| Date: 12 April 2011, 12:09
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Ever since I read "Tallie's Knight," I've had an immense admiration for Anne Gracie. Here was an author who had managed to infuse her novel with romance, sensuality, tenderness and poignancy. I've always regretted that I have been unable to easily find her other romance novels, so that when I discovered that the first installment in a new series written by her was about to be published, I knew that I had to keep an eye out for this book. "The Perfect Knight" lived up to my every expectation -- here was a book full of tender romance, sensuality and poignancy, complete with a touch of the gothic.
Ever since their parents tragic death, the Merridew sisters have been living with their brutal and heartless grandfather, Lord Dereham. A man driven almost mad with bitterness and anger, Dereham has been beating his five granddaughters for years, as well as isolating them from society. Finally escaping from their mad grandfather, the Merridew sisters make for London and for their granduncle Oswald's house, where they hope that he will launch the elder sisters into society, and where they're devoutly counting on the second Merridew sister, Charity (who happens to be exceedingly beautiful) to contract an advantageous marriage. Their plans, however, hit a snag when granduncle Oswald insists that plain jane Prudence, as the eldest sister, make her come-out before her more beautiful sisters. At her wit's end, Prudence concocts an imaginary engagement to the hermit duke, the Duke of Dinstable. But once again, Prudence's plans hit a snag when she finds, through of a comedy of errors and mistaken identities (you really have to read the book to appreciate this plot gambit), she finds herself engaged in earnest (in her granduncle's mind at least) to the duke's rakish and sinfully handsome cousin, Lord Carradice. As Prudence tries to distance herself and protect her susceptible heart from this engaging rouge, a very smitten Lord Carradice tries to persuade the plain and courageous Prudence Merridew that he has fallen in love in earnest, and that she was fashioned solely for him. Will Lord Carradice succeed in his endeavours? Certainly the poor man has his work cut out for him...
"The Perfect Rake" turned out to be a stellar read, and is definitely going on my keeper shelf. I've always had a soft spot for novels where either the hero or heroine was considered to be plain and was quickly dismissed as not being up to snuff by the sharks that seemed to congregate at Almacks. So that "The Perfect Rake" was truly my cup of tea. The novel was a standout because of several factors -- good storyline, witty and humourous prose style, wonderful hero & heroine, the sensual heat that the hero & heroine generated, and in particular for the tenderness of the love that developed between Prudence and Carradice. But what really made "The Perfect Rake" a memorable romance novel for me, was the character of its sterling and totally endearing hero, Lord Carradice, and how the author portrayed his total captivation for the novel's heroine, Prudence. It's the kind of book that will make one sigh with satisfaction, and make for enjoyable rereading over the years. All in all, "The Perfect Rake" is a superb romance novel that shouldn't be missed, and is definitely worth both the cover price and touting as an excellent read.
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