Rating: 
Summary: The Rake is a romance with depth and substance.
Review: All of Mary Jo Putney's romance novels are extraordinary in terms of their depth, substance,and human feeling. The Rake is an excellent example. A Regency rake decides to stop the hard drinking that men of his class habitually indulge in--and finds it almost impossible in a time before alcoholism was understood. This unusual romance hero and the equally unexpected heroine, who holds down a man's job, inhabit a novel that is a definite keeper.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Story
Review: As historical romances go, this one is very grown up, very realistic. I love the way Reggie and Allie interact. There is such a depth of comeraderie and humor and friendship that seems so real as opposed as opposed to the 'over the top' melodrama that occurs in so many romances. Short on sex but long on substance and real love and engaging storyline. This was my first Putney and I will definitely read more.
Rating: 
Summary: Superb
Review: Don't be put off by the somewhat depressing central subject matter of this book (alcoholism). I was, and put off reading it until I'd run out of Putney's other excellent books. I'm sorry I left it for last - it is one of the best romances ever written. You can skip the book in this series that comes before it though ("The Diabolical Baron", which is a real "Regency" ie - a bit of a snooze). One does not require reading the other, first.
Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: Don't be put off by the somewhat depressing central subject matter of this book (alcoholism). I was, and put off reading it until I'd run out of Putney's other excellent books. I'm sorry I left it for last - it is one of the best romances ever written. You can skip the book in this series that comes before it though ("The Diabolical Baron", which is a real "Regency" ie - a bit of a snooze). One does not require reading the other, first.
Rating:
Summary: It doesn't get any better than this
Review: Fabulous. Perfection. This author's true talents as a storyteller are showcased here. The writing is wonderful and the storyline intense. The developing love relationship between the hero and heroine was believable, as well, making you root for them to succeed. The Rake goes down as one of my all time favourite romances.
Rating: 
Summary: The Rake Revised
Review: For those people who threatened me with physical harm if I changed the original The Rake and the Reformer too much, I just want to assure that The Rake is essentially the same book, but polished and fine tuned with the skills I've learned in the nine years since I wrote the original. The book is very close to my heart, and I'm delighted that this revised edition will now be available to the historical romance audience. However, if you have the original SuperRegency, you don't necessarily need to get the new book. But The Rake does have a better cover!
Rating: 
Summary: It was good...but slow
Review: I liked this book, and I thought it was pretty good. I liked the characters and I thought they were interesting and funny and fun to be with. But during the middle it got kind of slow and I just got bored of it...but I did finish the book and it wasn't that bad towards the end...and things sped up and it got good. But I have one complaint is that the bad scene in which they fight...it was all over too fast and at the end she made Davenport seem to angel-like which he isn't so that was weird!
Rating:
Summary: The very best a book can be!
Review: I read romance books all of the time. This one is one I will treasure forever. All of Mary Jo Putney's books are treasures, but this book is the crown jewel.
Rating:
Summary: Quite possibly the best romance I've ever read
Review: I read The Rake and the Reformer for the first time back in 1992, and I was immediately caught up in the story. The hero and heroine are real people, not idealized models. They aren't perfect, and their world involves much more than their romantic entanglements. I've read it many times since then, and have given away my old copy only to replace it with this newer release of the same story. It's one of the few romances I can read repeatedly and never become impatient. It's one of the few that's stayed on my keeper shelf for nearly a decade.
Rating:
Summary: This book won a well-deserved Rita award for excellence.
Review: I read this book back in 1991 and at that time, as an addiction counselor, wrote Ms. Putney a letter raving about the accuracy and compassion with which she wrote about alcoholism. But this book is not at all "preachy." She definitely shows, not tells, what it is like to overcome addiction. Her hero, while a "rake" and bad boy, has an extremely noble and generous heart. The heroine is wonderful, too. Another of Ms. Putney's strong, independent, and wonderfully compassionate and giving heroines. I also particularly loved in this book the fascinating interweaving of historical details about farming on estates in the Regency.
| 
