Society Author Reviews


A Reputable Rake
Diane Gaston
ISBN# 037329400X
Harlequin, May 2006, 304 pages
Regency
$5.50 (US) $6.50 (CDN)

Reviewed by Dorie
January 2006

Cyprian Sloane is a man seeking respectability. Being the product of an affair by his mother, he was shunned and treated harshly by his father, and he eventually became known as a gambling rake with a somewhat shady past. But luck was on his side and he made his fortune. But that was not enough for him he wanted respectability. To be able to show his father that he had made something of himself, that he belonged with the Lords and Ladies of the Ton. So he decides that he needs to marry a lady, and so he begins to court Hannah Crowly. She is a lady, pretty and popular, she would make the perfect wife.

Morgana Hart is the daughter of a diplomat and has seen life in other countries. She is not looking for marriage and doesn't think that she will find a man who can deal with her lively and spirited nature. She is kind-hearted and does not hesitate to help someone. So when her maid's sister is in need of help, she unknowingly gets caught up in something very unexpected, a school for courtesans.

When Cyrpian sees a commotion in the park, that is when he first spies Morganna. She is busy trying to help her maid's sister get away from a man, bent on taking her to a house of ill repute. Cyprian steps in and helps Morganna and is surprised at how she fiercely stands up against the villain. He is enchanted by her but knows that nothing can come of it. He is soon in for a surprise when he finds out that Morganna is Hannah's cousin, and that they will be spending quite a bit of time together at one event after another.

I had been looking forward to Cyrpian's story ever since reading The Wagering Widow and I was not disappointed. Morganna was the perfect match for him. She was passionate, lively and was just such an engaging character. She knew what she wanted, and did not hesitate to go after it. Cyprian showed that he was not a careless womanizer; he was a much deeper and complex man who had to deal with a father who hated and shunned him. But in the end, he proved he was a better man, for he could have ruthlessly gone after a respectable life, and would have endured and subjugated Hannah, to a loveless marriage. But he chooses love, which is far more riskier and uncertain, but worth it in the end.

Diane Gaston has written another book that is as addictive, as sweet and fulfilling as a piece of chocolate cake, with many layers to go through and devour. And I certainly did, I could not help but read this book quickly and wish that it could have been longer. I would have loved to stay in the story with Cyprian and Morganna and the Regency world that Diane is an expert at creating.