The Rebel and the Rake is book 2 in Emily Sullivan’s League of Scoundrels series and after loving book 1 (A Rogue to Remember) so much, I couldn’t wait to get to this book. This book takes place in Scotland in 1897 and I really enjoyed seeing the heroine as the rebel!

Sylvia Sparrow has a rebellious past and secrets, but the bluestocking is currently working/living as a lady’s companion when the story starts. While a house party is going on, Sylvia finds herself being blackmailed to steal away documents from her employers or risk her past of being an advocate for social reform and the scandal that resulted from that being exposed. She meets Rafe Davies, a spy who is undercover at the same house party. He was invited by the host after he received anonymous threat messages and have had documents gone missing. Rafe is the son of an Earl and an actress, he joined the Navy when he was just 15-years-old, and now works for the Foreign Office. Rafe and Sylvia quickly find themselves drawn to one another while also trying to keep both of their secrets hidden from everyone, they get tangled up together as everything at the house party starts to come to light and both of their secrets are revealed.

This book did have a slow start for me, I didn’t feel the immediate chemistry or pull to these characters. The second half I really enjoyed though and I liked when the action/intrigue started to pick up. I thought it was refreshing for the story and I did really enjoy the heroine being the anarchist and the hero being the spy/Queen’s agent. I loved that the heroine knew herself well and was not willing to compromise her ideals for the hero, she was a strong heroine and I loved to see it! Other fun moments I enjoyed: costume ball at the house party complete with wigs, the heroine’s relationship/support from her employer Mrs. Crawford, the heroine’s friend Georgiana, and that the heroine makes the first move/kisses the hero first!

While I did love the couple and tropes in book 1 more, I did end up enjoying this read and I am very intrigued with the couple for the next book, Georgiana and Henry, which we see as side characters in this book. I do really adore this author’s writing and can’t wait for the next one in the series!

3.5 stars/rounded up. Thank you to the publisher (Forever) for an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The Rebel and the Rake has a publish date of December 28, 2021.

There's a lot to love about this book. Victorian spies are some of our favorites. Rafe, our hero, is a spy who's going through a quarter-life crisis. He's spent a lot of time becoming the best spy around, but that means he's lost out on forming lasting connections. He's also started questioning the basis of his position bolstering the Empire. Oh, and he can't really brag about his job. Sylvia is a Woman with a Past that she keeps hidden... which has placed her in Rafe's path. She's also a woman with convictions that just might run alongside Rafe's growing disillusionment with his job. (Neither of them know any of this info about the other one, of course, which just adds a little soupcon of angst to the mix.)

They both know they should stay away from each other, but they JUST. CAN'T. FIGHT IT. And of course, that's what we want to read! The only thing we would have liked a little more of was an exploration of their initial attraction to each other. The sex is SUPER hot, Sylvia's past is fascinating, and the ultimate unraveling of the spy plot is delicious.

3.5 stars

The Rebel and the Rake by Emily Sullivan is the second book in the League of Scoundrels series. The story centers around a government spy named Rafe Davies and Sylvia Sparrow, a lady’s companion with a dark past.

I really liked the plot and central mystery of the book. It started out a little slow, but the end of the book was action packed. By the end, I really couldn’t put it down. I understand that the author had to set up the story and all the characters, but I think more action could have happened in the beginning of the book. Additionally, I had a hard time in the beginning of the book believing in Rafe and Sylvia’s connection.

I really did enjoy Sylvia’s character. She was a political activist for women’s rights, which isn’t something that I have seen a lot in historical romances. It was a nice contrast to have the anarchist fall in love with the government spy. I also like that Sylvia didn’t let love get in the way of her beliefs. She stayed true to herself and her character throughout the entire book.

Book three of the series will focus on Henry and Georgiana, two side characters in this story. I was really intrigued by both of those characters and I absolutely can’t wait to read their story.

I was invited to read an ARC of The Rebel and the Rake, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #TheRebelandtheRake

This book had a little hitch in its giddy-up - it took a minute for the story to really get going - but once it went off, it really got going and I couldn't stop turning pages. Highly recommended!

This was set right at the end of the nineteenth century, so not a Regency romance. At times the heroine felt very 'modern', but I see from the Author's note at the end that her backstory is plausible. For the first half of the book not a lot really happens: the hero and heroine and various other characters are at a house party in Scotland and the author explains their actions by frequent allusions to the past. Things pick up during the second part, although the plot is fairly complex. I believed in the happy ever after.

A bit slow at parts, and to be honest when I was at the 20-30% mark I wasn't too sure how I felt about it. It has a solid ending, though--the second half was much better paced!--and I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the next book. Book 1 is also on my TBR.

This is the second book in the series, but worked just fine as a standalone. Characters from the first book were mentioned briefly but didn't really have a role here. The MCs of the next book (Henry and Georgiana) play secondary roles in this one, as friends of Rafe and Sylvia, respectively.

Rating: 4 stars / B+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.