While I was excited for Wild, Wild Rake, it was sadly disappointing. The main character Avalon had a disastrous first marriage. He parents forced her to marry a man she didn’t want to marry, and made it so that he had to marry her as well. While it would make sense for him to be upset, the husband is verbally and borderline physically abusive (he only refrains from hitting her when his mistress, Mary, gets between them). Mary is the woman he apparently wanted to marry, and he dotes on her. Many historical romances have unfaithful husbands with mistresses, and I don’t blame the ‘other women’ as they are simply women in the past doing what they can to survive. I’ve even read really good books where the wife and mistress team up (often after the man’s death) to do whatever. But this is where the story diverges from other narratives. Instead of just being a mistress, she and the husband act as if they were the married couple, and he kicks out the main character. He dotes on her child (because he got her pregnant before the main character) and ignores the child he has with Avalon. He disparages Avalon to everyone he knows, and is generally a jerk. But apparently he’s nice to Mary. Despite the fact that she knows him to be abusive to his wife, Mary loves him. So much so that when the two women are called together by the solicited after the husband dies, Avalon ends up having to comfort the mistress of her abuser. And maybe Avalon is a better person than I am, but she forgives her. Again, it’s not that she was his mistress that was the problem. It’s the active caring and the seeming ignoring that he was abusive to Avalon. He caused Avalon severe emotional trauma. And Mary just acts like he walked on sunshine. And yet there’s no real acknowledgment of this in the text. In short, the book doesn’t adequately handle the abuse it depicts. At times it feels victim blaming, and I worry it could be triggering for abuse survivors. The husband’s actions are never truly condemned and acknowledged as abuse. It feels like there’s excusing and general hand-wavyness about the whole thing. For me, romance books are supposed to be a positive escape, but this caused more negative feelings than good. And maybe I’m just hyper-fixated on a minor subplot, but how the abuse the main character suffered was handled kinda ruined the book for me. While sucking in and of itself, it also sucks because I enjoyed previous books by the author, but after this bad experience, I don’t know if I can continue reading her books.

🥰Book Review🥰
Wild, Wild Rake by Janna Macgregor
Sass-o-meter4.5/5💜s
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Quote: "the end of Song of Solomon is about faithfulness and being one with your spouse. To me, we’re one, and I find absolute strength and salvation in that. You’ll forever have my love , my passion, and all that I am. No matter how old or wrinkled we are, I will only see you as my hearts desire. It’s my promise to you forever.”
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What this book is about:

Her first marriage was an epic fail.

Lady Avalon Warwyk never did love her husband. Arrogant, selfish, and cruel, it’s a blessing when she’s widowed and left to raise her son all by herself. Finally, Avalon can live freely and do the work she loves: helping fallen women become businesswomen. She’s lived these past ten years with no desire to remarry―that is, until Mr. Devan Farris comes to town.

Can he convince her to take another chance at happily ever after?

Devan Farris—charming vicar, reputed rake, and the brother of Avalon’s son’s guardian—is reluctantly sent to town to keep tabs on Avalon and her son. Devan wishes he didn’t have to meddle in her affairs; he’s not one to trod on a woman’s independent nature and keen sense of convictions. But she’ll have nothing to do with a vicar with a wild reputation—even though he’s never given his heart and body to another. If only he could find a way to show Avalon who he really is on the inside—a good, true soul looking for its other half. But how can he prove that he wants to love and care for her . . . until death do they part?
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My thoughts:

I just love a good love story with a happy ending.

Poor Avalon had a horrid first loveless marriage. And after all of the horrid things her first husband did she opened her heart for another.

She also was a supporter for other women who could not control their circumstances with her charity.

Avalon is a strong female character and wouldn’t back down for just anyone.

This book is definitely worth picking up in Feb. when released! Thank you #netgalley and St. Martin’s Paperbacks for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sassiest character - Devon
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Qotd: Historical romance books are my guilty pleasure. What book genre is your guilty pleasure?

I've had my ups and downs with the Cavensham Heiresses series and unfortunately Wild, Wild Rake took the series down once again. 

Nothing about this book really stood out for me. Even the fact that it's a romance between a lady and a vicar (rather than a duke or lord or whatever title you prefer) didn't stand out because the characters came off so exaggerated.

Avalon was in a horrible marriage prior the main events of the story, ten years pass, and she's hellbent on sequestering her young son with her in the country and gods forbid anyone attempt to change her current status quo. And Devan is over-the-top in his "rakeishness" but actually hasn't done any of the things he's rumored to have (but he's like SO great in bed too...). I don't know, neither character felt real to me. They're totally flawed and yet they came off sort of one-dimensional, their decisions all ruled by a singular goal (Devan) or flaw (Avalon).

The romance itself was okay, but not great. There's obviously chemistry between the characters but their refusal to accept it for so long grew annoying real fast. It's one of my pet peeves when it comes to any sort of relationship between characters. If a book is relying on stubbornness or a lack of communication to drive tension for a good chunk of the book, I'm out. Wild, Wild Rake wasn't a drastic case of this but it was definitely enough to make me lose interest in the romance. Combined with my opinion of the characters, I just wasn't super sold on the book.

I don't think Wild, Wild Rake is a bad story and I'm sure there are readers out there who would enjoy it, especially those continuing the series, but it wasn't a win for me.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I received an advanced reader's copy to review.

In this genre it is common to meet the same characters who differ only by their name and (often) their title. Not that this is a bad thing - it's comfortable to know what you're getting into before you open the book.
At the start of this book, it looked comfortably familiar. But not for long. Avalon is not the put-upon wife. Devan is definitely not the overbearing, alpha hero. These are wonderful, interesting and real characters who I loved getting to spend time with.

A sweet sexy story of a delightful naughty vicar and his strong love.
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I love the twist in this story right from the beginning. A naughty vicar is definitely a great addition to the spice factor of any story but then to make him a virgin too? Oh yes.

This story started out strong and the author kept it going throughout. I love so much about this story! The initial hatred of each other. The snark and general dislike that gradually switched to the warm and fuzzy feelings.

I did have a hard time with some spots of the insta-love moments. I know that we had the whole book to warm up to their mutual feelings. But sometimes it just felt off. Like I didn’t get the entire buy-in of their relationship, However, I do love both of the characters overall and they worked really well together. A perfect balance.

MacGregor did treat us to a story that was exciting, with some delicious naughty parts (that vicar was very well read!), and a delightful finish. Beautifully written in the Regency style, a true treat for the historical romance lover. I cannot wait to read her again!

Sweet and spicy!

I went into this book having only read book one of The Cavensham Heiresses series and felt as though it was fine to read as a standalone. The book was a bit rough for me unfortunately. The story neither held my whole attention nor engaged me as it started out slow and never kept me connected. The hero was the brightest spot in the book for me while it took a little longer for me to connect with the heroine. The hero's compassion and understanding had me invested in him and the love he had to give. In historical romances I need really excellent story telling and while this was written well it just wasn't compelling for me. Some lines, word choices and scenes were a little cheesy for my taste. The story is overall sweet and easy to read.

Avalon Warwyck is a widow whose previous marriage ended due to very unfortunate circumstances. Now a new vicar has moved into the area, named Devon Farris. Sparks fly. But that's not my favorite part.

Truthfully my favorite part of this story was watching the characters not only grow to love each other but also how much I enjoyed watching their own unique character development. Jenna McGregor does a fabulous job of character development in this book, probably much better than any work I've read of hers to date.

I also greatly appreciated her incorporating history in a truthful manner, and also a vicar who may or may not be all that he seems. It was very well done. A classy work of romance that is well worth read!

I will see you today free copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A good historical romance that wasn’t just about a woman of status trying to land a rich husband. I liked Avalon being a strong woman helping others, Devan not being what he seems, and Thane being a wise young kid.

Wild, Wild Rake is the 6th installment in Janna MacGregor’s The Cavensham Heiresses series and it lives up to the reputation of the previous books. Avalon and Devan were briefly introduced in Rogue Most Wanted and it was clear they were not friends. Avalon abruptly threw over Devan’s close friend William Cavensham, and he has still not forgiven her.
Avalon was forced into a marriage of convenience with a man who, to show his derision for her, would ridicule her in front of his friends. He went as far as having his mistress live in his home and sent Avalon to live in the country. When her husband dies, she vows to never again live under the thumb of a man. She is happy to stay in the country and raise her son and help other women have a second chance at life.
Devan, being the younger son of a duke, becomes a vicar. Unfortunately, his brother pulls the strings of which parishes he is sent to work, and Devan can’t complain as this is his form of income. He is sent to the parish where Avalon lives to spy on her and determine how she is managing her son’s funds and the estate at Warwyck Hall.
Avalon and Devan are distrusting at first, based on their reputations and previous interactions. She seems cold and mysteriously helps women start new lives (where is she getting the funds?). He is known as a notorious rake in London. Both reputations are far from reality. Sparks fly (bad and good!) as they spend time together while Devan learns about the management of Warwyck Hall.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and highly recommend it! Ms. MacGregor’s prose immerses in the story and you can “see” what is happening. The witty banter between the main characters was great and had me laughing. It was wonderful to see two caring, loving souls come together.
I happily read an ARC I received from NetGalley and the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to like this book, but just couldn't. The premise of a widow taking in prostitutes and creating a safe haven in her village interested me.
Unfortunately, the first 30% is essentially a yo-yo of actions and thoughts between a wishy-washy heroine and a rather unlikable hero, that left me wondering 'why'. These two needed to talk... And they did. As far as I was concerned, the book was done at 30%.
And as a note: the correct phrase is not 'could care less'. In that context, it's 'couldn't care less'. That was misused several times.
Sorry. This one didn't do it for me.

3.5 stars really.

Didn’t expect this to be about a vicar and a widow. The vicar thing put me off a little. How can a vicar be a rake?

But still it’s a nice story. Was curious on how they’d end up together. Clever clever Avalon. And smart and sweet Devan, who was more than I thought he was.

You gotta admire Avalon for her strength. And you can’t blame her for being wary.

I do like how the regency romances I’ve been reading have been nice lately.

Thank you St Martin’s publishing for this book!

MacGregor switches things up a little bit from the traditional regency romance of two titled individuals falling in love. Avalon is a marchioness, who suffered great indignities and emotional abuse in her brief marriage. Devan is the fourth son of an earl, and with no money or estate to call his own becomes a vicar after his brother denies him a commission in the military. Devan's brother is also executor of Avalon's son and he sends Devan to spy on Avalon and her perceived reckless spending. What Devan finds is quite different - a woman who gives prudently to help others and someone worth falling in love with. Unfortunately the books has parts where it feels choppy, cliché, and awkward. Of course the two characters start off disliking each other before falling madly in love. Of course there's an obstacle in the course of their happiness. I can get over those things a little more easily than the speed at which they fall for each other, and then because they've fallen in love halfway through the book they have to spend most of the rest of it with Avalon constantly needing reassurance from Devan that he truly loves her and wants to be with. While this may be justified based on her first marriage it just ended up being obnoxious to me.

Excellent Regency romance. Our hero starts out as quite the jerk. His brother is friends with our heroine's husband. A husband that goes past being a jerk and into cruel. He didn't want to marry her and always lets her know that he blames her because he had to make a deal with her parents.
After he impregnates her he introduces her to his mistress, who just gave birth to their son.
This is the kind of romance that we all love to read. A strong heroine and a redeemable rake.

Historical romance which is a bit different. Good characters with human flaws. Lots for the two main characters to work through before a happy ending.

This is the sixth in the series, but each one can be read as a standalone with only some overlap of characters. 

I prefer others in this series, but it was still an okay read. One thing I have to applaud the author for. the characters actually speak to each other. They don't allow miscommunication to hinder their relationship. They are honest with each other. I hate it when most of the conflict can be resolved with a simple conversation. Avalon and Devan are adults and are willing to communicate. 

While there are some exciting moments in this book overall, I found it to be forgettable. I will still continue with the series. Hopefully, they will be more enjoyable. 

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Janna MacGregor has penned a remarkable book whose wry title references a virginal rector whose flirtatious manner has given him an undeserved reputation. Faced with a widowed heroine whose prior marriage was abusive and unhappy, he bridges her reservations and moves from an initially acrimonious relationship to a teasing and loving one. There are false allegations of malfeasance, rescuing of worrisome lass, and still more love and affection develops after initial doubts arise. The author, as always, has delivered an excellent enthralling romantic tale.

I really enjoyed this book, it was easy reading and I found myself unable to put it down. The two main characters were strong and hot as hell. This book has a really good story and I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen at the end while at the same time didn’t want this book to end. I recommend this book.

4 Stars! This was a really good book! It can be read as a standalone. I’ve read every book in the series and couldn’t wait to read Devin’s story!! I definitely recommend this book and the entire series!
*I received this book at no charge from the publisher and I voluntarily left a review.*

Jenna know's how to pull you into the book from the start to finish. Just couldn't put it down. One of the best books so far. She is on my must read list but this one was awesome. Can stand alone but the whole series has been great. If you haven't read her books and love historical books pick one up you won't regret it

A widow, Lady Avalon Warwyk, aka Warlock, has managed her life and her work for the village on her own. When the younger brother of her son's guardian turns up as the new vicar, Avalon knows he's really a spy for his brother. Their conceptions of each other will change, but not before going through some compromising situations. Devan definitely has his work cut out for him. If anyone can charm and calm a lady, it's Devan Farris. I absolutely adore Devan, even if he is a vicar known as a rake, or is he? Another fabulous read in the Cavendish heiress series!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.