Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940151643726 |
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| Publisher: | Quillfire Publishing |
| Publication date: | 04/21/2015 |
| Series: | Rookery Rogues , #3 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | NOOK Book |
| Pages: | 353 |
| Sales rank: | 108,142 |
| File size: | 759 KB |
About the Author
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Beauty and the Rake
4.2 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
10 reviews.
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Abigail Vautille has led the life of a pauper. The only thing she had was her strength and her beauty. Through no fault of her own, she has
lost them both. Taken from her by a scoundrel and murderer by the name of Frank Clowes. He has disfigured her and stole her strength,
leaving her with only fear and scars.
Tired of her father's gambling with money they do not have, she goes to the gaming hell to fetch him before he gets them all thrown into
debtors prison. She finds him very deeply in debt with no way to pay. The only thing worth anything that she has left is her virtue. So she
"sells" what she has to the man holding her father's debt. Herself. For 2 weeks, she will be his. At least she will learn what she needs to
know to become a courtesan. This will be her only means of income afterward.
Michael Strickland should not have been in that gaming hell. He is an officer the Metropolitan Police. But old habits are hard to break. ]
He realizes who this man's daughter is as soon as he sees her. He is going to enjoy the payment of this debt and then move on as he
always does. He did not count on any feelings getting in the way.
This story was a very sad, sweet one. Like salted caramel, bittersweet. I wanted so much for Abigail. I wanted her to be happy.
I wanted Michael to jump at happiness and forget the past. And I wanted the animal that hurt Abigail to pay dearly for his cruelty.
Lovely writing. The settings were well described and I found it refreshing to read about the lower classes. I'd love to see more stories
about the people of Cheapside or Spitalfields. These people are the backbone of society. This book also contains adult situations!
I would give 4.7 stars (only detractions were the contractions)
*I don't do spoilers, but there was a part of this book that spoke to me regarding Abigail's pain.
Anyone with chronic pain could understand how she felt. The words were poignant. The description of her feelings made
the entire story more personal for me.
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Damaged by their pasts both Abigail and Michael come together with low expectations for their two weeks together. How the two of them learn, grow and become stronger is the central theme of the story. Though the third book in a series this novel is more than capable of standing alone. Both Michael and Abigail have interesting well developed characters and their growing attraction to one another is well paced and believable. Clowes is a fiendish criminal worthy of being feared and the hope throughout is that he will be recaptured without harming anyone else. Can a young woman move from the grime and drudgery of the rookeries to more upscale Cheapside and live a fairytale life or not? That is the question.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical romances with intriguing facts. I did have to look up some of the terms in a dictionary of slang from the 1800’s but that only made the book more interesting to me.
Thank you Net Galley and Quillfire Publishing for offering me the book to review.
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*I received this ARC via Netgalley* Beauty and the Rake can be read as a stand alone or as a series. Author Erica Monroe's third book in her Rookery Rogues series blends romance and life's less than pleasant realities in such a way that the reader can experience the joys of love and feel the pain of human suffering and not be overwhelmed by either. The angst of her hero and heroine as two wounded individuals, both inside and out, was palpable throughout the author's well written work. An absorbing crime scenario carry over from the previous novels in this series makes for a compelling read.
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Beauty and the Rake is a beautiful spin on an intriguing story. Two battered souls,finding in each other what they never knew was missing in themselves. My heart broke at how desperate Abigail had to be to do what she did. Erica Monroe had me rapt until the very end. As always the story brings home the point to never judge a book by its beautiful cover. For even the most beautiful things are not always what they seem. Received this book for an honest review.
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Another fabulous book by the wonderful Erica Monroe! Although it is the third book in the series, BEAUTY AND THE RAKE can be read as a standalone, because Ms. Monroe provides all the background necessary. Erica Monroe gives us the equivalent of a Regency New Adult novel; the characters are young, trying to find their place in the world, and wondering if there is love for them out there. For Abigail it is almost untenable; she has to make a heartbreaking decision because of her father’s dreadful stupidity. Michael is a policeman who takes his job lightly, and he was indirectly the cause the horrible injuries Abigail suffered at the hands of a criminal; her deformity prevents her from working. She is almost destitute and must do the unthinkable, where Michael plays a leading role. Abigail’s story is heartbreaking and had me tearing up, but what a wonderful, strong woman she is, much stronger than Michael.
BEAUTY AND THE RAKE is a beautiful love story, with extraordinary complex characters, and as with the previous books in this series, I am in awe of Erica Monroe’s dedication to recreating the Regency era; everything feels authentic: the characters, the dialogue, the working class world of Abigail and Michael. BEAUTY AND THE RAKE is exciting, suspenseful, sexy; it’s a superbly written love story that you will remember long after you have finished reading the book! Thank you, Ms. Monroe!
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A different and fresh take on the classic Beauty and Beast story. Erica Monroe did a fabulous job transforming this classic tale into a wonderful yet tragic and gripping love story.
Abigail Vautille grew up in the poorest parts of London. She was once one of the most skilled weavers in the rookeries until one fateful night ended her hopes and dreams. Frank Clowes tortured her until she was permanently disfigured and unable to provide for her family any longer. Her father is a gambler that does not know his limits. Her sister, Bess, is only but a child, and already working in the factories to help feed them. Abigail must learn a new trade to save her family from debtor’s prison. Her first deal is to give her purity to the rogue who owns her father’s highest gambling debts and has also promised to bar him from entering any other gambling establishments. Two weeks is what her offer is to him. Two weeks to “own” her body only. During these two weeks, she will learn her new trade and how she will separate her mind from her body to support her family. She will become Beauty, instead of the beast she believes she is.
Michael Stickland is an Inspector with the Metropolitan Police. He has dutifully followed in his family’s footsteps and risen through the ranks as his father before him. He is a rogue of his own desires and good looks. There has only been one person to ever haunt his dreams and when she presents herself before him as payment for her father’s debts, he can not believe his good luck. He will use her for his pleasures and send her back to the rookeries where she came. Is he destined to always be the beast inside that he believes himself to be?
Two weeks becomes a soul searching event for both Abigail and Michael. Michael realizes that taking Abigail’s virtue is not as easy as he thought it would be. As Abigail and Michael get to know each other and true feelings emerge, can each let go of their preconceived notions of the other and themselves? Just when they think they finally find their happily ever after, hidden secrets and lies can tear them apart just as quickly. Will the feelings Michael develops for Abigail overshadow his job to protect her from her most feared demon, Frank Clowes?
I really enjoyed this love story and all the twists and turns throughout. So much soul searching, but yet witty banter and sexual tension! This is the third book in the series, but can also be read as a stand alone since the author does a great job of giving enough “back story” to fill in the blanks. Highly recommend reading all the books though! ARC of this book only given by author in exchange for honest review.
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Historical Romance
This is the third book of the Rookery Rogues, but can be read as a stand alone.
Beauty and The Rake is the first of this series I have read. Ms. Monroe has created a wonderful take on the old fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast. This is a different type of Victorian novel as it does not involve nobles nor people of quality. I found this very refreshing.
Abigail and Inspector Michael Strickland are definitely not from the noble class. Abigail Vautille lives in impoverishment in the poorest area of Whitechapel. Life is an exhausting business in the rookery. She is disfigured by evil and can no longer work. Her father is an wastrel, who only lives to gamble. She must make a decision that will change everyone's life. To pay her father's gambling debt and save her sister from starvation and worse, she offers herself to Michael for two weeks. Her virginity is a small price to pay for her sister.
Michael carries his own demons. Unbeknown to Abigail, Michael saved her after the torture she received, he felt guilty. He had failed to stop the evil stalking Abigail. He couldn't save his mother and couldn't save Abigail; guilt is a heavy burden.
What follows is fast paced, well developed novel of property, personal demons, real evil, innovations in crime solving, sex, acceptance, and love. A very refreshing historical novel. Thank you Ms. Monroe for such delightful entertainment.
I would recommend this book for young adults to adults.
I received this novel from Netgalley in return for an honest review.
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Abigail Vautille is a woman that might have been beautiful once but after having been tortured by an awful criminal, feels beastly horrible. Inspector Michael Strickland of the Metropolitan Police is a rake that cannot turn down a proposition from the beautiful Abigail even though he knows of her tragic past.
The premise of the story was actually good. As an avid fan of the beloved Beauty and the Beast, Disney’s or otherwise, I could not turn this one down, however and much to my disappointment, it was not what I hoped for. At first, the story felt confusing, liked I’d missed a lot from the previous installments. I can understand that as a series and for one’s benefit, a reader must start with book one but I was hoping I didn't have to, as in other series that can be read as a stand alone.
The personalities of the main characters were sort of confusing at the beginning, Abigail most of all as she would act one way one minute and change her attitude the next. For example, she was a virgin, supposedly had no sexual experience, but then she made a sexual innuendo like “I’m sorry Strickland for not remembering my place. Do you need to punish me?” Huh? Where did come from? Oh, and right after they became acquainted she became aroused just by talking! It wasn't clear until way in into the story why she was so bitter, resentful, and cynical.
It was sort of like a lot of telling and not enough showing with their emotions AND the rest of the story because there was too much of the same, page after page, with the story going no where, except giving a detailed description of the settings, what they were wearing, and the few secondary characters that didn't add much to the plot, not even the villain. Not to mention that, overly descriptions notwithstanding, somehow it missed that historical feeling mark :(
Now, I'll give Ms. Monroe props because this is not your usual titled hero and she does know how to write a “beautiful prose.” As a matter of fact, there were times I applauded the way it was written more than I did the story itself. It was an ok story, unfortunately it was not for me.
*** I was gifted a copy of this story by the author in exchange for an honest review ***
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This is the 3rd book in a series and there's a lot that happens in the 2nd book (I read the synopsis) that is related to this story including I'm guessing how Abigail was hurt.
Abigail, the heroine, worked as a weaver in a factory to support her family as her father does nothing except gamble away money he doesn't have. After a horrendous torture (read the 2nd book?) she has no resources left except prostitution (really?) to support herself & her beloved younger sister. And her father. When said father loses over 200 pounds in a night, Abigail barters away her body for 2 weeks in exchange to her father's debtor.
Michael Strickland had met Abigail in the hospital where she'd been taken after her injury/torture and had been immediately taken with her and is only too willing to agree to Abigail's proposal.
Michael is supposedly the rake but nothing in the story showed that. Quite the opposite as he behaves with utmost integrity and honor towards Abigail throughout; he refuses to debauch her when she presents herself nude to him in her bedroom when she starts crying. It's Abigail who looks for & reads salacious books in Michael's vast library.
I couldn't connect to Abigail at all. At times I felt the author was trying to make her too perfect, but instead it felt rather flat to me.
This copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
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