Regency Romance with Intrigue

In this entertaining Regency romance, a rake must reform to win his lady. She commits to someone else. Will he prove that he is worthy of his lady love before it is too late? There will be an assassination plot while Aubrey and Henrietta sort out their relationship. Shots will be fired, but who will remain standing in the end? I recommend this story to those who enjoy Regency romances with intrigue and suspense.

QAubrey Vale lived as an invalid until he became an adult. Grabbing hold of life, he lives for the moment drinking, gambling and seducing women. He meets the most beautiful woman he's ever seen at a ball, but she's not receptive to his flirting. He's determined to win the lady, but what happens after he wins the lady? Henrietta Gaunt is tired of men only attracted to her beauty and Aubrey realizes he needs a different approach. His luck seems to change, until he makes a big mistake. Meanwhile, there is a lunatic wanting revenge against Henrietta's brother-in-law for the death of his son during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. He also believes Napoleon will once again raise another army. A fast paced mystery of kidnappers, spies, a potential murderer and a young man who needs to prove himself to his family and the woman he loves.
Implied sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Aubrey Vale is the 2nd son without being the 2nd son. He is making up for lost time. Which is perfect in Blackhaven. But by making up for that lost time while he was ill he has put his future in jeopardy. Except he has found a talent he loves.
I have absolutely enjoyed this series. Seeing how it all comes together has been exciting and wonderful. The one night changes it all for everyone of the siblings. You don’t have to read the rest of the series but I would highly recommend it. Everything about the other siblings and what other things go on in Blackhaven will be enlightening.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with guidelines.

I just love this entire family. And I still am impressed how the author can write six books taking place on the same timeline. I'm glad Henrietta and Aubrey ended up together - it was touch and go for a lot of the book. Aubrey had to mature and he found an occupation and a calling. Henrietta finally found someone to see deeper and the real her. These two make a great couple.
I'm really for Deliah's book and I hope the twins get their heas too.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

This historical romance is part of a series set in a town called Blackhaven. Most of the stories are happening around a similar timeline. The Vale family have a lot of mischief makers among them, so they make for great stories. Our hero in this one has spent most of his life as an invalid. As his health has improved he wants to make up for lost time. Our heroine hates that men only ever see her beauty and totally ignore the real person she is.
I'm hoping that the twins will eventually have their own books, but obviously set a few years later. This is a fabulous series with great characters and lots of adventures. I have thoroughly enjoyed every one of the books.
Great fun.

Another exciting love story in the Blackhaven series. It had Bonoparte says, drama, action, kidnapping, and other nefarious plots and intrigue. I enjoyed watching romance unfold in its own way despite everything and with many surprising twists and turns and ending happily for everyone. I highly recommend reading!

An entertaining romance, I enjoyed the story and characters. Aubrey and Henrietta are a great couple, lots to get through before they have their happy after but very much worth it in the end.

The Rake’s Mistake by Mary Lancaster is another Blackhaven story, full of romance and weddings. The unique thing about this series is that all the books are written about things that are happening somewhat simultaneously rather than in sequential order. It is interesting to see glimpses of other stories while reading the main one, knowing we’ve already read the others. Aubrey Vale had become a rake. He had spent so many years hampered by his asthma, believing that he might die at any minute, when the symptoms backed off he determined to live. His family all thought he would outgrow it but he hadn’t so far. Then he met the most beautiful woman he had ever seen: Miss Henrietta Gaunt. He knew he could not treat her as he did other women, the sort he liked, but he was drawn to her and they became friends. She was here in Bath with her guardian, Lord Launceton, who had married her sister Lizzie. With them were her young brother and sister who quickly became fast friends with Aubrey’s younger twin siblings, Lawrence and Leona. Not necessarily a good thing.

Aubrey was just looking for a way to make his mark. He didn’t have any discernible talents but he needed to make his own way. He was a younger son and so had little except a small allowance. Henrietta was a lovely young woman and she wanted Aubrey immediately but she recognized it was a terrible match, plus, he didn’t seem to want her. She found another and became engaged, determined to marry and have the family she wanted. It was a fun story watching Aubrey grow up at last and watching Henrietta struggle with her sensible decision. There was plenty going on in Blackhaven at this time so there was no lack of side-plots and diversions. It was a wholly entertaining book. Thanks Mary Lancaster!

I was invited to read The Rake’s Mistake by Dragonblade. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dragonblade #MaryLancaster #TheRakesMistake

Aubrey is another member of the large unconventional Vale family living in Blackhaven.
He was a sickly child but now grown he is an unmistakable rake.
He meets the gorgeous Henrietta and begins to feel an attachment.
A friendship, some kisses pull them together but circumstances tear them apart including some poor decision making.
A love story that is special and lovely to read.
The Vale family is busy with all their antics, great to revisit some of them as well as coming back to Blackhaven and its personalities.

I love this series and the Vale family, it’s almost like meeting old friends again! Of course I already knew Aubrey Vale from the previous books, many supporting characters from the previous series and the FMC Henrietta Gaunt and her family from “Vienna Waltz”, a book from another series by the author, which I, as Viennese, of course had to read ;-) It's fun to see the same time frame from a different perspective every time.
The plot of this installment was very captivating and hooked me right from the start. It has revenge and reformed rake tropes, and is filled with emotion, humor, suspense, angst, danger, action and a non top graphic love scene in marital bed.
Aubrey and Henrietta are endearing characters, even if I sometimes wanted to shake Aubrey for his stupid behavior.

After spending most of his life invalid and confined to a wheelchair due to his asthma, Aubrey Vale finally wants to enjoy his life as a rake to the full. He meets Henrietta Gaunt at the Blackhaven Assembly ball and is enraptured by her beauty.
Henrietta Gaunt visits Blackhaven with her family. She has had enough of men who only admire her beauty but are not interested in her as a person. Aubrey is the only one who listens to her and wants to get to know her. But even though they are both attracted to each other, it soon becomes clear that Aubrey is not prepared to change his lifestyle for Henrietta or to marry any time soon. Nevertheless, he is there for Henrietta and her family when her brother-in-law Vanja's life is suddenly threatened...

A captivating story with romance, suspense and great character development that I am happy to recommend!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

In keeping with the rest of this series, the Blackhavens bring romance, and humor, and the Twins who unwittingly have become the family's guardian angels. Having survived a debilitating childhood, Aubrey is making up for lost time as he sets out to enjoy everything life has to offer him. His charm and good looks have opened doors for him, but nothing has prepared him for Miss Henrietta Gaunt. He is totally smitten, and for once he discovers that he cannot have everything he wants, especially when any hope he had of winning Henrietta's heart is destroyed due to his poor choices. There is also a suspenseful element to the novel and it is fortunate that when danger threatens those who are closest to her, Henrietta and Aubrey join forces to thwart the enemy. The novel comes to a sweet conclusion with Aubrey finding his purpose in life and reason for living. I received a copy of this romance as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Aubrey is the family's semi spoiled clown. Being ill most of his life has caused him to be sowing his healed oats as fast as possible. This leads to some pretty foolish actions that cause Henrietta, the beautiful woman who caught his attention, to reconsider if she wants to even be around him. The banter is lovely, the twins are at it again and delightful. There are some sun plots that increase the readers interest and enough of everything to make this a hugely successful story. I'm hoping for one more book on Delilah in this series and expect the twins will have great stories when they have added a few more years on. Well paced and lots of fun.

Aubrey Vale spent most of his childhood struggling for breath but now that his health has considerably improved he’s catching up for a lost childhood. When he glimpses the stunningly lovely Henrietta Gaunt, he wants her. But Henrietta is more than her looks & has no interest in becoming any ones trophy weary of being pursued merely for her looks, proves to be both a challenge and a delight
The sixth Vale sibling to find love & another very well written book. All the books centre around one night in Blackhaven so all the stories are interwoven & I love how the author has achieved this. I’ve loved Aubrey throughout the series & loved his story, he’s loving & caring, observant & devoted to his family but also wants to experience life. Henrietta is also a delight & it was great to catch up with Vanya & Lizzie. There was also some revenge & Vanya was in their sights. The Vale twins & also the Gaunt twins are in the middle of things as well as the delightful Dog. I loved Aubrey & Henrietta’s journey to a HEA which wasn’t easy as there were misunderstandings
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

Fun, witty, humorous, and heart-stopping are the variety of terms I'd use to describe The Rakes Mistake by Mary Lancaster. 

This book is probably one of the most fun Regency romances I've read in 2024. I think that's all due to Aubrey Vale! Vale is the hero who, for much of his life, was confined to his bath chair with asthma. He is also the fourth youngest brother of the Vale bunch. Basically, he gives a baby of the family vibe even though there are a few younger siblings than him. That's probably because he was coddled by his family for the first 20 years of his life. His asthma improved during adulthood, and he is determined to live life to the fullest. For much of the book, he is a fun-loving rake who drinks too much and flirts with every beautiful woman in Blackhaven. 

However, he soon realizes his mistake and grows up before the reader's eyes in double time. Quadruple time even, for it seems to happen in a single moment. But let me back it up: I'm getting ahead of myself. 

Vale met the heroine of the story, Henrietta, at the assembly ball at Blackhaven. This is the sixth book of the series, and so far, that is where all of the siblings have met their significant others. The meeting at the ball is where Vale makes his first mistake, a stolen kiss that both shocks Henrietta and begins to stir her emotions surrounding the rakish hero. 

That mistake is nothing in comparison to the next little blunder, or even the next. In fact, for the first half of the book, Vale makes mistake after mistake with Henrietta. She takes it all in stride, though. That is until the moment my heart dropped. Quiet, literally, I gasped, for Aubrey Vale made the BIGGEST mistake of all. I was going to write what it was, but I simply cannot because I don't want to spoil this fantastic book. But I will say this: it is not a mistake that many men can recover from.

This scene is written so well that it will literally give you a jolt; it did me, anyway. I was not only shocked, but it threw me 100% over to team Henrietta and against team Vale if there were such a thing. If you love emotion-provoking Regency romances, then you have to read the book for this one scene! 

Anyway, everything changed for both characters after this point. Henrietta engages herself to the dry collector in the book, who has been sniffing around her because of her beauty. He's in and out of the book as a rival against Aubrey Vale, but that isn't only the rival that Vale has for Henrietta's affections. 

On Vale's side, he launches himself into a writing career with books and a newspaper. He throws himself into his family's affairs by being a second in one brother's duel and helping another brother with his ex-mastery problems. He also wrangles in his twin siblings as much as they can be wrangled in by giving them several tasks. It's all in a bid to make himself a better man and be worth enough to marry Henrietta. 

Alright, now that I've given you a feel for who Aubrey Vale is, let me talk about his love interest. Henrietta is the daughter of a baron and the sister-in-law of one, too. Her brother-in-law is known as the "Mad Russian" throughout the series because he is not a man to be trifled with. Not only does Vale have to make himself a better man in Henrietta's eyes, but he has to win the approval of this eccentric, protective member of the ton. 
In the end, though, this book has a beautiful, happy ever after. 

Overall, the book is fast-paced, with tons of witty banter, fun moments, and shocking elements. The main trope is rakes and debutantes. However, that's not the only way to classify this book. I'd say there is a little bit of an age gap element. However, the age gap is small for the regency era, sitting at around seven or so years. The book is an excellent addition to the Regency Romance genre, and more specifically, the Rakes and debutantes trope. If you love sweet and clean period dramas, then this is the book for you!

The sizzle, the suspense, the banter, the denial of feelings it was all a great recipe. And those intimacy scenes, super romantic and steamy.

Long known as the sickly Vale, Aubrey now has control over his asthma and is living the rake life. When he sees the gorgeous Henrietta, he is immediately smitten. At first she thinks Aubrey might be more than a rake, but then she questions everything she knows about him. Aubrey realizes that he must grow up and start thinking about a career so he can become self-sufficient from his family and deservant of Henrietta . I received an ARC from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for my honest review.

House Gatherings, Wagers, Second Chances:
A charming story of finding romance while dealing with many characters and many complications that arise during a courtship.
The main characters Aubrey and Henrietta were interesting to get to know and follow them through a cat and mouse relationship with many indecisions, turbulence, family dynamics, desirous attraction, traitors, and so much more.
The ending of this story was filled with terrifying heart pounding situations that finished the story off with a happy ending.

Used to behaving badly and having his pick of women, Aubrey finds the beautiful Henrietta a challenge. Despite his feelings for her he is not prepared to commit and determined to continue with his hedonistic lifestyle until a knee jerk evening finds him doing the walk of shame the next morning which is seen by Henrietta. Once he has lost her, Aubrey takes a good hard look at his life and decides to make changes but will he be too late with regard to Henrietta who is making decisions of her own? Throughout this story, as with the others in this series, there is also a mysterious villain to be defeated and glimpses of the other siblings.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'm pretty sure I've said this in previous reviews from this series, but I just think the overall premise here is so interesting! Having so many stories overlapping must have been a challenge for the author, but she pulls it off so perfectly. Having met Aubrey in the previous stories I knew there was more to him than the persona he presented to others. I had to keep reminding myself of that because there were times in this book when I really didn't like him. His treatment of Henrietta at times was just cruel given what he knew about her history with having men show interest in nothing but her looks. And when he went out partying right after kissing her and making her think there was something deep between them was pretty much him at his worst - he deserved her treatment of him she say him kissing the actress. And his actions almost had her making a huge mistake just to protect herself from having her heart broken. Luckily that was his rock bottom and he realized that he was throwing away the one person outside his family that really saw and understood him. Of all the characters we've met so far in the series he had the most need for growth and it was good that he was able to recognize that. The mystery here was interesting and I liked all the different layers to it. I can't wait for the final book in the series, I want to know what Delilah has been up to all this time!

5 stars

At last we are at Aubrey's story. Aubrey has been taken with his family across continents even though when younger he was desperately ill often in a bath chair. He's recently recovered and though he doesn't trust this good health he's in Carpe diem mode and is making up for lost time. He has gambled and raked around. He meets Henrietta and is immediately attracted to her. She falls in love but then he realises that his current life style is not compatible with her aspirations. She is only 17 and he 24 so both young. As this is one night in Blackhaven all the previous stories are running at the same time so this adventure has to slot into that melee. I must admit I sometimes wonder if I should be scanning previous books to check up who is where. It was great to see Lizzie and Vanya from the vienna stories and even Tamar's sister. Both sets of twins the Vales and Henrietta's siblings take part and who could miss DOG. I'm glad they get their HEA at the end and am looking forward to Delilah's story.

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