Review: The Rogue and the Rival by Maya Rodale

Angela Sullivan is living in a convent, where she chose to flee after being embroiled in a scandal that caused her family to suffer a tragedy. She is still wrestling with herself about whether or not she is ready to take her vows when an injured man is brought to the convent. Phillip, the Marquis of Huntley, is a class A rake and wastrel. He was beaten and left for dead over his debts but through the sheer cussed luck of the charmed, he survives and wakes up to find himself being nursed back to health in a convent. Angela has been assigned to be the one to nurse him, despite her feelings toward men in general after being ruined six years earlier. The two reach an uneasy detente and eventually slowly fall for each other throughout Phillip's convalescence. But just when things seem to be falling into place, Phillips disappears and Angela comes to the conclusion that she can never be a nun, hightailing it to her aunt's home in London where she sets out to erase Phillip from her heart, perhaps with the conveniently widowed Lord Frost, who was the one to ruin her so many years before.

Rodale does a nice job building the relationship between Angela and Phillip. The reader can really see the evolution of their feelings for each other and how they become better, more compassionate people through their interactions with each other. Wrenching Phillip from Angela happens rather abruptly in the plot but without the wrench there would be no room for conflict, making for a fairly milque-toast story so it is forgiven. What was less understandable was Phillip's bloody-minded insistence in staying away from the woman he loved and Angela's obsessive need to have him pay for his betrayal. The secondary plot with Lucas, Lord Frost, returning after so many years was almost incidental to the main thrust of thigns. But overall Rodale has doen a nice job and historical romance readers will mostly approve of this. Strong characters and a decent plot make this a nice way to while away a few hours.