The Rogue Not Taken: Scandal & Scoundrel, Book I

Since the start, my heart already went out to Lady Sophie. She made me laugh so hard with what she did to her brother-in-law. What a brave, brave, and quite foolish girl. Despite the fact that what she did made her the talk of the town, it allowed her something that she wished for since then: her freedom. She planned to get out of London, and start a new life very far from her present situation, away from the aristocracy. She didn’t expect was to run into King, the Marquess of Eversely. His reputation precedes him. King can charm any woman, and has a reputation of ruining them. He was on the way to home to the Scottish border to answer the summon from the father he have never spoken to for 15 years. But when he discovered the stowaway that has been riding with him – his journey became so much more interesting and exciting. He meant to keep her safe. Bring her to his home, wait for her father to pick her up, and go on with his plan. She promised him she wouldn’t trick him into marriage. She wouldn’t have him if he was the last man or earth – but travelling together, getting shot along the way, closed quarters, sharing the deepest darkest secrets, and a sprinkle of attraction and temptation makes it hard to resist. You just have to love every Sarah Maclean books – she makes historical romance pretty much an unforgettable read. This book had been my Christmas read, and it got me teary-eyed (in a really good way). This was the kind of book, that once you have opened, you can never stop reading until you finally reached that happy-ever-after you have been waiting for after all the hullabaloos and the everything that has been happening between our two leads. The characters were pretty much amazing, their complexity, their depth, and how they develop throughout the story – you’d root for them, your hearts would get broken and yet you’d love them: flaws, imperfections and all. I like the twist, a part of it was the reason I got a little teary-eyed. I didn’t expect that. OMG. I could’ve hated him – but he did something to redeem himself, and made everything okay. This book is one of those reads that ended my year with a wonderful bang. It’s something I’d recommend to friends if they want something that is fun, touching, sweet, a little (or more) steam and a whole lot of crazy adventure – this one is really worth the read!

Sophie is an annoying character. In trying to make her a proud and outspoken woman, the author made her thoughtless and rather entitled. The Romance was good but I would have enjoyed it more with s better developed leading lady.

Pros: Witty dialogue, situational humor Cons: Never ending cycle of main character self-introspection along the lines of "I like him/her vs. I hate him/her" which ultimately leads to the sappy ending. Not this author's best.