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amberleelettersandreads's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved A Rogue to Remember by Emily Sullivan, so I was so excited to read The Rebel and the Rake. Thank you to the publisher for the eARC copy. All thoughts are my own.
I definitely love a good spy and bluestocking historical romance. Also, this takes place during a house party in Scotland! This is the perfect recipe for everything I love in my historical romances.
Both Rafe and Sylvia have aspects of their lives that they are hiding from each other and the other guests of the party. The story is slower to build, but the action is very exciting once we hit that build-up and the romance heats up, too!
I really enjoyed this book - it is a great follow-up to A Rogue to Remember and while the pacing is slower, the quality is equally wonderful.
I definitely love a good spy and bluestocking historical romance. Also, this takes place during a house party in Scotland! This is the perfect recipe for everything I love in my historical romances.
Both Rafe and Sylvia have aspects of their lives that they are hiding from each other and the other guests of the party. The story is slower to build, but the action is very exciting once we hit that build-up and the romance heats up, too!
I really enjoyed this book - it is a great follow-up to A Rogue to Remember and while the pacing is slower, the quality is equally wonderful.
awishman's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
rainelle_barrett's review against another edition
3.0
The book has passion of romance between the two characters. I would like to see that the romance between Rafe and Sylvia pick up with some really intense desires early on in the book. I will say that the book is a fast read. There are some flamboyant wordings that I tripped over, keeping the words simple helps the reader engage more with the book and not lose the momentum of the book. I waited for the excitement of the spy and his silent partner Sylvia to pick up, but the book was had a steady feel about it. I want the entertainment of the spy and the case that he or she is working on. While the romantic couple are chasing down clues and spying on enemies to the crown, the couple embark on the desires for one another. Give me the steam of a four alarm fire.
katsbooks's review
adventurous
emotional
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
4.0
Another foray into historical romance was a success! Meg from @meggatzabookclub recommended this to me. If you're even slightly interested in the genre, this lady will have a recommendation for you based on your taste!
I really enjoyed this novel. It is technically the second novel in the series but it can easily be read as a standalone. I know because I haven't read the first one yet! This wasn't your run-of-the-mill romance. (At least, I don't think it was. It's a massive genre and I've only read a couple books so far!) The story is also a mystery. Someone is blackmailing Sylvia and Rafe is Crown Agent so it was a lot of fun to figure out who the villain was.
The spice level was alright. About 2-3 chili peppers? I ended up being more intrigued by the tension between Rafe and Sylvia, not only romantically but the main conflict revolves around how they both have goals that are in conflict with one another. I was quite convinced at several points that Sullivan wasn't going to be able to make a romance work between the two of them, despite knowing the book was a romance! While I expected romantic tension, the tension from the mystery was a lot of fun. The suspense added a fun element to the story. I also really loved the relationship between Sylvia and Georgiana. We love strong female friendships here.
I was really intrigued by Sylvia and Rafe's past, especially Sylvia's past as a "political radical." I was excited for a character who had strong and progressive morals, I was hoping for a little bit more from her past. The same can kind of be said of Rafe. I feel like there was just something missing with the character development. I can't quite put my finger on it.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and will probably pick up other novels in this series and by Sullivan. They're fun and quick reads. I read this mostly over a weekend away on my phone and appreciated how easy it was to put down. Maybe this is a weird thing but I didn't want anyone to think I was purposely avoiding socializing so having the book on my phone made it look like I was just scrolling and, since this was such an easy read, I could just pick it back up later, regardless of where I stopped. I think these will definitely be my go-tos for travel now!
I really enjoyed this novel. It is technically the second novel in the series but it can easily be read as a standalone. I know because I haven't read the first one yet! This wasn't your run-of-the-mill romance. (At least, I don't think it was. It's a massive genre and I've only read a couple books so far!) The story is also a mystery. Someone is blackmailing Sylvia and Rafe is Crown Agent so it was a lot of fun to figure out who the villain was.
The spice level was alright. About 2-3 chili peppers? I ended up being more intrigued by the tension between Rafe and Sylvia, not only romantically but the main conflict revolves around how they both have goals that are in conflict with one another. I was quite convinced at several points that Sullivan wasn't going to be able to make a romance work between the two of them, despite knowing the book was a romance! While I expected romantic tension, the tension from the mystery was a lot of fun. The suspense added a fun element to the story. I also really loved the relationship between Sylvia and Georgiana. We love strong female friendships here.
I was really intrigued by Sylvia and Rafe's past, especially Sylvia's past as a "political radical." I was excited for a character who had strong and progressive morals, I was hoping for a little bit more from her past. The same can kind of be said of Rafe. I feel like there was just something missing with the character development. I can't quite put my finger on it.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and will probably pick up other novels in this series and by Sullivan. They're fun and quick reads. I read this mostly over a weekend away on my phone and appreciated how easy it was to put down. Maybe this is a weird thing but I didn't want anyone to think I was purposely avoiding socializing so having the book on my phone made it look like I was just scrolling and, since this was such an easy read, I could just pick it back up later, regardless of where I stopped. I think these will definitely be my go-tos for travel now!
glo68's review against another edition
5.0
Rafe Davies is a skilled Crown agent posing as an irredeemable rake and he’s quite a good actor… Women swoon at his feet while he works to uncover nefarious plots against the Government. But this time his mission could be more difficult than expected, due to the presence of a very distracting woman who seems immune to his charm…
Sylvia Sparrow is hiding from a turbulent past. She’s now content with working as companion and secretary to an old lady while trying to forget all about charming men like the one who ruined her life and her future… Well, maybe not exactly content, but resigned. So why is she attracted to lazy and charming Rafe? Why is she reading something more in his eyes than what he’s showing to the world?
Yes, I definitely loved this book by Emily Sullivan. She is a new author to me and I gather that this is only her second book, but she’s a very promising and talented author. And I must confess that spy plots are my favorite, because they enliven a book quite a lot when they are well written, as this one was. The author has wonderfully fleshed out a surprisingly kind and tender male character, Rafe, a spy who’s sick and tired of his cover, of being someone else, of the façade he hides behind. And Sylvia is equally intriguing. She’s a character who fits very well in the world of her time: a modern woman who wanted to fight for women’s rights, but has been crushed by society and by an unscrupulous man for having dared to love freely. The chemistry between Rafe and Sylvia is off the charts and their love scenes are awesome, steamy, but also very emotional. And of course I look forward to meeting the two most interesting side characters, Henry and Georgiana, again, for their own love story!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Sylvia Sparrow is hiding from a turbulent past. She’s now content with working as companion and secretary to an old lady while trying to forget all about charming men like the one who ruined her life and her future… Well, maybe not exactly content, but resigned. So why is she attracted to lazy and charming Rafe? Why is she reading something more in his eyes than what he’s showing to the world?
Yes, I definitely loved this book by Emily Sullivan. She is a new author to me and I gather that this is only her second book, but she’s a very promising and talented author. And I must confess that spy plots are my favorite, because they enliven a book quite a lot when they are well written, as this one was. The author has wonderfully fleshed out a surprisingly kind and tender male character, Rafe, a spy who’s sick and tired of his cover, of being someone else, of the façade he hides behind. And Sylvia is equally intriguing. She’s a character who fits very well in the world of her time: a modern woman who wanted to fight for women’s rights, but has been crushed by society and by an unscrupulous man for having dared to love freely. The chemistry between Rafe and Sylvia is off the charts and their love scenes are awesome, steamy, but also very emotional. And of course I look forward to meeting the two most interesting side characters, Henry and Georgiana, again, for their own love story!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
delana_reads's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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? Yes
3.0
readwritemads's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
booksintheirnaturalhabitat's review against another edition
4.0
First, this is the second book in a series but can be read as a stand-alone. I did, and it still made sense.
I liked that this wasn’t just another historical romance - it was also a mystery. Who is blackmailing Sylvia?! That whodunit element helped keep my interest and kept me guessing. Plus that means there’s secrets galore and you never know who will betray you!
In terms of spiciness, I wouldn’t rate it that spicy. I wanted the chemistry between Sylvia and Rafe to jump off the pages and have tension, and I didn’t feel that.
Overall, this was a lazy day couch read that I generally enjoyed.
Thank you to @readforeverpub for the opportunity to read this book. The review expresses my own personal opinions.
I liked that this wasn’t just another historical romance - it was also a mystery. Who is blackmailing Sylvia?! That whodunit element helped keep my interest and kept me guessing. Plus that means there’s secrets galore and you never know who will betray you!
In terms of spiciness, I wouldn’t rate it that spicy. I wanted the chemistry between Sylvia and Rafe to jump off the pages and have tension, and I didn’t feel that.
Overall, this was a lazy day couch read that I generally enjoyed.
Thank you to @readforeverpub for the opportunity to read this book. The review expresses my own personal opinions.
shewritesinmargins's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
alexkmorland's review against another edition
Dov’è la tensione? Dov’è il conflitto? Non li sento, non mi ha presa e dopo un mese di pausa non ho voglia di riprenderlo. Quindi ciao. Mi dispiace perché il MMC spia di solito è un win automatico per me.