An entertaining historical romance. I enjoyed the characters. The tension between the protagonists and the setting all added to the enjoyment. Looking forward to more

I usually love Anna Bradley's books, but this was not good for me. First, there were 3 romances going on in the story and it was too crammed full of scenes with all 3 couples that muddled the storyline. Lady Lucinda Sutcliffe and Ciaran Ramsey were the main couple and I found Lucy to be quite wild and not at all what a young lady would act like especially all her meetings with Ciaran. She rationalizes these as Ciaran is her best friend over and over and over again. I got it! Throw in a tyrannical uncle trying to steal Lucy's money by selling her to an evil earl and it all felt too contrived. I wished Ms. Bradley had just focused on Lucy and Ciaran and developed their relationship more and left out Lucy's two friends' storylines for future books.

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.

What a wonderful tale for Ciaran. He deserved a HEA. Meeting Lucy was a delight. Lucy is smart, strong, sassy but also vulnerable. Ciaran is lost. Their story is fast and furious! You will love 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 have thought. She might need to help of a friend.

I really enjoyed this book. Lucy made me think about what I would have been like had I been born in the same era. Her spirit and gumption were inspirational. Ciaran was a bit of a lost soul needing to be saved. I enjoyed the writing and all the characters. The story had lots of twists and turn.

For the Sake of a Scottish Rake will be published February 18th, 2020. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Corp. for the ARC. All opinions are my own,

This was a three romances in one story kind of deal. The romances all felt too superficial and not well-developed. I wish the author had put more effort into showing the relationships develop rather than just telling. I skimmed many parts at the end because the story felt like it dragged in parts. This read was well-written, but it just was not my favorite.

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) pile..But by the middle I couldn't care less if these two Ciaran and Lucy wanted each other if they even spent time with each other, couldn't have cared less. Then they to do a buy one get two free scenario, what am I talking about well they had three couples all seemed to have the same situation, I mean if you are going to give me three for the price of one, change it up a bit..Ok no more, bad mouthing...

Overall, a good story as this series continues. Ciaran thinks he’s saving Lucy’s life as she takes a scandalous morning swim. What happens is an unlikely friendship. Lucy’s uncle is a horrible person scheming to marry Lucy to a horrible man to get her fortune. Ciaran and his friends help her.

There are really three romances in this story, but I feel the primary romance dragged. The story is kind of slow and romance doesn’t happen until the last quarter of the book. This leads to a rushed ending. This book is a case of too many storylines and plot points and nothing really getting enough time.

I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Ciaran and Lucy are defiantly a favorite of mine. There was nothing about this book not to love. I especially enjoyed how the author made the reader feel like they were a part of the story. I couldn't wait to turn the page and see what happened next. Anna Bradley continues to bring out the best in 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 London - mundane interactions at balls with the evil villain publicly being evil and the band of insta-friends who are conveniently paired up. Every couple seemed to be experiencing the exact same romantic problems at the same time. Ciaran and his friends are incredibly insightful about each others emotional state, but are in denial about their own. It's maddening!

The quest to discover the villain's devious plan wasn't that exciting because rifling through his office in secret really didn't reveal any new information. The faux discovery and the over-the-top reactions of the heroine and her friends didn't jive since they already had the information. And this happened TWICE. The London scenes became recycled filler that didn't add much to the story.

I wish there were more time spent with the main characters in Brighton as they got to know one another and the sinister motives of the Uncle could have been woven into the background instead of recounted after the fact.

The heroine's objection to marrying the hero - that she was in love with - was baffling. Little about this story made sense.

Review excerpted from my blog post over at FanSciHist (https://fanscihist.wordpress.com/2020/01/05/for-the-sake-of-a-scottish-rake-by-anna-bradley/)

My Rating: 4 stars

Library recommendation: Recommended for public library historical romance collections.

Warning: Hereafter, you chance spoilers. I will try never to reveal major plot points, but to review any book, you must reveal some parts of the story.


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Number of titles I have read by this author: 6

Love story speed: Medium burn

Relationship dynamics: The Gallant Scottish Rake (H) / The Orphaned English Lady (h)

Sexual content: Some; both on-screen and explicit

Triggers: Abuse (emotional, physical – of h and supporting characters, not by H); threat of forced marriage (not to H); forcible confinement (not by H)

Grammar/Editing: This ARC had some very minor grammatical errors.

Review: This installment of the series is a significant improvement over the previous book (see my review of the second book in the series here: https://fanscihist.wordpress.com/2019/09/22/to-wed-a-wild-scot-by-anna-bradley/), although some of the plot is fairly predictable. It has a slow-quick-slow-quick pace, is set in 1818, and is well-researched, much like its predecessors.

The main characters in this novel are Ciaran and Lucy. I have been waiting for Ciaran’s story since he gallantly decided to snub the belles and dance with all of the wallflowers in More or Less a Temptress (see my review here https://fanscihist.wordpress.com/2018/11/12/more-or-less-a-temptress-by-anna-bradley/), and he does not disappoint in his own story. I also really liked Lucy – she is quite a spitfire. Ciaran and Lucy start with a chance encounter, become friends, and gradually develop into more. They are generally very honest with each other (if not with themselves), which I really appreciate. The supporting characters are also well-enough developed for multiple successful romantic subplots involving Ciaran and Lucy’s friends. Vale and Eloisa were the most interesting to me of these. The villains in this installment are also dastardly and vividly described, which really enriched the narrative.

Cure-All version: Unlike other draughts, this cure-all (and its related tonics) can be taken at will and in large doses without ill effects. A warning, however: excessive consumption of common ingredients leads to predictable results and reduced efficacy.



Full disclosure: I received a free advance review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lady Lucy was left an orphan with a sizable inheritance which was put into the hands of her greedy, indebted, and cruel uncle. When she learns her uncle plans to get rid of her so he can take her money, Lucy desperately tries to convince her best friend to court her so she is protected. Can Ciaran give up his dreams of returning to Scotland to help out Lucy, and will it make any difference at all in her uncles schemes?
Light, easy read. Great characters and well developed plot made this an enjoyable story.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! It is romantic, funny, and witty! Every time I picked up "For the Sake of a Scottish Rake", I felt like I was transported back in time to the Regency Era, and was there in the story.

This is the first book I have read by Anna Bradley, as well as the first book I have read in this series. and I cannot wait to read more! Her writing style is extremely vivid, and she truly makes the world of the book come to life. The characters feel like they jump right off of the page, and they all seem extremely personal and real. Their interactions with each other were well-thought out and beautifully written, and felt very authentic to each characters' personality. I also loved getting to read some of the characters' inner dialogue in addition to what they said out loud as well! I also love how many of the characters grew throughout the book, and how their relationships with one another grew stronger and closer as well, and how that shaped their actions and desires.

If you love Regency romance, and / or historical fiction, I HIGHLY recommend this book. I did not want to put it down, and could not wait to see how things played out chapter after chapter. There were quite a few twists and turns I was not expecting at all. And the meeting between Ciaran and Lucy was both sweet and hilarious!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an ARC of this wonderful book. All opinions shared in this review are my own.

I have read the other books in this series and was looking forward to Ciarin’s story. As usual, Anna Bradley does not disappoint. The characters are likable and the plot reasonable; what sets Ms, Bradley’s books apart from the many others in this very crowded genre, however, is her dialogue which is laced with humor while keeping with the time period.

ANNA BRADLEY, YOU GUYS!

I think after every single one of her books, my review says "oh my god, these guys are my favourite fictional pairing!!" and in this book: you get 3 for the price of one!!

I loved everything about this story, from the heroine to the small appearances of characters we know and love from previous books but I've got to say my most favourite thing about this book is that Ciaran Ramsey is happy!!!

As always, the writing was flawless, the plot followed smoothly and the characters were all lovable. Bring me the next book!

CIARAN RAMSEY IS HAPPY!!!!!

This was a well written tale of a betrothal of convenience. After Lucy’s brother, and Ciaran future brother in law, Matthew accrues outrages gambling debt to a skeezy navy officer he then promises Lucy’s hand in marriage to the guy in exchange for his debts to be wiped out. Well despite Lucy and Ciaran getting off to a rocky start they eventually team up and fake a betrothal to thwart the villain. As the realize the dislike stemmed from misconceptions they begin to fall in love.
I really enjoyed this one. It seemed like the bad guy was going to win but the hero prevails in the end.

I loved this story so much. I have to say though, if you enjoy angst and slow burn and not some sexy time until the end of the book than this is the book for you.

I did think that the characters and story were great. I loved Lucy and Ciaran. They were so sweet. I hope there are more books for come for Felicia and Eloise.

The heroine in this one has equal parts gumption and naïveté. This combo finds her getting in quite a few difficult positions. While she is quick to devise a plan, the hero always seems to be in the neighborhood and eager to offer assistance. There is a devious, hateful uncle who serves as the villain of the tale. It’s a solid romance. The author could have gotten two additional stories out of this one, but chose to give the two best friends a HEA in the background of this story. I wish they each got their own books so I could have seen more of those interactions and appreciate their unions more.

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

This is my first book by the author and won't be my last. Lucinda n Ciaran were meant to be with each other. It's a friends to lovers story which I absolutely enjoyed. Ciaran is a Scot forced to leave Scotland along with his brothers. He wasn't happy in London. Lucinda is dealing with her own set of problems. I liked their interactions .i like heroes who are eager to help others.
Looking forward to read more by the author

A depressed Scot. A lady enjoying life on the sly. He "saves" her, gets a broken nose for his efforts, and they become friends. They save each other through various misadventures until the "friends" label becomes a road block to more intense feelings. This story has a wonderful cast of characters, friends and villains alike. I totally enjoyed it even though I hadn't read the previous book which would explain the source of our Scot's depression and exile from his home.