Romance - A Rogue By Any Other Name

Goodreads.  Believed to constitute fair use.

Sarah MacLean's A Rogue by Any Other Name was a fun romance to read for my 2015 Read Harder Challenge! I like MacLean's historical romances because they often stand the gender conventions of the time on their head.  It's not the most historically accurate, but it's a delight to read, which is precisely what I am looking for.

This story revolves around Penelope and the disgraces Marquess of Bourne.  When the Marquess loses his fortune and family's legacy in a hubris-fueled moment of gambling, it is clear that he will stop at nothing to get back his family home.

This actually includes kidnapping his once best friend, Penelope, and using a forced marriage with her as leverage to get the lands now attached to her name.  Penelope, disgraced in her own way, must grapple with her sham of a marriage and the feelings she harbors for the man that the Marquess once was.

As I've mentioned, this one was good fun, as a romance should be.  The dialogue, which MacLean is known for, is witty and light, Additionally, the supporting characters are interesting.  All of this added up to me actually reading every page, not skipping about as I tend to do when reading a romance novel. I believe I'll pick up the rest of the series on my Kindle and read it in between heavier tomes!  I would recommend it for that use to any lady who's not afraid of some smart words between her romantic scenes.  My only warning is that MacLean (like much romance!) can become a bit formulaic, so it may become tiresome before the end of the series.  If the formula is a comfort to you, rather than a chore, then double go for it!