Gentle Rogue

#50States50Romances #Connecticut

Sadly, I didn't read the Fabio cover because that cover is way more indicative of the book's contents. It's not a terrible book, but it's not good, either. I mean, the author chose to name a ship Pogrom, ffs. That ship only has a cameo, but still set the tone for me for the rest of the book. The plot's a mess, full of huge time skips and a what-the-what of an "I did it because i love you" form the hero. The book was originally published in 1990 and it shows. It's overly-long— spending too much time on descriptions of furniture and settings and not enough on actual plot—and a couple of scenes that veer way too close to "forcible seduction" (though the author makes a point of the heroine's consent) for me to feel completely comfortable. And, to be honest, my biggest problem was that I never felt anything for, about, or from the hero and heroine. I mean, I just didn't care and I never really felt that they did, either. You can't just tell me they love each other and expect that to be enough. I have to see it and feel it for myself and that didn't happen.

Okay, I'm cheating here, and I don't like them all equally, but I do love the Mallory's. They're all funny. I especially liked "Love Only Once" (the first book), "Gentle Rogue" (my favorite), and "The Magic of You" (where the heroine chases the hero shamelessly).

This book had be grinning like a loon. After an afternoon of reading, my face hurts!

I read this during my historic romance era. Very predictable love story-hate story- love story on and on until "I love you even though I said I never would marry or love anyone", you know the kind of story I am talking about. Shallow me, I did enjoy the story, but it wasn't very deep in development. 3 stars and that was generous.

This was a fun story. My primary reason for reading it is that it was recommended as a cross-dressing romance book, meaning that a woman dresses as a man and a man falls for her. In this one, the guy knows she is a woman early on so it didn't have quite as much hijinks, but I still enjoyed the story. The sex scenes are more vague than what is printed commonly nowadays, so that was a nice change.

This is the first Malory novel I read, before realizing it was a series. This is by far my favorite of the group! I love the entire relationship between George and James.

As something of a connoisseur of romance novels, I have read my share of simply bad books. I would not normally have expected one from Lindsey's heyday to arise in that category, but "Gentle Rogue" confounds all expectations and does just that. The book is well-written, the characters reasonably well-developed, and the plot no less plausible than is average; the reading does not drag too tediously, and there are numerous opportunities for really heart-wrenching romance; unfortunately, Lindsey fails to capitalize on any of these. The extreme popularity of this book bewilders me.Georgie, the heroine, is not generally unlikable. Her failure to realize that Captain Malory discerned her gender does nothing to recommend her intellect, and the way she childishly mimics Malory's habit of sarcasm, which "was not her forte," (among other things, e.g. a British accent, a manner of raising her eyebrow, and an entire style of humor) suggests childish infatuation. But for all that, her personality is not particularly offensive. Her naïve description of sexual arousal as a type of "nausea" is even endearing.This sentence summarizes my frustration with Georgie: "Her temper wanted to flare, but when James rested between her thighs, anger was the farthest thing from her mind." This sentiment is repeated with shocking frequency, no matter how he deliberately humiliates or hurts her. I understand the ease in rechanneling anger into lust, but Georgie's legitimate problems repeatedly disappear when James kisses her into submission. He refuses to let her see her own family and her response is to rage at her brothers for "kidnapping" her when they (very naturally) attempt to help her. He refuses to let her call herself his wife, and when she asks if that makes her his whore, he says yes. Her anger at this doesn't last more than a few sentences; instead she does an admirable job of proving him right. He, in effect, sexually manipulates her into being pliable and content, and… it works. With no apparent resentment or even realization on her part. Nothing explains her devotion to him, as he treats her like a valueless sex object for the duration of the novel. At some points it appears that she is near to calling him out on his blatant use and abuse of her, but nothing ever comes of it. Instead, she settles for the "tenderness" she senses when they make love, a cringingly classic female mistake. His final declaration of love is unconvincing, but she doesn't care—she begs to return to him even before it's issued—and she proceeds to gush that "he is her life" and further inflate his impossible ego. (This ego is, admittedly, nothing out of the ordinary; but the delight I take in these novels is that the female usually manages to take the hero down a peg. Georgie only lowers herself.)Making Georgie's ludicrous gullibility even more obvious is the comparison drawn to her brother-in-law and his wife. James mockingly refers to the way in which his brother's wife withheld sexual favors from him during a fight (occurring in a previous book), and can confidently assert that his own wife would never do such a thing. Tragically, he is right. Georgie's internal dialogues, depicted as between herself and "her conscience," are invariably lost by her conscience and won by some hedonistic part of herself with no practicality and less self-respect.In short, this book was difficult to finish; I had absolutely no desire for Georgie to have her foolishness unpunished, and I could not bear for James to have his misogyny and manipulativeness forever unchecked. If I were Georgie's brothers, I would have followed through on the threat to beat some sense into her. Perhaps she could have used it.

This wasn't bad, and I liked it pretty much, but alas, it's another pirate romance - not my favorite genre... I swore I'd give this series another chance with Gentle Rogue, (which is my favorite of the series so far), but I found the whole Georgie as cabin boy and her succumbing to James' charms so easily (and fast) too contrived. Then, the whole dumb misunderstanding between James and Georgie later on was tedious and the plot became so convoluted with all the various brothers - I lost track of the plotline and their relationship - was it on or off? Still, compared to it's predecessors, this was above average.

This is just one Malory Novel. All of them are just lovely, and a must read, but start from the beginning...

4.5 Stars

This is still one of my favourite books. James Malory is a great leading man and while Georgina is a bit naive sometimes (I guess she could be allowed her being an innocent and all) she is spunky and a good match for James. I love reading their conversations and found myself wanting to get back to story often -even though I know what's going to happen.

As this book was a reread for me I noticed this time around that there was a fair amount of recapping which seemed a bit tedious having just read the previous books. Also, as this is the third book in the series.. if you hadn't read the other two, those recaps would spoil those stories instead of just dropping hints that make you want to read them. So because of that I docked half a star.

This series has a wonderful bunch of characters. Jeremy and Georgina's are delightful and even now I look forward to rereading their stories. If you have never read this series, I would recommend that you do!

I loved this. The heroine, Georgie, was very lovable, and a bit of a tomboy who had grown into a pretty woman but didn't know her beauty. I LOVED her going in drag as James' cabin boy, and that unknown to her, he was aware of who she was. I laughed out loud several times throughout the book. There was tons of angst, Georgie's brothers were hilarious, and overall this was a lot of fun. It sort of dragged on at the end, but I enjoyed this book a lot. I may read more about the Malory brothers and their reformations from rakedom. (4.5 stars)

Georgina Anderson travels from her home in America over to England to find out what happened to her erstwhile fiance who was conscripted into the British Army. Turns out he's married someone else. In a fit of outrage, and just wanting to get home, Georgie disguises herself as a cabin boy in order to catch the first boat back to America. Captain James Malory, previously the Dread Pirate Roberts Captain Hawke figures out her ruse pretty quickly, but then has a great time seducing her into giving it up. The Malory series is adorable, even though the men are a little marriage-avoidant, and the women a little too prone to (idiotically) getting themselves into dangerous situations so that they can be 'rescued'. Classic late 80's/early 90's romance.

I love this series. I wish I had continued this series earlier. I feel in love the the Malory's when I first picked up the books out of order. When I realized it was part of a series I went back and started at the beginning. Gentle Rogue continues with James Malory and Georgina Anderson. James is a confirmed bachelor. He never plans to get married, that is until me meets Georgina Anderson in a tavern. She is not dressed in the normal lady attire. Instead she is in boys breeches.Georgina is in England looking for her betrothed Malcolm. She would not be in England otherwise. Georgina is the only girl in the Anderson family. Her brothers are protective of her. The tension between Georgina and James is priceless. Georgina and Mac are heading back to America and the first ship they are able to bored happens to be James Malory's ship. Georgina has to pretend to be a boy. She is James' cabin boy. I loved the chemistry between James and George (the nick name James gives her) during the whole voyage back home. Also seeing the to family's together was a laugh a minute. The ribbing from both sides just makes you laugh out loud. I can't wait to continue with this series.

Gentle Rogue was the first book that I read by Johanna Lindsey and just like chocolates you can't have just one. James and Georgina are a very unlikely couple who meet while Georgina is trying to find her fiance in London. The courtship between James and Georgina is rocky but you can't help love them. James is a sarcastic rogue that believes in doing what ever he wants and Georgina is a head strong woman who doesn't let anyone step over her.

Couldn't finished, the heroine just seemed silly and annoying, and the story was just ridiculous. So after the 6th chapter, I gave up.

Just started reading the Malory series. Absolutely love the characters and the witty exchanges between Anthony and James Maloryin all the books. The Gentle Rogue being my favorite of the lot. James Malory 's character is a complete package. humor and romance woven so well.Fun read.

SummaryGeorgina Anderson, has been on the hunt for the fiancee that disappeared during the war with Britain. Its been four years since he was taken by their Navy, and never heard a word from him. After her brother Thomas refuses to go in search for him, Georgina along with a trusted family friend and protector "Mac" go to England on their own to search for her missing fiancee Malcolm. But what she finds is a fiancee that married a English woman and already had children without a word to her. After a long search, and low on funds Georgina misses home and her overprotective brothers and wants to return back to the America's. Mac finds passage on a ship heading to the West Indies, where one of her brothers ships is at. And so she poses as the "cabin boy" for Captain James Malory. James Malory has been searching for the lady dressed in men's clothes that kicked his shin not too long ago, and shocked to find her dressed as his new cabin boy. Delighted and intrigued, he acts as though he only sees a boy, and plays with her. But the truth comes out, as does the desire they feel for each other. But Georgie will have to face her family that the man she has fallen hard for is the same pirate who sunk one of her brothers ships and has been their nemesis ever since...not going to go over well.The HeroJames Malory is a rogue and loves his women...all different shapes and sizes and passions. He is known as the gentleman pirate, because he once was rebellious and wanted adventure and captained his own pirate ship. But gave that up so he could return home and be with his family once again. Especially when he learned that he has a teenage son who knew him upon meeting him. He had to turn somewhat respectable but it still chafed at him having to be all proper in society. Now James deals in trade, trying to be as good a father as he possibly can. James is the king of all rakes...I am telling you and boy is he entertaining. James might be one of my all time favorite characters of the whole Malory clan. He is so lively and entertaining, and very roguish in all so many fun ways. You can't take his character seriously, he is very amusing especially when you see the lengths he goes to be with his true love.The HeroineGeorgiana Anderson has been well loved and pampered by her five older brothers. From forty years old to the youngest barely twenty. She may have lost her parents at a young age, but her brothers gave her a home and family and love. She grew up knowing how to get around any of their family company's ships since she could walk. She had a childhood sweetheart "Malcolm" that her brothers tried the hardest to keep her from falling for. But while all had left, she decided to go in search for him after six lonely years, if only to find some closure. Georgie is a spirited and care free character. She can be willful and impulsive at times, but she has a heart of gold with a bit of a temper. I love Georgie so much, so fiercely independent and a fighter.Plot and Story LineGentle Rogue has to be one of my favorite books of the series, and I believe it was my first book I read in this series and got me hooked on this family and their amusing antics. In this book though, we are introduced to a new family, a family that will eventually work along side these Malory's...The American Anderson family. Now at the beginning of the book here, the Anderson despise anything English literally."Then why didn't you leave in the customary fashion, by purchasing passage?""Because the only ships crossing the atlantic were English.""I imagine that's supposed to make sense. Give me a moment and I might figure it out...then again, I might not. What the deuce is wrong with English ships?""You wouldn't find anything wrong with them, but I happen to despise all things English.""Do you indeed? Am I included in that package?"When his brow went up this time, she had the greatest urge to yank it back down. "You were. I haven't made up my mind whether you still are."But we see these families come together in such a glorious and adventurous way. Now it starts off with our lovely heroine Georgie. She has convinced a family friend Mac, to go with her to England in search of her fiancee. And they go through England searching for news of him. She and Mac do get into an altercation with James Malory and his brother in Tender Rebel but then Georgie finds out where Malcolm is and learns the painful truth. Now she wants to return home and agrees to be a cabin boy and dresses and acts the part. Now this is where the story really gets interesting. Because our hero is a devil at times and loves to play games, mostly harmless. He has George (his nickname for her and continues calling her that for the rest of the series) doing all sorts of things for him. Washing his back, delivering his food, cleaning his cabin, reading to him erotic stories (Yeah...he is totally working the disguise)she found the page, Cleared her throat, and began to read.'"There was nary a doubt that I had ever seen such big ones, round and ripe. My teeth ached to bit them."' God what tripe. This would have them both asleep in minutes. '"I pinched one and heard her gasp of delight. The other beckoned my mouth, which was panting to oblige. Oh, heaven! Oh, sweet bliss of those succulent...beasts..."'Georgina slammed the book closed with a horrified gasp. "This...this..""Yes. I know. Its called erotica, dear boy.., acting like he has a headache and having her massage his scalp and she soon learns that he knows the truth and she also discovers that certain "feelings" she has had is desire and James introduces her to it. So they have a bit of a love affair going on while on his ship. But then they land in the West Indies, and Georgie leaves James without a word, to go to her brothers ship before it leaves for the America's. And James does what he does, and chases after her not realizing how much he cares about her at this point and there is a intense confrontation with her five over protective brothers. Now when reading this you have to understand the personality of James. He has a devil may care attitude at times and boldly tells them all the truth. Yeah five big muscled over protective brothers don't take the truth very well. What has made this a wonderful and most memorable romance over the years is really James Malory and our introduction to the Anderson Clan. I love that so many of these brothers become heroes in future books. We get to see some of our favorite characters including Anthony and Derek and we can't forget Percy. Now we don't get much of Percy until this point really...but you see a lot more of him in Say You Love Me and A Loving Scoundrel. His character is so funny a bit silly at times, but he is a charming rascal. The romance between James and George isn't conventional or what you expect but this is what I love about Lindsey. She can write outrageous and crazy and unique romances that endear you. And she does that with Gentle Rogue and I love the way this book was written. I was laughing and smiling all the way through the book and I realized why this is one of my all time favorites and had a blast reading it again especially since its been years. I can't wait for the next one up, Warren and Amy's book.The CoverI just adored these townhouse covers that are in the first half of the series, it has such a calming feel to it.Overall ViewGentle Rogue is a romantic tale of adventure on the seas....of unconventional characters, a stunning display of humor and charm and a book that is guaranteed to leave you with a smile on your face and wanting more of these delectable characters that are beyond memorable.

This is the first Malory novel I read, before realizing it was a series. This is by far my favorite of the group! I love the entire relationship between George and James.