A delightful historical romance that began with a wager on a lady's virtue. Ambrose accepts the wager to ruin Lady Alexandra so he can do it gently fearing others might do it cruelly. He is a confirmed rake and doesn't realize the adventure he is about to undertake or the lengths he is willing to go to to protect his lover. The story is very sweet with a little bit of heat and a HEA that seems a little rushed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Barclay Publicity for an advance reader copy of this book. This is my honest review.

Publisher's Description:

HE’S MADE A DANGEROUS WAGER

Ambrose Worthing is no gentleman. He’s a proud cold-hearted rake who’s determined to stay a bachelor forever. He enjoys bedding a different woman every night without the risk of falling in love. When he hears about a wager over the seduction and ruination of the daughter of his father’s best friend, he knows he must intervene. Committing himself to the bet, he agrees to seduce Lady Alexandra Rockford—for her own good. He never expected the lady in question to be a beautiful, fiery creature who has passions of her own that call to his guarded heart.

SHE’S VOWED NEVER TO FALL IN LOVE AGAIN

Alexandra Rockford has sworn off men, her heart still broken from the false promises of a childhood sweetheart who left her to marry an heiress. When she stumbles into Ambrose outside of a country ball, she knows the rake is trouble. His smile, his touch, his forbidden kiss are all too tempting but being with him would ruin her. Determined to enjoy herself without falling in love, Alex can’t help but let her defenses down with the too charming rake. But when she discovers Ambrose is seducing her to win a bet, it will take everything Ambrose has to prove to her that he is worthy to love her.

My Thoughts:

This is another pleasingly mild erotic historical romance by one of my favorite authors.
Her characters and the storyline are well developed and kept this readers attention. It is a fast paced read which can be finished quickly.
I am enamored with Laurens Historical titles.
I gave this mildly erotic tale 4.25 of 5 stars for storyline and characterization and 3 of 5 flames for heat
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this book to read and review.
This in no way affected my opinion of this book.

A quick and fun read about two people who eschew love but what happens…of course, love. Ambrose is definitely worthy of the rake title but he is a rake with a conscience and a heart. I love the interaction between Ambrose and Alexandra. Yes it is steamy but also sweet. Can you ruin a woman without really ruining her? Read and find out.

Hoping Darlington gets a story – a bad boy who maybe isn’t. And what about Perdita?

Ambrose Worthing is no gentleman. He’s a proud cold-hearted rake who’s determined to stay a bachelor forever. He enjoys bedding a different woman every night without the risk of falling in love. When he hears about a wager, placed by Gerald Langley, over the seduction and public ruination of the daughter of his father’s best friend The Earl of Rockford, he knows he must intervene. Committing himself to the bet, he agrees to seduce Lady Alexandra Rockford, for her own good. He never expected the lady in question to be a beautiful, fiery creature who has passions of her own that call to his guarded heart.
Alexandra Rockford has sworn off men, her heart still broken from the false promises of a childhood sweetheart who left her to marry an heiress. When she stumbles into Ambrose outside of a country ball, she knows the rake is trouble. His smile, his touch, his forbidden kiss are all too tempting but being with him would ruin her. Determined to enjoy herself without falling in love, Alex can’t help but let her defences down with the too charming rake. However then she discovers Ambrose is seducing her to win a bet.
Another well written book by the author, I was drawn in to it from the first page. Ambrose is everything a rake should be, Alex is delightful & at their first meeting proves she’s no shrinking violet but felling him with her knee. Their verbal sparring is very entertaining & often had me chuckling. Their attraction to each other simmers & then sizzles. The lengths Ambrose went to win Alex was touching & definitely a case of when a rake fell he tumbled!

The Rakehell’s Seduction by Lauren Smith
Seduction Series #2

The characters in this book grew on me the further I read. I found Ambrose to be rather abrupt and straightforward in stating what he wanted from Alexandra and I found her to be a bit naïve …well…sort of naïve. I am not sure anyone would really come right out and say or do some of things Ambrose did or that a woman would fall for him as quickly as Alexandra did BUT this is fiction and a story to entertain – and it did. Things became more complicated when Darlington arrived on the scene and his machinations were put into play. I kind of want to read more about Darlington as he seems an intriguing character. This was a story with a happy ending and a few twists and turns taken to get there.

Thank you to NetGalley and Barclay Publicity for the book. This is my honest review.

3 Stars

This is an honest review for an ARC. There was, to my mind's eye, nothing wrong with this book. The story was ok. I felt it could have been much more.

This book was a quick and enjoyable read. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. This novel is mainly romance with betrayal and deception, but one of the characters has noble intentions.
Ambrose Worthing is a rake, but is a family friend of the Rockford's. When he reads about a bet at White's to ruin the reputation of Alexandra Rockford, he knows he must protect the lady. However, a bet in White''s must be seen through to the end. When Ambrose meets Alex, he is begins to see what makes her so attractive. Alex knows Ambrose is a rake and after having been burned once before, she is leery to give her heart away again. As they spend time together, there attractions grow deeper. However, many are still interested in gaining the 5000 pounds for Alex's ruination. Ambrose makes a decision but cannot go through with the wager because he is in love with Alex. While traveling to London, Alex is "kidnapped" in order for someone to earn the money. Ambrose chases after them to London, but knows what the outcome must be. Alex learns the truth about the wager and Ambrose's role. She is deeply hurt by this but cannot understand why someone wanted to ruin her (you will have to read to find out why and it has to due with Alex's past). Will Alex be able to forgive Ambrose and have the love she craves? Will Ambrose be able to save Alex's reputation? Read and find out!!

Okay, clearly I was expecting something different than what I got. The hero was completely insufferable. I mean, really?

"For once in his life he was trying to do the right thing by a woman. It was a bit ironic, though , that saving the woman required compromising her. But the Earl of Rockford and his father had been friends, and Ambrose felt he owed it to Rockford to win the wager and keep the lady safe from true scoundrels. No other man would take the care with her that he would and see to it that her first time with a man was a pleasurable experience."

Oh yes, you are so benevolent.

"He knew he shouldn’t be enjoying the earl’s hospitality when his plan was to pluck the daughter’s virginity like a ripe apricot. An apricot whose sweet juices would taste like nectar when he buried his head between her thighs. He might be a cad, but still better him than the other men at the club who’d wished to take on the wager. Ambrose’s former friend, Vaughn , now Viscount Darlington, had been debating on whether to sign his name to the betting book."

I mean, that's just disgusting. THIS is our hero? Am I supposed to get behind this sort of man and cheer him on? Ew, no. No redeeming this one in my eyes. He's an ass. Just when I was going to give him a second chance, he repeats his asinine claim about why he's going to take her virginity.

“See, this is why we are no longer friends. You assume I dictate my life choices based on my need for coin. But I’m not like you, Vaughn. I’m a friend of Lord Rockford’s, and I accepted the bet to ensure that Alex’s first time is enjoyable, not wretched as those others driven by money might make it. Unlike you, I have a heart.”

And then this...

"I’m falling for this woman, a feisty country girl who can’t stand London, and I’m destined to ruin her and break her heart in order to save her."

YOU ARE NOT A HERO! This is not you "saving" her, for God's sake.

And her?

"His fingers around her waist dug deep. She stifled a gasp when the primal possessive touch shot straight to her core, making her wet. That was a problem."

Yes, when a man is groping you on the dance floor when you've made it clear you're not interested - that's definitely arousing. YUCK.

Very quickly became a book that was not for me.