The premise between Vicar Devin and Lady Warwyck, the aforementioned warlock is a classic opposites-attract romance and despite the lady's nickname misidentification (warlock-Warwyck - slight eye-roll) Wild, Wild Rake is an amiable read. Everyone's got a secret in this romance, which makes the reveal charming as the vicar and the lady build an affinity that is charming, although the "flirting" in the beginning is decidedly subpar in its childishness. Additionally, the sub-plot loses much of the story's charm. On the surface the sub-plot is a compelling portraiture of an independent woman in the Regency time-period and her efforts to help other women, however, the conclusion is so ridiculous that any goodwill is soon lost.

What an incredible read! I have followed Janna MacGregor for years and this book was if not one of her best novels so far! Highlight recommend.

Very good book. Liked that exchanges between the main characters. I would recommend this to anyone who loves historical romances or even if they haven't tried one yet.

Well, what can I say about this marvellous book, that hasn’t been said already? It’s a beautifully intense and emotional story with two complex and sensitive characters.
This is actually the first I have read by Janna Macgregor, I don’t know how her books have gone under my radar for as long as they have done, I love her emotional and enlightening writing which is richly textured and engaging, I will certainly be reading more from this fine author,
Devan wasn’t at all how I thought he would be, I know the book is all about a; Wild, Wild Rake, but to actually have a vicar in that role is a new one on me, he certainly makes you stop and go; ‘Oh, my!‘ But not so much in the ‘oh, my goodness he is soooo sexy‘ which he is, but more in an ‘aww, he is melting my heart with his tenderness‘. Devan being the brother of Avalon’s son’s guardian, he has come in to keep an eye on the young widow. There was a moment when I saw him as a bit of a bad ‘un, I thought there was something not very nice about him, but that soon melted away to reveal that he is a genuinely good man who unfortunately has a very dark reputation for a vicar. Yes, he may now be a man of the cloth but he has a notorious reputation as a rake, as a rogue and Avalon wants nothing to do with him, after ridding herself of one foul, arrogant man of a husband she doesn’t want to become entangled with another.
Poor, Devan he doesn’t like the idea of spying on and interfering in this woman’s life, but he can’t deny that he is inexplicably drawn to her; like a moth to a flame. He senses there is something beneath her icy and proud exterior and it is her caring and kind inner self that he so desperately wants to know, but can he really chisel his way through the cemented wall she has built around herself to guard herself against men like him?
Avalon is a woman after my own heart, she wants to be independent, she wants the ability to care for herself and her son without outside interference. She wants to be able to provide for herself and not having to rely on others, but more than that she really wants to help those who are less fortunate or those who have fallen on hard times and that to me speaks of such a commendable, caring, kind and passionate woman. She is wonderful if guarded character, I also felt that in her thirst to be free and to be rid of her own personal demons, she has built this wall around herself that is almost impenetrable, she has locked off her heart, she hates to think of being helpless and she hates others coming in and taking everything she has away from her. At times I really wanted to weep for her, plus shout at her to give love a go. She is such a broken and lonely woman, she hasn’t had the best start in life, which is why she looks on Devan as the enemy she wants to hold him back.
Overall, this is a great second chance love story, full of pent up emotion, that will take the reader on a roller-coaster ride from page one right to the finale. Thoroughly entertaining and highly recommended!
This was an Arc copy, provided by the publisher and HFVBT via Netgalley, which I voluntarily reviewed as apart of this blog tour

Upon discovering that her husband had a child with his mistress at the same time as her pregnancy, Lady Avalon Warwyk retreated to the manor house in Thistledown, determined to stay as far away from London – and her husband – as possible. After his death, Avalon devoted herself to raising her son, Thane, and to charitable work helping women who wanted to leave prostitution and start a new life outside of London. Her successful endeavors caught the attention of Larkton, Thane’s guardian, and Larkton believed Avalon was funding these activities with money that should rightfully be Thane’s. Larkton’s youngest brother, Devan, was a pastor, and Larkton insisted Devan change parishes and work in Thistledown as a way to spy on Avalon and report on her spending.

Devan Farris, though a member of the clergy, had a reputation as a rake, a man who had a great deal of experience with women, but that was only one reason Avalon disapproved of him. Devan had been present when her husband Richard had thrown her out of the town house, stating he wished to move his mistress in, and even after ten years Avalon was embarrassed and humiliated at the memory. She was frightened that Devan had been sent to coerce her to send Thane to school at Eton, and would also curtail her efforts to help the women. Devan attempted to charm Avalon, but she remained aloof, not trusting his motives or his words.

Though I expected (spoiler alert!) that Avalon and Devan would end up together, I did not expect the scandal that surrounded them before their marriage. Avalon is a determined woman who is also caring and empathetic, understanding all too well about being controlled by a cruel, unfeeling man. I liked Devan, and believed he was trying to do the right thing for Avalon and for the parish in general. This was an easy read, with enough conflict to be interesting, and I enjoyed reading Wild, Wild Rake.

I just recently started reading historical romance books. This was the first book by this author that I've read. This one just did not connect with me. It was hard to stay invested in the story, some of the writing was a bit too cheesy for me, and I just never got behind the two main characters. She seems to have a very good following and ratings on her books, so I may give another one of her books a try just to see if it was just this book that did not work.

This is the sixth book in a historical romance series, but stands on its own quite well. The story is told from dual points of view. The world and character development was very well done. The main characters grow and develop throughout the book. I did become annoyed at the female lead's extensive second guessing of her decisions.
Lady Avalon Warwyk (our h); was forced by her parents into marriage at a very young age to despicable Richard. Richard demeans her at every opportunity; which is witnessed by the Earl of Larkton, and his brother Vicar Devan Farris (our H). Fast forward ten years - Richard died ten years ago; Avalon had her son Thane just before Richard died and appointed the Earl of Larkton his guardian. Avalon has started a charity to save, house and retrain prostitutes from London. The Earl wants Devon to spy on Avalon to see if she's spending Thane's money to fund her charities. Devan is reluctant, so he tells her he's supposed to spy! Avalon and Devan obviously start out in an adversarial mode, but as they observe each others good qualities that changes. However, trust will not come easily to Avalon.
The book started out really well with great drama and emotional angst which continued in the fast forward section. There was a great deal of tension between Avalon and Devan, but then the story slowed down too much. I think some editing would benefit the flow. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others. I received an ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Lady Avalon Warwyk is finally happy , her abusive husband dead , she can now follow her heart looking after her son ..…... and assisting fallen women become business women .
However her world is turned upside down by the appearance of Devon Farris ,the brother of Avalon’s son’s guardian . He has been sent to Town by his brother to curb her independent nature before it gets her into trouble .

Her first marriage was a nightmare , can Devon convince her to take a chance on happiness with him - despite his unwarranted reputation .

This was a entertaining book from a great writer who manages to bring her characters to life .

I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review

This is such a sweet story. Devan’s character was particularly memorable for both his dedication to maintaining his own purity until marriage, as well as his deep empathy for the pain anyone else was experiencing. Avalon was a strong woman who had been hurt and responded by building walls around her heart while committing herself to helping other women, plagued by feelings of guilt whenever someone else suffered and she felt she should have prevented it (even when it was clear there was nothing she could have done differently and she was not the source of the pain). I loved the interactions between Avalon and Devan and the omniscient POV that revealed how they really felt for one another long before they confessed their feelings to one another. The fact that Avalon had been married to a horrible man and widowed did not diminish the undeniable assertion that this was the first time for both of them on their wedding night. Descriptions of their love-making were such that it enhanced their undeniable love for one another. There was nothing gratuitous about it, each detail necessary to telling their love story. It could have been written without it, but the story would have suffered the loss because it was these interactions that most reflected their deep connection and commitment to one another.

Janna MacGregor has an easy-going storytelling style, making this a book a pleasure to read. I was reluctant to put it down at any point. There was also some understated humor, like this, which made me chuckle: “She stretched her hands over her head, then swung her feet to the ground, stubbing her toes against a mound of bricks. The bricks turned out to be her husband, who slept beside her on the floor.” In my opinion, this is the type of book that will stay with the reader long after the final words have been read. I know that I will not soon forget the story of Devan and Avalon.

This book is so much more than just a Regency Romance. Wonderful characters with a twisted plot, adventure and some danger, keeping the reader turning the pages, not wanting to put the book down.

Seventeen year old Avelon was betrayed by her parents, who sold her to a man, Richard Pearce, the Marquess of Warwyk. who was in love with his mistress, but was forbidden to marry her. He made it clear that he hated her and was extremely cruel. But the one night that he bed her, she became pregnant with her beloved son, Thorne.

She made a life for herself and her son at Warwyk Hall in Thistledown, becoming the heart of the community and taking in women who are all alone and did not want the life of a prostitute.

Richard died without ever seeing Thorne. He had left in his will that his friend Gavin Farris, the Earl of Larkton, as Thorn's guardian. The Earl wants to know where Avalon is getting the funds to house and train these women, so sends his younger brother, Devon, a pastor to replace the last vicor and spy on her. But Devon has a strange relationship with Avalon, first cruely calling her Lady Warlock, but as he comes to know her, it becomes a tease and then a nickname of admiration.

I became immediately engrossed in the story, and loved the story. However, one thing I did not understand how her parents, Cavenshams would have treated their daughter the way they did.

I read an ARC from NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

If you like historical romance with a little twist. This one is for you. Good character development. Entertaining read. The one thing I did not like in this book is. The fact that it ended quickly.

A good read. Widow and a vicar, cute young Marquis. Will they won't they find there way to each other.
A few trying to throw a wrench in things.
Likeable secondary characters.

Avalon and Devan were quite the pair. They each had their secrets and hidden thoughts, but both wanted the other to see them for who they truly were. Steamy romance with interesting characters.

What I really liked about this book was that it's written from a very different and interesting point of view. The two main characters Devan and Avalon have very diverse backgrounds. The Lady, as women of the time were treated, has been made to marry a man, the Marquess of Warwyk, she didn't really know or love. After being humiliated by her husband she retreats to the family estate to have her child and spend her husband's money. Her husband dies and a guardian, the Earl of Larkton, has been assigned to watch over the young marquess. The lady has started helping her community and helping women who are in dire straights. The guardian is suspicious of the lady's spending habits and gets his younger brother Devan, a clergyman, assigned to the town's church so he can spy on the lady and see if he can find out where she is getting her funds from. The cleric and the Lady have a 'history' because of her humiliation. More and more interesting things unfold as the story continues and the reader learns of both characters backgrounds and how this affects their relationship. The story concludes with one more enlightening event leading to a marriage that while both Devan and Avalon are in love is still a struggle for A but does become a happy and loving relationship.

Different than your usual romantic fare, even if the end results are mostly the same. Enjoyable characters, uncomfortable situations, a well-told tale. I could have wished the main conflict were set up a bit better though, with foreshadowing of the events to come with the introduction of the main villain sooner.

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have enjoyed jenna McGregor's books before but getting started with this one took me some time. Something about the description just made me keeping putting it off. However, I am so glad that I finally read it. Like the other books in the series i enjoyed this one a lot. The last book in the series didn't connect with me and that probably also led to my hesitance to start this one. It is not necessary to have read the other books in order to understand this one. Avalon was supposed to have married William but her parents forced her to marry another man because they wanted the weath and status. Richard her husband left her at their country house and when she came to london was humiliated by him, when he told her that his mistress was the love of his life and that she and their son would be moving. Devon, William's friend and a vicar, witnessed this humiliation. Now Devon has been order by his brother to spy of Avalon as he is her son Thane's guardian. I actually like the development and growth of both the characters and their relationship. While Avalon closed herself off she became a strong woman that offered refuge to women who wanted to leave prostitution. Devon on the other hand really respect Avalon and genuinely connected with her and her son. I look forward to what comes next from this author.

I have read this entire series and just love the whole thing. Janna is now one of my favourite romance authors!

This story follows Devon, whom we have gotten to know in previous novels. I was very happy to finally see him get his HEA. We also get to have more of a backstory on Avalon, who we met in that previous novel. I really enjoyed seeing these two come together and soften each other. It was also interesting to see another side to Devon, who has been portrayed as a bit of a rake in the other books.

The story has great tension and romance, the scene in the wine cellar is so good!

My only critique is that once these too get together and have each others trust, I found the romantic language a bit over the top, but that might just be me.

All in all a great ending to the series!

Wild Wild Rake was an average book for me. The “Lady Warlock” joke was way overplayed and the conflict was more melodramatic than it needed to be. I did enjoy my reading experience—the characters had good chemistry and the banter was funny. I’ll keep reading MacGregor’s books.

Received in exchange for a honest review.

When began the book I didn’t like Devan but by the end I was swooning for him. He came off as a player and that is what he wanted to be perceived as even though he was a romantic at heart. He didn’t want anyone knowing he was inexperienced. He also had the wrong idea about Lady Avalon. She was protecting herself from what she was going through in her marriage. Her husband was horrible and treated her with disdain. So seeing her again got both of them riled up. For her it was to get rid of him and for him it was just for fun.

It wasn’t until they learn about each other and see that what you portray to others isn’t always good and always who you are. For example Devan was a sweet, caring person who was a closet romantic not the rake he portrays himself to be. Lady Avalon cares for the people of her town and is hard working and loving. They are both attracted to each other and learn to be friends first. From there they begin to trust one another and see beyond the facades. A entertaining story of love, friendship, loyalty and trust.

Avalon had a horrible marriage, and Devan Farris was no help - he teased and tormented her during the marriage, and kept teasing when they met again. It kind of made me dislike him for the first part of the book - but (thankfully) that changed, and I really liked him as a romantic character! And I loved Avalon - she's determined to help others and make her small domain into a happy town for all who come to settle there. She's smart too, and plans well. And they talked about their feelings - honestly! How very refreshing!

My thanks to netgalley for a review copy of the book. I'd recommend it to historical romance readers!