Book I, The Rogue Not Taken: Scandal & Scoundrel

Sophie Talbot is done with London and society. Known as one of the scandalous Talbot sisters, they inherited a title but their money came from coal. Always in the spotlight in the papers and gossip, the latest escapade had Sophie front an center and after shocking onlookers she decides to head back to the one place that brought her happiness before.

Kingscote, the Marquess of Eversley has himself in a pickle escaping through a window and landing right in front of Sophie. Sophie sees a solution to her problem of not having transport and ask for his help, which knowing who she is he refuses. King will never marry and her certainly wont be forced into marriage by one of the Talbot ladies wild scheme.

However King did not expect Sophie to find her own way, a way that keeps landing her in trouble. King finds himself helping Sophie and insulting her at every turn, even if that is not what he meant to do. Enemies from the start, Sophie and King slowly begin to find they are falling for one another but when family arrives everything is about to blow apart.

This was such a fun read. Sophie is hilarious and so headstrong. King is a rogue, and he makes no excuses about it. I loved that the story slowly built between Sophie and King and laughed quite a bit throughout the book. Excellent beginning to new series.

It started so promising and half way through the book the story started loosing steam. All the steamy scenes were not really necessary, one big one would've been fine or just hinting about what happened between the characters would've done the trick.

I always enjoy Ms. MacLean's books. Her stories easily capture my attention and the characters are interesting and well developed. I'm not sure I liked the "tabloid" aspect of this book, but it makes for an interesting tale.

“She hated him then. Hated him for involking the ridiculous moniker. For being just like all the others. For believing that she wanted the life into which she’d been thrust. For believing that life worth something. Worth more than the life she’d been born into. For refusing to see — just as the rest of London refused to see – that Sophie was different. And that she had been perfectly happy before. Before titles and town houses and teas and the trappings of the ton. Before those trappings had trapped her.”

FINAL DECISION: What romance reader can resist a bookshop buying hero? Decidedly lighter in tone than her Rules of Scoundrels series, THE ROGUE NOT TAKEN returns MacLean to her Love by Numbers series tone of hot encounters, humor and lighter drama. A delicious carriage journey through Northern England, King and Sophie sometimes experience the roadtrip from hell and at other times a great romantic journey toward love.

THE STORY: Sophie Talbot one of the Soiled S’s, daughters of a newly minted earl who themselves thrive in the world of scandal. When Sophie unintentionally causes a scandal by pushing her duke brother-in-law in a fishpond when Sophie catches him with another woman shaming his pregnant wife, Sophie is ruined. Running from the scene, Sophie seeks a ride to her home in Mayfair. She encounters Kingscote, the Marquess of Eversley fleeing from the window of a woman he has ruined and demands that he take her home. When he refuses, Sophie arranges to masquerade as an outrider for his carriage by buying the position and livery from King’s footman. But King isn’t going to Mayfair, he’s leaving London – but Sophie doesn’t realize it until it is too late.

OPINION: This book is a humorous romp until the tone turns serious towards the end of the book. Funny with crazy adventures and situations, this is a book that makes a reader smile and laugh. Even the serious parts are not too dark. Unlike the darker and grittier Rules of Scoundrels series, THE ROGUE NOT TAKEN is filled with light humor and farcical situations. It marks a return to the lighter tone of MacLean’s breakout book NINE RULES TO BREAK WHEN ROMANCING A RAKE.

The inspiration for this new series is the modern tabloid news which according to MacLean mirrors the scandal driven news of the 1830s when this novel is set. The scandal seeking and manipulating Soiled S’s are sisters whose names all begin with S mirroring some scandalous modern sisters whose names begin with K. The scene of Sophia’s scandal – attacking her cheating brother-in-law in public is inspired by a similar celebrity scandal. Historical readers can be assured, however, that while modern events might have inspired MacLean, the characters and events of THE ROGUE NOT TAKEN remain grounded in 1830s England.

What this book does is ask the question “who are the people behind the scandals?” Both Sophie and King have reputations which do not accurately reflect who they really are nor the pain and dreams of their lives. After Sophie suffers her disgrace, she decides to leave London and the ton and return to the village where she lived a common life until her father gained his titled when she was ten. Sophie believes that she will find a life there where she belongs and intends to open a bookshop. Searching for that sense of belonging, Sophie just wants to be known for who she is rather than who others expect her to be.

King’s reputation as the “Royal Rogue” also hides a great deal of pain and a good man using his reputation to protect him from women who might want more from him. And there can be no doubt that King is reluctantly a good man. In fact, by the time the final obstacle for this couple arrives, the pain and disillusionment that he experiences is difficult to read because he has been hurt before and barely recovered.

Filled with so many great tropes (highwaymen, Sophie dressed as a man, carriage shenanigans, pretend married couple, reluctant traveling partners, bickering and witty banter, forced marriages and disapproving fathers) but this book throughout makes the clear statement that these characters and this story is more than what might be expected.

Plus, you just have to love a hero who buys the heroine a bookstore and where books play such a seductive part of the story.

WORTH MENTIONING: Readers of MacLean might recall that King and Sophie first danced in NEVER JUDGE A LADY BY HER COVER. The events of THE ROGUE NOT TAKEN take place in June 1833 soon after the events of the main narrative of NEVER JUDGE A LADY BY HER COVER. There are some small references to their first dance and other events in the Rules of Scoundrels series, but no appearances by characters from that series.

CONNECTED BOOKS: THE ROGUE NOT TAKEN is the first book in the Scandal & Scoundrel series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

'The Rogue Not Taken' is a well executed novel. The title is also very clever, and if you have read the novel you will understand why. I so love a phrase that is bastardized to suit an author's needs. The characters are well developed and the plot clear. All in all, a good book. I liked Sophie, I didn't particularly like King. I found him to be slightly whiny and verbally cruel at times. Sophie was also a bit of a pain but overall I liked her more. I found some of the story line implausible and, in certain instances I found Sophie and King to act out of character mostly towards the end. The lack of interaction between the fathers seemed to be a lost opportunity. It was also disappointing to find that the tie in to the other novels was a trifle vague at best; but then this is a new series not a continuation of the prior set. This novel is, however, a keeper. 4 stars. I look forward to Warnick's novel

Sarah MacLean doesn't disappoint you. In her newest romance...and possibly her best. Page turner from beginning to end. You can't possibly not fall in love with both Sophie and King. The laugh out loud story will be making you wish this book would never end. This one is definitely a favorite.

I have loved everything I have read from this author, her characters have complexity and humor and the plots she creates are compelling and intriguing. When I heard she was starting a new series I jumped at the chance to read it.

Sophie Talbot is the youngest of five sisters. Her father was granted the title of an Earl because of the wealth he made in coal. The Talbots are not as welcome in society as others of their peerage and it does not help that the sisters are scandalous in their actions. Sophie stays away from the scandals; she hates society and all it stands for. Unfortunately she accidently becomes the talk of the town when she tries to protect her oldest sister and embarrasses her brother-in-law, a duke. She decides she has had enough of London; she never wanted this world anyway and finds a way to Mossbend and the home she grew up in. However when she requests help from the Marquess of Eversley, he refuses, so she takes matters into her own hands and the wild ride begins.

King, the Marquess is on his way to his dying father, a man he despises. He has a message for his father and wants to deliver it in person. After he refuses to help one of the Dangerous Daughters, he travels and races his way to the first Inn, only to find his footman wearing women’s slippers, and is amazed no one else caught the mistake in her disguise. Their journey to Cumbria is as wild as it can be; there are carriage races, a fake marriage, highwaymen, a gorgeous doctor and an array of other incidences that makes this story so much fun.

This is one of the best books I have read this year. I adored these two people; their hate to love relationship is full of witty banter, groveling and an amazing romance. I am so excited to start this new series.

Sophie is a delight; she is the youngest of scandal loving sisters whose antics grace the papers each week. But she wants no part in their world. She wants to go back to a simpler time in her life and makes steps to accomplish it. And although she is labeled boring and un-fun, she is anything but, as she takes on King while traveling throughout England.

King believes Sophie is out to trap him in marriage, so tries to stay away from her, but as they make their way across the countryside, they are together whether they like it or not, their interesting conversations and her escapades had me laughing all the way to Cumbria. Their hate to love relationship was so much fun even when I wanted to kick King because of the mean things he said, most of the time without thinking. However he redeemed himself in the end, after I shed a few tears.

The story is fast paced from beginning to end and I had a blast reading. I enjoyed meeting the secondary characters who play important roles, I loved the doctor that helped save her, even though he told her many times that she could still die, he was hilarious, and King’s friend the Duke of

Warrick from Scotland who is very sexy and will make a great hero in the next book. Her sisters were entertaining, but a bit selfish which is why I enjoyed the friends she made along the way more, yet they all helped create this wonderful story. I highly recommend this historical romance with adventure, witty dialog and love.

Review also at Ramblings from a Chaotic Mind

Copy from the publisher for an honest review

From the start of the Rogue Not Taken, author Sarah MacLean takes the reader on a wonderful adventure. It’s like sitting down to hear a good, old fashioned, heartwarming fairy tale. It is nearly impossible not to truly like the characters in the story. The heroine is a delight and even her scandal loving sisters are a treat. Equally enjoyable is the leading man.

Lady Sophia has the admirable trait of family loyalty so it is no surprise that she defends her sister’s honor and throws her brother-in-law into a fish fountain during a London garden party. To escape censure, she attempts to negotiate her way into the Marquess of Eversley’s (King) carriage, but he will have none of that, fearing Sophie is just like her marriage minded sisters. King reminds Sophie of all she hates about the vapid, self-serving, wasteful aristocrats of London. King’s refusal does not dissuade intrepid Sophie though and so begins a romantic wonderful road trip filled with brigands, heroic acts and self-discovery.

Sophie is a gem. She is resilient but also idealistic, longing to find happiness. This is a young woman who remembers the joy of a simple life before her father gained an Earldom. Sophie is a brave girl but also one who is on a quest to find a future without the ton’s restrictive rules and snobbish ways.

King is nobler than he believes but he punishes himself for his past. He is cynical, to be sure but he finds Sophie’s wistful nature and kindness a reprieve from his own inner musings. At times, King pushes her away but he also enjoys her company. This push/ pull of his emotions are at the heart of this novel along with Sophie’s growing feelings for King.

The two have an unpredictable journey to a happy ending. There are many twists and turns on their road. Yet I never doubted that these two people really really liked each other despite their war of words. Can King trust again, he’s been deeply hurt. Sophie has to get over her prejudice of the ton, can there actually be a man who is not a self-centered rake with a title before his name? These are questions that both have to answer and their time away from the gossip of London helps them solve these riddles. They discover so much in each other. Both are passionate in their beliefs and what is so fine about this story is the leads make mistakes but forgive themselves and each other. They have a strong emotional connection, though neither recognizes it at first but the reader does. I applaud how this story showed two exceptional characters overcoming their doubts and falling in love, a five star story.

Clear your schedule , once you pick it up you will not be able to put it down. This novel is extraordinary: witty, funny, fast paced and sexy. I cannot wait for her next book. I read her first book about this time last year. I quickly devoured everything I could find. Her novels even became Christmas gifts this year...love her books.

If I could have read this book without stopping, I would have. It is that good. I love historical romance for years but so many new books are the same old story. This one isn't. If you love this genre, buy this book now.

This is an absolutely charming book. Well written, smart dialogue and inventive plot: it glistens among sometimes predictable Regency romances. I enjoyed Sophie, loved King and have great hope for the rest of the series. This will be one that I'll read more than once.

There were moments near the beginning I thought the book might just be awesome, there were some moments of sizzle and anticipation but by the end it just seemed a bit repetitive and seemed to not really go into any real depth of character for anyone but the two main characters which sadly wasn't much at all. It was a disappointment compared to some of her other books.