forgive Stupid that her aunt made the predictions that caused his wife's death? Can they ever be happy together?
You'll have to read to find out..if you want.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2017
Madame Zoe, die geheimnisvolle Wahrsagerin des ton, wurde ermordet! Dass es sich bei der vermeintlichen Französin allerdings um eine Engländerin und noch dazu um Alethea Lovejoys heißgeliebte Tante Henrietta handelt, ahnt kaum einer – auch nicht Lady Dianthe Lovejoy, Altheas Schwester, die diese Saison in die Gesellschaft eingeführt wird. Alethea will unbedingt den Mörder ihrer Tante ausfindig machen, dazu muss sie jedoch deren Identität annehmen und gerät prompt mit Lord Rob McHugh aneinander, der Madame Zoe für den Tod seiner Frau Maeve verantwortlich macht ...
Eine Schande, dass Der Kuss im Kristall so lange ungelesen auf meinem E-Reader war: Die Regency-Liebesgeschichte lebt nicht nur von der Kriminalgeschichte (die für aufmerksame Leser schon an früher Stelle erahnbar ist, aber die Frage nach dem Warum klärt sich erst am Ende), sondern auch von den beiden willensstarken Hauptcharakteren, die ihren jeweiligen seelischen Ballast zur Seite schieben als ans Eingemachte geht. Die schöne Scharade rund um Madame Zoe trägt natürlich noch dazu bei, die Spannung zwischen den Figuren zusätzlich zu schüren. Das Buch ist Teil 3 der Reihe Wednesday League (Die Mittwochsliga), kann aber problemlos als eigenständige Lektüre genossen werden.
Eine Schande, dass Der Kuss im Kristall so lange ungelesen auf meinem E-Reader war: Die Regency-Liebesgeschichte lebt nicht nur von der Kriminalgeschichte (die für aufmerksame Leser schon an früher Stelle erahnbar ist, aber die Frage nach dem Warum klärt sich erst am Ende), sondern auch von den beiden willensstarken Hauptcharakteren, die ihren jeweiligen seelischen Ballast zur Seite schieben als ans Eingemachte geht. Die schöne Scharade rund um Madame Zoe trägt natürlich noch dazu bei, die Spannung zwischen den Figuren zusätzlich zu schüren. Das Buch ist Teil 3 der Reihe Wednesday League (Die Mittwochsliga), kann aber problemlos als eigenständige Lektüre genossen werden.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews