Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - The Perfect Rake

Goddd I am loving this author! This outshines almost all HR I've read, the tensions and build up is unreal and the complexities of their woven webs of deceit and honour are so beautifully laced. I wished only for this book to be longer - our FMC and MMC deserved just a few more pages of HEA. Gideon is probably one of my favourite, if not my all time favourite, MMC's due to his, well, everything. And the FMC is interesting and has quality characteristics that are valued. This isn't a lust match - this is a LOVE match and they take their sweet time. He falls first and he falls HARD.

*this story has a darker tone and isn't the pick for a feel good heartwarmer, but the ending is sugar sweet*

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absterlee's review against another edition

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4.0

While I found some of this book problematic for me, I couldn’t get over how much the MMC adored the FMC. Some HRs with “ugly ducking” or “plain” FMCs take the path of her being undesirable and the FMC finds her beauty first in her personality and then in little features of her looks (if that makes sense). In this book he’s literally convinced that she’s a diamond of the first water despite what everybody else says and cannot perceive how anybody could think otherwise. Also, truly this is one of the only books I’ve read where the dialogue makes me laugh out loud. His banter is unmatched.

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angsquared's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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linwood's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

She’s considered plain, especially next to her gorgeous sisters, but to him she’s a ravenous beauty. He’s considered a rake, but once he meets her every other woman pales in comparison. The best part of this book is the way he thinks about her and admires her.

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jehansen127's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-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

3.0

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aoifesbookshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

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

3.5

This book just... didn't do it for me. Which is a pity because it had so many elements I enjoyed and I liked some of the characters. 3.5 stars almost feels too harsh and yet anything higher feels like too much.

Lets start with what I enjoyed.

The main characters:
- Prue and Gideon were great. Genuinely great characters and had they not have been, this book would have been a DNF for me.
- Both of them were mature, yet funny. They knew when to be serious and when to be lighthearted.
- Gideon was a dream. One of the best MMCs in HR. The title of the book was apt; The Perfect Rake. Rakish and flirty but smart and protective. His attraction to Prue made him even better. He only had eyes for her despite everyone else thinking she was the plain, ugly ducking sister.
- Prue, the mother figure to her sisters. Right from the beginning we see that she is selfless and will do anything to save her sisters. She will always out herself in the firing line and take the blame. Everything she does, she does with her sisters in mind.
The supporting characters; James, Sir Oswald and Lady Augusta
The
Fake courtship!
This is one of my favourite tropes when its done well
Gideon & Grace's dynamic. Very sweet.

Now, what I didn't like

The three middle sisters. I didn't feel connected to them at all. They have no personalities or defining features and simply blended together. When I finished this book, I want to be excited for the following 3 but I wasn't. I have no desire to read about them. In all honestly I was far more interested in
Ozzie & Gussie.
There was too much going on
- The Grandfather and his very graphic
  abuse
- The runaway plot and fake letter
- Misaken identity
- Fake courtship!
- Secret courtship/proposal between Prue and Philip
- The backstory between Gideon and Edward's parents
- Another runaway but this time with the Heros
- Gideon getting shot. This was resolved very quickly and honestly felt as through it was there for drama's sake when there was enough of that already
- Philip's return, ending of the engagement, him being married to someone else
- The miscarried baby
- Being found by the grandfather
- Prue getting kidnapped
- A wedding!
There was about 2 books worth of plot lines here and it was all simply too much for me that I couldn't enjoy it. It was all tied together at the end but there was so much to keep track of.

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