From Booklist *Starred Review* When in doubt, seek out an expert. As a scientist, Philippa Marbury knows the value of consulting with an authority, so when Pippa needs a man skilled in the art of seduction, she tracks down England’s most infamous rake: Mr. Cross. In two weeks, Pippa is scheduled to wed Lord Castleton, and she would like to learn more about what she can expect from her husband-to-be after the ceremony. Unfortunately for Pippa, Cross, part-owner of London’s most exclusive gaming hall, not only is unwilling to share his legendary “skills” with Pippa; he also makes her promise him that she will not seek out similar advice from any other man. Of course, as a good scientist Pippa knows there is a time to play by the rules, and then there are times you just have to break them. With her usual clever writing style, superb flair for historical detail, and gift for subtle characterization, MacLean constructs the second scintillating installment in her Rule of Scoundrels series (A Rogue by Any Other Name, 2012). Completely captivating and exquisitely sensual, this is a tour de force of wit and romance. --John Charles I cannot wait for you to see Cross & Pippa's story unfold-and I've saved one nugget of information for here, on my own blog, to thank you for coming over and joining me this week!Here's the thing: Pippa was never supposed to be a heroine.She was supposed to be a sweet side character in A Rogue By Any Other Name -- the odd younger sister who ends up married because that's what happens to odd younger sisters. Andxa0Cross was supposed to (get this!) marry a lady doctor. I had plans for him that involved neither ruination of engaged aristocratic misses nor falling head over heels for strange bespectacled beauties.Not to mention the fact thatxa0Temple's book was supposed to come first. I've never been one of those writers who has characters who speak to her. I am lord and deity over my books. I tell my heroes to do stuff and they do them, for heaven's sake. But...for some reason, for this book, I wasn't in charge. They were. To be more specific, Pippa was. She wanted her time in Cross's office and she wanted to know what she was missing out on, and she wanted...well...him. And she shocked me just as much as she shocked Cross, honestly.Suffice to say, she may not be my favorite heroine...and he may not be my favorite hero...but together they are absolutely my favoritexa0couple. And I cannot wait for you to meet them. Lady Philippa Marbury is . . . odd The brilliant, bespectacled daughter of a double marquess cares more for books than balls, for science than the season, and for laboratories than love. She's looking forward to marrying her simple fiancé and living out her days quietly with her dogs and her scientific experiments. But before that, Pippa has two weeks to experience all the rest—fourteen days to research the exciting parts of life. It's not much time, and to do it right she needs a guide familiar with London's darker corners. She needs . . . a Scoundrel She needs Cross, the clever, controlled partner in London's most exclusive gaming hell, with a carefully crafted reputation for wickedness. But reputations often hide the darkest secrets, and when the unconventional Pippa boldly propositions him, seeking science without emotion, she threatens all he works to protect. He is tempted to give Pippa precisely what she wants . . . but the scoundrel is more than he seems, and it will take every ounce of his willpower to resist giving the lady more than she ever imagined. A life-long romance reader, Sarah MacLean wrote her first romance novel on a dare, and never looked back. She is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of romances translated into more than twenty languages, a romance columnist, and the co-host of the weekly romance novel podcast, Fated Mates. A graduate of Smith College and Harvard University, she lives in New York City. Read more
Features & Highlights
Lady Philippa Marbury is . . . odd
The brilliant, bespectacled daughter of a double marquess cares more for books than balls, for science than the season, and for laboratories than love. She's looking forward to marrying her simple fiancé and living out her days quietly with her dogs and her scientific experiments. But before that, Pippa has two weeks to experience all the rest—fourteen days to research the exciting parts of life. It's not much time, and to do it right she needs a guide familiar with London's darker corners.
She needs . . . a Scoundrel
She needs Cross, the clever, controlled partner in London's most exclusive gaming hell, with a carefully crafted reputation for wickedness. But reputations often hide the darkest secrets, and when the unconventional Pippa boldly propositions him, seeking science without emotion, she threatens all he works to protect. He is tempted to give Pippa precisely what she wants . . . but the scoundrel is more than he seems, and it will take every ounce of his willpower to resist giving the lady more than she ever imagined.
Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Reviews
★★★★★
3.0
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Typical historical with a Bluestocking (MINOR SPOILERS)
Sarah Maclean has her own very specific style of writing - sometimes witty, sometimes sweet, sometimes heart-wrenching. Honestly, we've read about the typical historical heroine who's a Bluestocking and thus either rendered unmarriageable or has been on the shelf until a gorgeous hunk (insert Duke / Marquess / Earl) sees the pretty eyes behind the thick glasses and the clever brain behind the plain face.
This book is not that much different, except that the hero (an Earl) is a smart one too. When I read Pippa & Cross's introduction scene in The First Rule of Scoundrels, I was happy to see a hero who ran a gambling hell. Alas, it so happens that 3 of the 4 owners of The Fallen Angel are some sort of Lord (Bourne is a Marquess, Cross turns out to be an Earl, Temple is Duke - I bet Chase too is some Lord or the other). Seems like majority of historical novels need to give the hero a title.
Despite all that, the story is somewhat fresh with a bluestocking heroine asking a rake to give her lessons in "Coitus" and how to tempt her to-be-husband. Only thing is, during all these lessons, they inevitably fall in love. Of course we need various obstacles to make a story interesting, and these are introduced in the form of Pippa's fiance and some villain named Digger Knight (won't spoil it much for you).
If you like Maclean, you'll enjoy this one too. It is predictable (as all historical romances are expected to be), which makes is a good escape from reality.
7 people found this helpful
★★★★★
3.0
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3 Stars
I did not enjoy this book as much as the first book in the series.
I did find Pippa's oddities very endearing (and I wouldn't be surprised one bit if her character was a nod to another of my favorite fictional scientists, Sheldon Cooper). Pippa was a very unique character, especially for a historical romance novel. I enjoyed seeing her stoic and practical way of viewing the world fall away and seeing her blossom into a real woman with emotions and heart. Not just someone who only believes in logic and who spews out facts all the time.
My biggest issue with this book was how much Cross hated himself. I'm not a huge fan of heroes who carry the weight of the world, in addition to all their past sins, on their shoulders. I was hoping that after he'd told Pippa his story, and why he felt responsible for everything, that her love would help him atone. Instead, he spent another 5ish chapters refusing to accept her or her love. Even after she literally went into hell and single handily saved him! Of course he came around in the very last chapter of the book and they lived happily ever after, but in my opinion, it took too long for him to accept her love.
I was also disappointed not to have some kind of reconciliation between Cross and his sister. It didn't need to be a big thing, but a small scene that showed them moving in the direction to forgiveness would have been really nice. I certainly would be okay with Lavinia becoming a widow off page and then getting her own love story! She deserves it after her injury at 17 and being married to a gambler!
I also wish that we had of gotten to see her family's reaction to their engagement. Especially Penelope and Bourne's (who is Pippa's sister and the couple of the first book).
There is one long sex scene towards the end of the book. As well as two half sex scenes, that's just touching with hands and heavy petting. A bit of violence towards the end, but no language.
3 people found this helpful
★★★★★
1.0
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Female lead is painful to read
I really didn't care for the female lead. Pippa is really not a very smart character. Or rather she's book smart, but people stupid. It's a wonder that she's made it to marrying age with some of the things we see her doing all with this attitude that everyone else around her was crazy. I had to stop before I started throwing the book at things.
3 people found this helpful
★★★★★
3.0
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Odd and angst
I really liked the first book in this series and was looking forward to Cross's story. This just didn't do it for me. I turned the page but wasn't really all that interested. OK, Pippa is odd. How many times do we have to hear about it? I found her character annoying and unbelievable. I think Amanda Quick does this type of heroine better. It is difficult to write a brilliant but socially inept character, and I just don't think the author pulls it off here. For some reason, I found Cross and his brooding annoying too. Guess I just didn't like either of the leads as written. And I agree with the other reviewer who felt the obstacle to them being together was unrealistic. Neither of them cared a whit about what people think and they couldn't be together because of the scandal and her sacred promise to Castleton? Didn't buy it. In fact, the best part of the book was when she goes to see Castleton. His character in those few pages is the most interesting in the entire book. That being said, I do look forward to the next in the series. I like this author and will not give up on her because of one title. I see I may be in the minority here anyway.
3 people found this helpful
★★★★★
2.0
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hmm... well... zzzzz.... snore
I did not enjoy this book for most of the same reasons mentioned by the other 1-3 star reviewers. Perhaps down the road, Ms. MacLean will do a re-write to add more background for Cross so we can get a good feel for his character and why he is who he is. And, maybe half - or less - of the 'Pippa being odd/different' mentioned repeatedly, page after page - we get it already! Not to mention, both them having pretty much the same conversation every time they were together. Where was the dad the entire book? Also, beginning the book with the scene at the end of book one, where Cross wakes up and sees Pippa sitting at his desk, is an absolute must - that should not have been omitted from this book. This book was pretty boring and, as others have commented, felt incomplete.
On an aside: It looks to me that the cover model is the same on books 1&2 and possibly on book 3 as well, only with red hair this time (comparing frontal & profile views of model on both (all three?) books, they look very, very similar, if not identical). Which, has absolutely nothing to do with the book review. Just wondering if anyone else noticed the same thing.
2 people found this helpful
★★★★★
1.0
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Empty Words, lack of action
The book is more sparring than action. The first half is quite without action. But it picks up later on.
2 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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Fantastic read, start to finish!
I am a big fan of Sarah Maclean's writing, so it is no small thing when I say I honestly think this is the best of her books so far. The opening scene is witty, wonderful, and hooks you right in, and the rest of the book doesn't disappoint. A perfect balance between clever plot and internal struggle, this book is engaging and a true page-turner. Both Pippa and Cross were fantastic protagonists, and the rapport between them was spot-on. Cant rave about this enough, except to say I will be reading Temple's book the minute I can get my hands on it later this year!
2 people found this helpful
★★★★★
4.0
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"... truly fascinating secondary characters ..."
Lady Philippa Marbury is odd. She knows it; everyone knows it. As a rule, Pippa isn't bothered by her oddness. She's content to marry her sweet -- if slightly less-than-intelligent -- fiancé and live in the country, conducting her experiments. What does bother Pippa is that she's entering into marriage completely unprepared. She wants to learn about life...namely, the aspects of marriage her sisters are unwilling to tell her about. Pippa needs a research partner, and she's found the perfect man for the job: Cross, one of the four owners of the exclusive gaming hell, The Fallen Angel.
Cross has no desire to help his business partner's sister-in-law with her "research." The bespectacled, brainy beauty is far too tempting for Cross's peace of mind; she makes him want things he knows he can never have. But left unchecked and unattended, Pippa's eagerness and trusting nature is bound to get her into trouble. Can Cross resist his attraction to Pippa while helping her with her mad scheme?
Who doesn't love a story where a sensual hero falls for a bookish wallflower? In One Good Earl Deserves a Lover author Sarah MacLean serves up a sweet romance that celebrates intelligence and originality.
Pippa is a bit of an outcast, even in her own family. She's brilliant, but awkward in social situations, two aspects of her character that endeared her to me immediately. Pippa (to my mind) needed someone who not only appreciates her uniqueness but can match her in terms of intelligence. Cross is most definitely that person. The sparks that fly in One Good Earl Deserves a Lover are fascinating because they stem from not only physical, but intellectual chemistry.
It was easy to root for Pippa and Cross to find happiness for most of their story. I did find my interest flagging in the last part of the book when the romance suffered because Cross went a bit too far into martyrdom. That, and a lack of resolution in the storyline regarding Cross's relationship with his sister, were my only complaints about One Good Earl Deserves a Lover.
One Good Earl Deserves a Lover is the second Rules of Scoundrels book, but you don't have to have read A Rogue By Any Other Name in order to follow along. Fans of the first Rules of Scoundrels book should, however, be pleased with the small supporting roles Michael and Penelope (the hero and heroine of A Rogue By Any Other Name) play in One Good Earl Deserves a Lover. That being said, the truly fascinating secondary characters of One Good Earl Deserves a Lover were Cross's unmarried partners, Temple and Chase, and Pippa's fiancé, Lord Castleton. Castleton isn't quite as simple as people seem to believe, and the bone-deep kindness that seemed to emanate from him actually made him my favorite character in the book. I desperately hope Ms. MacLean has plans to write a short story or novella about Castleton and the woman he marries. As for Temple and Chase...Well, they're intriguing in different ways. After seeing Temple in One Good Earl Deserves a Lover, Ms. MacLean has me on tenterhooks for the third Rules of Scoundrels book, No Good Duke Goes Unpunished, for Temple's story sounds like it will be one heck of a tale. When it comes to Chase, I won't say much about the founder of The Fallen Angel, so as to not spoil the book for readers. However, I will say that my suspicions about Chase's gender -- which began with the lack of pronouns or other gender identifiers in regards to Chase in A Rogue By Any Other Name -- are heightened after reading One Good Earl Deserves a Lover. I'm most eager to learn if Chase and Chase's HEA are who I think they are.
One Good Earl Deserves a Lover is a solid second installment in the utterly charming Rules of Scoundrels series. I can't wait to return to the world of The Fallen Angel with No Good Duke Goes Unpunished!
Shayna for Joyfully Reviewed
2 people found this helpful
★★★★★
3.0
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Promising storyline, but could be better
For the sake of brevity, I won't summarize the story as many reviews have already done so. Instead, I would like to point out the source of my dissatisfaction with the book and why I am giving it three stars.
This book was enjoyable, but with flaws. I found the characters to be compelling enough as I love the bluestocking heroine storyline, but as other reviewers have pointed out, the circumstances that brought the H/H together were unlikely. The reader is not told how Cross and Pippa would have even known each other, much less well enough for Pippa to go unescorted to The Angel and be let in to his private office. Additionally, I also find it unlikely that neither Bourne nor Penelope would not have noticed Pippa at all during the public kiss at Pandemonium.
I can usually suspend disbelief and tolerate history inaccuracies for the sake of the storyline. What really bothered me in this book (and a little in Bourne and Penelope's story) are the little inconsistencies littered throughout the book. I do have to say that I am the type of person who gets jarred by a sudden change in a character's eye color or other such quality. I feel that little mistakes like that should never have been allowed to get past the people tasked with error checking. Not only does it suggest a certain degree of carelessness, but it always throws me off because I have created these characters in my mind's eye and every time something about them changes, I find that I have to make an effort to try and ignore what I just read and get back into the story.
For example, Pippa goes to him with two weeks left before her wedding and we are allowed to see some of the progression of their relationship through her journal entries. At the start of almost every chapter, there is an entry from her journal listing the date of the entry and describing what transpired. We are led to believe that the date on which Pippa witnessed Cross' confrontation with his sister in his office (and all that happened after) was March 28 (as listed at the start of the chapter). However, the next entry, dated March 29th (Pandemonium), we read that it has somehow now been a WEEK since their last encounter. That was one of the most egregious mistakes I have encountered. Why have specific entries with specific dates if the story doesn't match?
There are various other examples throughout, some more glaring than others (Pippa being engaged for over a year when this story started less than a month after the end of Penelope's, during whose story the engagement happened so at most, it would've been two months since Pippa got engaged; Meghan's eye color changing from brown to blue; the hand of blackjack during Pandemonium where Pippa advises the woman to hit on a 17 and she gets a 5 (her first two cards were an eight and a nine) which means she totaled 22 and therefore busted, but somehow, 5+8+9 = 21 and the woman wins). Any one of them by itself can maybe be brushed aside, but as I progressed through the book and the tally kept going, the collective impact of all the mistakes together was frustrating, disruptive, and disappointing.
Overall, the story is entertaining, if a little far-fetched, and could have been made more enjoyable and easier to read if avoidable mistakes such as the ones I referenced above were corrected as they should have been.
1 people found this helpful
★★★★★
4.0
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Wonderful Read -- Until the Climax
I loved the characters!!!! Our tease of the bespectacled, scientific Pippa in book #1 was the reason I bought this book. She fulfilled my expectations and then some. The situation is also enthralling, and the writing/pacing/etc excellent. I kept reading until I was exhausted, and couldn't wait to pick up the book again.
(I kept getting Chase and Cross mixed up. What's with having two major characters whose names are so similar?)
Yes, the love scenes went on too long, but that often happens in romance books, even otherwise well-written ones. The thing that got me was that the climax of this book was so unbelievably flat and colorless. I sat there: "What?" The author says it was inspired by a movie (I won't say which one, because Spoilers Suck), but that movie had the characters working for 2 full hours trying to achieve that climax. This book passes right over all that work. We missed something VERY important! Thus the ending was extremely disappointing, even though the final page (before the epilogue) was quite nice. Don't think I'll be buying the sequel because of it.
