THE ROGUE

Author: Celeste Bradley ISBN: 0312931158 6/2005 HISTORICAL Publisher: ST. MARTIN'S PRESS
Time Period: Regency England

Ethan Damont's legendary gambling skills have earned him a place at the gaming tables of London's most exclusive homes. He has used his dubious place in Society to aid The Liar's Club. But his latest favor to the group has not only put his life in danger—it has thrown him together with the woman who tempts him to forgo his rakish ways. Lady Jane Pennington is the ravishing niece of a suspected traitor. Now it's Ethan's job to discover if the woman he finds irresistible is naïve to her uncle's deceit—or guilty of treason against the Crown... Jane can barely wait for the Season to end—until she meets Ethan Damont. After a humiliating first encounter, Jane expects a scoundrel like Ethan to joke at her expense. Instead, he behaves like a perfect gentleman. But just as Jane finds herself overcome by her desire for Ethan, he takes her captive. Suddenly, she is pulled into a dangerous world where it's impossible to know who is friend—and who is foe. Will Ethan prove to be her undoing...or the love she has always longed for?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

When a book starts out with the heroine dangling upside down in a tree by her bloomered knees, who is then saved by a sexy, bad-boy hero who can't resist taking a few liberties in the process, something tells you you're in for a delightful time. And when the author is Celeste Bradley...well, need I say more?

THE ROGUE is a continuation of the Liar's Club series, and once again Bradley gives readers a taste of excellent drama, spontaneous wit and plot surprises. Both Lady Jane and Ethan are totally engaging characters, though Lady Jane is definitely the stronger of the two. There's plenty of double dealing between them, with neither one quite sure whose side the other is on. Their relationship is fun, rambunctious and daring, not to mention sensual and steamy (an erotic episode in a enclosed carriage quickly comes to mind).

As to the plot, it's spies, counterspies, dirty dealings and subterfuge everywhere, the same everyday dealings the members of the Liar's Club are used to. In Ethan's case he's the outcast of the group, suddenly forced to become a Liar and ordered to counterspy on the villain. But the villain knows this, too, and after some careful manipulation has Ethan pondering whether to remain a spy for the crown or become a double-spy in the opposite direction. As for Jane, well, her motives are bit unclear, both to Ethan and the reader, which makes for an interesting plot twist at the end, done in typical Bradley fashion—I just love when an author takes me down a fork in a road that I hadn't thought of traversing.

Of all Ms. Bradley's books I've read or reviewed, I'd have to say this, perhaps, is her weakest one. That, in itself, doesn't say much, if "weak" still merits a 4 Rose award. The only reason this isn't a Top Pick is that there was a bit too much ebb time in the flow of the prose. THE ROGUE just didn't seem to have the rhythm and natural ease of style the other Liar's Club books have to date. A few times I lost some of my concentration, and then suddenly the plot would speed up or the characters would spark, and off I'd go again, more so in the second half of the story where characters from the previous books make their reappearances. Their skillful integration into the plot just seemed to bring everything back to life.

Fans of Ms. Bradley and readers of the Liars series will definitely want to snatch this one up. Oh, and watch for the butler (We all know he did it, right?), because if ever there was a scene stealer in a secondary character, one who is sure to give readers a smile each time he appears, then no one does it better than "Jeeves". He's an absolute hoot and utterly superb with one-liners and quick comebacks!

Nancy Davis