An impulsive heroine, Lucy, meets a heartbroken protective hero, Ciaran. He tries to protect her from an evil guardian uncle, Jarvis, and a fortune hunter, Lord Godfrey, who wants to wed her and eventually kill her off. The villains are exceptionally cruel in this book. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Kensington Books for my honest review.

"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. (He tried to marry her off to some old lecherous titled guy who may or may not have killed his first wife because he owes him money. Only it turned out his true plan was so much worse! Because Lucy's father was considered "mad", everyone already suspects it runs in the family, and he pushed her into all sort of erratic-looking behavior so he can have her declared mad, ship her off to an asylum, and get control over her fortune. He actually succeeds in the latter…) 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.

Wonderful story about a heroine who can take care of herself and a hero who keeps trying to save her. Burdened with a guardian who has only his own interests at heart, and a heavy purse which makes her his target, the heroine eventually makes her way to the hero allowing him to save her from a fate worse than death, a fate that might include death. Along the way, two other couples also find happiness together. A delightful read, perfect for escape!

I just loved the cover especially that lovely green dress and such a confident sway. Didn't expect it to be part of a series but the story itself is standalone so nothing to fret about.

Overall, it was an exciting read with good plots that kept me entertained. However, there were moments where it drags a little with over melodramatic self deprecation that was unnecessary in my book. I tend to skip through it and continue through the more important highlights. I would think Anna Bradley's style is quite suited for literature type too.

Definitely a breezy read with good humour and a little unexpected twist. I didn't expect Lucy to be such an expert at picking locks but then I didn't expect her to save herself in the end either. I liked the strong headed Lucy, unlike some typical romance novel where the hero must save the damsel in distress, hence the favourable rating.

I feel like I probably would’ve gotten more enjoyment out of this if I had read the previous two books, but this was still an enjoyable read overall.

Lady Lucinda, Lucy, might be a lady by name but she loves being free to bathe on the beach alone at night, take in a bare knuckle fight and develop a ‘friendship’ with Ciaran. Ciaran is definitely in love with a woman in Scotland so he enjoys the developing ‘friendship’ with Lucy. He’s sure it is a friendship. But Lucy’s dastardly uncle wants to sell her or rather her trust fund to the evil Lord Godfrey to pay off his debts. Will Ciaran be able to stop him in time? And will Lucy and Ciaran’s friendship bloom into something else?

This was a very well written book. She took a tired old trope, the dastardly uncle and the trust fund, and breathed new life into it, especially the way the heroine was drawn. The secondary characters were interesting and believable. The dialog and the action was also believable and the suspense was enjoyable.

I would recommend this book to my patrons.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

A slow burn at first but built up to a sweet romantic end. 3.5 rounded up

Always enjoy an Anna Bradley book. In this book she takes familiar tropes (friends to lovers and fake engagement to avoid being forced into marriage to an old, evil man) and makes them fresh.

Ciaran Ramsey is the brother of Lachlan Ramsey from previous books. Ciaran was jilted by his childhood sweetheart when the family had to escape Scotland. Happiness has come to Lachlan and their sister, but Ciaran has yet to work through his heartbreak to begin to move forward.

A fateful meeting with Lady Lucinda at a Brighton beach changes the course of both of their lives.

What I liked most about For the Sake of a Scottish Rake was getting to see friends and family of both Ciaran and Lucy pair up and fall in love right along with them. At the end of this book three couples get their HEA. I enjoyed the camaraderie between these characters.

Romance and adventure, another winning combination for Anna Bradley.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC

I really enjoyed this third book in the Besotted Scots series. The main plot involved Lucy and Ciaran, but the characters of Lord Vale, Eloisa, Lord Markham, and Felicia were great additions to the story. Lady Lucinda Sutcliffe wants to enjoy life after being "locked up" while her father was alive and he was considered mad, so the ton assumes the same of her. Lucy is free spirited and does things that are considered unladylike. I really enjoyed how Ciaran and Lucy met and how their story developed, for it was not a typical meeting. Ciaran Ramsey is lost and does not know what to do with his life, but he believes going to Scotland will help. Upon meeting and getting to know Lucy, he craves more. Both fall in love with each other, but with Lucy's desire to never marry and Ciaran's desire to go to Scotland, they try to what they think is best for the other, even if it hurts them. Lucy's uncle keeps causing trouble and while Lucy says she does not need a protector, Ciaran knows he will do whatever it takes to keep her safe. Even though the other four characters' stories are not told explicitly, they are intertwined with Lucy and Ciaran's story. A delightful read!

I received an ARC of this story from Netgalley. Anna Bradley is an amazing author and weaves a scrumptious tale. She had me grinning from the very first page with her descriptive characters and the back and forth between Ciaran and Lucy when they first meet is delicious. I love Lucy's daring adventurous nature. I love how Ciaran loves rescuing Lucy, whether it's needed or not. Their budding friendship is sweet. Their dedication to helping each other is phenomenal. One aspect I loved between Ciaran and Lucy was the ability to speak without words, where silence wasn't awkward.
This fabulous story reminds me of the importance of friendship and it's importance in loving one another.

A headstrong redhead named Lucy who keeps getting into scrapes. A bemused man who keeps trying to rescue her. No, this isn’t America in the 1950s. It’s Regency England.

Lady Lucinda has spent most of her life isolated with her loving but reclusive father. When he dies and she is taken in by her aunt and uncle, she’s determined to make the most of life, starting with not letting them marry her off. This includes early-morning sea bathing in Brighton, where she encounters a large Scotsman attempting to save her from drowning.

Ciaran is nursing a broken heart and looking for distractions. He doesn’t expect to meet a smart, optimistic, and adorable young woman, even if she does kick him in the nose. But once the two keep meeting in awkward situations, they become friends, and he can’t seem to stay away.

This was a charming tale of love and adventure. I enjoyed seeing some characters from earlier books, and not one but two other potential romances kept the plot lively.

When a young lady needs a friend, one to assist her to go through a scheming kin’s plan ...

After reading the previous book in this series, my first one by this author, I knew I would not be my last read.
And here, Mrs Anna Bradley does not disappoint. I loved how nothing was rushing, how Mrs Anna Bradley introduces her characters and let them grow before they get to know one another.
It was awesome to watch Ciaran and Lucy coming closer, from wary to trusting.
The author took the time to bring her heroes to life before throwing them in the fury of what will become their life once the action is on motion.
Lucy, short for Lucinda has longed for years to leave her gilded cage, sure she was not unhappy but her father’s awkwardness with his peers prevented her to mingle in society. But now he is gone, she hopes to have a taste of freedom, alas her gardian is far from an arranging fellow as he lurks after only one think from her and it is not her welfare.
Ciaran is living half a life since he left his birth place, he feels like empty, as if he left a part of him back there. But in close contact with Lucy, she revived the spark he has lost, she shows him there is more to him than just the shell he has become. Why he can’t leave her under the clutch of her greedy uncle, without proposing his assistance.
Their friendship is so sweet and lovely and has no equal than their stubbornness at hiding their deeper feelings.
My only complain is I would have liked them to resolve their differences a bit earlier in the story, I am not fond of couple whose drama lingers until the very end, yet I turned the pages anxiously, so eager to know what would come next.

Their romance is accompanied by two others, a bit less complicated and source of some fun with the bewilderment on the male counterpart.
As for the villains, Mrs Bradley portrayed them as ugly and vile beings, they made me shriver, alas they didn’t get their right reward, but as life is, nor all light or dark.

4.5 stars for this friends to lovers story.

I was granted an advance copy by the publisher Kensington and preordered my own.
Here is my true and unbiased opinion.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I very much enjoyed this historical romance. Lucy is an independent, young woman desperate to experience the most of life even under the constricts of her evil uncle. She meets Ciaran after he mistakenly thinks she's drowning and saves her. He doesn't stop saving her from that moment on. She proposes friendship and they develop this easy relationship and trust that helps ease many of their woes. Her uncle tries to force her to marry another evil guy and Ciaran comes to her rescue once again.
What I enjoyed most about this novel was how Ciaran protectively watches over her without smothering or being overbearing. Eventually they both learn to express their amourous feelings for each other and the rest is history.