Starting this week, my TBR Thursdays are going to be chosen by YOU.
A few weeks ago, I asked for you to provide me with some sets of numbers. Those numbers would then decide the book I would read next. Thanks to Sudha Balagopal for helping me choose my first book. :)
What I am reading this week
This week I read Nine Rules to Break When Romancing A Rake. It is the first book in the Love by Number series by Sarah MacLean.
Rating
Heat Level 🔥🔥🔥
Loveability 💗💗💗💗
Heartbreakability 💔💔💔💔
Why I chose this book
This book has been in my nook library from the beginning. It was the first Sarah MacLean book I read, one of the first romances I read, and is definitely a re-reader. It also happens to be the #4 book on the 24th page of my nook (thanks Sudha!).
About the book
Calpurnia Hartwell is fed up. At twenty-eight years old, all that following the rules has done is landed her firmly on the shelf with an impeccable reputation as a spinster. When she overhears her sister and her sister’s fiance discussing her future living with them, she decides she needs to change. Making a list of the nine rules that women are absolutely not allowed to do, she sets out to conquer them.
Gabriel St. John, Marquess of Ralston, is in need of a sponsor for his newly discovered half-sister. Someone with a spotless reputation, someone who knows the rules of society and can teach his sister all about the ton.
Someone like Callie.
By day, Callie is the perfect sponsor and chaperone. But at night, as she goes about making her list a reality, she keeps bumping into the rakish marquess. It isn’t long before Ralston is not only complicit with her list, but is helping her complete the tasks she has set and falling in love while they do!
What I enjoyed about it
Sarah MacLean creates some excellent characters. Callie is the shy sister, the good girl in love with the bad boy, the unmarried sister who everyone plans to take care of because she is unable to get married. Passive. Firmly on the shelf and happy to be there.
Until she’s not.
That’s why she decides to take matters into her own hands. To live and have fun and not worry about ruining a reputation.
Gabriel is a Rake with-a-capital-R. But he else has a heart of gold where his family is concerned (as well as a quick temper). He would do anything for his sister, even though he just met her, including indulging Callie’s list of rules to break.
As a couple, I adore Callie and Gabriel. They are one of the most fun couples I’ve read. Not only is there chemistry between them on the page from their first meeting, but each encounter keeps building on the one before until they are both head over heels in love.
When I first started writing romance, I was taught to make the Heroine someone the reader can relate to. I relate to Callie in so many ways. The pressure she feels to fit into the box society placed her in, the fact that she’s a plus-size woman who craves adventure. She is an emotional sort who feels deeply and her emotions just bubble up until she can’t contain them anymore (boy do I know that feeling!).
There are so many wonderful moments in this book, I can’t tell you how many times I cheered for Callie, or cried with her. Especially when she realizes her true worth is based solely on her strength of character. When she stands up for herself, even to the one she loves, that is a moment to treasure.
Is this an author I’ve read before?
I’m a sucker for a Sarah MacLean book. I blame this particular novel for my literary devotion. It is a beautifully written story that is well thought out. The pacing is quick and the situations believable.
I just adored the fencing scene. ;)
What keeps me coming back for more?
What really attached me to an author are the story and the characters. You can have a great story with weak characters, and you can have a weak story with great characters. Both of those make for enjoyable stories.
But when you get a great story with great characters, and a sizzling romance on top of it all, that is truly what sets a keeper-shelf book apart from the rest. Nine Rules has definitely earned its place on my keeper-shelf.
**BONUS**
Someone had the absolute genius idea of turning Nine Rules into a Litographs. If you’re not familiar with them, Litographs take the text of a book and print it on a t-shirt, scarf, or tote bag with an image that incorporates a well known point in the book. This brilliant person decided Callie fencing would be a good fit. I agree. You can order yours here.
I can’t wait for my shirt to come in!
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