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bookworm_leilani 's review for:
The Rebel and the Rake
by Emily Sullivan
hopeful
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:
Yes
I rated this a 3.5 because the book itself is well constructed: the pacing is solid, the characters are three dimensional, there is a strong sense of historical place, the trope of bluestocking/rake is played with in a fun, unique way (is the titular rake really just a shallow playboy aristocrat, or is it a front? what secrets, ambitions, & passions hide behind a spinster secretary's professional demeanor?), and I appreciated the questions about morality, empire building, and complicity explored here - in historical romance, when we are introduced to a spy (whatever era) he is always presented as a noble character, sacrificing for Crown and country - but just what is he actually serving? My favorite quote from the book is the first prickling of conscience for Rafe, our MMC:
"It isn’t gentlemanly. As if empire-building ever could be. The nagging suspicion that had begun last spring surfaced again. The suspicion that perhaps he wasn’t on the right side anymore. That perhaps there had never been one at all. Just men like Gerard locked away in their fancy clubs, carving up the world with gilded knives."
Other things I enjoyed about this book include:
-The MMC in reading glasses. It's cute, every time it happens in a book and also cute in real life.
-Complex female relationships, including a close yet strained friendship that motivates many of our FMC's decisions.
-A question of women's roles in society, and what sacrifice looks like. The costs of both rebellion and submission to one's livelihood, independence, dignity, and spirit.
There is a lot right with this book, and nothing wrong with it per se, so why the 3.5 instead of a hire rating? I just. . . didn't enjoy it that much. You know how some books grab you, speak to you? This one, which sounds like it was written in a lab specifically for me, was just sort of. . . ok, emotionally. Will I recommend it in the future? Heartily! It's well written in every sense! Will I ever read it again, or purchase it for myself after returning it to the library? Nope.
So I dinged a few points to reflect my personal enjoyment, but really a three or below feels unfair to the actual craft on display, so I settled on a 3.5 - and will be reading the 3rd book, which one assumes is going to star the literal wounded national hero Henry and the recently widowed viscountess Georgiana, who have some sort of past they refuse to explain to their friends.
"It isn’t gentlemanly. As if empire-building ever could be. The nagging suspicion that had begun last spring surfaced again. The suspicion that perhaps he wasn’t on the right side anymore. That perhaps there had never been one at all. Just men like Gerard locked away in their fancy clubs, carving up the world with gilded knives."
Other things I enjoyed about this book include:
-The MMC in reading glasses. It's cute, every time it happens in a book and also cute in real life.
-Complex female relationships, including a close yet strained friendship that motivates many of our FMC's decisions.
-A question of women's roles in society, and what sacrifice looks like. The costs of both rebellion and submission to one's livelihood, independence, dignity, and spirit.
There is a lot right with this book, and nothing wrong with it per se, so why the 3.5 instead of a hire rating? I just. . . didn't enjoy it that much. You know how some books grab you, speak to you? This one, which sounds like it was written in a lab specifically for me, was just sort of. . . ok, emotionally. Will I recommend it in the future? Heartily! It's well written in every sense! Will I ever read it again, or purchase it for myself after returning it to the library? Nope.
So I dinged a few points to reflect my personal enjoyment, but really a three or below feels unfair to the actual craft on display, so I settled on a 3.5 - and will be reading the 3rd book, which one assumes is going to star the literal wounded national hero Henry and the recently widowed viscountess Georgiana, who have some sort of past they refuse to explain to their friends.