Customer Reviews

The Rake

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Possibly 3.5 stars not 100% to my personal taste, too much mention of Dukes and Prinny.

Juliet decides to fight a duel rather than let her father fight one. Then complications set in.

From the back cover.....

The Rake has found a bride...

When Juliet Smythe-Clyde is forced
to spend several nights in the
Duke of Brabourne's house
- unchaperoned - her reputation is
ruined. And, despite his cynical
nature, Brabourne can't help but
feel sorry for her...

So when all his strategies to restore her in society fail, he offers for her hand. But will this proud chit agree to be his wife for the sake of her
honour - or is he going to have to
admit he loves her?

A Regency delight!

The requisite happy ending was not a reality at the end of this book. Even the epilogue did not leave me with a warm and fuzzy feeling. It reminded me a little of the ending in Balogh's "Dancing With Clara" because the rake was not sure that he was reformed. Otherwise, the storyline in "The Rake" was worth following. The novel pulls you in from the beginning with an early morning duel. The "son" of the wronged man takes his father's place in a duel and is injured by Sebastian, Duke of Brabourne. Sebastian directs servants to take the injured boy to Sebastian's home for medical care. Much later Sebastian finds out the boy is Juliet Smythe-Clyde, daughter of the man he was to duel. Word gets out from Juliet's unscrupulous, man-hungry, society climbing step-mother about Juliet being in Sebastian's house and Juliet suffers the snubs and shunning of the ton.

Much of the story revolves around Sebastian trying to raise Juliet's standing in society's eyes. He does not trust women at all and we find out why along the way - one can't help but sympathize with his lonely childhood. As much as Sebastian tries to avoid it, he is forced to save Juliet's reputation by marrying her. There are some interesting meetings with Prinny and Juliet's step-mother is worthy of note. She does add a different dimension to the brew! Even Juliet's weak father develops a little spine towards the end. Juliet, herself, is a wonderful heroine full of fire and innocence. I liked her a lot.

One is left with hope in the end, if not complete faith in the future happiness of Sebastian and Juliet. But happiness is the gamble all couples face even under the best of circumstances. Well worth picking this book up for an entertaining read!

I wish authors would get their publishers to note on the books or at least in the synopsis if this is book 1, 2, or 3 in a series. Although, each is a stand alone, Untamed Hearts, Scandals and Betrayal are a trilogy with The Rake, The Rebel and A Rogue's Seduction linked to the former. I wish I had known this before and read the books in order.