WHAT A RECKLESS ROGUE NEEDS by Vicky Dreiling (March 25, 2014; Forever Mass Market; $8.00)
WILL THE ROGUE'S PERFECT PLAN . . . Colin Brockhurst, Earl of Ravenshire, has no desire to wed, this season or any other. So when his father demands he give up his wild ways and take a wife, Colin refuses. But his father raises the stakes and threatens to sell the ancestral home if Colin doesn't comply. Now Colin has no choice but to find a wife. Unfortunately, the only woman he wants is the one whose heart he broke years ago.
LEAD TO THE PERFECT SEDUCTION?
Regardless of the ton's whispers, Lady Angeline Brenham won't settle for anything less than true love. After rejecting more than her share of suitable suitors, spinsterhood looms before her-until the devilishly handsome Colin reappears in her life with a proposition. Angeline vows to keep her feet on the ground and her heart in check. That is, until one searing kiss melts her resolve and reignites a burning desire for more . . .
Colin Brockhurst, Earl of Ravenshire, is content being a libertine. When his father delivers an ultimatum: Settle down and marry or lose Sommerrall, his childhood home and the place where his mother is laid to rest, Colin begins to rethink his libertine lifestyle. Although it’s not until he enlists Angeline’s help that he realize just how easy settling down may be.
Lady Angeline Brenham has fallen victim to scandal thanks to a broken engagement. When her family visit’s Deerfield, she’s not sure she is ready to face Colin, whom she had a falling out with after her coming out. Although still rake, Colin’s determination to save his childhood home convinces her to help him and soon she finds herself entering into a secret trial engagement with a man she can’t seem to get enough of.
I am never disappointed when reading a romance by Vicky Dreiling and What a Reckless Rogue Needs is no exception. Although I must say I’m a little disappointed that I missed the first book in her Sinful Scoundrels Series (I have no idea how I managed that one), which I will be reading ASAP, but having not read the first book in the series did not hinder my understanding of the second.
Colin is content with getting foxed and dallying with a new woman every night. I believe it stems from the fact that he lost his mother at a young age, his father remarrying a woman who while she loved him she couldn’t figure out how to bridge the gap between them, and losing a married woman whom he was in love with. In his mind, he thinks it’s safer to have a revolving door of women so he can’t grow close to one and take a chance on getting hurt again.
So when his father hands down the ultimatum to either marry or lose Sommerrall, Colin tries everything in his power to avoid marriage, even offering to buy the property from his father. When that fails, he decides to seduce Angeline, who has been gracious enough to help him with seeing to the repairs that need to be done at Sommerrall, although he soon finds that she is seducing him.
Colin was an easy character to like. He knows what he wants and he’s determined to get it. Although he never planned to fall in love with Angeline, he does and it shocked him.
Angeline has been the source of shameful scandal which caused her mother to leave with her and head to Paris and now that she’s back home, she sees the strain that the scandal has had on her family. Fearful that her younger sister may be treated badly due to her broken engagement, she agrees to marry Colin because as a man of wealth and title he could open doors for her sister that Angeline’s scandal had closed.
I think most people in Angeline’s shoes would have contemplated doing the same. She was an interesting character, but sometimes I wished she would have stood up for herself a little more.
The plot was handled rather well and flowed nicely. And the romance built as the characters, especially Colin, matured, which added depth to both the characters and the plot.
Overall, I loved What a Reckless Rogue Needs. It kept me entertained from beginning to end and I simply cannot wait for the third book in the series. Oh, let me just say the role playing was an added bonus I never saw coming!
What a Reckless Rogue Needs is another winner from the amazing Vicky Dreiling, which will leave you breathless.
“Come with me,” she said, opening the door to the bedchamber that she assumed had belonged to his father years ago.
“Angeline, what are you about?”
“There is no need to worry. I’ve no intention of seducing you.”
He sighed theatrically. “What a pity.”
“You will have to look elsewhere for sympathy.” She took him over to the shaving stand. “Have a look in the glass.”
“My hair is even more of a disheveled, curly mess than usual.” He met her gaze in the mirror. “When I was a lad, I used to spit in my hands and try to wet down the curls.”
She laughed. “Eww.”
“I’m tempted now.”
“For whose benefit? I do not care if your hair is standing on end.” Liar.
He turned and clutched his hands to his heart. “Woe is me.”
She would never tell him that his unruly curls only added to his masculine appeal.
A slow smile tugged at his mouth. It was a kneeweakening, toe-curling rake’s smile meant to disarm a lady. She was, of course, impervious to him. Well, maybe not completely.
“You’re a bit disheveled, too,” he said.
“What?” She walked over to the shaving mirror.
“Got you,” he said, laughing.
She spun around. “You’re as horrid as a little boy.”
“I may be horrid, but I’m no boy.”
“You’re in luck. I find you mildly tolerable today.”
“Lucky me,” he said, beginning to close the distance between them.
She tried to ignore the husky note in his voice, but the deep sound hummed inside her. Tension hung in the air, and unbidden, she recalled the way his muscles had strained while he’d wielded that ax. She dared not let him know how he’d affected her.
“I have a confession to make,” he said.
Now she couldn’t breathe, because he was too close and the scent of him swirled all around her.
“I find you charming today.”
She took a step back and lifted her chin. “It will wear off quickly.”
He took another step. There was a languorous expression in his eyes. She might have noticed the amber hues in them, but only because she was perceptive by nature. Drat it all. Why couldn’t he have a long nose, pointed chin, and no muscles at all? And why after all these years did she find him irresistible?
He advanced again. Now his boots were inches away from the toes of her slippers.
She took two more steps back and bumped against the mattress.
He closed his big hand around the bedpost and his gaze flickered briefly to her décolletage. Her breasts felt heavier, and her nipples tightened. The sound of his breath was faster and a little rough. She was drawn to his full lower lip. Something inside of her gave way to desire. She wanted to be closer to him.
As if he could read her thoughts, he closed the scant distance between them. He angled his head and looked into her eyes. “Is this surrender?”
The sensual haze cleared, and she glared at him. Outrageous man. How dare he look at her bosom? Angeline straightened her spine. “Do you think I am intimidated by you?”
“Not at all.” He wagged his brows. “Those two steps back were merely dance steps. Am I correct?”
She closed the distance between them in an effort to assert herself, but she realized the disadvantage immediately. While she was tall for a lady, he was easily halfa head taller and much too close. He filled her senses and belatedly she realized she’d invited a rake into a bedchamber. Had she lost her wits?
“You are a shameless libertine.”
His chest shook with laughter. “Not entirely shameless. I’ve had one or two guilt-ridden moments, but fortunately they dissipated quickly.” His gaze slid over her body. “I suspect you’ve been told many times how very beautiful you are.”
She knew it was a rake’s trick to murmur sweet words and tempt a lady to loosen her morals, but he looked at her with intent. Without thinking, she wet her lips, and that drew his attention. She’d inadvertently signaled she wanted a kiss, but of course she would rather kiss a snake.
Tension vibrated between them. Now was the moment to step away, but she stood rooted to the spot as if her feet were mired in a bog.
He reached for her nape, just as the knocker downstairs rapped repeatedly.
She gasped, and they sprang apart.
Rake that he was, he winked and said, “Saved by the knocker.”
About the author:
Vicky Dreiling is a confirmed historical romance junkie and Anglophile. Frequent business trips to
the United Kingdom allowed her to indulge her passion for all things Regency England. Bath, Stonehenge, and Spencer House are among her favorite places. She is, however, truly sorry for accidentally setting off a security alarm in Windsor Castle. That unfortunate incident led her British colleagues to nickname her Trouble.
When she's not writing, Vicky enjoys reading, films, concerts, and, most of all, long lunches with friends. A native Texan, she holds degrees in English literature and marketing.
Social Media Links:
Buy Links:
