Bantering Rogue

I've read and enjoyed some of Sarah MacLean's books previously so when this book came up on sale I had to listen. Although this one is not my favorite it still was entertaining and fun. I enjoyed the fast pace of this book, the adventure, and the bantering of the characters. I wasn't a fan of some unnecessary cruel dialog from the "hero" which only made him seem more like an immature bully. But, thankfully he worked out some issues and grew up a bit. 😊

Note: This book does have strong language and explicit sex.

Loved the narration of Justine Eyre. I've listened to other books she's narrated and I've never been disappointed. Everyone has different tastes when it comes to narrators so please listen to the audio sample before you purchase any book.

Overall, I liked this book and will be getting the next in this series. 😉

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

35 people found this helpful

Liked it

Any additional comments?

Pretty good story - good characters. Sophie and King suddenly meet and go for a wild ride for days. Sparks fly, tempers flare and romance ensues. Sophie's sisters are notorious in London. They were made ladies when their coal miner father "won" the title of Earle. Their behavior is not acceptable to the ton and they are ridiculed. Sophie is the youngest and least noticed of the sisters, but they are all called "soiled" and "dangerous". Sophie, who hates the aristocracy, snaps when her married eldest sister is embarrassed by her Duke husband at a summer party. Sophie takes drastic action against him resulting in her family being shunned by society. As she flees the party, Sophie runs into "King" who is in line for the title of Duke. It is a very bad meeting and gets worse - but fun to listen to. The performance is very good and I recommend this book for a fun listen. It is not great literature, but it is pleasant and entertaining. Kept my interest from the beginning to the end.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

20 people found this helpful

Freaking FAAAAANTASTIC

What an amazing book! I love how the story moved from one location to another and the creativity of the heroine in her garments during that time. She was brave and intelligent and interesting and a little spoiled and naive all at the same time. I can say I was NEVER bored at any single moment of this book and the push and pull between the H/H kept me glued to the book. A sigh worthy love match!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

20 people found this helpful

pleasantly surprised

Very good story. better than I expected. narrator did excellent job with all voices except for King's. I had hoped he would sound more masculine and less like the snobbish aristocrats. excellent overall.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

Sarah MacLean delivers!

Newly introduced to Sarah MacLean last fall I have devoured most of her book list. The Rogue Not Taken is a fast-paced wonderful storyline from start to finish. I love happy endings and this one takes it to the next level!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

Narration

I loved the story. But the narration lacked some... The narrator sounded: bored. No other words to describe it.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

Brava, Sarah MacLean

Oh my this was fun!!! I just plain loved it.

Sarah MacLean is a genius. Her books maintain a very high quality and consistency of entertainment. She is one of the authors whose new work I pre-order as soon as it's available. This book was highly anticipated and well worth the wait.

I don't know if it was the characters, the story, the writing, the verbal sparring, or the humor that can be singled out as the best part of this book. To be honest, I was a bit concerned when I earlier read a synopsis of the book and that "K family" was mentioned. I try to avoid them at all times and I was afraid this would put them in a book I was very anxious to read. No worries! I should have trusted the author. Everything about this book was perfect!

Sophie and King are delightful! Their dialogue is witty and engaging. The secondary characters are intriguing and I hope we learn more about them. (Justine Eyre's portrayal of the Scottish Duke was a bit off - not like her normally impeccable work.)

The only thing wrong with this book is that it's over and we have to wait for the next one. This should be a great series. Brava, Sarah MacLean!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

bicker-fest 2016

What disappointed you about The Rogue Not Taken?

I can’t believe that this is the same author that gave me one of my favorite books “9 rules to break when romancing a rake”. Her writing has been going downhill since that high-point and I think with this book she has hit rock bottom..
There was a very creepy scene when the hero asks the heroine to describe what she saw in the stables between a footman & maid. He keeps asking " what did you see Sophie?". I had a Silence of the Lambs moment.."what did you see Clarice?, then what did you do Clarice?" I half expected someone's face to get eaten.It made me feel a knot in my stomach. Especially when the hero is approx. 13 years older than the heroine and should have some more sophistication and smoother lines. He comes off as an immature jerk.

What do you think your next listen will be?

My next listen will be a good book, probably by stephanie laurenz.Nothing by this author

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

the narration was okay, but I had to give up on the story just after the 6 hour mark.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

disappointment and incredible sadnesss. .This book threw me back to the childhood trauma of my parent’s horrific marriage and subsequent divorce. The couple in this book are so filled with bile and vitriol that I kept having flashbacks to the worst of my youth. The only thing missing from the arguments was the female saying “ just ask for directions” and the male saying he knew where they were and not lost. This would have been all of the most awful times spent with my parents.
Even from the beginning the heroine says “ thank you for rescuing me” and the hero says” I didn’t rescue you ” to the point where the hero says “ I’m sorry.” And the heroine says “ you’re not sorry.”. This was just a series of conflict and argument for no reason .

Any additional comments?

I am over 50 and this book had me do something for the first time…take an alcoholic drink alone. My first shot came 5 hours into the book, when I should really have stopped listening and not taken a drink. The second shot came 6 hours into the book , when I realized that sipping slowly would be required. After reliving some of my emotionally scarring memories, I gave up and stopped when the heroine’s internal monologue identified the problem with this book “ I adored and loathed him”. Any book that has this much conflict in the characters can only be worse for the reader.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

A Rogue listen

This isn't your normal English romance. This story is filled with a long journey with different twist and turns along the way. It dragged on sometimes, but other than that a OK listen. I am not sure if I want to read the next book in the series .

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

Up and down listen

The Rogue Not Taken

First of all the narrator gets the Scots accent wrong...it is totally Irish!

It started a little slow for me, but as soon as they got to the little town....it drug me in. Then it kinda lost me again. I love the supporting characters. John is great! But then they weren't in the story anymore.

It was very up and down for me. I liked both H&H ..but I didn't LOVE them. It was so frustrating at times. The heroine acted so strong...then had bad self esteem. The hero was kind of an ass...but then not. The ending made me mad..then it was good again, but it all seemed so rushed.

It was good..not great.. but I'm glad I listened. I liked the "story" but I just think it could have been written a bit better..or maybe it is just that some of the characters could have been tweaked a little, to make the overall book better.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful