The Infamous Rogueby Alexandra Benedictreviewed by Cybil SolynAugust 2009, 384 pages, Publisher: Avon, ISBN: 0061689319 Back Cover Blurb: The daughter of a wealthy bandit, Sophia Dawson once lost herself in the arms of Black Hawk, the most infamous pirate ever to command the high seas. But now, determined to put her sinful past behind her, she prepares to enter society as the bride of a well-born nobleman who knows nothing of her scandalous youth. All goes according to plan until her ex-lover - now a respectable sea captain but just as handsome and dangerous as ever - appears and once again tempts her with desire.
From the moment he sees Sophia again, James Hawkins wants only one thing: Revenge. He'll see to it that the reckless beauty pays for abandoning their heated affair. And so begins a battle of wills that can end only in utter ruin . . . or wicked surrender . . .
Alexandra Bennett is hit or miss with me, and although The Infamous Rogue wasn't a home run, it wasn't a strike either. I like a book about villains falling in love, and this one fed that niche.
Sophie Dawson may be the illegitimate daughter of a crazy pirate and a lowly whore, but with enough money and the right connections anything can be purchased. Including respect. For one year Sophie lived happily with the notorious pirate Black Hawk on an island in Jamaica, but when he refused to marry her she left him behind without a word. Now she has entered society as a blushing virgin to hunt a titled husband so that she can finally get the respect she couldn't have as Black Hawk's mistress.
Black Hawk and his crew have gone legit. His sister is married to a duke and to protect her he has given up being a pirate and is trying to fit into society. When he sees Sophie at a ball he is floored. All the pain and anger he felt at her leaving him without a word eight years ago rises to the surface and he wants revenge. The problem is that neither can give the other away. Both he and Sophie are playing a dangerous game of pretend among the ton, and if either are discovered it will be the end to their plans.
I really like a book about bad boys and girls. Both the hero and heroine of this book have dark secrets and pasts that would be their undoing among the ton if anyone was to discover them. The sexual tension between Sophie and Black Hawk is fantastic. But at the same time I was often frustrated by the constant fighting. Since the love story happened eight years ago we never really get to see the two fall in love; we only get to watch as their bitterness and anger morph back into love again. But watching our two characters fight and bicker gets old fast.
Still, I liked The Infamous Rogue because both Sophie and Black Hawk are interesting characters. Both have been broken by their love, and if either had communicated just a little bit, neither would have been made to suffer. But both are so stubborn that it's clear WHY they had such a huge misunderstanding. The one thing that bothered me was our hero's reason for not marrying Sophie. The author reveals the reason to us at the end of the book and I was like, "Really?! Loser!" Looking back I could see how the author had tried to explain why he does this, but it wasn't addressed well enough to make me not roll my eyes at the hero's lameness.
Bottom Line: A good read if not an entirely fulfilling one.
Contact us!
Cybil Solyn, csolyn@rakehell.com
|
