| Title | : | Last Dance in London (Rakes on the Run, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 380 |
| Publication | : | First published April 13, 2021 |
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From a USA Today bestselling author comes an irreverent rogue and a brazen beauty in a sparkling, steamy Regency tale.
Jasper Ashton, the Earl of Marshfield, has enjoyed notoriety as London's most rakish bachelor, and he's placing a wager on his ability to stay single. Too bad for him, clever and impossibly desirable Julia Sudbury shows up in his bedroom.
Like a shadow, Julia slips from Mayfair's ballrooms into the nobility's private chambers where nothing is more appealing than a spare piece of jewelry. Earrings, necklaces, and cravat pins, oh my!
With Julia's bad behavior tarnishing his reputation in ways he'd never imagined, Jasper goes on the run to escape the brutal gossips shredding his family name.
It's enough to make a cocky rake wish he were safely married! Who will tame whom?
Last Dance in London (Rakes on the Run, #1) Reviews
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Last Dance in London
Regency Rakes on the Run
Sydney Jane Baily
https://www.facebook.com/sydney.jane....
Release Date 04/13/2021
Publisher Cat Whisker Press
𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗯
From a USA Today bestselling author comes an irreverent rogue and a brazen beauty in a sparkling, steamy Regency tale.
Jasper Ashton, the Earl of Marshfield, has enjoyed notoriety as London’s most rakish bachelor, and he’s placing a wager on his ability to stay single. Too bad for him, clever and impossibly desirable Julia Sudbury shows up in his bedroom.
Like a shadow, Julia slips from Mayfair’s ballrooms into the nobility’s private chambers where nothing is more appealing than a spare piece of jewelry. Earrings, necklaces, and cravat pins, oh my!
With Julia's bad behavior tarnishing his reputation in ways he’d never imagined, Jasper goes on the run to escape the brutal gossips shredding his family name.
It’s enough to make a cocky rake wish he were safely married! Who will tame whom?
𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄
Will her singleminded actions cause more harm than good...
At time, I found the heroine’s recklessness close to idiocy, she might love to play Robin Hood, but she could be a lot more cautious instead of calling scandal and danger to her at each attempt of robbery, which she pursues at every party she attends.
As if someone would not at time put clue after clue and sees she is the missing link.
And even when caught red-handed more than once, she continues on her path to doom and goal.
It is like putting a flipping flag to her head, and if only she was good at stealing.
I do not mind a main character skirting laws if it is to do some goods but not to act stupid and deserve to be caught. Worse, her deeds might cost others their good name and reputation, while she risks her freedom and/or head. To add oil on the fire, she made an assumption a rule, not all peers throw their jewels to the window, she takes one example as an excuse to steal from all of them.
When she could have created a charity, or find a more citizen like way to help the destitute.
Outside that, I agreed with her view of life, she is no lady, so offered a bit more freedom from the London Society’s strictures but while living with her sister, she must also comply to them, to not taint her by association.
Jasper is fun, and quite a sweetheart. Despite his determination to hold on high his nickname as a rakehell, he is for such a selfish egoistical fellow full of surprise, pursuing Julia because he is attracted to her but also to protect her from herself as he more than once finds himself trapped in her web of deceits and lies.
He might have made mistakes or some errors of judgement, he is forthright in his expectations and not one to cheat.
At many turns of event, I thought he would give up on Julia, as he gots his name blackened, is blackmailed, has to pay to get back what is his and so on. He still stands close by to protect her.
A very good man.
3.5 stars
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 a lot of talk and onscreen foreplays and lovemaking scenes.
I have been granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.
https://www.facebook.com/429830134272... -
London 1814
Of course, once a rake makes a bet he will remain unmarried for a year, there will be a lady, a beautiful lady, a lady caught in his bedroom, no less, while at his dinner party! Oh and did I say there was a kiss?
Julia had determined that lifting (no not stealing, surely!) a bauble here or there from those who had more than enough, could be justified in order to help those with little. Unfortunately, she had run into Jasper, the Earl of Mansfield, while she was in his room, having taken a couple of items.
Jasper had certainly been taken with Julia. He had taken the liberty of kissing her, which only made he decide to pursue her.. well of course not to marry, he was a rake after all! Then he figured out she had taken a stick pin for his cravat!
Thus begins a game of cat and mouse, or should I say an attraction they cannot fight. But Jasper knows something is going on with Julia and she is trying to hide her thievery. Jasper is truly a rake of the first degree, but don't they always fall the hardest? You will just have to read to see how it all turns out! Enchanting start to a new series by one of my favorite authors! -
I enjoyed this story, and thank God the characters grew on me. I was not thrilled with Julia’s stealing and even though her motives were good, it didn’t sit well with me. There’s a lot of sensual tension and near misses both nefarious and sexual before this couple finally make it to completion.
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”LAST DANCE IN LONDON- A Rakes on the Run Novel By SYDNEY JANE BAILY is a tale of two adventures souls...one a rake ...Jasper Ashton , Earl of Marshfield...who stole hearts ...and one Julia Sudbury who purloined the bon ton’s jeweled baubles as a means to ease the sufferings of London’s underclass. Both are irrepressible....and unrepentant... apart....Together however ....they are nothing short of dangerous. One will lose a bet...the other will lose her virtue...Together ...They will gain a fireworks display of raw emotions...and a two hearts entwined with passion. Read and see. Much enjoyed and Highly Recommended. I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Copy of this book.
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Excellent Historical Romance
I really liked this story, it was a rather slow burn, but the characters did get together after a while and there was some 🔥 scenes that I liked. There was good dialogue and I enjoyed reading the story. There was a very nice HEA at the end and I had a good feeling about the story. If you like Historical Romance you are very likely going to like this story. -
Not bad.
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Jasper Ashton, Earl of Marshfield, is the consummate rake. He is determined not to marry in the near future. In fact, he has bet on it. His plan begins to crumble when he catches a beautiful woman his bedchamber, and not for a liaison. He catches the same woman at several other parties wandering the home of the hostess, and stealing a piece or two or jewelry. The lady in question is Miss Julia Sudbury, daughter of a vicar and sister to a countess. Julia, who disdains aristocrats, is doing her best imitation of Robin Hood. What is a rake to do? He doesn’t want her to get into trouble, and he doesn’t want her to cause him trouble. Too late!
This story is great fun, and in some spots, downright silly. The chemistry between these two is hot. Jasper tries to resist his attraction to Julia, but fails miserably. Julia has a good heart, but she is naïve. She leads Jasper on a merry chase and confounds him at every turn. This is a thoroughly engaging and entertaining story with great characters, a good start to a new series. I enjoyed and happily recommend it.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. -
Really great read.
I've read about 10 of Sydney Jane Baily's books and have really enjoyed them.
I really loved the storyline and the characters.
Can't wait for book 2. -
I really enjoyed this fun-filled journey with Julia & Jasper - they were both so entertaining whether together or separate & I loved their road to romance!
Jasper Ashton, Earl of Marshfield is happy & he has it all - title, money, looks & he knows one day he will marry to procure an heir but, in the meantime, he is perfectly satisfied as London's premiere rake. He even had a wagered five hundred pounds that he would stay single until the last day of 1815; and then she appeared, not only at his home for his dinner party but in his bedchamber.
Miss Julia Sudbury has come to London to live with her sister, the widow Lady Worthington. Julia has sister has made it possible for her to attend many of the society functions & she has been using the opportunity to "find" jewels etc., then pawning them & giving the money to orphanages or workhouses. Tonight, she was attending a dinner party at the Earl of Marshfield's home & worse yet, he found her in his bed chamber.
The fun, games, fireworks & much more starts here! These two are so opposite in many ways but so alike in others & their antics make for a great romance with a little spice that will leaving you smiling. I voluntarily read & reviewed an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book; all thoughts & opinions are my own. -
Julia and Jasper are well written characters. The story has a twist of Robin hood meets the Earl. The Earl is the rake. Will Julia steal is heart and can Jasper keep Julia from stealing. Julia is a more modern lady in that she believes its okay to be with Jasper before they are married, in fact she's not even looking to get married. Jasper has a bet with the gentleman of his club that he won't marry anyone that year. Will he lose the bet as well as his heart?
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Maybe 3 1/2 stars, because I like the author. I'm wondering after reading this if it was actually a satire. The heroine comes across as a kleptomaniac who seems to use giving to the poor as a justification for her impulse to steal. She takes so many unnecessary chances in her desire for others' valuables, almost getting raped on one occasion, making the H look like the bad guy in another, and getting blackmailed to the point that H is almost cornered into bedding the blackmailer. Even worse, the h stubbornly steals from those with enough social status to ruin her family and have her arrested, and even hanged. She feels guilty, apparently, and because she's a vicar's daughter she feels some superiority over the titled members of the ton. However, as a vicar's daughter, she would have been aware that safer, more logical methods were available to help the poor. It made no sense.
The h was decidedly annoying to me, so this killed my enjoyment of the book. She stereotypes the nobility as villains, while shrugging off the fact that she might be absconding with objects of sentimental value (as she did from the H). If she'd had a family member who had been severely hurt or killed by someone titled, and her family had been ruined, it would have made some kind of sense that she'd hold a grudge. But because her sister married well, the h herself dresses well, owns nice jewelry, etc., so she comes across a bit as a self-righteous hypocrite. I was already losing patience with h when soon after meeting the H she makes a snotty, unnecessary comment about members of the nobility who participate in war. She feels so smug in her self-righteousness that it makes her seem extremely immature. I was waiting for an event to happen to her that would force her to grow up and see the world as less black and white, but I'm not convinced she really changed by the end.
The hero is a bit oversexed, but a humorous and likable scoundrel. Frankly, I think he deserved better than this h. There was a pattern of, "I need to confront h, but first, heavy petting. No, I really need to confront h, but next, some more heavy petting."
On the positive side, I have enjoyed this author's writing style in the past, particularly her dry dialog, and there is a lot of that on display here. Her archaic word choices always give me a chuckle. The editing is also very good, with no noticeable errors, also typical of this author.
Maybe I needed to be in a different mood to enjoy this? I just couldn't warm up to the h, so I just can't give the book 4 stars.
Note: language is PG but there are quite a few steamy pre-marriage scenes. -
💎💎ONE TEMPESTUOUS JOURNEY💎💎
Hopping hoydens homer! Sydney brought out all the hard-knocks, low-blows and head-ons with this tumultuous earth quaking, tilt-our-world wonder, delivering up some nosy- nuggets, bold-buttinsky's and loose-lips bringing the heat and busting down walls, jetting this jewel to staggering heights. A churning edy full of captivating drama, riveting intrigue, underlying currents, electrifying suspense and nailbiting situations converge, attentive to the dramatic twists and wicked turns unfolding, revelations unmasked and promises made, merging this gem together seamlessly. Bound, wound and crisply woven, exhibiting the soaring ups and agonizing downs, breathtaking in it's strength and beautiful in it's depth, futures are forged and secrets are shared, booting this gem into the eye of the storm, kicking it into a tailspin with astonishing impacts, blasting this little number to life flawlessly. The attraction and chemistry ignites with such intoxicating ardor, exploding with boundless emotions and infinite affections, drawing our characters closer, binding them to one another beautifully. The characters are complex, genuine and realistic with traits and qualities that balance and blend, with amazing depth and diversity and enough spice to add an extra kick to the mix. Throw in 100% on point realism, raising the stakes with such graphic scenarios that are so colorfully descriptive and vividly detailed its like you're living it with them instead of on the sidelines. Incredible job Sydney, thanks for sharing this little guy with us. -
Wonderful
I loved that we have a robin hood storyline going on except the one stealing from the rich is a woman.. He wants to remain a rake but then he meets a beautiful intelligent woman who he can't stay away from but then he discovers she's a thief.. She wants him to stay away from her because she wants to continue to help the less fortunate but she can't deny her feelings for him.. And somehow they manage to end up in the country together..
The hero has his own strengths and weaknesses..
The heroine has her own uniqueness.. I definitely loved this heroine as opposed to several others I've read in the passed I would love to see more like her..
I laughed so hard I actually cried at times.. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.. I look forward to the next book in this series.. -
Jasper and Julia meet by chance at a ball. She keeps getting trouble by acting like a Robin hood. But also only sees the worst in the rich. Jasper is a rake of the highest order only he cant get Julia out of his mind no matter how badly she treats him.
Julia was really hard to root for. I kept expecting Jasper to put her in her place to teach her a lesson or a least let her get arrested then bail her out. But nope. Everything happens in book land happily ever after.
Note: premarital relations but not homeruns.
I received this book inexchange of my HONEST opinion. -
Missing jewels
Julia meets her match when she steals a pin. She is giving to the poor but doesn't tell her reason for taking from the rich. Can Jasper keep her safe as well as his heart.
