ARC Book Review: How to Ruin a Rake by Kate Pearce

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy (ARC) of How to Ruin a Rake by Kate Pearce in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book by this author that I have read, and I have to say, I liked it a lot. How to Ruin a Rake is a historical romance, and it has pretty much everything I enjoy in a good romance novel. There’s plenty of romance, witty banter, chemistry between the leads, and quite a few moments that made me smile while reading.

Our FMC, Allegra Musgrove, has decided that she is going to remain a spinster. Given her family circumstances, Allegra has had to grow up strong and independent. What I particularly liked about her character is that she knows her own mind. She doesn’t spend all her time cribbing about her situation or waiting for someone to rescue her. Instead, she looks at what she has and figures out how to make things work.

And then we have our MMC, Lord Max Devereux, who is very much the rake of the story. He is confident, charming and has quite the reputation. He arrives with his own plans and ambitions, including securing his future and a dukedom. Basically, Max is exactly the kind of man who seems to have absolutely no intention of falling in love.

Enter Allegra. And, well… there goes the plan! The man who seems to have everything figured out slowly starts losing control of the situation, and, more importantly, falling for the one woman who wasn’t supposed to change anything for him.

I really enjoyed the chemistry between Allegra and Max. Their interactions, the banter and the little moments between them were some of my favourite parts of the book. There is something very enjoyable about watching two strong personalities come together, especially when one of them is a confirmed rake who suddenly discovers that perhaps he isn’t quite as immune to feelings as he thought he was!

The romance develops in a way that kept me interested, and there were several scenes that genuinely made me smile. I also liked that Allegra wasn’t written as a character who simply gets swept away by the hero. She has her own personality, her own choices and her own reasons for doing things, which made the relationship more interesting for me.

Overall, How to Ruin a Rake was a fun, romantic and entertaining historical romance. If you enjoy historical romances with a strong heroine, a charming rake, witty exchanges and a romance that slowly turns everything upside down, this one is worth picking up.

For me, this is a 4 out of 5 stars.

And once again, thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Get your copy of this book from here.

With love and lots of stories,
The Reading Lane

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