Miss Cristyn Bevan while working at her father’s sanatorium met Mr. Aidan Black in the terrible throes of opium addiction. Cristyn took gentle care of him and while she did, she grew closer to Aidan, crossing over a line being a professional into loving him. The more their love for each other grows, it’s not too last because Aidan must go home because he is the Wollstonecraft heir to Earl Carstone, which Cristyn doesn’t even know. As the date for him to leave grows closer Aidan feels that he isn’t worthy of her especially when Cristyn doesn’t know who he really is or that in truth he is cursed. When Aidan gets home though, things are so different, and the memory of Cristyn haunts him all the time. Cristyn also can’t forget her heartbreak and begs her father to let her leave going to a good friend of her father, in Earl Shilton. Aidan wants to restore himself and plans to pose as an overseer in a cotton mill. If Cristyn exposes how she knows Aidan, then the truth will come out making him lose everything including her.
What a wonderful emotion laden historical romance that definitely will evoke such strong sentiments that of course it’s hard not to feel something for the entire story! The book moves effortlessly rolling historic fiction with romance that it isn’t hard see everything visually quite easily. The time and professions were well researched out, is told with a strong sense of compassion and respect. The fields of doctor and nurse are brought to the forefront but told with much detail, even at the time the tale was written nursing wasn’t recognized as a profession yet. Still the nature of it doesn’t delve into the impossible because at the core of it is to care for another. So even though this is a fictional romance story anyone in healthcare will admire how Ms. Karyn Gerrard did an excellent way of describing the heart of the profession and sometimes the tough sacrifices that anyone in healthcare has made. Cristyn is just a fantastic sensitive kindhearted heroine that not only is she just the perfect description of a nurse she is a nurse even without the credentials. Sure, she crossed a line, but many caregivers have crossed that proverbial line, even though it’s wrong she recognizes that she loves Aidan deeply and isn’t afraid to show it. Aidan is just the ideal tortured angsty hero, that I couldn’t help but fall for him too. He didn’t seem very rakish to me; yes, he had some exploits but the fact that he had feelings for the consequences didn’t strike me as very good rake. Will I read more by Ms. Gerrard of course I will! Now I can’t wait to read the entire series!

The heir to his family’s fortune, Aidan Wollstonecraft is ready to put his prodigal ways in the past and prove himself worthy of his illustrious name. Going undercover in a factory to expose the wretched working conditions, Aidan believes his noble act will lead him to a better future. Until he’s reunited with the sweet beauty who saw him through his darkest days. Cristyn Bevan stirs him like no other woman before. Makes him yearn to claim her, despite the damning curse that dooms any Wollstonecraft wife to an all-too-early death . . .

To fall for Aidan would be her undoing. Yet, something about the blue-blooded scoundrel draws Cristyn to him like a moth to a deadly flame. Is it a desire to heal him that keeps the lovely nurse close? Or her secret hope that somehow, some way, Aidan can let go of his dark past and see the light—and the love—waiting for him?

This is the first book I've read by Karen Gerrard . This book had alot of ties to the previous 2 books in the series, I think. The were so many characters in this book, it was hard to keep them straight.
I liked the storyline. Aiden, heir to an Earl, is a recovering drug addict. The story starts with him in the sanitarium going thru some nasty withdrawals.
This is where we meet Crystin. She is his nurse helping him thru these hard times.

I just didn't feel the connection between these two. I tried to like Crystin but just couldn't. I thought she was immature.
And with Aiden, my heart went out to him for what he was suffering, but felt he wasn't in a place to pursue a relationship.
I think if I had read the books previous in the series, I would have loved this book more. Because what I did like about it, was the epilogue. It really summed up the series nicely.

It took a bit for me to get into this book. It starts a bit slow but definitely picks up. I like the fact that it the hero is an addict as well as an heir to an earl. It shows that no matter your circumstances, addict can happen. The heroine intrigued me because it's not often you find a female nurse/doctor in that era. It was on over all decent book.

Aidan Wollstonecraft has been recovering from an addiction to opium at a private sanatorium ran by Dr. Gethin Bevan. While there, Aiden starts to fall in love with his nurse, Cristyn Bevan. His entire adult life has been one party to drown himself and escape his family's curse.

When he has recovered, Aiden decides he wants to make something of himself. Aiden consults his father and grandfather and he is inserted into the role of an overseer at a corrupt mill. His goal is to expose the illegal activities and shut down the mill.

Cristyn is stinging from Aiden's rejection and tells her father she wants to go to London to become a nurse. Her father helps her get a position in a village with a fellow doctor. She encounters Aiden at the mill. Cristyn and Aiden have the opportunity to repair and renew their relationship. Will Aiden be able to ignore the family curse and find his true love?

I really liked the historical detail in this book. The main characters were different from the norm because Aiden is a recovering addict and Cristyn has enough practical training to be a doctor in her own right. I thought the book was well written.

As I have not read the first two books (they are on my to-buy list now), I found the chapters that involved Aiden's family confusing. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you!

I wanted to love this book so much. Being a recovering alcoholic myself, I was so excited to read this from the first page. It’s not often historical romances deal with the hero having an addiction and especially not with such real details.
Unfortunately, I just couldn’t take to either of the characters. It seemed ridiculous to me that they supposedly had this amazing connection yet had never had a real conversation about much of anything. Cristyn sees Aiden at his lowest point and instantly falls for him. While I can understand that there would be a certain amount of empathy, I doubt anyone would fall in love with an emaciated drug addict at first sight.
There was too much else going on in this book when actually the tale of Aiden’s recovery and distancing himself from Cristian would have been enough to hold its own. I read to around 40% and then skim read the rest.
2 stars.

I love a historical that has romance, intrigue, and characters that I really like. This book has it all, and tugged at my emotions. I received an arc of this book.

Cristyn, Aidan’s nurse while in the hospital, loves Aidan more than can be imagined, but he believes she needs a better man than him. Aidan leaves the sanatorium and Cristyn to find meaning for his life as he returns to his family and strives to continue to hold back the demons of addiction. Once he returns to his family, they assist him in proving his life can be used to serve and protect others. His father and grandfather are very interested in reform of factory laws, in protecting the workers, including the children working in the mills. Thus, he goes ‘undercover’ to seek information.

It seemed a little far-fetched that Aidan would go from an addiction hospital to undercover in the mill. Yet, he does so creditable, with the reminder that being an addict is a life long disease he must continually fight. Ms. Gerrard handles the decent of addiction and recovery well.

There are times when Crystal is unsure of Aidan and what he is doing at the mill. They are both trying to help the children although Aidan does not appear to be doing so from appearance. Her love for him proves strong as this story moves to conclusion. Cristyn is extremely honest about her feelings for Aidan. She has a very modern view on her virginity.

We knew from previous books of the depths to which Aidan fell before coming out of his addicted stupor and how he was used. Once again, I believe Ms. Riordan’s writing delves too much into deviant descriptions. Even the doctor’s life does not need to be told at such length as it did not change or benefit the romance between Cristyn and Aidan. Cristyn is extremely honest about her feelings for Aidan. She has a very modern view on her virginity.

The Wollstonecraft curse as it pertains to women and the love of the men of the family continues to play a huge part in the decisions made by the men. This whole series is not light-hearted. It is enjoyable, but know that it goes deeper into deviancy than most romances.

4.5 stars - This is a very well thought, deeply involved out romance. This second chance romance has a lot of layers. There’s a hero recovering from opium addiction and crawling out of the hole he’s found himself in after that addiction lead him to auctioning himself off to the highest bidder. There is our heroine who learned medicine at her fathers side, knowing all it takes to be a physician. Yet she’s a woman so in society’s eyes, not qualified to serve in that role. She nurses the hero back from the brink of death enduring the time they spent together, with him as patient and her as provider, they develop deep feelings from one another. Because of his expressed fear of falling in love, her dad’s knowledge of his background and fear of societal judgment he leaves her. She is heartbroken but fate has more to say about their lives together and how their story will end. It’s a very engrossing read.

It should be noted that there is talk of a previous M/M sexual encounters; however, in my view the telling of it is not salacious and there are no actual M/M sex scenes. There is an explicit sex scene or two. They are M/F. If any of this bothers you, you should give this one a pass. Otherwise, I think it’s a really great read and you’ll enjoy it!

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is the third installment of the Men of Wollstonecraft Hall series. I recommend that you read the first two, else you may feel a bit lost. I missed the first one, but did read book two in which Aidan's struggle and Cristyn's work at her father's sanatorium was a large part of the story.

I really enjoyed reading about Aidan's fight with opium addiction and all the accompanying baggage that went with it. It was a nice change of pace to see the hero struggling with a real life problem. It wasn't pretty, and he wasn't always particularly likeable, but it was real. The plight of factory workers in the 1800's, especially women and children, was absolutely heartbreaking and riveting. It's hard to believe that children were once treated that way in a supposedly civilized nation.

I did have a bit of an issue with the romance between Aidan and Cristyn. I can't put my finger on it , but I just couldn't warm up to Cristyn, though I liked her in the previous book. The romance just didn't ring true to me. Perhaps if there had been a little more focus on their relationship without the side stories of romances of other men in the Wollstonecraft family I would have felt it more. Still, this story is well worth the read for the compelling issues of drug addiction and factory conditions.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Love with a Notorious Rake by Karyn Gerrard is book Three in the Men of Wollstonecraft series. This is the story of Cristyn Bevan and Aidan Wollstonecraft. I have read the previous books, but feel you can read this as a standalone book.
Aidan is working to better himself after moving past his opium addiction by going undercover to help bust a dangerous working mill. Aidan ends up running into Cristyn who help to nurse him back to health. Aidan and Cristyn become friends during his time with her. Cristyn is a nurse who is working with a Dr in the area. Cristyn doesn't know his full story but he can't have her giving anything away about him too. But he is doing a boarder line walk to keep from hurting her and his work.
Enjoyed reading their story.

I’ve never read a historical romance which dealt with addiction as it being anything other than a thing villains had a problem with, so Love With A Notorious Rake is absolutely unique. The hero, Aidan Wollestonecraft, will eventually inherit his grandfather’s title but in the meantime, he’s basically bored senseless. Starting off with women and wine, he eventually falls deep into the grip of opium addiction, and the book begins at the point where his family intervenes, sweeping him off to a private sanatorium in Wales to recover.

Cristyn Bevan is the daughter and nurse-assistant to her father, who runs the sanatorium. Though she’s seen plenty of recovering addicts, something about Aidan touches her heart. While he’s affected in return, he’s also wise enough (and kind enough) to realize that he needs to make a full recovery before he can even contemplate loving anyone, and he’s not sure he knows how to love a woman anyway.

There’s a rather emotional breakup when Aidan goes home to his family, and Cristyn chooses to leave her father’s sanatorium and go out to get some wider medical experience. Her father sends her to an old schoolfriend in Leicestershire trying to help the poor people in a mill town.

It’s pure coincidence that Aidan, trying to find a cause to make himself useful and choosing the plight of factory and mill workers, ends up undercover as a supervisor at the mill in the same town.

Lots of shenanigans ensue with Adorable Plot Moppets thrown into the mix (abused orphans working in the mill) and a lot of angst for the genuinely deplorable conditions a lot of working class people found themselves trapped in during the early Victorian era, when the Industrial Revolution was in full swing but there were as yet few provisions for worker protection. The author has done her research, and the pathos of the situation was beautifully portrayed while honestly adding to the romance between Cristyn and Aidan, given their mutual desire to help.

There aren’t many things I like better than a well-researched Historical With A Cause, and this is a great addition to my collection. I’ll definitely be reading more of Karyn Gerrard in the future. Five stars.

Step into history and lose yourself in a story that will pull at your emotions. Lady Livia Shaw had secrets that nobody should know. But in a unexpected encounter when she was being attacked by street urchins, none other than Adrian, Duke of Preston comes to her aid. Yes, one of the infamous Shaw's that she knew from the past when he was at a low point. The worst part is she later discovers she has lost her brooch that linked her past that she had never gotten over. What to do? She has to find it! Of course Adrian found Livia very attractive and was set on helping her find her missing piece of jewelry. As they spend time with each other, the attraction is off the charts.
There was so much to this story that I could hardly put it down. It touched on some subjects that, although very sad, were true for the times and even now. As the tale unfolded, we learn a lot about the past of Adrian and Livia pulled at the heart and I turned the pages hoping they could help each other.
Even though part of a series, this can be read as a standalone. Don't miss this fast paced read with with humor at times as well as dark and shocking revelations that will have you sighing as you turn the last page.

I’ve enjoyed the stories in the series and this was no exception. Cristyn Bevan is a forthright woman but most of all she wants to make her own decisions. Through her work at her father’s infirmary, she comes into contact with Aidan Wollstonecraft. Aidan is a recovering addict and they definitely feel a connection. Aidan has become adept at masking his feelings but now he wants to make up for his past indiscretions. I loved the relationship between the two of them and how Cristyn was so understanding of how Aidan was affected by his recovery. This had a number of different elements, the strong family connection on both sides, addiction, the state of employment for the working classes and two secondary romances. This was such a good read that will tug at your heartstrings but leave you with a good feeling.
I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Aidan Wollstonecraft is the heir to his family’s earldom but has sunk to his lowest eb. Luckily his family rescue him & place him at Dr Bevan’s clinic where over months he's nursed back to health by the doctor & his daughter Cristyn. The attraction between Aidan & Cristyn is strong but they also like each other & they quietly fall in love whilst he recovers. Aidan feels unworthy of Cristyn & leaves her behind. He is ready to put his prodigal ways in the past and prove himself worthy of his illustrious name so he goes undercover in a cotton factory to expose the wretched working conditions. Fate takes a hand as Cristyn is working with Dr Paris Middlemiss in the very village Aidan is also working.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the whole series & think this final book is the best of the three, it could easily be read on its own. A well written book with characters who are very well portrayed. Aidan was totally lost but had matured enough to realise he wanted to change & wanted to make people be proud of him. I loved Aidan but then I love a redeemed rake & he certainly redeemed himself. Cristyn is a strong independent woman who truly loved Aidan. The pace of the book is very good & I was engrossed. Carter & Lottie of course pulled at my heart strings. The author painted a very harrowing picture of life for mill workers all the more so as based on facts.
There are misunderstandings that threaten to derail Aidan & Cristyn’s romance, the journey to their HEA wasn't easy. There was also the curse of the Wollstonecraft men in the background. I found the epilogue to be a lovely ‘round up' of the series & left me with a smile on my face
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

What sets ‘Love with a notorious rake’ apart from many books of this genre, is the inclusion of historical events, giving this story greater depth. This is the third book in the series which follows the Aidan Wollstonecraft, one of the ‘Men of Wollstonecraft Hall’. Aidan, the heir to the earldom is recovering from his opium addiction, under the care of Cristyn and her father. During this period, they find themselves drawn together, but Aidan believes that his dissolute pathway and the family curse, prevent him from pursuing a relationship with Cristyn. However, in his quest for redemption, Aidan begins work at a mill, known to his family as one that uses child labour. Similarly, Cristyn attempts to find a life beyond working for her father and finds work with her father’s friend, caring for those at the same mill where Aidan begins work.
Whilst Cristyn’s character is strong-willed and determined, Aidan’s character was very interesting. Here was a person who has lead quite a debauched lifestyle and constantly fights his addiction, yet in many ways showed great depth. Together with Cristyn’s belief in him, we see Aidan’s ability to rises above his past. It was also interesting to see his family’s response to his actions and their own journeys with romance. Whilst there are many taboo subjects explored within this story, all are done in a manner that does not make light of the issue, nor detracts from the romance.
Whilst this is a standalone book, probably my favourite so far in the series, it was great to see the links to the characters from previous books, all part of the Wollstonecraft family. A great read!
I received an advanced review copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book is an emotional roller coaster that will take you into our past and even present working conditions.

First off I want to say kudos to the author for the amount of research that she had to have put into writing this book. People tend to think child labor was thousands of years ago, but it really wasn’t and even in the 1920’s America corporations was still using child labor and even today several countries including China still uses child labor so keep that in mind while you are paying for cheap goods.

I have loved Cristyn’s character since I first meet her, I knew she was a strong willed and minded woman of her time and she just proves this in hers and Aidan’s story. These two go into horrible working conditions to help those that don’t have the means to help themselves and before you know it they are working together to fight for those less fortunate, this is true romance at its best.
Warning this story is not for the faint of heart if you love kids, but for those of you who buy cheap goods, you really need to read this to find out what real child labor is all about and this is why I look high and low for made in the USA or any country goods that don’t have child labor and I will pay more for these goods because of things such as this.

I recommend this to everyone, you need to remember our past and present in child labor and you get a good romance story along with it.

Unusual romance of a recovering addict trying to overcome his demons and become worthy of his family title. Owing his thanks to the sanitarium doctor and his beautiful daughter, Cristyn, Aidan leaves on shaky ground. Fate intervenes and brings Aidan's angel, Cristyn, back into his life when he is working undercover to bring reform to the working conditions in the cotton mills. No smooth sailing, but a constant temptation of backsliding due to frustration and anger. His only constant is Cris, the woman he loves. Some references to dark sex, addiction and cruelty reflecting the Victorian period.
(reference to Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South cotton mills)

Love with a Notorious Rake is a good solid historical romance. I enjoyed it immensely. I like how the story progressed and the historical aspects of the story. GOod romance

I loved Karyn Gerrard's Love With a Notorious Rake. It was refreshing to read a historical romance novel that includes a commoner for a heroine instead of the usual dukes, earls, etc. Aidan is an heir to an earldom, but he really doesn't act like one. He is further than a rake hell, he is an opium addict who has been staying at a sanatorium for months to beat his addiction. The one bright spot in his life is his doctor's daughter, Cristyn, a nurse at the facility.
Cristyn is falling for Aidan. He is completely unsuitable and will probably break her heart - and she doesn't even know his real name. But he needed her when he was fighting his addiction and they may have forged a bond that is unbreakable.
Aidan will break her heart though, more than once it seems, and be warned, Aidan doesn't begin this story as a likable guy. He is haughty and hurtful to Cristyn when she tries to make him feel something. And he rides away without looking back.
Their story is rocky, but these two are meant for each other. Aidan takes up the cause of disreputable factory owners and is working under cover. Cristyn ends up in the same village nursing the factory workers who she believes Aidan is helping to work them to an early death. Can they find a way to be with each other? Or is there too much hurt?
Obviously, these two can't stay away from each other and each encounter gets hotter and hotter! Steamy scenes ahead! Highly recommend this book, it's great!