The Taming of the Rogue

Elizabethan Theatre #2

by Amanda McCabe

Anna Barrett is more comfortable filling tankards at the White Heron Theater than shopping for corsets. Her "take no prisoners" attitude has earned her a tough reputation. Where she was once innocent and naive, now she's vowed never to be ensnared by a man again. Except Robert Alden is not just any man….

Gorgeous, dashing and decidedly reckless, this playwright has left a trail of broken hearts across London. He's also a spy on a dangerous assignment. Anna cannot help getting embroiled in his mission—even if this seemingly untameable rogue is the last person with whom she should become involved….

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Harlequin, Harlequin Historical, Elizabethan Period, British Literature

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 17, 2012

About the author

aka Laurel McKee (Amanda Carmack)

Amanda wrote her first romance at the age of sixteen--a vast historical epic starring all her friends as the characters, written secretly during algebra class (and her parents wondered why math was not her strongest subject...)

She's never since used algebra, but her books have been nominated for many awards, including the RITA Award, the Romantic Times BOOKReviews Reviewers' Choice Award, the Booksellers Best, the National Readers Choice Award, and the Holt Medallion. She lives in Oklahoma with a menagerie of two cats, a Pug, and a very bossy miniature Poodle, along with far too many books.

When not writing or reading, she loves taking dance classes, collecting cheesy travel souvenirs, and watching the Food Network--even though she doesn't cook.

Reviews

[Myfanwy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very dumb book that was also pretty fun, but I think that the story overall weakened itself with a lack of focus or willingness to stick to its guns. The characters and initial set-up is great, but it quickly gets bogged down by an unnecessary espionage plot that is confused and poorly conceived in the extreme. Not only does it not make sense, it takes the main characters out of the interesting milieu of the Elizabethan theatre and plunks them in a castle with a bunch of aristocrats who were (I assume) introduced in a previous book and are mentioned to give the reader-in-the-know a sense of nostalgia. Otherwise they mostly do nothing for the plot but clutter up the scenery.
Plus the whole castle thing was boring. Why set a romance novel in a castle (which is literally done all the time) when you can set it in the Elizabethan theatre (which I’ve never seen before and was super looking forward to)?! You can have fun with cross dressing and sexy poetry reciting and attempts to rescue adorable bulldogs from the bear pits! No country walks needed!
(Also, the heroine gets her fancy clothes for the party by borrowing them from the theatre, which means that they’re made to be worn by boys, so there’s no way they would fit a heroine as endowed as the author insists on describing. But I digress)
The ending was extremely dumb, so dumb that it doesn’t even bear acknowledging. And the sex was kind of bad and pointless?

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harlequin romance.

[Fedora · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read of seeming opposites.

Rob Alden is a handsome actor and playwright with the troupe that Anna Barrett's father oversees. Anna prefers to avoid the limelight and keeps the books and ably manages her father's household and the troupe from the background. While Rob's looks and clever manner do capture her eye, she knows how popular he is with the ladies and assumes that he'll never return her regard.

But Rob's hiding secrets, and eventually some of those pull Anna into his circles, even against his wishes.

An engrossing read, and it's lovely to see Rob and Anna discover how they share some deep similarities despite their external differences. Happily they find more to share than their interest in theater :)

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd actually like to rate this at 3 1/2 stars. Robert Alden is a playwright and poet in the Shakespearean period. (The male model on the front cover even slightly resembles Joseph Fiennes from the movie "Shakespeare in Love"). But that's where the similarity ends between the book and movie. Anna and her father manage the theatre where Robert and other actors work. There is a lot of well-written visual detail and the love-making scenes are nice, and there was a bit of heart-string pulling for Anna being a widow after a horrible marriage, and I enjoyed the intrigue. But the story sometimes dragged a bit in places, and I didn't sense a whole lot of tension in the plot until the last quarter of the book.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went to high school with Amanda. Recently, I reconnected with her through Facebook, and when I indicated that I might like to pick her brain about her writing career I thought the least I could do was actually read one of her books.

I picked this one at random. It’s a short, light read filled with great descriptions, and the costuming.... She describes clothing so well I could almost feel it against my skin. Phrases like “buttons stuck in the stiff velvet” provide a delicious sort of pleasure.

I don’t read a lot of romance novels so I can’t say I’ll be running right out to pick up another one, but this one was a delightful diversion.

[Cindy]

I really enjoyed this story. There was only a hint of suspense, but the story was more character driven, and how the hero and heroine dealt with their own baggage was compelling enough on its own to keep me reading. I would love to read more romances set in this time period, as the Elizabethan period was interesting and is sadly under-used.

[Harlequin Books]

"McCabe sweeps readers into the world of the Elizabethan theater, delighting us with a lively tale and artfully drawing on the era's backdrop of bawdy plays, wild actors and thrilling adventure." RT Bookreview, rated 4 stars

Read Excerpt

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this, because I felt as if it was short and sweet. Loved the hero and heroine; both very intriguing in their own ways. He had more to him than originally thought, and she was every bit the perfect girl to unlock him. Never read this author before, but I have a feeling I will be reading more of hers. ♥

[Bluefly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Che delusione, una noia mortale, non riesco nemmeno a finirlo. Dipende dai gusti, per carità, ma mi sa che io coi GRS ho chiuso.