Reggie is getting sober for himself, not for someone else. Mary Jo Putney does an excellent job portraying the inner demons that plague Reggie, and at the same time, she doesn’t succumb to the temptation that some writers might feel to make his recovery all about his love for Alys. It’s heartbreaking to watch him try and fail and try again. But Reggie’s real problem is his drinking, and a great deal of this story revolves around his efforts to first get it under control and later to stop altogether. When a fire destroys the steward’s house, Alys and her three young wards move into the main house, and Reggie begins to know the joys of a family for the first time in his life. Alys and Reggie gradually become friends, and though they are attracted to one another, nothing more than a few kisses are exchanged. Even he has become convinced that his life is on a dangerous trajectory a voice in his head keeps telling him, “This way of life is killing you.” He believes that Strickland may be his salvation. Reggie is a rake of the first order, but more than that, he’s a drunkard who, at the age of thirty-seven, has begun to suffer blackouts. Yet, when the so-called despair of the Davenports arrives at Strickland, he proves to be surprisingly open-minded and impressed by Alys’s success he keeps her on as the steward. When Reggie’s cousin, the new owner, gives the estate over to Reggie, Alys sees her idyll coming to an end. It’s uncommon, to say the least, for a woman to be an estate steward, yet Alys has been able to pull off that job for four years, communicating with the absentee owner in writing.

Fate brings them together on Reggie’s Dorset estate, Strickland. Alys Weston is running from her past, and Reggie Davenport is fleeing his future. It's one of the classic historical romances of all time.

If you haven't yet read this book, ditto. If you like this book, I highly recommend this audio version by Mark Meadows. At Last: A Worthy Narrator for this MJP Classic!įabulous.

The rake by mary jo putney