Review: COLD-HEARTED RAKE by Lisa Kleypas

Devon Ravenel is not pleased when he inherits the estate of his cousin, the Earl of Trenear. For one thing, the house itself is falling apart, the estate is mired in debt, and it's not producing enough income to keep it afloat. For another thing, Devon and his brother made a pact as children to never take on any responsibility whatsoever. But when Devon goes to the estate to look into selling it off, he comes across his cousin's widow and despite his best intentions finds himself accepting the burdens of the earldom, most especially those of taking care of Trenear's countess.

Lisa Kleypas is the author whose books got me into romances, so when I heard she was releasing her first historical romance since 2010's Love in the Afternoon, I was pretty durned excited. But also anxious, because historical romance hasn't really been doing anything for me lately. I'm happy to report that while Cold-Hearted Rake wasn't a perfect book, it was fun and entertaining and mostly unputdownable–exactly the type of novel I hope for when I pick up something by Kleypas.

The beginning of Cold-Hearted Rake was a bit rough (side note: the title is annoying and inaccurate. Devon hardly came across as a cold-hearted rake; he was way too fiscally responsible. Also, the term "rake" kinda makes me roll my eyes). The romance between Devon and Kathleen felt predictable and forced, and I think it remained the weakest part of the novel even after it improved.

Fortunately, Devon and Kathleen didn't spend that much time together during the course of the novel, which left plenty of time for the more entertaining stories of Devon's brother, Weston, and the three Ravenel sisters, Pandora, Cassandra, and Helen, getting into hijinks. These are awesome characters, and Kleypas can really tell a great story when she puts her mind to it.

I also suspect Kleypas has been binge watching way too much PBS in recent years, because there's definitely a Masterpiece Classic vibe going on with this series. Devon's attitude reminded me of Matthew's in the first season of Downton Abbey, particularly when Grantham says to him (re: the estate), "You don't love it yet, but you will," and Matthew's like, "ERMERGAWD these people are so backward and stuck in the past and this house is wildly impractical WHY."

But even more than that, Winterbourne (Devon's friend who owns a department store in London) is so obviously modeled after Mouret, the owner of The Ladies' Paradise, or maybe Henry Selfridge from Mr. Selfridge. Either way, he's like, *smolder smolder smolder* *issues* I can't wait to find out what historical miniseries Kleypas rips off in the third book!

Anyway, it was nice to read a historical romance that was a well-told story with fun characters, that didn't bore me to death and I didn't want to set on fire. So the bar's set pretty high over here! Seriously, though, Cold-Hearted Rake isn't Kleypas' best book, but it stands up on its own pretty well. I've already preordered Marrying Winterbourne. CANNOT WAIT.



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Upcoming Releases I Am Actually Super Excited About

Once upon a time, I kept a very detailed spreadsheet of upcoming releases, which I updated on a weekly basis. Nowadays, I'm the complete opposite–unless I happen to see a new release announcement on Facebook or Twitter, I exist in a fog where book releases do not register on my radar at all.

As I've said before, there aren't a lot of authors on my auto-buy list anymore. Even for authors I do consider "auto-buy," by the time I figure out they have a new release out it's usually at the library (unless they self-publish of course), so I borrow it there. If I love it, then I can buy it to add to my collection. If not, no loss on my end.

But! There are a couple of books I'm super excited about coming out later this year. What are they? *drumroll*

The English Spy by Daniel Silva (June 30th)–Silva's one of my auto-buy authors. I loved The English Girl, and The English Spy's title suggests this book will focus more on Christopher, one of the secondary characters populating the world of super agent Gabriel Allon. That's a good thing, because the book after The English Girl, The Heist, languished a bit.

In other news, I really hope Gabriel destroys Isis.

Oblivion by Kelly Creagh (July 28)–I read Nevermore, the first book in this trilogy, wayyyyyyyy back in 2010 and loved it. It was like if Snape and Lily actually hooked up at Hogwarts. The second book, Enshadowed, was meh and skimmable. But! I love Creagh's writing style and I want to find out what happens with Varen and Isobel next, and I've waited far too long for this book to get it from the library.

Cold-Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas (October 27)–A new historical novel by Lisa Kleypas! Dreams really do come true! I've been kinda off historical romance for a while, but Kleypas still has my loyalty. Perhaps because she hasn't published a historical since 2010, when I was still reading them, but anyway. Excitement! (And thanks to Colette from A Buckeye Girl Reads for giving me the heads up about this one.)







Okay, so I know that's only three books, but for me it's a lot. What are some upcoming releases that are on your radar?



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Review(ish): BECAUSE YOU'RE MINE by Lisa Kleypas

Five reasons why you should read this awesome historical romance:

1. "The theatre, the theatre, whatever happened to the theatre."  I LOVE the setting of Because You're Mine, which is a London theater called the Capital. Madeline, the heroine, runs away from school and heads straight for the Capital, where she wants to get a job. Not as an actress, but as a general assistant. I'm quite partial to books set in theaters, and Lisa Kleypas turns the Capital into its own little world, filling it with well-research details about theatrical production in the early 19th century. You all know I love research.
2. Secondary characters  Naturally, if you set a novel in a theater, you need eccentric characters to fill it! I loved the secondary in Because You're Mine, from the supporting actors Arlyss Barry and Stephen Maitland, to Madeline's landlady, Mrs. Florence, who used to be an actress herself. They're all full of personality and make the story fun as well as bringing it to life.
3. Logan  One of Kleypas' strengths is creating great romantic heroes, and Logan Scott, the director and lead actor at the Capital, is no exception. When we first meet him, Logan is hilariously grumbly, yet inspires loyalty and admiration in the entire company because he's fair and honorable. He expects a lot from other people, but he expects more from himself. He reminded me of a pirate captain, and the Capital definitely has the atmosphere of a ship that's a world unto itself and under his command, and for that reason alone he's a fascinating character.
4. Madeline  By far my favorite character in Because You're Mine is Madeline. She's young and sweet, and she's anything but a "kick-ass heroine." I would argue she's a strong woman. Personally, I'm sick of encountering heroines who have no emotions and/or are total bitches, and somehow this is supposed to translate into a strong female character. Sorry, but I can't connect to characters like that. Maddy is guileless and extremely innocent, but she goes after what she wants and follows her dreams even when it's scary or the stakes are high, which to me is more evidence of a strong character than biting someone's head off. She's also no shrinking violet: she's the sexual aggressor in her relationship with Logan and is up-front about desiring him. How many female characters can you think of who do that and aren't villains?
5. Feminism  I'm not about to say this book is a feminist treatise, but it does pass the Bechdel Test. AND IN A ROMANCE NOVEL, NO LESS! For those of you who aren't familiar, the Bechdel Test is a litmus test for fully-realized female characters and gender equality, mainly applied to TV shows and movies, but also books. It consists of three criteria: The story has 1. a female character who 2. talks to another female character about 3. something other than a dude. (For more about this, you should check out the excellent post, "A Question About the Bechdel Test," at Jenny's Books.) Think about the last few books you read and ask yourself if they pass the Bechdel Test; you'll be surprised at how many don't. Because You're Mine, however, does: Madeline gets Mrs. Florence to tell her stories about her family and working as an actress, and talks about pregnancy and party planning with her friend and Logan's business partner, Julia. Just to reiterate: this is a romance novel. If there's any type of book where it might be expected for two female characters to meet for the sole purpose of talking about the hero, it would be a romance. But Because You're Mine isn't just a romance, it's an adventure that centers around a woman. As good as Kleypas is about writing male characters, it's Madeline's story.

Because You're Mine isn't one of Kleypas' best novels--they are a few too many convenient plot devices and sometimes Logan's decisions don't make sense--but it is one of her (many) keepers.

Love In the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas

WORST TITLE EVER.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, perhaps I can tell you about this book a little more calmly. This is the final book in the Hathaway series, about the crazy 19th-century English family that keeps marrying for love. What will they think of next? I just don't know! In volume five, the sylvan Beatrix falls in love with Christopher, a Crimean War vet with PTSD. Beatrix has avoided Christopher ever since she overheard him saying she belongs in the stables, but when his shallow almost-fiance (whom Beatrix strangely has no problem hanging out with) refuses to answer his letters from the front, she decides to do it herself. They fall in love via post but Christopher thinks he's in love with Prudence the social butterfly, not odd animal lover Beatrix Hathaway. Boy, is he in for an unpleasant surprise!

This novel felt a little clunky and I think it's fair to say it's the worst volume in the series. Not that I hated it, but there were just so many problems and it needed to be edited down and then built back up. First and foremost are the letters--it's not that I don't think people can fall in love through letters, but I can't see them falling in love with the letters that are exchanged in this book. They're short and to the point and kind of impersonal, almost like an e-mail conversation. I could tell Kleypas was really not into it. Fortunately, despite the fact that these two fall in love by writing to one another, the letters are a very short portion of the book--I have to wonder, why bother to include them at all?



The real story starts when Christopher returns to Hampshire, determined to marry the love of his life, aka Prudence. In the meantime, he's one of England's greatest heroes, his brother died, and his mother hates him. Drama! Oh, and he also has a cute dog that Beatrix insists on helping named Albert. Christopher found Albert guarding the body of his dead master on the battlefield and adopted him. Soon Albert was carrying messages for the Rifle Brigade and became Christopher's best friend. Isn't that sweet? And this story is actually based on a real dog from the Crimean Wars!

Anyway, enough about the dog. Terriers are such a great breed, but that's beside the point. I enjoyed the first part of the book, but after Christopher realized it was Beatrix who really wrote the letters, the story lost a lot of narrative tension. Toward the end it had pacing issues, as well--for example, the return of one of Christopher's friends was reeeally interesting, but it was given about a page and a half while other parts of the story I honestly did not care about dragged on and on. Admittedly, most of these parts had to do with sex. And, okay, the sex was kind of hot, but I was really more interested in the characters.

Basically, Love In the Afternoon wasn't a complete dud of a read, but it definitely didn't have the same feeling of charm and energy as the previous Hathaway books. Still, if you're a fan of the series, you'll want to read it.


For more images from the book, check out my image board at PInterest!

Musical notes: "Lost" by Coldplay

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Married By Morning by Lisa Kleypas

Musical Notes: "Marry You" by Bruno Mars



Review:

A secret: I'm a total sucker for romances where the hero and heroine fight all the time. I don't know why; in real life, I absolutely hate conflict. But books where a couple expresses their love with petty arguments? That's full of win.

Leo Hathaway and Catherine Marks have been at odds since Marks was hired as a sort of social governess for Leo's younger sisters, Bea and Poppy. Naturally, the pair's constant bickering hides a deep-seated attraction that both are determined to ignore for their own reasons. But after Leo discovers Marks has a secret past (and blonde hair), he starts pushing their relationship in a new direction.

Leo is such a great character. He's kind of studious and creative, being trained as an architect, but also has a dark side (naturally! what would a romance hero be without a dark side, amirite?). We first met him in Mine Till Midnight, where we learned his spiraling depression and erratic behavior were due to the fact that his fiance had died of scarlet fever. In Seduce Me At Sunrise, Leo went to France with his sister, Win, and seemed to calm down a bit. Thanks to his inheritance of an earldom, Leo returned to England as a very eligible bachelor and was loathe to denounce his rakish rep, which only annoyed the uptight Catherine Marks. As becomes clear in Tempt Me at Twilight, however, Leo enjoys annoying Marks far too much.

For much of the last two books, Leo's behavior as a rake has annoyed and perplexed me. I couldn't reconcile the Leo we met in Mine Till Midnight with the one who emerged after he gained the earldom. Somehow, though, Married By Morning resolved this dichotomy in a way that made perfect sense to me. Leo actually went to a much darker place than I had previously assumed, but now he's more or less pulled out of it and is ready to find the love of his life, i.e. Marks.

Married by Morning starts almost at the same time Tempt Me at Twilight ends, with Leo learning Marks is actually Harry Rutledge's--Leo's new brother-in-law--half-sister. Apparently he thought she'd emerged fully formed from someone's forehead, like Athena, but no; at one point she actually had (very irresponsible) parents and was a mini-Marks. Marks drives Leo to distraction and they wind up kissing, something that perturbs them so much they promise never to speak of it. But subsequent encounters between the two only bring them closer together, and the skittish Marks starts trusting Leo. It's only one step from that to her actually being nice to him; and pretty soon they're having teh sex.

Added to this is the complication of the previous earl's wife wanting to take over the Hathaway's house unless Leo marries and fathers an heir by the end of the year. This whole "plot" thing is really kind of unnecessary, but whatever.



For the most part this book is just delightful. I enjoyed Leo's and Marks' battle of wills (great play on words with these characters' names, by the way--St. Mark's symbol is a lion), and as always I loved catching up with the Hathaways. The encounters between Marks and Leo felt like they progressed organically and were entertaining to read. Ultimately, though, I started to get annoyed at Leo because he became über-controlling in the second half of the novel. He wouldn't even let Marks drink her own champagne at one point. Then there was the whole silliness with the plot that made the conclusion drag on. I can understand why Kleypas included the plot, but it could have been better integrated into the story.

Overall though, I enjoyed this book to a surprising degree! It's been so long since I read a historical romance I can say that about, I'm doubly pleased that I picked this up after Meghan from Medieval Bookworm reminded me (via her review) that I wanted to read it.  I can't wait for the next Hathaway book to arrive so I can dig into it. Definitely a worthy entry in the Hathaway family series!

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Tempt Me at Twilight

Tempt Me at Twilight by Lisa Kleypas

This is the third in Kleypas' Hathaway series, which features the crazy-but-lovable brood of the Hathaway family and their sexy Rom brothers-in-law. The book has pacing and plot problems, and is definitely not as good as its two predecessors; but it's still an enjoyable read.

In this installment, Poppy, the supposedly "normal" Hathaway, meets the owner of Rutledge Hotel (THE hotel), Jay Henry Rutledge. Did Kleypas run out of gypsy heroes? I'm sure she could have found some distant relatives of Cam's and Merripen's if she'd tried. Anyway, despite the fact that he's not as interesting as either of those characters, Harry Rutledge decides he wants Poppy. But oops--she's already engaged to a future viscount. Don't worry, though, Harry gets her to marry him anyway. That's when the story really starts.

Like I said, I had fun reading this book. But it's kind of a mess. Harry is okay, although all the disparate elements of his personality that we're introduced to aren't really pulled together into a cohesive character. The same is true for the Rutledge hotel itself; I loooooooved the staff and wanted to know more about them, especially Chef Broussard. He had every single lawl-worthy line in this book. Two of the more memorable ones:

The chef gave him a patronizing glance. "That's how much you know. Mr. Rutledge will marry, once he finds the right woman. As my countrymen say, 'A wife and a melon are hard to choose.'"

and

Broussard shook his head in disbelief. "What is the matter with you British?"

"He's not British, he was born in America," Jake snapped.

"Oh, yes," Broussard said, recalling the indelicate fact. "Americans and romance. It's like watching a bird try to fly with one wing."

The indignant Jake in the latter quote is another great character, as Rutledge's valet/hired thug/secretary. I definitely hope to see more of him in future books! The Rutledge Hotel is--or rather, could have been--another character itself, filled with secret passages and strange events. But we never really learn anything more about it beyond superficial facts and settings. Where was Kleypas' fabulous research skills when she studying up on hotels? I have to confess, I was looking forward to seeing the inner workings of a 19th-century hotel, but Poppy seemed to spend most of her time in her room, reading.

And that leads one to Poppy. Since when has she been the "normal" Hathaway? Is every Hathaway we encounter going to think of themselves as normal, one wonders? I liked Poppy, but her attraction to--and supposed love for--Michael Bayning was ridiculous. The man was obviously a spineless wimp; and really, who would marry a future viscount in an effort to attain normalcy??? Try a parson or something, honey! Her anger at Harry for getting rid of Michael is very difficult to sympathize with, especially since she and Harry start making out the first time they meet (really great kiss, btw)! Didn't she at some point think to herself, "Hmmmm, I'm kissing and thinking about one man and planning to marry another. Is this a good sign?" She deserved to be tortured wayyyyyy more than she was in this book.

Beyond that, the story doesn't really flow well. The backstory inserted into places at the beginning of the novel stops the narrative and it takes a while to get it going again.

You're probably wondering why I even liked this book at this point. Well, to be honest... I have no idea. I suppose I enjoyed reading more about the Hathaways. Kleypas knows how to write historical romances; I just wish she would have pushed this one farther. Make Harry more ruthless, do more with the hotel, more with the interactions between Harry and Poppy, more with the plot. But yes, it was still good.



Other opinions:
Dear Author
Lurv A La Mode
Romance Rookie
AnimeGirl's Bookshelf
The Good, the Bad, and the Unread

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Book Zombie Quiz

Another reading meme from The Book Zombie:

1. What author do you own the most books by?
Well, I'm not going to count them.  But off the top of my head I'd say Christina Dodd and Lisa Kleypas, since I tend to read them obsessively and they've both written a lot of books.

2. What book do you own the most copies of?
I own three copies of Treasure Island.  Why, you ask?  I really have no idea.  I like the book, but I don't like it that much.  I also own 3 versions of the story on DVD.

3. Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?
The first one didn't bother me, but the second one really did.  That might be because I've just spent the last 5 hours grading essays, though.

4. What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
Haha, I have to pick one?  Hmm, Mr. Darcy is probably number one in my heart.  But there are really so many choices....

5. What book have you read the most times in your life?
Wellllll, I don't know.  It comes down to The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart, Here Comes the Sun by Emilie Loring, and The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith.  The one that I've read the most of all of those is probably Here Comes the Sun, since I've read it at least once a year since I was 7.  That book is crazy, y'all (not really).

6. What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
I loved this book called The Ghost Wore Grey by Bruce Coville when I was younger (I've always had a thing for stories involving the supernatural).  It was about a ghost from the Civil War who recruits two pre-teen girls to help him do... something.  It had this great line in it:  "What a hunk!  Too bad he's dead."

7. What is the worst book you've read in the past year?
There are so many to choose from.  Probably Dark Thirst by Sara Reinke.  That was book was terrible.

8. What is the best book you've read in the past year?
Year as in since January?  Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles has probably been my personal favorite so far.

9. If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?
Lord, I don't know.  In all honesty, I'd probably make them read Giorgio de Chirico's Hebdomeros, because I'm evil like that, and because I could use it to create my de Chirico zombie army.  Alternative reading assignment would Nadja by André Breton.

10. Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for literature?
When I start reading "literature," I'll let you know.

11. What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
Well, I'm reading Drood right now, and I think it would make a great movie!  But you never know with that.  I used to really wish The Vampire Diaries would be made into a TV show (head writer would be Joss Whedon, natch), and now they ARE making it into a TV series, and I'm completely convinced they're going to fuck it up.  I heard the other day that they're changing Stephen and Damon's last names from Salvatore to Witcombe, or something really dumb like that.  WTH?  Stephen and Damon are from Italy, why would you mess with that (very important, trust me) part of the plot unless you're a total d-bag?!?!  Anywayyyy, /rant.  People are trampling on my childhood memories yet again. *grumble grumble*

12. What book would you least like to see made into a movie?
Ha, just about any romance novel.  I really don't want to see most of that stuff on-screen.

13. Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.
No idea.  I can't remember stuff like that (at least, nothing's springing to mind at the moment), although I have dreamed about Giorgio de Chirico, who is technically a writer.

14. What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult?
Um, just about every book I pick up is considered "lowbrow" by some person.

15. What is the most difficult book you've ever read?
Difficult how?  I'd have to say trying to read Les Fleurs du Mal by Charles Baudelaire in the original French was pretty damn difficult.  I'm amazed I survived that semester, in all honesty.

16. Do you prefer the French or the Russians?
I've never read anything by a Russian author, so I guess the French win by default.  Yay for them.

17. Roth or Updike?
I'd rather gouge my eyes out than read Updike again.  As for Roth, I honestly have no idea who that is, unless you're talking about the lead singer for Van Halen.

18. David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?
I've heard of David Sedaris.  I think I might have read one of his books.  So I'm going to vote... Sedaris.

19. Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
Shakespeare FTW.

20. Austen or Eliot?
Austen, duh.

21. What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
I still have not read Tolkien.  And I have to admit I haven't read the entire Austen catalog, either.  I know; I feel bad about it.

22. What is your favorite novel?
Jane Eyre is my favorite novel of all time.

23. Play?
A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen--that play is amazingly good, full of drama and yet very insightful about gender roles and the way the sexes interact.  And the female lead has a great last scene.

24. Short story?
Don't have one.

25. Epic Poem?
Oh, yes, what is my favorite epic poem???  Well, I would say Childe Harold's Pilgrimage by Byron, but I never actually finished it.  Or The Odyssey, except I never actually read it, just watched the miniseries.  Or The Epic of Gilgamesh, except I have also not read that.  So I suppose one can conclude from this that I don't read epic poems.

26. Short(er) poem?

Strephon kissed me in the spring,

     Robin in the fall,

But Colin only looked at me

     And never kissed at all.

Strephon's kiss was lost in jest,

     Robin's lost in play,

But the kiss in Colin's eyes

     Haunts me night and day.

--Sara Teasdale, "The Look"

27. Work of non-fiction?
Hmm, I only read non-fiction for work.  I don't really have a favorite, since I don't read it for enjoyment.

28. Who is your favorite writer?
I really couldn't say.  I hate just about anyone's writing if I'm not in the mood for it.  LOL  Probably LJ Smith if I had to pick one writer.

29. Who is the most overrated writer alive today?
This question is funny to me, because I don't think there are many contemporary writers who are "rated" (by whom?) at the same level as Charles Dickens was in his lifetime--just to use an example.  I think Nora Roberts is really overrated, if you want to know the truth.  I have never seen the appeal of her books.

30. What is your desert island book?
Taking just one book to a desert island would be a torturous decision.  No matter what it was, I would get really tired of it.  I guess I'd pick Robinson Crusoe, because if you're ever going to connect with a guy who's stranded on a deserted island, it'd be then, amirite?

31. And ... what are you reading right now?
Drood by Dan Simmons

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