| Gentle Rogue (Malory Novels) | 
 enlarge | Author: Johanna Lindsey
Publisher: Avon
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  120 reviews
Sales Rank: 17154
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 448
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 6.2 x 4.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 0380753022
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780380753024
ASIN: 0380753022
Publication Date: December 1, 1990
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Heartsick and desperate to return home to America, Georgina Anderson boards the Maiden Anne disguised as a cabin boy, never dreaming she'll be forced into intimate servitude at the whim of the ship's irrepressible captain, James Mallory. The black sheep of a proud and tempestuous family, the handsome ex–pirate once swore no woman alive could entice him into matrimony. But on the high seas his resolve will be weakened by an unrestrained passion and by the high–spirited beauty whose love of freedom and adventure rivals his own.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 115 more reviews...
 I think it must be a taste thing November 16, 2008
Lots of people seem to LOVE this book, so I'm figuring the fact that I hate it just points to different people having different tastes. Johanna Lindsey is a very entertaining writer, with the most fun heroines. Unfortunately, her heroes usually leave me with a bad taste in my mouth. The hero of this novel is no exception.
Basically, the novel goes something like this:
James Malory, "hero": Ooh, a pretty girl disguised as a cabin boy! I think I'll take advantage of this and seduce the poor thing without her knowing it.
Georgina Anderson, heroine: My goodness, what is this delicious feeling I feel whenever I'm around this strong, virile, pushy, autocratic man? I'm ridiculously naive for a twenty-two year old woman, and apparently I have never felt desire or basic human arousal even once in my entire life.
James: I shall now use this woman to slake my lust, calling her a wench and not once caring about the fact that an unmarried woman is ruined in the eyes of society. As long as I get mine!
Georgina: I will now give into this man for no good reason except that I must give into my urges that I've never felt before because this man is so-o-o-o strong, virile, pushy, and autocratic, and despite my protests that turns me on!
And so forth. James Malory is strong, virile, pushy, and autocratic, and Georgina pretends to hate those qualities but in fact she loves them. This makes for a lot of tedious "dialogue," with James pushing Georgina around and Georgina letting him, huffing indignantly all the while. James is also spiteful and petty and vengeful, and apparently always gets his way, along with insulting and bullying Georgina throughout the book. That's not romance, to me.
I couldn't finish the book. A hero who badgers, kidnaps, and insults the supposed love of his life is a terrible turn-off for me. Georgina is a fun heroine, as usual with Johanna Lindsey, but the hero's antics just ruin the book too much to make it worthwhile.
Conclusion: An extremely unlikable hero makes this book unreadable. But other people love this hero, so if you enjoy most early Lindseys, you'll probably enjoy this one. If you don't like early Lindesy novels, give this one a pass.
James, please come back! August 28, 2008
This is such a wonderful read, I really enjoyed it. I read it within 2-3 days, I couldn't put the book down. James is such an irresistible rogue. I absolutely found him sexy, strong and deliciously wicked! I wanted more of him! I wish the story never ended! Hmph! =o/
Fans: Type in Malory in YouTube.com and read what other fans wrote!
Disappointing August 20, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
The extreme popularity of this book bewilders me. Though it is well-written and there are numerous opportunities for really heart-wrenching romance, Lindsey fails to capitalize on any of these, and the heroine--though not wholly unlikable--is just frustrating. Her failure to realize that James discerns her gender does nothing to recommend her intellect, and the way she childishly mimics his habits reeks of girlish infatuation. But for all that, her personality is not particularly offensive. Her naive description of sexual arousal as a type of "nausea" is even endearing. No, my problem with Georgie is this: "Her temper wanted to flare, but when James rested between her thighs, anger was the farthest thing from her mind." This sentiment is repeated constantly, no matter how James 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, in effect, sexually manipulates her into being pliable and content, and... it works. With no apparent resentment or even realization on her part. He treats her like a valueless sex object for the duration of the novel, and though it sometimes seems she will call him out on it, she ultimately does nothing. Instead, she settles for the "tenderness" she senses when they make love, a cringingly classic female mistake.
Making Georgie's ludicrous gullibility acutely obvious is the comparison to her brother-in-law and his wife. James mockingly refers to how his brother's wife withheld sexual favors during a fight, confident that his own wife would never do such a thing. Sadly, he's 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. (James's 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. George only lowers herself.)
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. The relationship was shallow and unsatisfying. Overall, a disappointment.
One of the best romance novels ever. June 14, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I've read a number of books by J. Lindsey and my two favorites are this book and "A Loving Scoundrel." Both of them have a girl dressed as and pretending to be a boy. I loved the characters. Good plot. Good writing. Great fun
CAUTION SPOILERS: Georgina was dressed as a boy and thought the captain (James) believed she was a boy. James knew she was really a girl but pretended he didn't know. It was great fun to watch James try to seduce the "boy". It didn't work the way James had planned because Georgina was so ignorant of sex that she thought she was nauseous rather than turned on. I loved the end where James purposely embarassed her publicly so her brothers would force the marriage.
Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: five. Setting: 1818 London, the high seas and America. Copyright: 1990. Genre: regency romance.
To date, I have read the following Johanna Lindsey books. All my reviews were posted on Amazon between 6/3/08 and 6/14/08, except as noted.
Malory Family Series:
5 stars. Gentle Rogue Copyright: 1990.
5 stars. A Loving Scoundrel Copyright: 2004.
4.5 stars. The Magic of You Copyright: 1993.
4.5 stars. Say You Love Me Copyright: 1996.
3 stars. Love Only Once Copyright: 1985.
3 stars. Tender Rebel Copyright: 1988.
3 stars. No Choice But Seduction Copyright: 2008. My review posted 6/21/08.
2 stars. The Present copyright: 1998.
2 stars. Captive of My Desires copyright: 2006.
Sherring Cross Series:
4.5 stars. Man of My Dreams Copyright: 1993.
3 stars. Love Me Forever Copyright: 1995.
(not read) The Pursuit
Other novels:
4 stars. Defy Not The Heart. Copyright: 1989. My review posted 8/15/08.
2 stars. The Devil Who Tamed Her Copyright: 2007.
1 star. Prisoner of My Desire Copyright: 1991.
Still great the second time around May 30, 2008
I absolutely love Johanna Lindsey and all of the Malory stories. I just reread this one and still love it. The writing is so smooth I just sail through these books and find myself in love with all of the characters. I recommend virtually all of Johanna Lindsey's books to any historical lover.
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