Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - The Perfect Rake

I had an issue with the pacing of this book. I thought it got off to a stilted and farfetched beginning. There were way too many plot points that fell into place far too conveniently, their first kiss came out of nowhere and then their relationship more or less stalled half way through. They shared a few kisses and then there was nothing between them but a lot of talking, which was fine, but throwing like three love scenes into the last 7% of the book felt like an afterthought. None of them seemed to serve any purpose outside of checking a box on the list of romance novel requirements. They could just as easily have not been there and I would have still enjoyed the book. I thought the FMC was too wishy washy about her feelings and wished the MMC struggled a little more with his. The drama with her original fiancé was too drawn out and I found it unconvincing that he was an unrepentant rake one minute and a perfect fiancé the next. It was entertaining enough and I appreciated the MMCs wit, but it overall fell flat for me.

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waffley's review

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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smithrachaelynn's review

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emotional funny hopeful fast-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

5.0

Absolutely masterful. I had SO much fun reading this book!! Smiling, giggling, jaw dropping, gasping. From a handful of pages, the author had shown the strength of character and depth of love between the sisters. I was already sold. But the way she wrote Gideon falling in love was just simply incredible. I was hanging on every word. This was such a joy to read.
I loved how lighthearted and fun this book felt even though it dealt with some very dark topics. That is another gift of the author. I’m just so shocked that I haven’t heard of this book sooner!

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susanpevensie's review

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tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

it’s worth noting that this is my second time reading this book. years ago, i remember raving about this book like there was no tomorrow. today, i cannot fathom why i ever liked it so much.

the hero was amazing. i loved how unapologetic he was about his affection for prudence. i loved that he didn’t sugarcoat his attraction to her. yes she had a different sort of beauty but she was beautiful to him regardless. i hate stories where the plain heroines are described as plain, but ended up having beautiful features. it’s insulting to the readers. putting that aside, the hero simply loved the heroine and would do just about anything for her.

the heroine however, was insufferable to deal with. at first i tried to be more understanding. she lived her life after 11 year old, being abused by her grandfather. she had no self-esteem, didn’t understand her own self-worth. at least until she was 16 and met her then fiancé, phillip.

so throughout the story, the heroine was so fucking wishy washy. she just couldn’t make up her damn mind. gideon would chase her and she would entertain him, made out with him and yelled at him for making a play for her when she’s spoken for. this thing happened over and over and over again. to the point that i was so fucking sick of it.

how are you going to throw the “i’m in a relationship” card when you made out with another man at every single opportunity? the math is not mathing, sweetheart. granted gideon was so fucking obnoxious about it, but she entertained him all the same. make up your damn mind!

and then my god, this woman. she never stood up for herself. she just let phillip, the loser fiancé talked down to her like she was nothing. she didn’t even try! i wanted to scream to her to at least tell him to fuck off but she just sat there, barely able to get a word. i tried to be patient. she would get her chance to tell him off right? no babe. a cold resounding NOPE.

and when she had the chance to expose him for the fraud he was, she decided to be the mary sue and let everyone live happily ever after.

like wow. so fucking satisfying!!

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