Review: A Rake's Revenge by Cynthia Breeding

Print Length: 336 pages

Publisher: Entangled Publishing (May 28, 2019)

From Goodreads.com: After being abandoned by her almost-betrothed, Caroline Nash vows to never again get involved with a man. Especially not the middle-aged earl her father has chosen for her. The man is a pompous ass and one of Prinny’s set who only wants her for her dowry. To complicate matters, a kiss from the Midnight Marauder unleashes an unbelievable passion that Caroline can’t seem to forget.

Stephan, the Marquis of Kendrick, poses as the robbing marauder to avenge his low-born mother. But he starts questioning his plans when one of his “missions” crosses paths with Caroline and leads to the kiss of a lifetime. Stephan senses that this proper miss is more fiery than he expected and he wants more.

To be properly introduced to the woman of his dreams, he attends the Prince Regent’s house party. He finds her, begging a friend to pretend to court her – to fend off the man her father has chosen. Stephan couldn’t wish for a better opportunity – he’ll happily court her, but he doesn’t want to pretend. Their connection is sizzling, but can this charade become something real once Stephan’s secrets are revealed?

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My Rating: 3 stars out of 5

To be honest, I am a bit confused about the title of this one. While yes, Stephan does challenge another man for Caroline's hand, and yes, he does things to thumb his nose at society and traitors, we never really get a clear idea of who he is supposedly seeking revenge against. 

Aside from that, it was a decent read. It didn't keep me glued to the pages by any means (aka I was able to put it down and come back to it later), and I found the characters either lacking or entirely too over the top. Also, the romance was not my favorite among the stories I've read recently (honestly, they had ample time to develop their relationship outside of the started as a charade mentality, but never seemed to until they decided they were in love with each other). 

I did however LOVE the idea of a Midnight Marauder as well as a sort of Robin Hood pirate, stealing from those who were funding France, and dividing the goods up among the lower classes. 

All things considered, I do believe this novel will still appeal to those who enjoy historical romance novels, and I would read more from this author. 

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

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                                  A Rake's Revenge is available from Amazon.com