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The Talk of the Ton #3
Rescued by the Forbidden Rake
Beholden to an irresistible rogue…
When her half sister goes missing, respectable Faye Shawcross is at her wits' end! Convinced her impulsive younger sister has gotten herself mired in potential scandal, Faye is unsure whom to turn to for help—certainly not her upstanding fiancé.
The last person she expects to come to her rescue is the very man she's condemned a rogue—Ryan Kavanagh, the dishonorable and disconcertingly alluring viscount. The magnetic Irishman knows he raises Faye's passions, however reluctantly. He can nip her impending family scandal in the bud, for a price: he wants Faye as his mistress…
When her half sister goes missing, respectable Faye Shawcross is at her wits' end! Convinced her impulsive younger sister has gotten herself mired in potential scandal, Faye is unsure whom to turn to for help—certainly not her upstanding fiancé.
The last person she expects to come to her rescue is the very man she's condemned a rogue—Ryan Kavanagh, the dishonorable and disconcertingly alluring viscount. The magnetic Irishman knows he raises Faye's passions, however reluctantly. He can nip her impending family scandal in the bud, for a price: he wants Faye as his mistress…
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 21, 2017
15 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 13, 2022
This was a nice enough romance that kept me mildly entertained for an afternoon. I was not looking for anything in particular to wow me. The book succeeded in my expectation of being a predictable comfort book to distract me. I would not say that the book is very good though. Its major downfall was the lack of depth in its characters. All of the characters felt flat and unoriginal, including the POV character, Faye. Ryan's backstory is revealed so towards the end that it is too late for it effectively add to the dimension of his character. It was also unfortunately communicated to the reader through info-dump, not an effective manner to get the reader to connect with a character.
The lack of character depth also contributed to the romance between Faye and Ryan being lackluster. It was never clear why Ryan became infatuated with her in the beginning, other than she looked pretty. Faye also seems to be mainly attracted by Ryan's appearance as well as him helping her out a few times. A man being kind does not immediately lead to love though, Ryan also pushes Faye's boundaries several times, namely a scene of forced kissing, which made me not like him all that much. Faye halfway through the kiss gets into it, but that does not make it consensual at the beginning.
This is a trope that I really hate that shows up repeatedly in romance. How is the hero kissing the heroine despite her protestations of no interest any different than the villain forcing his kisses on the heroine? The heroine in the first scenario secretly likes it, but the hero does not know that. For all he knows, the heroine had told him no, and he is deliberately going against her wishes and thereby assaulting her. Ugh. Anyway.
Speaking of nonconsensual acts, there is an attempted rape scene that I felt was gratuitous and not necessary for the story. I dislike inclusion of rape scenes for shock value or confirmation of villainy. Rarely in those cases does the story responsibly explore the trauma and long-term ramifications that experience would have on the survivor.
Almost all of the side characters were flat charicatures that I have seen over and over again in historical romances. I particularly disliked Faye's sister, Claire. Brendan tells us that she regrets her irresponsible actions, but it is not convincing because it is never really demonstrated. Claire also continues to show selfish tendencies later on in the story. I mean, Faye literally thinks at one point that Claire will ditch her first chance she gets once Claire has been married. Like...yikes. With family like that, you don't need enemies. Frankly, I am convinced Faye fell in love with Ryan purely because everyone around her is an asshole, and Ryan passes her extremely low expectations with basic decency.
I would not recommend this book to anyone. I still got some enjoyment out of reading this so 2 stars instead of 1.
Also, is it just me or is it weird to have a character named Ryan in a historical book? It just seems anachronistic. I could be wrong.
cw: racism against the Romani, attempted rape, dubious consent
The lack of character depth also contributed to the romance between Faye and Ryan being lackluster. It was never clear why Ryan became infatuated with her in the beginning, other than she looked pretty. Faye also seems to be mainly attracted by Ryan's appearance as well as him helping her out a few times. A man being kind does not immediately lead to love though, Ryan also pushes Faye's boundaries several times, namely a scene of forced kissing, which made me not like him all that much. Faye halfway through the kiss gets into it, but that does not make it consensual at the beginning.
This is a trope that I really hate that shows up repeatedly in romance. How is the hero kissing the heroine despite her protestations of no interest any different than the villain forcing his kisses on the heroine? The heroine in the first scenario secretly likes it, but the hero does not know that. For all he knows, the heroine had told him no, and he is deliberately going against her wishes and thereby assaulting her. Ugh. Anyway.
Speaking of nonconsensual acts, there is an attempted rape scene that I felt was gratuitous and not necessary for the story. I dislike inclusion of rape scenes for shock value or confirmation of villainy. Rarely in those cases does the story responsibly explore the trauma and long-term ramifications that experience would have on the survivor.
Almost all of the side characters were flat charicatures that I have seen over and over again in historical romances. I particularly disliked Faye's sister, Claire. Brendan tells us that she regrets her irresponsible actions, but it is not convincing because it is never really demonstrated. Claire also continues to show selfish tendencies later on in the story. I mean, Faye literally thinks at one point that Claire will ditch her first chance she gets once Claire has been married. Like...yikes. With family like that, you don't need enemies. Frankly, I am convinced Faye fell in love with Ryan purely because everyone around her is an asshole, and Ryan passes her extremely low expectations with basic decency.
I would not recommend this book to anyone. I still got some enjoyment out of reading this so 2 stars instead of 1.
Also, is it just me or is it weird to have a character named Ryan in a historical book? It just seems anachronistic. I could be wrong.
cw: racism against the Romani, attempted rape, dubious consent
December 3, 2017
Boy meets girl. Rakish boy chivalrously assists girl to find her missing half sister. Boy gets girl. Girl had a less chivalrous sailor fiance from an impovershed family who resents girl's half siblings. He introduced her to his lawyer friend who bilked girl's inheritance. Seriously? Never accept investment advice from friends of friends even if your intentions are to ensure your step sister's debut who incidently only wants to marry a local boy. Big red flag there. What a dolt even if she's a shy country miss.
Somewhat suspenseful but nothing compelling. Ridiculous prose like, "An odd thrill was shooting iced fire through her veins." Isn't this a contradiction of terms? Sounds more like she injected a controlled substance than experienced lust.
Normally I like authors from the UK because their books seem more authentic but this author unfortunately not. The story moved too slowly with too much filler. Could have been written as a short story. I can't recommend it as is.
I didn't receive an ARC. I was just first to reserve it and check it out from the library.
Somewhat suspenseful but nothing compelling. Ridiculous prose like, "An odd thrill was shooting iced fire through her veins." Isn't this a contradiction of terms? Sounds more like she injected a controlled substance than experienced lust.
Normally I like authors from the UK because their books seem more authentic but this author unfortunately not. The story moved too slowly with too much filler. Could have been written as a short story. I can't recommend it as is.
I didn't receive an ARC. I was just first to reserve it and check it out from the library.
May 26, 2018
Brendan does not provide a time period(year) for her story. However,
there are some vague clues to assume it takes place during the Regency
Era.
Ryan Kavanagh is an Irish Viscount. Faye Shawcross is a local, who runs
into Ryan at a country fair.
Ryan's behavior is out of date, even for a historical romance.
there are some vague clues to assume it takes place during the Regency
Era.
Ryan Kavanagh is an Irish Viscount. Faye Shawcross is a local, who runs
into Ryan at a country fair.
Ryan's behavior is out of date, even for a historical romance.
August 9, 2018
This was a fabulous read!!! Read though the night—so obviously highly recommend this!!!! Was quick/easy read yet engaging characters!!!! What captivated me was how the story had true depth to it without the needing the massive amounts of pages to encompass the whole novel! It involved loss, secrets & the chance to find true love again even after heartbreak very well done I thought!! 🎉🤩😍
December 26, 2017
I like it. There is everything a story needs to have - instant chemistry, lie and deception, a fugitive girl, a bit of jealousy and ... a lot of love :)
January 4, 2022
What a great book to start off the New Year. I loved the main characters, Faye and Ryan and the passion of their romance. A good read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews