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To Tempt a Rake (Circle of Sin #3)

by Cara Elliott (Goodreads Author)

3.53 of 5 stars 3.53 · rating details · 132 ratings · 29 reviews

Kate Woodbridge has spent most of her life sailing to exotic ports around the globe, acquiring an expertise in botany, along with a few less ladylike skills. So when a deathbed promise to her parents brings her to London to seek reconciliation with her grandfather, the imperious Duke of Cluyne, she feels like a fish out of water. Her outspoken views and fiery temper tend t...more

Paperback, 384 pages

Published February 1st 2011 by Forever (first published January 13th 2011)

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Feb 01, 2011 Juliana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 3-half-stars, 2011-reads, 2011-jan-reads, 19th-century, regency-historical-romance, set-in-continental-europe, set-in-england, hr-hero-aristocrat-lord-titled, hr-hero-early-to-mid-30s, hr-hero-foreigner, hr-hero-ladies-man, hr-hero-military-spy-assassin, hr-hero-nobility, hr-hero-rake-rogue, hr-heroine-bookish-smart, hr-heroine-difficult-childhood, hr-heroine-family-estranged, hr-heroine-medicine-science, hr-heroine-somewhat-wallflower, hr-light-mystery-subplot, hr-opposites-enemies-attract, 0-own-in-dead-tree-form, challenge-2011-rrrc-a-to-z-heroines

(3.5 stars)
I was very excited to read this book after reading the first reviews on Amazon.com, but while it was good and worth reading, the love story was not as great as I was expecting/hoping. Furthermore, Cara Elliott's subplots continue to feel rushed IMO and seem to go on mostly outside of the reader's view.

Series
This is the last book in the Circle of Sin Trilogy.
Book 1 - To Sin With A Scoundrel , Ciara's story (4 stars)
Book 2 - To Surrender To A Rogue , Alessandra's story
Book 3 - To Tempt...more

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Mar 30, 2011 Christine Morehouse rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dangerous, sensuous and mysterious is the best way to describe Regency historical romance author, Cara Elliott’s concluding installment in her Circle of Sin series, To Tempt a Rake by Forever, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing released in February 2011 is a true pleasure to read.

Kate Woodbridge is anything but a conventional Regency lady. Back on English soil Kate is determined to reconcile with her grandfather, Duke of Cluyne. She finds friends in the group of scholarly women in the Circle...more

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Jan 29, 2011 April rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance-regency-england

TO TEMPT A RAKE by Cara Elliott is a delightful historical romance set in Regency London. It is the third in the "Circle of Sin", series but can be read as a stand alone. Book One "To Sin With A Scoundrel" and Book Two "To Surrender To A Rogue".It is well written with depth,details,fast paced,twists and turns. The "Circle of Sin" is a group of scholarly ladies, who would rather engage in scientific experiments than have afternoon tea with the ton. That is until love enters the equation. This sto...more

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Jan 09, 2011 Mary Gramlich rated it 5 of 5 stars

TO TEMPT A RAKE by Cara Elliott
Circle of Sin Series, Book #3
02/11 – Grand Central Publishing in Mass Market Paperback, 384 Pages

Surrender to this book and you will lose your heart to the romance of the story

Katharine Kylie Woodbridge has led so many lives and the one she leads now is a mixed blessing as she struggles to find her place in society and the universe in general. She has a brilliant scientific mind with a love of botany so her scientific friends in the Circle of Scientific Sibyls know...more TO TEMPT A RAKE by Cara Elliott
Circle of Sin Series, Book #3
02/11 – Grand Central Publishing in Mass Market Paperback, 384 Pages

Surrender to this book and you will lose your heart to the romance of the story

Katharine Kylie Woodbridge has led so many lives and the one she leads now is a mixed blessing as she struggles to find her place in society and the universe in general. She has a brilliant scientific mind with a love of botany so her scientific friends in the Circle of Scientific Sibyls known as the Circle of Sin know she is book smart and still loving and caring. But since her parents death and the place she resides with her very rigid grandfather is less than ideal. She must stay to try and restore the relationship but he is very judgmental and refuses to acknowledge that she has a heart and a brain.

When Kate collides with Giovanni Marco Musto della Ghiradelli an enchanting but dangerous rake Kate knows better than to mix passion with reason but does she listen to herself, of course not. Marco is hypnotizing and has the smooth Italian accent to sway every reasonable thought out of her head and warm her heart. Kate is a woman of science but even she knows at some point there has to be an anchor in live that will provide some stability and even out the rough waters you go through and Kate wonders secretly is Marco that person for her. Her past may have collided with Marco’s before but now she is not wandering the world with wanderlust parents she is trying to be a respectable London socialite, sort of, maybe, but not so much.

But before too much thought can go into the relationship a murder happens during a quiet country house party and all fingers are pointing right at Kate as the murderer. Is Kate capable of such violence, could she have stabbed a man in the heart, does her past lend to violent tendencies? So many believe she is the culprit but the two men she needs to stand up for her do and with Marco and her grandfather refusing to let the accusations fly she might get out without losing her head, her heart is another matter altogether. Marco has more than a few secrets and surprises of his own and a resolution to solve the matter quickly which shocks everyone especially Kate. In the end Kate and Marco show that together they are a team no evil doer can break up or tear apart.

Bravo to Ms. Elliott for writing a series where you cannot literally decide which one you like the best. I read each one swearing “she can’t top this” and yet she has and did. Kate and Marco are the adventuresome of the trilogy and they are so endearing because both are not damaged but guilt ridden by past mis-deeds. They are both independent and venerable at the same time which is always something I can relate to. What I do love about Kate is that she can take care of herself but does not mind that sometimes it is nice to have someone else row the boat and make the decisions while always landing on her feet.
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Feb 11, 2011 Christie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

To Tempt A Rake is the 3rd book in the Circle of Sin series. I had no issues reading it even though I haven’t read the previous two books. The book primarily focuses on Marco and Kate. Marco plays the role of a man who enjoys to partake in a life of drinking and womanizing. While these are most definitely hobbies of his, he also has another very important responsibility.

Kate is the daughter of an American man, some would consider a pirate, and an English mother. She made a promise when they wer...more To Tempt A Rake is the 3rd book in the Circle of Sin series. I had no issues reading it even though I haven’t read the previous two books. The book primarily focuses on Marco and Kate. Marco plays the role of a man who enjoys to partake in a life of drinking and womanizing. While these are most definitely hobbies of his, he also has another very important responsibility.

Kate is the daughter of an American man, some would consider a pirate, and an English mother. She made a promise when they were dying that she would attempt to form a relationship with her judgmental English grandfather. This has brought her to England, and placed her directly in the sights of Marco. He finds Kate fascinating and familiar, but he can’t figure out why. He pursues her, and she refuses to fall for a man like him. When they find themselves wrapped up in a murder mystery they have no choice but to become allies. The close contact just might spur something more.

I have mixed feelings about To Tempt A Rake. I absolutely adored Kate, but Marco was setting off my sleazeball radar in a major way. While I usually have no problem forgiving the male characters in books for past discretions, Marco’s behavior was unprecedented. I had difficulty finding any redeeming characteristics in him. When he finally revealed the haunted past that lead him to lead the life of a rouge, I found it very anticlimactic. Yes, it was sad, but didn’t seem to be enough to take away his ability to love and be loved like he claimed. Kate’s past seemed much more sordid, and she wasn’t nearly as emotionally damaged. My lack of love for one of the main characters, paired with a very slow start to the first half of the book made it hard for me to want to continue reading. I also felt it was bogged down with too many characters. I had trouble keeping track of who was who, and felt the need to take notes to keep the large cast straight.

The plot did pick up after a murder that made me think of the board game Clue. Not a bad thing at all, as I love me some Clue. The second half of the book focuses more on Marco and Kate, and their quest to bring down the bad guys. This gave Marco a chance to redeem himself a bit, and I found the ick factor he provoked diminished slightly. Kate was really the driving force that kept me reading. She is everything I love in a heroine, but I’m just not 100% sure how I feel about her being paired with a scoundrel like Marco.

I’ve heard so many wonderful things about this series, and went into this book with high hopes. I’ll still consider giving earlier books in this series a try.
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Feb 09, 2011 BecksBookPicks rated it 3 of 5 stars

I found this to be a cute book. It caught my attention and kept me interested until the end. This is one of those book where you meet the characters and you really get to know them. You feel the spark between the two and you can feel that they are really drawn to one another. It is almost right past the halfway point that the mystery begins. This is when it starts to get really interesting. You are no longer reading about these two characters and there attraction to one another that they must f...more

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Feb 09, 2011 Sherri rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read_2011, review, update-2011-challenge

3.5 Stars Out of 5 Stars
To Tempt a Rake was another new author and series for me. Although this is the third book in the series, it can definitely be read as a stand alone novel. I enjoyed both main characters. They are both strong personalities with purpose in their lives, although society may not recognize their choices.

Marco Ghiradelli, Conte of Como, is a man with many secrets. and a life that he must constantly hide from society. He is a government agent sent to house party to “spy” on the...more

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Feb 03, 2011 Lisarenee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

Kate Woolbridge is not your average English Lady. In fact she's really not a Lady or English. While her mother was the daughter of a Duke, her father was a American sea captain whom her mother married and ran off with. Most would refer to her father as a pirate. Kate has lead an unusual life and traveled to many different ports. Now that her parents are deceased she's decided to try to mend bridges with the only family member she still has, her grandfather, The Duke of Cluyne.

Marco, the Conte of...more

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Feb 07, 2011 Angelc rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really liked the first two books in this series, but this installment fell a little short for me. I felt like the mystery and intrigue outweighed the romance and character development too much for my liking. I wanted to see more interaction between the two leads. As it was, I didn't feel like their relationship was developed enough to be anything more than lust.

I thought Kate's character was intriguing but I didn't care for Marco. Everyone loves a rake, but Marco was almost sleazy and I didn't...more

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Jan 17, 2011 Danes rated it 1 of 5 stars

The character development is not sufficient. In my opinion, Kate is not convincing with the direction she pretends her life should go. Marco is not intriguing. The cliche's are endless. What about the cultural differences? Is love so simple that any one man of such soothing charisma will continually put up with Kate's personality? And what about her past. It just seems fabricated to back into this plot which is for her two most conflicting loved ones to fight for her honor....boring. This book i...more

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Feb 24, 2011 Ing rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Cara Elliott is a new to me author. I have not read the previous two books in this series so I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed the book more or not if I had read the previous two books first. With that said I thought this book read well as a stand alone. I was never lost and could easily keep up with the story. It was the main couple that caused me to not enjoy the book. Kate and Marco as a couple was boring to me. I could never really get into their storyline or into them as individuals.

Kat...more Cara Elliott is a new to me author. I have not read the previous two books in this series so I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed the book more or not if I had read the previous two books first. With that said I thought this book read well as a stand alone. I was never lost and could easily keep up with the story. It was the main couple that caused me to not enjoy the book. Kate and Marco as a couple was boring to me. I could never really get into their storyline or into them as individuals.

Kate is a scientist and has been brought up in a life away from the London ton. Her mother ran off and married a man not acceptable to her family and was cut off. Kate is back in her grandfathers life and the ton to fulfill her parents wish to make amends with her grandfather. She has traveled all over with her parents and has been taught to think. You would think with all that I would have found her character more interesting but I was never able to enjoy Kate. My main reason for not enjoying her character was the fact that it was repeatedly brought up over and over again throughout the book how she didn't fit into society and how much she didn't enjoy it. I get it but man it seems like every other page kept pointing to this fact. Also she makes comments about her grandfather being awful but I never really got that. I never saw his interactions with Kate as being awful. It felt more like the grandfather just didn't know how to act around the heroine. As for Marco he's a rake. He has a reason for his rakish behavior which I found a little weak as a reasoning for him to act so blase about life. He was a bit more interesting then Kate but not by much. I thought the story had too much happening in it and could never see why these two even liked each other. There wasn't much time spent on the development of their relationship. All I ever got was they were in lust with each other and nothing more.

The secondary love story between the grandfather and a fellow scientist friend of Kate kept this book entertaining for me. The little interaction between these two fulfilled the romance I was looking for. The murder mystery plot of this book kept me reading until the end. I am sad that I didn't enjoy this book as much as I would have liked. I have heard nothing but great things about it. I didn't work for me but if you like historical romances with murder mystery, smart heroines, and secret spy hero then you'll enjoy this book. These are all elements that would normally guarantee enjoyment for me but somehow in this case fell flat.(less)

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Dec 06, 2010 Judith rated it 4 of 5 stars

A new Cara Elliott book that is very readable, an interesting story about an independent woman who has returned to England because of a death-bed promise to her mother, that she will seek to reconcile with her grandfather, a wealthy and powerful English duke. She is an expert botanist, and in addition she manages to thumb her nose at Polite Society numerous times. Now she is caught up in a murder mystery that appears to be pointing the finger of guilt directly at her. Fun romance for several cha...more

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Mar 14, 2011 Amy (Books, College, and Other Random Things) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: good-reads-first-review

I won this book in a Good reads giveaway.

Cara Elliott’s Circle of Sin trilogy comes to a satisfying conclusion with the story of Kate and Marco in the book entitled To Tempt a Rake. Kate and Marco share a past that revealed as their relationship progresses in this book set in the Regency time period. In my opinion, it is the best of the three books. It is a romantic suspense that clearly stands on its own even though it is part of a trilogy. There is just enough reference to earlier characters t...more

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Feb 07, 2011 Chrissy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-review-books, 100-book-challnge-2011

To Tempt A Rake is the third book in the circle of sin series. I always like to read series in order but I haven't read the first two books yet. I thought after reading To Tempt A Rake that it could be read as a stand alone. I enjoyed this historical romance from the beginning to the end.

This book had the right amount of mystery, romance and even murder. The characters in this book came to life for me and I was suddenly lost up in the novel.

* I have been provided a complimentary Advanced Readers...more

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Feb 22, 2011 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reviewed by Aubrey at RexRobotReviews.com

I was so excited to get my first book to review, To Tempt a Rake by Cara Elliott, and it did not disappoint! After a little bit of a slow start Kate's story turned into an all night read of flirtation and suspense.

Kate Woodbridge is an easy to relate to, wonderful character who's introduction to polite society is filled with mishap. The Conte of Como, Marco, is not your typical rouge. This exquisite tale brings Kate and Marco together to tempt fate with t...more

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Apr 25, 2011 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cara-elliott, historical-romance, first-reads

Kate Woodbridge had a very unusual childhood for a granddaughter of a duke. She traveled the world with her parents acquiring expertise in botany and has no real claim for all the traditional English customs. But a promise to her dying parents forces her to return to London and try to build a relationship with the stogy old duke. Thankfully she meets up with the other intellectual ladies in the 'Circle of Sin' and has somewhere where she feels like she belongs but she still does not tell the lad...more Kate Woodbridge had a very unusual childhood for a granddaughter of a duke. She traveled the world with her parents acquiring expertise in botany and has no real claim for all the traditional English customs. But a promise to her dying parents forces her to return to London and try to build a relationship with the stogy old duke. Thankfully she meets up with the other intellectual ladies in the 'Circle of Sin' and has somewhere where she feels like she belongs but she still does not tell the ladies all her shameful secrets of her past.

When she meets the cousin of one of her friends, Marco, the Conte of Como, she is quite flustered as they have met in the past and she just hopes Marco does not remember her. Too bad he eventually places her unique scent and remembers where and why they have meet before. By this time they are both at her grandfathers country home for a party, Kate is there at her grandfathers request, and Marco is there on some secret business for the government and everything goes into a tailspin when there is a murder and the blame is pointed at Kate.

This is the third book I have read from Cara Elliott and I have enjoyed every single one. It has a wonderful mix of heated romance, mystery and touching relationships between family members. There is a small side romance between a couple of the older characters that I very much enjoyed and thought it added a nice warmth to the storyline, along with a few chuckles, watching those two hard headed people butt heads. You can feel the attraction between Kate and Marco right away, and even though they previously met in the second book (To Surrender To A Rogue) you don't need to read them in order, though you do get more of a sense of their early relationship. When Kate and Marco must embark on an adventure together that neither one expected, Marco finally comes to terms with why his is such a rogue (this part I thought could have been expanded upon a bit more to give him a bit more history) and Kate finally finds the love she has been missing since her parents death from more than one place. This is an excellent trilogy and I look forward to future books from Ms Elliott. 4 stars!

I won this book on goodreads.com through their first reads program, thanks! (less)

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Dec 19, 2012 Marlene rated it 2 of 5 stars

Another flawed bitchy heroine and rakehell with redeeming qualities. Lady Kate was mostly not likeable and there was never an intense romance going on. Marco the Heroine was not very interesting. I wished more time was spent on developing the romance between Charlotte and the Duke of Cluyne. I was glad when this over. The series was not concluded to my satisfaction with Alessandra and Ciara's matches--Was a baby on the way? Nothing was answered. The Circle of Sin was 3 stories almost exactly the...more

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Feb 01, 2011 Bridget rated it 5 of 5 stars

To Tempt A Rake is the perfect romance for Valentine's Day. I fell in love with the chemistry between the main characters and I'm patiently awaiting more from Cara. She creates the most interesting characters and intriguing plots.

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Dec 18, 2012 Jessi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, historical, part-of-a-series, appealing-characteristic-character, 2011

Kate Woodbridge needs to hide her past. her father was a pirate with whom she sailed around the world living an... unconventional life. But when her parents died, she fulfilled a deathbed promise to her parents to reunite with her grandfather, the stuffy man who threw her mother out. Now she's trying to be the paragon of virtue that London Society believes her to be but it's hard when her past keeps rearing its ugly head. one part of that past includes Marco Ghiradelli, Conte of Como. He's the c...more

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Feb 10, 2011 Kassie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Liked this book. However it is my opinion that the cover should have shown Cluyne's beautiful mansion and conservatory rather that the rake and and his girl. It should be treated as an historical fiction.

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Feb 16, 2011 Anne Dreher rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the first book I've read of hers. I loved it. Interesting, intriguing and couldn't put it down. I would highly recommend this book.

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May 09, 2013 Jessica Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars

Cara Elliott is successful once again in creating an original, hot, and steamy romance novel.

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Apr 03, 2011 Linda rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

kinda blah. won't be reading anymore of her books

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Mar 06, 2011 Tiffany rated it 1 of 5 stars

Didnt even bother to finish.

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Aug 11, 2011 Lady Lioness marked it as to-read

ARC

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Mar 19, 2011 Angela rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: could-not-get-interested

I could not get interested and I did not like the hero or heroine. Strangely enough, I did like them in the two previous books. I will keep To tempt a Rake as I have and liked the other two books in the trilogy.

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Jul 17, 2011 TJ rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: adc-reviews, historical-romance

For a complete review, visit Affaire de Coeur magazine, hard copy or online at: http://affairedecoeur.com/ - February 2011 issue.

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May 14, 2011 Elle rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is actually the best book of the series, IMO. Will read more by Elliott.

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Apr 10, 2011 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars

I thought that this book was interesting with a good romance story with a mysterious plot.

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May 13, 2013 Jessica marked it as to-read

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About Cara Elliott

Cara Elliott started creating books at the age of five, or so her mother tells her. And Mom has the proof preserved in a family scrapbook—a neatly penciled story, the pages lavishly illustrated with full color crayon drawings of horses. Cara has since moved on from Westerns to writing about Regency England, a time and place that has captured her imagination ever since she opened the covers of Jane...more

More about Cara Elliott...

Books by Cara Elliott

Too Wicked to Wed (Lords of Midnight, #1)

To Sin With A Scoundrel (Circle of Sin, #1)

Too Tempting to Resist (Lords of Midnight, #2)

To Surrender To A Rogue (Circle of Sin, #2)

Too Dangerous to Desire (Lords of Midnight, #3)

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To Tempt a Rake (Circle of Sin #3)

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