Rake's Progress
By M. C. Beaton
3.5/5
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About this ebook
In London’s Mayfair, the house at 67 Clarges Street is often rented out for the social season, and the latest master is a single gentleman, the handsome, rich, and notorious rake Lord Guy Carlton. After years of fighting in the wars against Napoleon, the dashing lord is determined to kick up his heels with wine, women, and song, undeterred by anyone’s appalled reaction.
Never before have the Clarges Street servants earned so much money or eaten so well—but their pleasure-loving master seems liable to die of dissipation. In desperation, the staff, led by the witty and resourceful butler, Rainbird, sets out to find a good woman who can calm the lord’s boisterous spirit and save his black soul. Their search ends with the discovery of Miss Esther Jones of Berkeley Square, a prim and righteous woman who seems the perfect reformer. But complications lie ahead and chaos reigns both above and below the stairs, as no one, not even Miss Jones herself, is prepared for the transformation that ultimately takes place. . . .
Originally published under the name Marion Chesney, this delightful tale of romance and scheming comes from a New York Times–bestselling author who “adroitly manipulates the floating upstairs population that keeps the downstairs on its toes” (Publishers Weekly).
M. C. Beaton
M. C. Beaton (1936-2019), the “Queen of Crime” (The Globe and Mail), was the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Agatha Raisin novels -- the basis for the hit series on Acorn TV and public television -- as well as the Hamish Macbeth series and the Edwardian Murder Mysteries featuring Lady Rose Summer. Born in Scotland, she started her career writing historical romances under several pseudonyms and her maiden name, Marion Chesney. In 2006, M.C. was the British guest of honor at Bouchercon.
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Reviews for Rake's Progress
48 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Back again to 67 Clarges Street we go, in this second volume of Marion Chesney's "A House for the Season" series. Rainbird the butler and the other servants are still in service, looking forward to the arrival of the latest tenants: a hen-pecked ex-naval officer, his nagging wife, and two daughters. Who will attract the interest of the fashionable elite first: Euphemia the eldest with beauty on her side, or her younger sister, 'plain' Jane?More fun and intrigue is in store for the residents of "A House for the Season".
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Yeah...no, not for me. I quite liked the beginning, with plain Jane and beautiful Euphemia, and the crowd of servants at the House for a Season. But as the story developed, it got sillier and sillier. Jane is amazingly young for an 18-year-old - she "hasn't yet put her hair up" at the beginning of the book, and that's how she behaves almost throughout, like a child. There are at least three stories here: Jane and her courtship (which goes wrong in some very convenient ways - mis-delivered messages and gossip that flares and dies with suspiciously precise timing (otherwise known as author fiat)); the mystery Jane is pursuing, which also produces clues with suspicious convenience - and is "solved" by confession, without any real explanation for what clues Jane comes up with; and the servants at 67 Clarges St. I might have liked their story best - I thought I would, at the beginning - but it very quickly devolves into multiple love triangles. This is the _second_ book in this series - what happened with them in the first one? They can't have had all these unrequited love problems, or they wouldn't have been as firmly together as they were at the beginning of this one. Or maybe they did and the author just reset them for this book. Overall, not good - way too many convenient events as the only real plot drivers. I thought I'd read something else by this author and liked it, but I don't see it. I do have one other book by her, and I'll try it - but if it's like this one, I won't bother to read anything else she's written.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I’m enjoying this series as the books are short, fast paced with a fun wit throughout. They are at times very clever and this novel is no different. A perfect read for a lazy day.
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