By: Marcia, guest reviewer
Anthony Hamilton had always been scandalous. Even his parentage was questionable though his mother's husband accepted him as his son. Anthony had been thrown out of school several times for gambling although he did finish Oxford in record time. His debts are sometimes rumored to be very high and at other times he seems flush with cash. He keeps company with married women and it is rumored that he also talks them out of their funds. Anthony Hamilton is scandalous; too scandalous for marriageable young ladies. One evening at a ball he sees Celia Reece, the sister of an old school friend, trying to discourage an ardent admirer. He steps in to help. Suddenly he realizes that Celia, who is eight years younger, is no longer the child that used to follow Anthony and her brother, begging to join in their summer pastimes. Her beauty stuns him. The more that he watches her and remembers how much he always enjoyed her company, the more that he thinks that maybe this is a woman he could marry. Given his reputation, he does not think that her family would accept him, but after several weeks he finally gets up the nerve to ask for her hand. Unfortunately.... Celia marries someone else.
A Rake's Guide to Seduction has a straightforward plot with almost all of the action centered on Celia and Anthony, but the unique approach and Linden's fluid writing style sweeps the reader away into another time and place and presents us with a timeless romance. The main antagonist is doubt. Anthony and Celia doubt their own judgment, and must struggle to trust their own hearts. This wonderfully presented story makes for very enjoyable reading.
Four Stars
Originally posted 2008-12-29 05:33:01. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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