Reviews

The Rebel and the Rake by Emily Sullivan

caitperucc2011's review

5.0

Such a delight, full of romance, mystery, and humor - Rafe and Sylvia were perfection! Already counting down for Book Three!

sara11_reads's review

3.0

This was entertaining while I was reading, but ultimately not very memorable. I feel kind of bad about saying that, but I'm pretty sure I won't remember anything about this in a week or so.

danadoesbooks's review

funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Thank you Forever for the gifted copy of The Rebel and the Rake! All opinions in this review are my own.

It is so easy to fall in love with Rafe and Sylvia!  I like that both of them had secrets that they were keeping so it didn't feel like one was betraying the other.  Although this was my first Emily Sullivan book, it won't be my last! I can't wait to read the rest of the League of Scoundrels series!

hammock_and_read's review

4.0

Another spy for the crown is the leading male in this series! Rafe is sent to Scotland on a mission to help his brother where he meets Sylvia who is a companion and secretary to a lady while they are on a visit. So many secrets in this one from both sides. Rafe find he can't stop watching Sylvia over the other ladies, but she is also getting blackmailed to find and give out secrets as well. This was is a fun one with blackmail, spies, a rich crazy millionaire, old ladies, and good friends.

I can't wait for more of this series and I'm sooo excited for the next one!

4.5 star
3.5 steam

Thanks to forever for a copy of this book

andrea_author's review

5.0

Lady's companion Sylvia wants nothing more than to lead a quiet life. A blackmailer has other plans. And when Rafe, a spy for the crown, sets his sites on her, things suddenly get very…complicated. Rafe can see through her façade, in the best—and worst—ways. She holds her own until the blackmailer gets impatient. Will the risks be worth the reward of falling in love?

This is a fun book with great characters and a plot that will keep you guessing. This is my first book by the author, but I look forward to reading more!

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

wildfaeriecaps's review

5.0

I got to read this through Netgalley and wow, was I hooked. Give me spies and the Home Office in historical romance and you'll likely snare me as a reader. On top of that I was give anti-imperialism and women's suffrage. What wasn't to love?

Sylvia was great. I adore her. She's hiding things and trying her best. It took me a hot minute to figure her out, but I loved her from the start. Rafe, however, I was lost the moment he turned up on the page. His inner thoughts and how amazingly *human* he is just blew me away. I could have been given a garbage plot and I'd have followed these two avidly. They were clever and snarky and perfect together. Rafe's relationships with his family, valet, and friend Henry were wonderful and rounded him out perfectly. He was an utter delight to read.

Remember I said I'd have read if the plot was garbage? It wasn't! It was compelling and moved at a pace that never bored me. I read this book in one sitting, people. That's how much I enjoyed it. There were a few things I figured out pretty early on but that didn't detract from my reading experience at all.

Do you love historical romance and characters you'll truly care about? Read this book! I'm super excited for the next one (Henry might have my whole heart, we'll see). And am definitely picking up anything and everything this author writes. Forever.

linderrbee's review

3.0

The Rebel and The Rake by Emily Sullivan is a historical romance set at a house party in Scotland. Our hero, Rafe is a spy who works for the crown. Our heroine, Sylvia is a woman with a troubled past starting over as a companion to an older lady. They meet and are drawn to each other. Sylvia has been burned before by a man so she keeps her distance but Rafe can’t help himself. Both have secrets from their past that eventually come out when his work as a spy collides with her past.

Overall, I enjoyed this story, romance mixed with a bit of espionage, even though the pacing was slow at times. The Rebel and The Rake is the second book in the League of Scoundrels series. It can be read as a stand alone. I haven’t read the first book and was able to keep up with the story.

I recommend this if you enjoy:
❤️ Guy falls first
❤️ Girl with a troubled past
❤️ Some spy intrigue and secrets
❤️ Open door romance

Thanks to Forever for the #gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

bandherbooks's review

5.0

A spy who dons the disguise of an inveterate rake is astonished by the immediate attraction he has to the disdain of one Sylvia Sparrow, bluestocking secretary to a rowdy dowager while they bought attend a house party. Rafe is on a mission to find the source of leaked information for the host of the party, but isn't expecting to be bowled over by the stern gaze and disdain of the woman he seems to see right past all of his rakish masking.

Sylvia herself has secrets to keep, including her past affair with a man who left her when she became too much of a liability, and not wifely enough. And she's being blackmailed by someone at the house party...

Utterly delicious tension as Rafe falls hard and fast and proves to Sylvia he will protect, love, and allow her to flourish, society be damned.

Emily Sullivan is my new favorite historical romance author!

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.

amberleelettersandreads's review

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.

awishman's review against another edition

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