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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
✨This book was forgettable as I have forgotten it✨
I now have no clue how to write a review lmao. Maybe I’ll just post my notes. Wait wait now I just reread my notes and a. there’s like a full review in there so go me and b. I remember now and I’m angry all over again.
It unfortunately just didn’t really do anything for me. It felt so tonally different than book one which sucked because I loved book one’s setting and overall atmosphere. The steam was good but happened early on and was insta lust never quite love.
Before I knew it, 60% of the book was done and we hadn't experienced much. Their relationship was pretty much instalove and the sex was hot but rather meaningless. Their attempt to “handle” the villain was a paltry attempt that had me thinking they just weren’t very smart. Ah yes, leave the man merely unconscious so he can come ruin your life again! (Ten seconds later he did in fact do just that! Yay!)
After their embarrassing attempt at crime and problem solving, there were no characters left for me to even… like. I was only truly angry during the whole villain monologue and downfall, but I can’t say I remember much but the sex. Literally I listened to most of this today and can barely recall minor details. Lackluster, really. Do You Want to Start a Scandal did it first, did it better, and did it with more ✨sparkle.✨
I ended at double the speed with half of the enjoyment I thought I’d get from this one. Sex was good but not much else. I’ll probably read the next book.
⭐️⭐️.75/5
I now have no clue how to write a review lmao. Maybe I’ll just post my notes. Wait wait now I just reread my notes and a. there’s like a full review in there so go me and b. I remember now and I’m angry all over again.
It unfortunately just didn’t really do anything for me. It felt so tonally different than book one which sucked because I loved book one’s setting and overall atmosphere. The steam was good but happened early on and was insta lust never quite love.
Before I knew it, 60% of the book was done and we hadn't experienced much. Their relationship was pretty much instalove and the sex was hot but rather meaningless. Their attempt to “handle” the villain was a paltry attempt that had me thinking they just weren’t very smart. Ah yes, leave the man merely unconscious so he can come ruin your life again! (Ten seconds later he did in fact do just that! Yay!)
After their embarrassing attempt at crime and problem solving, there were no characters left for me to even… like. I was only truly angry during the whole villain monologue and downfall, but I can’t say I remember much but the sex. Literally I listened to most of this today and can barely recall minor details. Lackluster, really. Do You Want to Start a Scandal did it first, did it better, and did it with more ✨sparkle.✨
I ended at double the speed with half of the enjoyment I thought I’d get from this one. Sex was good but not much else. I’ll probably read the next book.
⭐️⭐️.75/5
Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Rebel and the Rake by Emily Sullivan
Rafe Davies might look like just another tall dark and handsome, but he's also one of the crown's most valuable agent. The rake has never failed seducing the woman of his choice, or failed on a mission for the majesty. But when he meets the fiery bluestocking Sylvia Sparrow, he's determined to charm her. Sylvia is having none of it, duped by a man just like him in the past she won't fall for it a second time. Until a chance encounter brings to light hidden depth and an attraction that is not easily avoidable.
CW: Suicide on page (by the "villain".), blackmails, toxic ex-relationship (off and on page).
Emily Sullivan's writing style has once again charmed me. With flawless storytelling that flows like silk the intrigue she adds to the romance had me plotting and asking myself who's behind all of it right until the big reveal. The banter between them was like addicting candy that you can't help but always want more. I loved the secret identities that cracked open once they met each other, they just couldn't help being truly themselves, even if they had so much to hide. I loved the friendship between Georgianna and Sylvie, how it was a little strained at some point, but they still loved and supported each other, just wanting the best for their long time friend. There's so many other details I love about this novel, but I don't want to soil anything. Go read it!
Also got to say kudos to Emily for that deliciously steamy tied-up sexual encounter, it was scorching hot.
Thank you Read Forever Pub for sending me a advanced reader's copy via Netgalley. As always all my thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.
Rafe Davies might look like just another tall dark and handsome, but he's also one of the crown's most valuable agent. The rake has never failed seducing the woman of his choice, or failed on a mission for the majesty. But when he meets the fiery bluestocking Sylvia Sparrow, he's determined to charm her. Sylvia is having none of it, duped by a man just like him in the past she won't fall for it a second time. Until a chance encounter brings to light hidden depth and an attraction that is not easily avoidable.
CW: Suicide on page (by the "villain".), blackmails, toxic ex-relationship (off and on page).
Emily Sullivan's writing style has once again charmed me. With flawless storytelling that flows like silk the intrigue she adds to the romance had me plotting and asking myself who's behind all of it right until the big reveal. The banter between them was like addicting candy that you can't help but always want more. I loved the secret identities that cracked open once they met each other, they just couldn't help being truly themselves, even if they had so much to hide. I loved the friendship between Georgianna and Sylvie, how it was a little strained at some point, but they still loved and supported each other, just wanting the best for their long time friend. There's so many other details I love about this novel, but I don't want to soil anything. Go read it!
Also got to say kudos to Emily for that deliciously steamy tied-up sexual encounter, it was scorching hot.
Thank you Read Forever Pub for sending me a advanced reader's copy via Netgalley. As always all my thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book was a romance with a bit of mystery thrown in, which I really enjoyed. I thought the characters were interesting and I enjoyed reading a romance book from the Victorian era, as a lot of the ones I gravitate toward are often set in the regency and Georgian era.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
With the help of her bestfriend Lady Georgiana Arlington, Miss Sylvia Sparrow has secured the position of lady's companion with Georgiana's aunt by marriage. Georgiana doesn't know all of Sylvia's secrets and when Sylvia is blackmailed, she lives in fear that her past actions could come to light and hurt not only her but Georgiana.
The Honorable Rafe Davies has been playing the role of rake for the last couple years, which has worked to keep people from looking too closely to what his true actions are but he's lately been feeling the strain of no-one knowing who he truly is. When his older half-brother sends him to Castle Blackwood to doing a little spying for the current owner, John Wardale, Rafe knows he's not being given the full story but thinks the means will justify the ends.
Some secrets she needed to keep safe.
The Rebel and the Rake is second in the League of Scoundrels series and I had no problem jumping into the series here; there was only a brief mention of the hero from the first. The beginning 10-15% of this had me very excited as Rafe started to remind me of the hero from Bridal Favors by Connie Brockway, along with the general tone. In public, Rafe acts the never-do-well younger son of an Earl but he really works as a spy for the Crown. He's currently at Castle Blackwood to root out a blackmailer for the owner John as a favor to his older brother. We get a little bit of backstory on Rafe being shunned by his half-siblings because they didn't feel their father mourned their mother enough before he married Rafe's mother, an actress, no less. The situation and what John and his brother are telling him isn't quite adding up to Rafe but there's alluding that he's going along with it because he craves validation from his older half-brother. I tried to go along with that but throughout most the story, it made it feel more like Rafe may have the title of spy but none of the supporting thinking/characteristics of one (his friend Captain Harris did more work and felt more like a spy/detective than Rafe).
The trouble was he hadn't been acting like the Honorable Rafe Davies, shallow yet charismatic bon vivant. Just himself. And for a moment she had seen it.
Seen him.
While I liked the very beginning set-up of this one, I could see other readers getting a little bored with the slower set-up, secondary characters get more buildups and the start of Rafe and Sylvia's (I just have to say I love that name, Sylvia Sparrow) relationship was all about the subtle heat in the glances. I loved it, Sylvia's shy flushing as awareness grows and it all was giving me those building blocks, development, that make romances fulfilling for me but I do agree it could have been snappier. However, around 30-60% the whole plot of Rafe being a spy, working for Wardale, and Sylvia being blackmailed seems to get mostly forgotten and all that set-up, especially the Rafe at odds with Sylvia tension, never comes to fruition. They share a kiss around 30% and Sylvia reveals a majority of her secrets to Rafe at the halfway point but there wasn't any continuing growth in their romance to move beyond insta for me and the story started to drag for me.
“I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me.” He let out a surprised laugh and pulled a hand through his hair, disturbing the usually perfect strands.
Rafe didn't turn out to be quite what I was looking for, he spent most of the story in existential crisis that no one truly knew him because of the nature of his job. Sylvia had great interesting components to her character, ones that gave a feeling to the Victorian time period this was set in but besides being listed out, we never really get a feel for her and I ended up feeling like any character could have been dropped into her role, instead of feeling like the story was coming from Sylvia. I had the same problem with their first sexual scene, it felt like the author had the scene in their mind and was just waiting to plop it somewhere, as opposed as feeling like the story/characters naturally lead it to that moment. I lost a lot of the emotion because of feeling this way, along with the insta never getting those development relationship blocks I like. There was a later sex scene that I thought had some nice heat to it but I was still missing the emotional connection along with physical.
Rafe took her hand by the wrist, brought it to his mouth, then gently kissed her fingertips. All while never breaking his gaze.
Around 70-80% the spying and blackmail plot gets wrapped up and Sylvia kind of has an almost berating speech towards Rafe that felt pretty harsh (it has to do with the seemingly disconnect of their ideals) but even at that point, even though I thought it came off harsh, I went along with it because, even in the way later half, it didn't feel like they really knew each other at this point. It was almost an affirmation to their instalust and how when Sylvia found out who Rafe was, she didn't like him, which at this point of the story, I'm looking for more closeness between my couple. This, of course, ends in a HEA but, for me personally, it felt more like a happily for now, especially when Rafe's declaration involved the line “Let me show you who I can be.” It's just a personal preference that I want that development to be done and worked at in the story.
The romance was too insta and along with some spy plot aspects, a bit of development was missing for me. There was a scene between Sylvia and Georgiana, Sylvia discounting the personal reasons Georgiana might have made in her decision to marry and Georgiana getting frustrated with Sylvia not making the choice to protect herself, that leapt off the pages for me because of the emotion and layers behind it and it made me want even more scenes of Sylvia and Georgiana together. Captain Harris, and Georgiana obviously have a past together and the restrained emotion between the two look to be the stars of the next in the series.
With the help of her bestfriend Lady Georgiana Arlington, Miss Sylvia Sparrow has secured the position of lady's companion with Georgiana's aunt by marriage. Georgiana doesn't know all of Sylvia's secrets and when Sylvia is blackmailed, she lives in fear that her past actions could come to light and hurt not only her but Georgiana.
The Honorable Rafe Davies has been playing the role of rake for the last couple years, which has worked to keep people from looking too closely to what his true actions are but he's lately been feeling the strain of no-one knowing who he truly is. When his older half-brother sends him to Castle Blackwood to doing a little spying for the current owner, John Wardale, Rafe knows he's not being given the full story but thinks the means will justify the ends.
Some secrets she needed to keep safe.
The Rebel and the Rake is second in the League of Scoundrels series and I had no problem jumping into the series here; there was only a brief mention of the hero from the first. The beginning 10-15% of this had me very excited as Rafe started to remind me of the hero from Bridal Favors by Connie Brockway, along with the general tone. In public, Rafe acts the never-do-well younger son of an Earl but he really works as a spy for the Crown. He's currently at Castle Blackwood to root out a blackmailer for the owner John as a favor to his older brother. We get a little bit of backstory on Rafe being shunned by his half-siblings because they didn't feel their father mourned their mother enough before he married Rafe's mother, an actress, no less. The situation and what John and his brother are telling him isn't quite adding up to Rafe but there's alluding that he's going along with it because he craves validation from his older half-brother. I tried to go along with that but throughout most the story, it made it feel more like Rafe may have the title of spy but none of the supporting thinking/characteristics of one (his friend Captain Harris did more work and felt more like a spy/detective than Rafe).
The trouble was he hadn't been acting like the Honorable Rafe Davies, shallow yet charismatic bon vivant. Just himself. And for a moment she had seen it.
Seen him.
While I liked the very beginning set-up of this one, I could see other readers getting a little bored with the slower set-up, secondary characters get more buildups and the start of Rafe and Sylvia's (I just have to say I love that name, Sylvia Sparrow) relationship was all about the subtle heat in the glances. I loved it, Sylvia's shy flushing as awareness grows and it all was giving me those building blocks, development, that make romances fulfilling for me but I do agree it could have been snappier. However, around 30-60% the whole plot of Rafe being a spy, working for Wardale, and Sylvia being blackmailed seems to get mostly forgotten and all that set-up, especially the Rafe at odds with Sylvia tension, never comes to fruition. They share a kiss around 30% and Sylvia reveals a majority of her secrets to Rafe at the halfway point but there wasn't any continuing growth in their romance to move beyond insta for me and the story started to drag for me.
“I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me.” He let out a surprised laugh and pulled a hand through his hair, disturbing the usually perfect strands.
Rafe didn't turn out to be quite what I was looking for, he spent most of the story in existential crisis that no one truly knew him because of the nature of his job. Sylvia had great interesting components to her character, ones that gave a feeling to the Victorian time period this was set in but besides being listed out, we never really get a feel for her and I ended up feeling like any character could have been dropped into her role, instead of feeling like the story was coming from Sylvia. I had the same problem with their first sexual scene, it felt like the author had the scene in their mind and was just waiting to plop it somewhere, as opposed as feeling like the story/characters naturally lead it to that moment. I lost a lot of the emotion because of feeling this way, along with the insta never getting those development relationship blocks I like. There was a later sex scene that I thought had some nice heat to it but I was still missing the emotional connection along with physical.
Rafe took her hand by the wrist, brought it to his mouth, then gently kissed her fingertips. All while never breaking his gaze.
Around 70-80% the spying and blackmail plot gets wrapped up and Sylvia kind of has an almost berating speech towards Rafe that felt pretty harsh (it has to do with the seemingly disconnect of their ideals) but even at that point, even though I thought it came off harsh, I went along with it because, even in the way later half, it didn't feel like they really knew each other at this point. It was almost an affirmation to their instalust and how when Sylvia found out who Rafe was, she didn't like him, which at this point of the story, I'm looking for more closeness between my couple. This, of course, ends in a HEA but, for me personally, it felt more like a happily for now, especially when Rafe's declaration involved the line “Let me show you who I can be.” It's just a personal preference that I want that development to be done and worked at in the story.
The romance was too insta and along with some spy plot aspects, a bit of development was missing for me. There was a scene between Sylvia and Georgiana, Sylvia discounting the personal reasons Georgiana might have made in her decision to marry and Georgiana getting frustrated with Sylvia not making the choice to protect herself, that leapt off the pages for me because of the emotion and layers behind it and it made me want even more scenes of Sylvia and Georgiana together. Captain Harris, and Georgiana obviously have a past together and the restrained emotion between the two look to be the stars of the next in the series.
There's a lot to love about this book. Victorian spies are some of our favorites. Rafe, our hero, is a spy who's going through a quarter-life crisis. He's spent a lot of time becoming the best spy around, but that means he's lost out on forming lasting connections. He's also started questioning the basis of his position bolstering the Empire. Oh, and he can't really brag about his job. Sylvia is a Woman with a Past that she keeps hidden... which has placed her in Rafe's path. She's also a woman with convictions that just might run alongside Rafe's growing disillusionment with his job. (Neither of them know any of this info about the other one, of course, which just adds a little soupcon of angst to the mix.)
They both know they should stay away from each other, but they JUST. CAN'T. FIGHT IT. And of course, that's what we want to read! The only thing we would have liked a little more of was an exploration of their initial attraction to each other. The sex is SUPER hot, Sylvia's past is fascinating, and the ultimate unraveling of the spy plot is delicious.
35-Word Summaries:
Meg: The only possible reaction when you’re being blackmailed because of your progressive past, then discovered in an illicit act by your crush, is to tie him to a chair and do whatever you deem necessary.
Laine: Woman who is scandalous because suffragette-ism is being blackmailed. Spy is sent to uncover the person stealing secrets from the house party host. Obvs she sees right through him, catches him, and uses him (sexually).
This objective review is based on a complimentary advanced reader copy of the novel.
They both know they should stay away from each other, but they JUST. CAN'T. FIGHT IT. And of course, that's what we want to read! The only thing we would have liked a little more of was an exploration of their initial attraction to each other. The sex is SUPER hot, Sylvia's past is fascinating, and the ultimate unraveling of the spy plot is delicious.
35-Word Summaries:
Meg: The only possible reaction when you’re being blackmailed because of your progressive past, then discovered in an illicit act by your crush, is to tie him to a chair and do whatever you deem necessary.
Laine: Woman who is scandalous because suffragette-ism is being blackmailed. Spy is sent to uncover the person stealing secrets from the house party host. Obvs she sees right through him, catches him, and uses him (sexually).
This objective review is based on a complimentary advanced reader copy of the novel.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes