- Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Signet Book; Reprint edition (May 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0451205804
- ISBN-13: 978-0451205803
- Product Dimensions: 17.2 x 10.7 x 2.7 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 270,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Hazard
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The long-awaited Hazard, direct sequel to Dragon's Bride and incidental connection to the Rogues books, is finally here! And it's well worth the wait.
Lady Anne Peckforth, daughter of the Duke of Arran, who will make her husband a rich man but who is considered less desirable by virtue of the fact that she has a club foot (walks with an unsightly limp, can't dance), has just suffered her second disappointment. Following on from Lord Middlethorpe's snub - he married another woman while in the process of negotiating for her hand - she then hears that Con, Viscount Amleigh, has married someone else after having indicated an interest in her. So she is doubly rejected.
Race de Vere, introduced in Dragon's Bride as Con's secretary, was asked by 'King Rogue', Nicholas Delaney, to check up on Anne. After all, she is unfinished business: twice a Rogue played dirty with her, and Nicholas therefore considers her his responsibility. He wants Race to establish whether she is genuinely hurt. So Race attaches himself to the Marquess of Uffham, Anne's brother, allowing Uffham to use him as semi-companion, semi-servant, all in the interests of helping the Rogues and seeing what he can do for Anne. Race, after all, is a congenital 'helper'.
Race, we discover, has very uncertain origins. He bears a surname which he has no right to - his father changed the family name in an attempt to 'gentrify' them, but didn't realise that the name he chose would be immediately suspect, as it was the family name of the Earls of Oxford, a line now extinct. So Race attracts attention everywhere as someone who can't possibly be what he appears. And anyway, as a 'hanger-on' to Society, he could never aspire to the hand of Lady Anne Peckforth.
Yet attraction sparkles between the two of them; when Anne asks Race to teach her about men and how they flirt, he only has to kiss her hand for her to realise that no man has ever aroused her senses with a simple kiss ever before. But Race isn't for Anne; how can she marry a man without a past, whose background makes him totally ineligible?
So she sets out to find a 'suitable' husband; yet none of the men she meets, and who fall over themselves to flatter her, appeal to her in any way. They all fall short next to Race. So should she obey her family by choosing a suitable titled gentleman, or follow her heart's desire... even if it means disgrace?
I adored this book. Anne is fleshed out extremely well here, and we learn that she is intelligent, shrewd, with a clever, dry sense of humour which is displayed to good effect in her verbal fencing matches with Race. There are scenes with her old friend Tris, the Duke of St Raven, which also sparkle with humour and wit - and the rats, mice and farthings discussions are hilarious! In fact, for a time there was an intriguing triangle going on with Race, Tris and Anne.
Hazard also introduces us to Tris, the Duke of St Raven, whom Beverley has assured us will be the hero of her next book. And already I can't wait!
wmr-uk
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I've read three of Jo Beverley's books before and none of them have quite made it to five stars for me. However, Hazard was a definite improvement - the story and characters worked much better for me.
Lady Anne Peckworth (who has appeared in two of the Rogues books) seems to have an unfortunate habit - that of being jilted by the Rogues. When the second Rogue who has been courting her marries someone else the Rogues, worried about Lady Anne who really is a very nice woman, send Race de Vere to check that she is OK. Race teams up with her brother Uffham, working as his secretary/assistant, and thus gets invited to the Duke of Arran's home (Anne's father) and is able to get to know her.
Anne can't decide what to do with herself. Two betrothals that haven't quite happened make her wonder if it's safe to get married but the alternative, dwindling to a spinster, isn't appealing. When she meets Race de Vere she enjoys her conversations with him, particularly when he shows her more of the fun side of life - brandy drinking, playing hazard, kissing. Of course he's wildly ineligible, being from a family line which was born the wrong side of the blanket, but she finds herself coming out of her shell in his company. Then he disappears and Lady Anne sets herself the task of finding a husband with her friend, Tris St Raven, giving her advice on their suitability.
Anne very much comes out of her shell in this book - she turns from a quiet, reclusive lady with a limp to a bright, lively woman who seems to slay passing men with her charms and who behaves in a rather indecorous way at times. In fact I wasn't entirely sure how believable Anne was... her behaviour towards the end of the book gets pretty shocking.
De Vere is far too low down the social scale to even consider an alliance with Anne and yet the quality of this book is in the way in which it shows them as equals in terms of intelligence and interests which makes the reader eager to see things work out well for them. Although there is romance in this book the plot and characterisation takes more of a central position than in many regencies, plus the different social classes in this book sets it apart a little.
The Rogues appear in this book in many places, and there are also references to characters in some of Beverley's other books, but this one can be read as a standalone book without any difficulties. It's an enjoyable way to while away a few hours and I can recommend it.
Lady Anne Peckworth (who has appeared in two of the Rogues books) seems to have an unfortunate habit - that of being jilted by the Rogues. When the second Rogue who has been courting her marries someone else the Rogues, worried about Lady Anne who really is a very nice woman, send Race de Vere to check that she is OK. Race teams up with her brother Uffham, working as his secretary/assistant, and thus gets invited to the Duke of Arran's home (Anne's father) and is able to get to know her.
Anne can't decide what to do with herself. Two betrothals that haven't quite happened make her wonder if it's safe to get married but the alternative, dwindling to a spinster, isn't appealing. When she meets Race de Vere she enjoys her conversations with him, particularly when he shows her more of the fun side of life - brandy drinking, playing hazard, kissing. Of course he's wildly ineligible, being from a family line which was born the wrong side of the blanket, but she finds herself coming out of her shell in his company. Then he disappears and Lady Anne sets herself the task of finding a husband with her friend, Tris St Raven, giving her advice on their suitability.
Anne very much comes out of her shell in this book - she turns from a quiet, reclusive lady with a limp to a bright, lively woman who seems to slay passing men with her charms and who behaves in a rather indecorous way at times. In fact I wasn't entirely sure how believable Anne was... her behaviour towards the end of the book gets pretty shocking.
De Vere is far too low down the social scale to even consider an alliance with Anne and yet the quality of this book is in the way in which it shows them as equals in terms of intelligence and interests which makes the reader eager to see things work out well for them. Although there is romance in this book the plot and characterisation takes more of a central position than in many regencies, plus the different social classes in this book sets it apart a little.
The Rogues appear in this book in many places, and there are also references to characters in some of Beverley's other books, but this one can be read as a standalone book without any difficulties. It's an enjoyable way to while away a few hours and I can recommend it.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
A love story about two unlikely candidates. After being jilted by Francis Middleham in 'Forbidden' and led to expect an offer from George Amleigh in 'Dragons Bride', Lady Anne is sensitive about provoking pity. Race de Vere, a friend of Amleigh's, wants to make sure that Anne is undamaged by George's defection, and finds himself attracted to her quiet charm. However he would be considered ineligible for a duke's daughter as his father is a tradesman with pretensions to gentility.
The rest of the book is about Anne's efforts to find someone she could face marrying instead of Race and how she eventually came to acknowledge that she wanted Race and no other.
Jo Beverley tells the love story between these two well and manages to describe what a real barrier that their social positions would be; and find a solution without giving the characters anachronistic modern views.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Wow
This book was brilliant!
It was not your usual book in the series as it wasn't about any of the rogues in particular, one or two did make a brief appearance though. Read more
It was not your usual book in the series as it wasn't about any of the rogues in particular, one or two did make a brief appearance though. Read more
Published on 3 Sep 2007 by Sian Louise
Hazard - Very Dissapointing
As an avid reader and I mean avid (I own every book written by Jude Deverux, Julie Garwood,Judith McNaught,Johanne Lindsay to name but a few), I found that I have really struggled... Read more
Published on 8 July 2002 by M. P. M. Wake
A wonderful spin-off from the Company of Rogues series
This is a wonderful book, involving Lady Anne Peckworth (first met in 'Forbidden') and Race de Vere, Con Somerford's secretary in 'Dragon's Bride'. Read more
Published on 15 May 2002 by "suemackay"
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