Finished first story. I disliked it so much that I did not read the second one. ( )

This book contains two Mary Balogh novels from 1992, and thanks to Mary for making her backlist available in mass market PB and ebook format at a reasonable price.

As other reviewers have noted, [b:A Counterfeit Betrothal|1096399|A Counterfeit Betrothal (Waite, #2)|Mary Balogh|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1250653007s/1096399.jpg|1083237] actually features two romances. Lady Sophia Bryant, who has no desire to marry, persuades the rakish Lord Francis Sutton to pose as her fiance. Sophie's hope is that the attendant festivities will help reunite her parents, who have been separated for fourteen years. Everyone gathers for a house party, and the expected results ensue. The parents' romance was more interesting (as I think it was meant to be), while Sophie's and Frank's false engagement brings in lots of humor. Overall, it's a good read, just not as good as Balogh's later books. Three stars

[b:The Notorious Rake|690064|The Notorious Rake (Waite, #3)|Mary Balogh|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1250653111s/690064.jpg|676413] is quite different. It opens with Lord Edmund and Lady Mary succumbing to lust in the middle of Vauxhall Gardens during a thunderstorm. No one would be surprised to hear that Edmund engaged in such activity, but Mary is considered a prim and proper widow. Opposites sometimes attract, and this turns into a lovely, angsty romance, as Edmund determinedly pursues Mary. Very enjoyable. Definitely five stars. ( )

A Counterfeit Betrothal: Sophia Bryant, trying to bring her estranged parents together, agrees to a fake betrothal with Lord Francis Sutton, on old family friend who tormented her when they were children. Her parents, Marcus and Olivia, were madly in love but separated after a drunken Marcus was unfaithful at a friend's bachelor party. Olivia could not accept that their love was not perfect, and instead of trying to forgive him she pushed him away. Marcus did have some mistresses over the next 14 years, until Sophia brought them together again. A nice story of redemption, although I think the author made too light of Marcus's betrayal in claiming that Olivia should have forgiven him and moved on. Sophia and Francis find themselves swept up in wedding plans, until Francis reveals that it was his plan to trap Sophia into marriage and she realizes she now loves him.

The Notorious Rake: Edmund Waite, after his brother's death in a horse jump 15 years ago which his whole family blamed on him, became a despicable rake. He has contempt for everyone and hates himself, also blaming himself although it was his father and other brother who got him drunk and laughed when Edmund's brother chased after him to try to stop him from killing himself on horseback, and died instead. He is everything the widow Mary Gregg despises. After one night of passion, brought on by him comforting her during a thunderstorm (she has a phobia of them due to experiences with her husband on a war campaign), he pursues her relentlessly. He shows up uninvited to her intellectual salons, and half-blackmails her into accompanying him to various events. She starts to realize how damaged he was by his family tragedy; he was a young, innocent, studious man before. Edmund discovers that he desperately needs Mary to face his family again, and she reluctantly realizes she loves him despite what he has become. Finally he forgives himself, his family, and dares to try to remake himself into an honorable man.

As usual, stories of complicated and imperfect characters finding redemption!

I always enjoy Mary Balogh and these two stories were no exception. Lady Sophia from A Counterfiet Betrothal was a bit fluffier that Balogh's normal heroines. The focus on two couples meant that neither one was as well developed as it could have been, but then I think that I may have gotten a bit annoyed had the entire book been about either one of the couples exclusively. Overall, not bad but not my favorite.

The Notorious Rake is a bit darker and delves more deeply into Edmond and Mary. I enjoyed Edmond's redemption and appreciated that it was not smoothly accomplished. Though a bit dark at times, it also felt more genuine and thus more enjoyable. ( )

These two stories were decent fun. Balogh's usual Regence romps. The style was a bit dated. I enjoyed the Counterfeit Proposal more as I found the characters more likeable and the plot fun. I found the Notorious Rake to be rather depressing with the sad stories behind the hero & heroine. ( )