The Notorious Rake

Lady Mary Gregg is what is normally called a bluestocking: she dresses plainly, doesn't care for balls and parties, and prefers to spend her time discussing literature, philosophy and so on. She's far from the type of woman whom the known rake, Lord Edmond Waite, would be interested in - and yet, stranded alone together in Vauxhall Gardens in the middle of a thunderstorm, they discover each other in the most intimate way possible.How could this have happened? This is exactly what Mary asks herself once she's home again. She hates men of Lord Edmond's type; he was a rake in the worst possible sense, and she was well aware that only a few months earlier he'd been involved in a scandal with another woman, who had apparently almost run off with him while engaged to another man. But Mary is terrified of thunderstorms due to a childhood trauma, and she knows that she can't exactly blame Lord Edmond for making love to her; in her terror, she had pleaded with him to do it. But it will never happen again. He is not her type. He is everything she despises... and yet. And yet she is powerfully attracted to him, as she has never been to any other man. Not even Marcus, the Earl of Clifton (hero of A Counterfeit Betrothal), who was her close friend for so many years.As for Edmond, still stinging from Felicity's rejection, he is equally determined that Mary is not his type. Despite the fact that being with her haunts his dreams, he knows very well that he doesn't belong in her world, and he can't imagine her wanting to belong in his. And yet he is still attracted to her: Mary, the mousy bluestocking, a type of woman he tells himself is beneath his notice. He can't seem to stop himself coming up with excuses for them to meet, and when they do, he can't prevent himself baiting her just to see her shaken out of her studied politeness. No, Edmond and Mary are worlds apart... or are they? For Mary, little by little, begins to discover that Edmond is not the ignorant, heartless, Philistine rake he pretends to be. She gradually discovers, to her shock, that he can be hurt. That *she* can hurt him. And also that he has a knowledge of culture and literature better than her own - but why does he try to hide it? And what is the mystery surrounding his brother's death, when Edmond was only eighteen, and for which the world - including Edmond himself - holds him responsible?Is Edmond really such a notorious rake as he appears? Can Mary use her engagement to another man to put Edmond out of her mind and make him keep away from her?This is in many ways an unforgettable book, and Edmond is one of my favourite `tortured' Balogh heroes. We begin by disliking him - and for anyone who read the first book in this linked trilogy, The Trysting Place, the dislike is even greater. But by even a quarter of the way into the book, we find our perceptions changing. We haven't even found out any of Edmond's secrets by this stage, which is what is so skilful about Balogh's writing. She can m

Cleaning out my closet this week, I came upon an old paperback copy of the Notorious Rake by Mary Balogh. I thumbed through it and ended up sitting down and re-reading it (for the fourth or fifth time) It really is, I think, one of her best novels. The book's romance and conflict isn't contrived between the two main characters. You can understand and believe the attraction between the two and also understand why they both would resist such an attraction.The resolution was particularly sweet with Mary helping to bridge the gap between Edmond and his family. Very good book!

found this in a used book store and became an instant fan. love that she writes the male point of view in addition to the female's. unfortunately, she doesn't seem to write signet regency romances anymore, and her longer books are just too long. the "notorious rake" however is just right...good characters, good story, good length...good read.

I loved this book. I generally don't read romances but have recently become addicted to Regencys, especially Mary Balough. This is my favourite so far. Lord Edmond Waite is completely surprised when he and Mary, Lady Mornington are thrown into each other company during an evening at Vauxhall Gardens. Forced to take shelter during a thunderstorm, Lord Edmond is overtaken by Mary's passionate lovemaking; he would never have expected such a thing from the very prim and proper bluestocking. He so awed he decides to make her his mistress. He's even more shocked when a week later he's fallen in love with her. Despite Mary's protests Lord Edmond pursues her voraciously even though she looks at him and his rakehell lifestyle with disgust, the only things she likes about him are his lovemaking (which isn't enough) and his aunt.When they find themselves in each others' company at the aunt's houseparty Edmond attempts to make himself completely disgusting to Mary but finds he needs her emotional support when confronted by the family after fifteen years.This novel has great sweetness, humour and sadness at its core as well as Balough's wonderfully descriptive storytelling.

Probably my all time favorite Balogh novel (and I've read just about all of them). The hero broke my heart. Left to bear his family's grief and guilt over a horrible tragedy in his youth (think along the lines of the movie "Ordinary People"), the hero set out to prove he was every bit as terrible as they said he was. He is a rake who despises himself for being a rake. When he meets a lovely and passionate widow he sees the dream of love and family again within his grasp. . . but he cannot allow himself to reach out and take it. Only by healing his past (and having his father and brother accept their share of the responsibility) can the hero hope to have a future.