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For the Sake of a Scottish Rake

(Besotted Scots #3)

Anna Bradley (Goodreads Author)

3.91 · Rating details · 321 ratings · 100 reviews

After a sheltered upbringing, Lady Lucinda Sutcliffe is finally embarking on her first season, eager to experience everything she’s missed. When Lucy realizes that her uncle plans to quickly marry her off in exchange for a slice of her fortune, she begs a favor of a new acquaintance, Ciaran Ramsey. If Lucy remains single until she turns twenty-one, she—and her money—will b ...more

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Paperback, 252 pages

Published February 18th 2020 by Lyrical Press

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Jan 21, 2020 Maja - BibliophiliaDK ✨ rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc-reviews, historical-romance, historical-fiction

FRIENDS TO LOVERS IN THE BEST WAY! ❤

This book came out of left field. Honestly, I didn't have the highest expectations. Oh boy, how wrong I was! This is definitely among the better historical romances I have read - and I have read quite a few!

Disclaimer - this is the 3rd book in a series where I have not read the rest. This will not affect the following review.

👍 WHAT I LIKED 👍

Romance: The relationship between the two main characters, Lucy and Ciaran, was just adorable! I loved how they started o ...more

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Feb 23, 2020 Heather K (dentist in my spare time) rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, m-f, scottish-men-oh-my, read-to-review-arc, net-galley, losing-the-v-card, historical

I adore Anna Bradley and everything she writes, and For the Sake of a Scottish Rake was no different. A fun friends-to-lovers, slow-burn romance with an exciting plot, I enjoyed every minute of this story.

There were so many tropes to love. Fake boyfriend/girlfriends, predicament rescue, and friends-to-lovers and they all worked. I'm a huge fan of the fake relationship plot device, and so I was immediately hooked. I also liked that Lucy was a girl who beat to her own drum and didn't feel pressure ...more

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Jan 03, 2020 Jultri rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: friends-to-lovers, fake-engagement-or-relationship, heiress

2.5/5. I so wanted this book to be good. I'm fond of the author. Her debut A Wicked Way to Win an Earl was most impressive and she has had a few books since that have been quite entertaining, but this one didn't work for me. Lady Lucinda Sutcliffe is a few weeks from reaching her majority and accessing the considerable fortune left to her by her father, the infamous mad Earl of Bellamy. While her father was alive his paranoia resulted in the two of them living in isolation and since she has been 2.5/5. I so wanted this book to be good. I'm fond of the author. Her debut A Wicked Way to Win an Earl was most impressive and she has had a few books since that have been quite entertaining, but this one didn't work for me. Lady Lucinda Sutcliffe is a few weeks from reaching her majority and accessing the considerable fortune left to her by her father, the infamous mad Earl of Bellamy. While her father was alive his paranoia resulted in the two of them living in isolation and since she has been under the oppressive guardianship of her odious uncle, her gilded cage has just changed location but remains under lock - until she finds the key to escape the tyranny for an hour or so a day while at Brighton. That is how she finds herself being involuntarily 'rescued' by a well-built Scot, while stealing a swim in the ocean. Ciaran Ramsey might have a reputation as an aimless hedonist but being a Ramsey male, he has big time hero compulsions, so when he spots a slight woman in the waves, he does not hesitate to jump in and ask questions later. Lucy is most put off by this abrupt interruption to her escapade but misunderstanding aside, they soon develop a highly inappropriate friendship over the next few weeks at the beach away from prying eyes and judgements.

Ciaran is still pining for Scotland and the woman he left behind, when scandal drove his family away from their ancestral home. Lucy has her own troubles. Her uncle is aggressively pushing her for a match with a much older and loathsome man prior to her 21st birthday. Unfortunately due to her late father's reputation, no other man is willing to press his suit despite the lure of her money. She persuades the chivalrous Ciaran to pretend to court her to deter the other man, while buying enough time for her to gain control of her inheritance.

So, why didn't it work for me? It's this unrealistic concept of them becoming best friends in a matter of a week or two. Yes, "best friends", "dearest friend", buxom buddies, because the author tediously and repetitively stresses the close nature of their platonic friendship to the point of my eyes risking never seeing the light again from the perpetual eye-rolling. *spoiler alert* There were moments where the two of them showed inappropriate intimacy in public without any concern for impropriety. The ultimate example of the latter was when Lucy stayed with Ciaran unchaperoned without anyone else objecting. She could have gone to her other friend's house . Then there is Lucy's ongoing resistance to a marital union with Ciaran even after they have slept together. Her arguments were weak and made little sense. Another inconsistent moment is after they broke into her uncle's office the second time which resulted in essentially no new information and yet she and her cousin were left shaken and panicked by the degree of her uncle's iniquity, when they had already reached the same conclusion earlier. Her emotional overreaction to finding out about his broken engagement in Scotland was also strange, given that she did not intend to marry him anyway and wanted him to find himself in Scotland even after they had been intimate.

Additionally, there were another two romances developing simultaneously as that of our two protagonists. These were poorly developed, caricatural and just plain silly especially in their neat resolutions.

This is an ARC provided by NetGalley. ...more

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Dec 21, 2019 Andrea rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, netgalley

"Everything seems do cause a scandal, doesn't it? Everything worth doing, anyway … I'd far rather risk the scandal than just meander along, peeking into the edges of my life as if it doesn't belong to me at all."

I am so happy Ciaran finally met his match. I've been waiting for this day ever since he was first introduced and enjoyed watching his brother fall in love so much. Ever since the brothers were forced to leave Scotland and move to London, he's been moping after what he thought was the lo "Everything seems do cause a scandal, doesn't it? Everything worth doing, anyway … I'd far rather risk the scandal than just meander along, peeking into the edges of my life as if it doesn't belong to me at all."

I am so happy Ciaran finally met his match. I've been waiting for this day ever since he was first introduced and enjoyed watching his brother fall in love so much. Ever since the brothers were forced to leave Scotland and move to London, he's been moping after what he thought was the love of his life, and barely lived at all. He just existed, and it was so great to see him come back to life and the adorable idiot I knew was in there came back into the light again. I absolutely adored the pairing with the vibrant Lucy, who made him to confront his issues and dragged him out of the shadows. They are an absolutely loveable couple, and I adored watching them going from friends to more.

"People don't marry their best friends!"

Unless they find that perfect person that they can be themselves around, the one person where being with your best friend doesn't feel weird. And it was adorable here. It wasn't rushed or anything, and their struggle was realistic (she thinks he still wants the girl he left behind in Scotland, while he is coming to realize that that girl was his past, but nothing more). I loved watching them work things out.

There was just one thing I really really didn't like, which costs the book a star from me.
Lucy's uncle seriously puts a villain from a gothic novel to shame. I mean it. It was so over the top and dramatic, I did not like it. (view spoiler) And even worse, after all that, it was just brushed aside in one sentence in the epilogue. I really don't get the purpose of this much crazy evil, it was just too much for me.

All in all, I really enjoyed this friends-to-lovers story, and Lucy and Ciaran were just adorable. I just wish there hadn't been so much drama.

*I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* ...more

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Feb 04, 2020 Barbara Rogers rated it it was amazing

Shelves: xx-2020-read, iblog, netgalley, xx-2020-favorite-hist-romance

Series: Besotted Scots #3
Publication Date: 2/18/20
Number of Pages: 320

This was an enjoyable, but perhaps perplexing read. I enjoy the author’s writing style and I liked the premise of the story, but I didn’t care for the resolution. I LOVED that we got three romances for the price of one. I didn’t feel that the two additional romances detracted from the main romance at all since they mostly took place in the background. You knew they were happening, but they weren’t “in your face”.

We first met t Series: Besotted Scots #3
Publication Date: 2/18/20
Number of Pages: 320

This was an enjoyable, but perhaps perplexing read. I enjoy the author’s writing style and I liked the premise of the story, but I didn’t care for the resolution. I LOVED that we got three romances for the price of one. I didn’t feel that the two additional romances detracted from the main romance at all since they mostly took place in the background. You knew they were happening, but they weren’t “in your face”.

We first met the Ramsey family in the final book of this author’s Somerset Sisters, More Or Less A Temptress. Three siblings, Lachlan, Isla, and Ciaran had to flee their home in Scotland when Lachlan was falsely accused of murder. At that same time, their mother told them that they had a brother, Finn, in England – and he is the Marquess of Huntington. As she lay dying, their mother urged them to flee to England and find their brother. Since then, we’ve seen Isla find her HEA in The Wayward Bride, and now, finally, the match I’ve been waiting for, Ciaran.

Of the Ramsey siblings, the one who was most affected by having to leave Scotland was Ciaran. In the year since they left, he has only half lived. He’s been listless, restless, bored and unhappy – especially since his siblings wed and they now have lives of their own. Ciaran longs to return to Scotland and to see if he can reunite with his betrothed who jilted him before Ciaran had to leave. His siblings have just encouraged him to accompany a couple of older ladies to Brighton to assure their safety. Little does he know that his life is about to be turned upside down.

Lady Lucinda (Lucy) Sutcliffe is the daughter of the Earl of Bellamy. Her father developed a neurosis after his wife was killed by a highwayman and everybody thought him mad. Basically, he walled himself and Lucy off from the world. Lucy had lived in isolation until her father passed away and she transferred into the care of her Uncle Jarvis. Lucy isn’t wild, exactly, she’s just exuberant to be out of isolation and to be able to enjoy the world. In her enthusiasm, and naivete, she finds herself in a couple of situations that lead someone else (read that Ciaran) to believe that she needed rescuing. She didn’t, she had a plan, but you can’t argue with someone who is the size of a house. And, actually, she does need rescuing, she just doesn’t know it yet.

I loved their first meeting. It was entertaining and funny and sets the pace for many of their interactions. I loved how smart and resourceful Lucy was – with one minor blip when she did the required TSTL action. However, she soon overcame that and was back to her resourceful self – and rescued herself.

What didn’t I like? Well, as I mentioned earlier, I didn’t like the resolution. There was a very, very, vile villain – I mean despicable (just wait until you read all he does) – and he gets absolutely no, none, nada, zip, zilch punishment. Actually, it felt to me as if he were rewarded. At the very least he could have had to flee to the continent – but – I would have preferred that someone hang him upside down from a tree with his nose in a red ant bed – then dribble him with honey and let the ants take care of the rest. Sorry, did I mention he was vile?

The thing that perplexed me was how Jarvis came to be her guardian. Her father was an earl, and whoever inherited the earldom would have been her nearest male relative. So, why wasn’t he her guardian? Jarvis didn’t inherit the earldom, so how could he be her nearest male relative? Jarvis could have been her mother’s brother I guess, but, still, things just don’t run through the mother’s side. If nobody inherited the title, the estate would have reverted to the crown, so how would she have inherited Bellamy House? Maybe Bellamy house was a smaller, unentailed property, but it was where she and the earl lived, so I can’t imagine it being unentailed. It was just that that particular scenario didn’t make sense to me. No real explanations were provided.

All-in-all, it was an enjoyable read with delightful characters, witty moments, tense moments, and a lovely romance – or three.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
...more

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Dec 08, 2019 Elodie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

For the Sake of a Scottish Rake
Besotted Scots Series #3
Anna Bradley
https://www.facebook.com/annabradley472/
Release date 02/18/2020
Publisher Kensington Lyrical Press

Blurb :

After a sheltered upbringing, Lady Lucinda Sutcliffe is finally embarking on her first season, eager to experience everything she's missed. When Lucy realizes that her uncle plans to quickly marry her off in exchange for a slice of her fortune, she begs a favor of a new acquaintance, Ciaran Ramsey. If Lucy remains single until ...more

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Feb 15, 2020 eyes.2c rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, regency-romance

Wickedness and romance!

A romantic melodrama, complete with a heroine whose father was rumored to have been mad, a Scotsman languishing from unrequited love, and a tyrannical bully of an uncle who thought nothing of selling his niece to a sinister Lord to pay his gambling debts.
All the ingredients are here for a super read but it just didn't fire for me. Well to honest the first part was great. I was sure I was in for a rollicking read. The second just didn't continue the promise.
Lady Lucinda Sut Wickedness and romance!

A romantic melodrama, complete with a heroine whose father was rumored to have been mad, a Scotsman languishing from unrequited love, and a tyrannical bully of an uncle who thought nothing of selling his niece to a sinister Lord to pay his gambling debts.
All the ingredients are here for a super read but it just didn't fire for me. Well to honest the first part was great. I was sure I was in for a rollicking read. The second just didn't continue the promise.
Lady Lucinda Sutcliffe is about to undertake her first season, and hopes to delay any marriage commitment until she turns twenty-one and is able take charge of her considerable fortune. (And who would blame these heiresses given that all properties and monies go to their husbands when they marry). Her uncle has taken a house prior to the season at Brighton. Ciaran Ramsey has joined friends there whilst he mourns his lost love in Scotland. Imagine his surprise when he finds himself in the unlikely position of gaining a woman as a friend, and as it turns out, that woman Lucy, really needs a friend.
Lucy's such a likeable character, as is Ciaran Ramsay, despite his despondency.
The amusing introduction where Ciaran tries to save Lucy who's swimming in a secluded cove at a totally ludicrous time early in the morning, enjoying her freedom, even if it is a stolen moment, is just too funny.
And then at a brawl when Lucy takes a wrong turn and finds herself slap bang in the middle of a bare knuckled fight. Once again Ciaran must save her, even though Lucy was well into saving herself, except Ciaran and fate intervened.
After that, everything devolved. Lucy is whisked away to London by the horrible uncle. Enter the repugnantly sleazy Lord her uncle's s intent on forcing her to marry, and of course just in time (sort of) comes Ciaran. A couple of other romance threads fired up that sort of hung there (probably waiting for upcoming chapters). All too much happened in the last part of the story giving a strong sense of the ending being somewhat rushed.
The magic for me was left behind, confined to that secluded cove at Brighton.

A Kensington ARC via NetGalley ...more

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Feb 23, 2020 Caitlyn Lynch rated it really liked it

Shelves: regency-georgian

This is the third book in the Besotted Scots series by Anna Bradley, following Ciaran Ramsey, who charmed me in a previous book when he made a habit of asking wallflowers to dance at every ball he attended. His heroine is Lucy, or rather Lady Lucinda Sutcliffe, a beautiful young woman who is the daughter of an earl and a considerable heiress. Lucy absolutely shouldn’t be a wallflower… except that her father was well-known to be mad, and everyone in society knows it. They’ve judged her before eve This is the third book in the Besotted Scots series by Anna Bradley, following Ciaran Ramsey, who charmed me in a previous book when he made a habit of asking wallflowers to dance at every ball he attended. His heroine is Lucy, or rather Lady Lucinda Sutcliffe, a beautiful young woman who is the daughter of an earl and a considerable heiress. Lucy absolutely shouldn’t be a wallflower… except that her father was well-known to be mad, and everyone in society knows it. They’ve judged her before even meeting her.

Ciaran meets Lucy far from London, on the beach at Brighton where she’s taking a sneaky - and scandalous - swim in the sea. Intrigued and rather charmed by her unconventional attitude, he finds himself involved in an unlikely friendship. Only, when Lucy disappears unexpectedly, he discovers his feelings for her run rather deeper than just friendship.

Lucy’s uncle is a total villain, and unfortunately the legal status of women in the time period played right into his hands. He could seem a caricature, except I actually think he could have been worse, and a fortune the size of Lucy’s within easy grasp could tempt men a good deal more saintly. The problems Lucy had to deal with were almost certainly those faced by more than one real woman who probably didn’t have a Ciaran Ramsey to help them escape.

There were a lot of things I liked about Ciaran and Lucy’s romance, but I had two big problems with the book. One was the overly-contrived way Lucy kept insisting they were ‘just friends’ when it had already been made clear to her by Ciaran that he thought a lot more of her than that, and she’d already admitted her own feelings to herself. The second was the ‘extra’ romances… I don’t mind one secondary romance, but the fact that there were two here just distracted from the main plot. Both ‘side’ romances could have had their own story, even if just a novella. Stuffing them in here felt like padding the word count.

I couldn’t quite decide whether to give this three or four stars, but in the end I think I’m going to bump it up to four, because I did enjoy the main romance plot and the two protagonists.

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.
...more

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Feb 08, 2020 Becky rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-romance, net-galley, fake-relationship, good-historical-romance, virgin-heroines

This is book 3 of the most recent Anna Bradley series. I haven't read the first one yet (Wayward Bride), but have read the second and loved it! This can be read easily as a standalone. Previous characters are briefly mentioned or make small appearances, but nothing that would affect the story.

Lucinda is with her extended family on a short vacation before the London season when she meets Ciaran. What follows is a sweet and lovely friendship that forms between the two. Ciaran is supposed to be on This is book 3 of the most recent Anna Bradley series. I haven't read the first one yet (Wayward Bride), but have read the second and loved it! This can be read easily as a standalone. Previous characters are briefly mentioned or make small appearances, but nothing that would affect the story.

Lucinda is with her extended family on a short vacation before the London season when she meets Ciaran. What follows is a sweet and lovely friendship that forms between the two. Ciaran is supposed to be on his way to Scotland to tie up some unfinished emotional business, but he must make sure Lucinda is fairing well during her first season. When he arrives, he finds all is not well, and helps her hatch a plan.

I think you should try this story if
You have tried Anna Bradley and disliked her stories in the past – really! I know people dislike many of her heroes, but Ciaran is totally different. This story was also less angst than her usual work.
You like a beta hero!
You like friends to lovers
You like a rescue plot, where not only the does the hero rescue the heroine, but she rescues herself as well
You like the fake relationship trope

I overall liked Lucinda. She has a sweet, curious, adventurous personality. She wants to see and experience what she can of the world. But she is also aware of the social constrictions of her time and that's something I love about Bradley's books and heroines. They are independent while still knowing they can't just do whatever they want without repercussions. She does make some decisions that irritated me a bit, more so towards the end of the book.

Ciaran I found to be unlike any of Bradley's other heroes. He's such a beta hero. He's oh so sweet. Caring. Responsible for Lucinda once he creates this relationship with her. I really enjoyed him as well.

I adore Bradley's kisses and sex scenes. This was on the lower steam end, tension building slowly throughout the story. A kiss and 1-2 scenes take place after the 60% mark I believe. I love them because they are filled with descriptions and longing and feelings and so detailed. They make me melt.

I think a part of me didn't love this story quite as much as I could have because I just read Scot Under the Covers by Suzanne Enoch and the plot was so similar. They are far from the same book, but just very similar feelings with the two characters becoming friends first, the personalities of the heroes, and the fact that the heroines had villain suitors.

I give 4 stars. Thank you netgalley for the complimentary ARC. These opinions are my own. ...more

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Mar 24, 2020 Blodeuedd Finland rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, historical-romance

Slaps them both. Oh ye fools of little faith!

Lucy wants to live after having spent her life in one place. She also has an idiot for an uncle, and a nice cousin.

Kieran has his own troubles. I did read some of the previous books, but I can't really remember why they fled Scotland. Oh well I do not need too, all I know is that he left someone behind who had hurt him.

They meet, they become reluctant friends, cos men and women can be friends! They get the hots for each other, but do nothing cos they ...more

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Feb 17, 2020 Lori D rated it it was amazing

Shelves: humor, love-the-author, intriguing, historical-romance, great-cover, adventure

Brighton, England 1818
Lucy was determined. She wanted to live life after being closed up with her father before his demise for the last four years. Now in the custody of her uncle, she just wanted to experience everything! Her first experience was going out early in the morning and swimming on her own since her cousin Eloisa would not go in. But she was about to meet her fate, whether she knew it or not in the form on one braw Scot, Ciaran Ramsey who thought she was drowning and pulled her in t ...more

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Feb 18, 2020 Diane Peterson rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-romance, kindle-doc

I really enjoyed this story. It is a friends to lovers story with very engaging characters.

Lucinda Sutcliffe lived a rather repressed life due to her eccentric "mad" father. After her parents are gone she goes to live with her aunt, uncle and cousin. Lucy's adventurous spirit is determined to explore and experience new things, which gets her in trouble. An attractive Scottish stranger rescues and befriends her. Evil forces threaten Lucy's ability to choose her own path, but her friend, Ciaran R ...more

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Mar 14, 2020 Joanna Loves Reading rated it liked it

Shelves: z2020-hrbc-series-challenge, arc, scottish-scots, hr

I liked this better than the second book in series but that’s not saying much. I don’t think I am going to remember much about this in future. It didn’t standout much.

Ciaran and Lucy formed a bond through spending crack-of-dawn moments at the beach swimming. Nice, if implausible. They’re friends first. Then it comes to a point when Ciaran and Lucy need to runaway to keep her safe and things move to the next level. There’s quite a bit of other craziness going on, plus two other peripheral romance ...more

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Feb 16, 2020 Angie Elle rated it liked it

ARC from Netgalley

Anna Bradley has been a favorite of mine since I read A Wicked Way to Win an Earl. I find her books to be so much fun, and filled with romance. For the Sake of a Scottish Rake should have been a shoo-in for me. And for the first ¾ it was. But then, sadly, things fell apart.

Right off the bat, it took me a while to get invested in this story. For a large chunk of the beginning, we only see Lucy and Ciaran together, and it felt like I didn’t get to see them reflect on their relati ARC from Netgalley

Anna Bradley has been a favorite of mine since I read A Wicked Way to Win an Earl. I find her books to be so much fun, and filled with romance. For the Sake of a Scottish Rake should have been a shoo-in for me. And for the first ¾ it was. But then, sadly, things fell apart.

Right off the bat, it took me a while to get invested in this story. For a large chunk of the beginning, we only see Lucy and Ciaran together, and it felt like I didn’t get to see them reflect on their relationship much. Because they always met on the mornings in the beach, it felt long and repetitive, and I wanted to see them out and about. How did they act with other people, and how often did they think of each other when they weren’t together? I did finally get that, and that’s really when I started to enjoy the story. I liked Lucy’s cousin, Eloisa. She was a voice of reason for Lucy, and it took her a while to warm up to Lucy’s escapades. As I would expect from a woman who was raised among the nobility. I also really enjoyed Ciaran’s friends, though I find the male groups in Historical Romance do tend to be more interesting simply because they’re able to carouse.

Along with Lucy and Ciaran’s story, there are two other romances that are playing out in this book, but they’re both in the background. I found them to be a bit superficial and rushed, and because it was three female friends with three male friends, it gave this story more of a fantasy (not the genre) feel that I would have enjoyed more when I was younger, I think. What really made my love for this book lessen was the end, and how it became even more modern. For one, Lucy talks about ‘her truth,’ which, in that time period, felt so silly to me. Though, if I’m being honest, it feels silly to me today, as well, as truth is absolute. But the fact is, this is a modern concept, and to see the words put right out there in an Historical was incredibly jarring. And then we have the fact that Lucy won’t marry Ciaran because, #1, she made up her mind that she never wanted to be married, and #2, he doesn’t love her. Good reasons, I guess. Except that the man her guardian has promised her to is suspected of killing his first young wife. And she and Ciaran were, according to both of them, the best of friends. If you thought you’d never get to choose your husband, but now you have the option of marrying your best friend and escaping marriage to a murdering noble, wouldn’t you take it? Well...obviously. Unless you’re in an Historical Romance that no longer cares about the restrictions of the time period.

So, in the end, For the Sake of a Scottish Rake was entertaining enough, but there were parts that dragged and made it feel too modern for my tastes. Leaving it as a middle of the road read for me. I’m not ready to give up on Anna Bradley yet, because she has written some of my very favorite books. But I’ll be going into the next book I pick up by her with some caution. ...more

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Jan 12, 2020 Pelusa Rivera rated it it was ok

Well realistically I couldn't have continued a streak of books that I enjoyed, right? I mean I guess on a good week I probably could have been on my merry own way of "darn that's a good book" lane, however my streak has come to and end...ahhhhh it saddens me so.. Ok let me stop with all the drama just to say that I did not enjoy this book, sadly it bored me and that pisses me off, Because I hate, hate being bored especially when I chose you (this book) out of my list of (I have to catch up on) p ...more

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Feb 17, 2020 Cathy Geha rated it it was ok

For the Sake of a Scottish Rake by Anna Bradley
Besotted Scots #2

Quick easy to read historical romance. It was not my favorite book by this author and I am sad to say that as I have truly enjoyed other books by this author.

What I liked:
* Lucy was not predictable
* Three romances in one
* The friendships
* The thwarting of the bad guys
* That everyone had a HEA

What I didn’t like
* Lucy’s behavior was more than a bit over the top and not in keeping with the times.
*The time being rung in days and week ...more

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Feb 13, 2020 Cheryl rated it really liked it

Lady Lucinda Sutcliffe had a very restricted background due to her father’s ill health. Now she was in Brighton and was seeking new experiences, nothing was too daring for her. I like Lucinda’s energy and joy of life. During her stay in Brighton she met Ciaran Ramsey and they became friends through some unlikely adventures. Ciaran had problems of his own but he was determined to be there for Lucinda. Unfortunately, her Uncle Jarvis has plans for Lucinda that she would not like. There were a numb ...more

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Mar 02, 2020 Mskychick rated it liked it

Shelves: henrico-ebook

3.5 stars

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Feb 02, 2020 Brenda Hughes rated it it was amazing

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this awesome, witty, story of Ciarin and Lucy. Lucy was a strong willed heroine and Ciarin was a hero in need of saving. He thought Lucy needed rescuing from the sea, but she was just having a morning swim. She kicked him for his efforts. This is a delightful friend to lovers story. Soon their friendship turns into more. Her evil uncle plans her marriage to an evil old man to get him out of debt. You must read this to find out what happens. You won’t be ...more

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Dec 21, 2019 Monique rated it really liked it

Brighton, England, May 1818

Lady Lucinda Sutcliffe - Lucy - is being very daring. For once she has some freedom, and goes for a swim, all alone before sunrise, without a bathing machine and attendants. How very scandalous! But surely nothing bad could happen; she's careful in her recklessness. And this is how tiny Lucy came to meet huge Scotsman Ciaran Ramsey. They're both bored, he's been depressed for some time, and is itching to return to Scotland. But Ciaran is a born protector, so he'll prot Brighton, England, May 1818

Lady Lucinda Sutcliffe - Lucy - is being very daring. For once she has some freedom, and goes for a swim, all alone before sunrise, without a bathing machine and attendants. How very scandalous! But surely nothing bad could happen; she's careful in her recklessness. And this is how tiny Lucy came to meet huge Scotsman Ciaran Ramsey. They're both bored, he's been depressed for some time, and is itching to return to Scotland. But Ciaran is a born protector, so he'll protect his new friend, who seems bent on achieving her own ruination; the road to hell and all that... Lucy is a few weeks short of turning 21, then she'll inherit her considerable fortune and she will be free from her tyrannical guardian, her despicable Uncle Jarvis, who desperately wants her money.

I absolutely adored the two previous installments in this series and I was eagerly waiting for this book. Unfortunately, I didn't find FOR THE SAKE OF A SCOTTISH RAKE as sparkling as Anna Bradley's works. It had a pleasant beginning but I thought it was a bit slow to get started; on the other hand, this allowed Ciaran and Lucy's relationship to develop properly. But however charming Lucy and Ciaran were, the story continued to drag as other romances develop, villains multiply, and the drama goes into overdrive. At times it felt like elements were added to make the book last longer. My favourite parts are those featuring Sebastian, the charismatic and flamboyant Lord Vale; he is simply magnificent and he stole the show, as far as I'm concerned.

The nefarious Jarvis almost steals the show as well, and not in a good way. I felt he was too present in the story, and that it created unnecessary unpleasantness. It just took so very long for anything to progress, there were so many repeated thoughts, too many rehashed conversations, and it took forever to conclude while a crucial matter was dealt with rather too swiftly. Ms. Bradley's prose is impeccable, as always, the characters well developed, and she creates such wonderful visuals that the story unfolds like a movie. But it took so long to reach the end, with all the melodrama that only got worse as the unappealing villains took too much space. I love Anna Bradley but FOR THE SAKE OF A SCOTTISH RAKE didn't entirely work for me. Pity.

I volontarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Jan 06, 2020 Smart Women Read Romance rated it liked it

Shelves: 2020-reads, broody-hero-romance, historical-romance

2.5 Stars

The premise was intriguing, but this romance ultimately fell flat since there was nothing to believably support the relationship of the main characters. Nothing.

Instead of showing the reader that Ciaran and Lucy were getting to know each other and developing a bond, the author choose to simplify these interactions to "One week later - They talked every day and now they are best friends" which does zilch for my emotional investment. Show don't tell.

The majority of the story happens in ...more

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Feb 09, 2020 Darlene Foster rated it it was amazing

For The Sake Of A Scottish Rake, by Anna Bradley, is available at booksellers on 2-18-20. Rake is book 3 in Ms Bradley's Besotted Scots series. I've been a fan of Ms Bradley's since her first book in 2015. I discovered that book by accident, it had a hot cover, and have followed every series since then. I've given Rake a rare, for me, 5 stars. It's the most entertaining book I've read in some time. I was invested in the characters, their journey, and HEA. I liked Lucy and Ciaran and rooted for t ...more

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Jan 31, 2020 Pamela rated it liked it

Lady Lucinda "Lucy" Sutcliffe has come to live with her uncle, aunt and cousin. Although her uncle is a jerk, so far things haven't been so bad. She has met and made a friend, Ciaran Ramsey. Lucinda has even recently found out that she will get to have a season, which is exciting. What's not exciting is that her uncle arranges her marriage to an absolute lecher.

Ciaran never would have believed men and women could be just friends, but Lucy has shown him it's possible. He is all set to leave for S ...more

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Feb 17, 2020 Norah Gibbons rated it really liked it

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. For The Sake Of A Scottish Rake by Anna Bradley is the third book in her Besotted Scots series. It can be read as a stand-alone, but it is an excellent series, and I enjoyed reading the first two books. Lady Lucinda Sutcliffe has lead an extremely sheltered life, her father suffered from social anxiety, and he became more and more isolated from society. With his death, she is now under the care of her aunt an ...more

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Jan 13, 2020 Melissa rated it really liked it

"A gasp broke from Lucy's lips. She pressed her face to the glass, her heart pounding. She could have sworn she saw something -"

A young woman, who's father passed away, is taken in by her self-indulgent uncle. When she meets a man at the beach one morning, Lucy proposes they be friends. Society might deem it improper, but when has she ever listen to society, Looking to survive life with her uncle until she turns twenty one and can gain her independence proves to be a bit trickier than one would ...more

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Feb 20, 2020 Rachel rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-romance

3.5. I really liked Ciran, and Lucy for the most part. Friends-to-lovers and fake-relationship are two of my faaaaavorite tropes, and I especially loved their friendship. For me, the drama here with the villain was a little too melodramatic, and I felt like, either the subplots and the characters need to be trimmed back a bit or the book needed to be a little longer to give them all the space they deserved.

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Jan 17, 2020 Lisa C rated it it was amazing

Entirely engrossing story. Ciaran and Lucy meet under peculiar circumstances and a deep friendship is forged. Lucy's Uncle has great plans for Lucy's life and her money, which she is determined to thwart, and Ciaran keeps trying to help. Really enjoyed the humour and the inventive way these two kept getting together. This book can be read as a standalone, despite being a part of a great series, as Ciaran's family only make a brief appearance. Highly recommend. ...more

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Feb 04, 2020 Traci rated it really liked it

For the Sake of a Scottish Rake is the third book in the Besotted Scots series. I haven’t read all the earlier books in the series, but I don’t feel like I missed anything by not reading them. The main characters were well-developed, and the book had a lot of humor. At first the book seemed to drag, but it speeds up once they arrive in London for the Season.
Lady Lucinda “Lucy” Sutcliffe had led a sheltered and she was ready for adventure. She meets and is “rescued” by Ciaran while swimming in th ...more

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Jan 28, 2020 Niki (mustreadalltheromance) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: frustrating-heroine, slow-burn, fake-relationship, steamy, friends-to-lovers

3.5 rounded up

Lady Lucinda Sutcliffe has lived a very sheltered life and is now finally about to have a season. As she spends time in Brighton with her aunt and uncle, Lucy embraces freedom and danger, making the acquaintance of heroic Scotsman Ciaran Ramsey, who seems to always be there to save her from a scrape. Lucy doesn't really need saving, but her friendship with Ciaran continues to grow stronger and when she learns of her uncle's plan to sell her off in marriage to a scoundrel in exchang 3.5 rounded up

Lady Lucinda Sutcliffe has lived a very sheltered life and is now finally about to have a season. As she spends time in Brighton with her aunt and uncle, Lucy embraces freedom and danger, making the acquaintance of heroic Scotsman Ciaran Ramsey, who seems to always be there to save her from a scrape. Lucy doesn't really need saving, but her friendship with Ciaran continues to grow stronger and when she learns of her uncle's plan to sell her off in marriage to a scoundrel in exchange for the forgiveness of his debts and a piece of her fortune, Lucy realizes she does need Ciaran's help. She only needs to avoid marriage for a few weeks until she turns 21 and gains control of her fortune so a fake engagement to Ciaran is just the thing. She plans to have him jilt her once her birthday has passed, but their feelings soon become all too real, only Lucy continues to believe them to be one-sided.

Lucy was ridiculously frustrating. She was stubborn and willfully naive, despite the fact that she was fully aware of just how sheltered she really was. Even after learning of her uncle's scheming, she didn't really think he would stoop to doing such a thing to her, despite the fact that his own wife and daughter hate him. She just never stopped to think about anything, especially Ciaran's feelings, and refused to listen to him; she was happy enough to doubt Ciaran while putting undeserved faith in her terrible uncle's sense of decency. It made no sense.

This one was full of angst, people who have no idea how to communicate, and scheming relatives who are constantly being underestimated. This was definitely a slow burn between Ciaran and Lucy because they started off as friends and because of this stunted communication. The plot was heavily driven by Lucy making stupid decisions and I found myself rapidly losing patience with her. The pace did finally pick up in the last quarter or so, though still plagued with poor decisions and lack of communication, but it did hold my attention and kept me invested. When the communication did finally come, however, it was truly lovely, especially on Ciaran's part and given his struggle with depression and apathy in the previous books of this series. All in all, I enjoyed this one.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo... ...more

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Feb 16, 2020 Robin rated it did not like it

**I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**
The beginning of this book was delightful. I was so hopeful I was going to get a Rolex a la Loretta Chase. However, this train jumped the track, crashed through the brush, and hit a tree.
My issues:
1. Who is this person in charge of Lady Sutcliffe and her finds? Clearly, this aunt/uncle is not the person who inherited the title after her father died.
2. Best friends do not occur overnight. The author goes to great lengths to tell us ad naus ...more

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About Anna Bradley

Anna Bradley

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Anna Bradley is an award-winning author of steamy Regency Historical Romances. Anna lives with her husband and two children in Portland, OR, where people are delightfully weird and love to read.

Readers can get in touch with Anna via her webpage at http://www.annabradley.net, or, for all things romance (and an occasional "hot hero" pic!) please visit Anna on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ann ...more