Lots of twists and turns!

Set in 1897 in Glasgow then London, this story not only delivers an outstanding "when you know, you know" romance but it also takes a hard look at the struggle for women's rights and just how far a man should go in the name of patriotism.

Rafe and Sylvia meet at a house party hosted by Mr. Wardale, a wealthy man of influence who has just recently purchased the Scottish castle where our story begins. Wardale has a job for Rafe - find the spy in their midst who stole important papers from him, and investigate every single guest in the process. Without blowing his own cover as a spy for the Crown.

Sylvia is a strong, intelligent, brave young woman who is determined to defy convention wherever and whenever necessary. She has her own secrets to keep, but in order to do that she must follow the directions of an unknown blackmailer. Her best friend, Georgiana, is on hand for both moral support and as the niece-in-law of Sylvia's employer, an eccentric elderly woman who hires Sylvia as her secretary to put her extraordinary memoirs down on paper.

Their paths might never have crossed but for the undeniable chemistry these two share, though they try to maintain their distance to protect their secrets. The author moves the complex story "through the intricate steps with a graceful competence" and renders a beautifully irresistible tale that will stay in your heart for a very long time. The character growth is masterfully detailed, spinning both Rafe's and Sylvia's lives on end before finally settling into a satisfyingly triumphant HEA. I love that even in her willingness to embrace traditions, Sylvia still managed to forge a unique path all her own. She's one of my all-time favorite book heroines.

I loved the intensity of their romance, the witty and thought-provoking banter, and the surprisingly diabolical twist near the end. This is a clever romantic suspense tale that will keep you swooning right up to the very last page. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

I loved Emily Sullivan's debut novel and was so excited for this one. Sadly, it just didn't work for me. We meet Rafe in book one. He is a spy who is at a house party in Scotland when he meets Sylvia, The two are instantly attracted to one another and before long are wishing for a future together which felt a bit fast for me. If you are a lover of spy novels, insta love and strong women, you will most likely love this book. While I did enjoy Sylvia's stances on women's rights, too much time was spent for me on back story for both characters. It was hard to feel any chemistry between Rafe and Sylvia as it got lost in the weeds. I never felt or really truly understood the desperation for both characters regarding their current predicament. I just wasn't super interested in the plot itself, but I also struggle with spy stories as the secrets and lying are tough for me to overcome.

That being said, Sullivan is a strong writer and I love the premise of these characters. The setting in Scotland is great and I always love a house party. As I said, I really loved the first book and look forward to the next. This one just wasn't for me but I know that so many people will love it!

Despite the intriguing synopsis, I struggled to get through this book. It took me weeks - and I normally finish a book this size in 2-3 days at most. It was easy to put down, because there wasn't really anything about the story that made me want to keep reading. To be blunt, it was boring. The hero is inexplicably drawn to the heroine, it doesn't really make sense. I didn't feel any chemistry at all, so when they begin to get intimate, I was skipping through the scenes. Her backstory didn't really make any sense, and it felt like there was a heavy emphasis on how different the heroine was for her time period. She flips out on the hero fairly early on about women's voting rights, and it felt forced. We know the time period, we know what is the norm, and yet every heroine lately in every historical romance seems to be a suffragette. If written well, you admire the heroine and root for her taking on the patriarchy, but in this book, it just felt like the aim was to make the heroine "different from the other girls" which was not a good look. Not every woman back then cared about politics and that's okay, folks.

The first book in this series was much more exciting, and I was expecting the same level of excitement here. Sadly, it felt flat. I will definitely check out the next book in the series, but for me, this one was a flop.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you enjoy charismatic spies and sassy bluestockings, then you will love this book! The Rebel And The Rake expertly blend intrigue, mystery, and romance. Rafe Davies has carefully created the careless rake persona to aid in his job as a spy for the crown. Rafe is an excellent spy but has lost himself in the facade he presents. Miss Sylvia Sparrow is a companion. She is intelligent and daring, which led to scandal in her past. Both Rafe and Sylvia harbor dangerous secrets, but when they meet at a house party, sparks instantly fly.

I liked how Rafe presented this self-assured persona to the world, yet deep down, he is tired and lonely, exhausted from trying to win approval. Rafe has much hurt in his past, and throughout the book, he works on finding his identity. Sylvia knows who she is but is forced to lie and hide in the shadows. This oppression is slowly dimming her spirit. Rafe and Sylvia must face their past demons and insecurities to hope for future happiness.

The setup of a house party as a background worked well. The main characters had emotional depth and were vibrant. The plot was uneven, lagging at times and being too full of content at others. However, the story's foundation was exciting, and I was fascinated; my attention didn’t falter. The Rebel And The Rake is the second book in the League Of Scoundrels series. The third novel is hinted at, and I am looking forward to it. Some improvements in plot flow could be made, but all in all, this was an engaging book full of dazzling dialogue, shocking twists, and a wonderful happily ever after. Emily Sullivan creates a delicious world of intrepid spies, feisty heroines, and dastardly antagonists. This is a solid second installment to a burgeoning new series. If these books keep growing and improving, we will have an eye-catching, riveting read!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book through Netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A charismatic rake who's also a spy + an intelligent bluestocking heroine with a scandalous secret = a book I adored. This is a wonderful sequel to Sullivan's A Rogue to Remember with strong writing, characters you care about and root for, and an element of mystery. Highly recommend.

I was so excited for Rafe’s story I even mentioned him in my review of the first in this series. I think Emily has a different flare when writing. Her stories, while fairly mainstream, seem to have an feel that is quite unusual. I don’t know, maybe I am in the strange one. Anyway, if you like a really, really slow story then this book is for you. Let me be clear, the story was slow, not the romance which I really enjoyed. The first 50% of the book is so slow I was wondering if it was going anywhere. The action does pick up in the second half of the book and I really liked when Rafe and Sylvia were working together to find out who was behind the blackmail/threatening letters. Let’s just say that everybody is not as they seem. The mystery was easy to figure out but the interactions with Rafe and Sylvia actually had me laughing out loud. So why the higher rating? Because, I really love Rafe and Sylvia.

Even though there is no synopsis or tease for the next book, there kind of is in the story. Henry (the war hero who is scarred) and Georgianna (the viscountess) are going to be great!

I got to read this through Netgalley and wow, was I hooked. Give me spies and the Home Office in historical romance and you'll likely snare me as a reader. On top of that I was give anti-imperialism and women's suffrage. What wasn't to love?

Sylvia was great. I adore her. She's hiding things and trying her best. It took me a hot minute to figure her out, but I loved her from the start. Rafe, however, I was lost the moment he turned up on the page. His inner thoughts and how amazingly *human* he is just blew me away. I could have been given a garbage plot and I'd have followed these two avidly. They were clever and snarky and perfect together. Rafe's relationships with his family, valet, and friend Henry were wonderful and rounded him out perfectly. He was an utter delight to read.

Remember I said I'd have read if the plot was garbage? It wasn't! It was compelling and moved at a pace that never bored me. I read this book in one sitting, people. That's how much I enjoyed it. There were a few things I figured out pretty early on but that didn't detract from my reading experience at all.

Do you love historical romance and characters you'll truly care about? Read this book! I'm super excited for the next one (Henry might have my whole heart, we'll see). And am definitely picking up anything and everything this author writes. Forever.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in the series but I think it can be entirely read as a standalone.

CW: blackmail, slutshaming, mentions of abusive relationship (side character), death of a parent, toxic relationships with family members

I would recommend if you are looking for

-m/f insta attraction
-close-proximity
-flirting at a house party
-A rake of a spy
-woman living under an assumed name
-this is just a hookup
-what happens in the cabin stays in the cabin

I love this series. It is just excitement, enjoyment, and tropey. I enjoyed the spy mission as it intertwined with Sylvia's story. These two kept bumping into each other and the attraction was electric. Also a hero who rocks glasses is just yum. If you're looking for a lighter historical read with an exciting plot and great chemistry definitely recommend this one.

Steam: 3.5

This was.... excruciatingly boring. I read the first 20% and absolutely nothing happened. We get some insta-lust, some stilted interactions, and a whole lot of lengthy asides about what happened to characters in the past and what happened to characters from the previous book in the past. Plus some interludes of the hero and heroine being moody and beating themself up because of their past actions that were really fine? I was incredibly bored and I *like* slow-moving stories. I kept reading because the elderly woman Sylvia is companion to is amusing, but she has very little page time. I have never been so bored by a novel in which the hero is a spy and the heroine is a bluestocking. They really both should have been much more interesting.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing an e-arc for review.

This is a fast paced, sexy romp that swiftly draws the reader into the story. Emily Sullivan has crafted a charming and interesting group of characters, surrounded them with secrets and mysteries and placed them all in a house party in Scotland. All these elements work together to create a delightfully fun romance between a heroine who is not what she seems, and a hero who knows how to charm his way in and out of any situation. Sullivan's second installment in the League of Scoundrel's series is a wonderful addition that has a new and unique feel to the first.

Sylvia's past is marred in scandal, so she has changed her name and is now acting as secretary/lady's companion to her best friend's in law. Sylvia is smart, with strong ideals of what rights women should have, and how the country she calls home could be run in a more equitable way for it's citizens. Rafe is a charming rake who is a valued agent of the crown. While on a secret mission at a Scottish House Party, he becomes distracted and tempted by the lovely Sylvia who might have some secrets that he could find valuable.

The chemistry between Sylvia and Rafe burns quick, bright and hot. They are both immediately attracted to each other and this serves to distract them both from their missions. (Sylvie in discovering who is blackmailing her and Rafe discovering who has been blackmailing many powerful lords.) Sullivan crafts many delightful moments between Sylvia and Rafe that cause them to constantly be bumping into each other, causing their attraction to grow swiftly until they are unable to keep their hands off one another. It is fun to watch these two circle each other for awhile as they are both try to solve their own mysteries and then completely satisfying to watch them work together and see the strengths they each can bring to the table. The steam in this novel is scorching which really helps to play into the insta-love style of romance that Sylvia and Rafe fall into. I really enjoyed this and it helped to show the trust that they have with one another. I also like that Rafe is not judgmental around the fact that Sylvia is not some weak virgin. I think that Sylvia and Rafe were really able to come to understand each other, see strength and independence in the other and Rafe was able to grow and understand and see the various political fights that Sylvia wanted to champion in order to create a better government.

I found this to be a delightful addition to Emily Sullivan's works, I would definitely recommend checking out this fast paced, steamy romance. With compelling characters in both our main and supporting roles I am extremely excited to see where Emily's work will go!

This had so many great elements- a suffragette heroine with deeply held convictions, a secret agent who appears to be a charming rake but is actually a nice, sensitive guy, a house party bursting with secrets, interesting mysteries, a bit of steam.

Unfortunately, it just didn’t come all together for me. I was pretty bored reading the whole thing. With as many awesome pieces as it had, it’s surprising how slow this book was. I was never really interested in anything that happened or the characters themselves because the plot unrolled so very slowly.

Overall, if you don’t mind a slow paced story, this is probably a great one! Just not for me.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 Q: what are you currently reading?

I haven’t read very many pairings like this: a charmer rake who’s actually working as a spy for the Crown & a rebel *once arrested* for her political convictions who’s now hiding from her notoriety & surviving as a Lady’s Companion.

There’s so much going on in the background of Emily Sullivan’s The Rebel and the Rake & she weaves the various aspects with skill: blackmail, family dramatics, ton maneuverings, etc.

Against this backdrop our rake Rafe Davies falls for the usually unassuming, largely ignored by the aristocracy heroine, Sylvia, a lead who’s compelling for me. University-educated & willing to go to great lengths for her beliefs, *including* having heated conversations with the Hot Hero about them, she’s admirable.

Sullivan writes a well-crafted story—she takes risks & her writing style is easy to tumble for. I think she has a big future in historical romance & I’m really looking forward to seeing what she writes next.

But I didn’t always care for how the hero acts in this one—his feelings for Sylvia feel deep quickly & I didn’t totally buy it. I also didn’t 💯 enjoy how he fails to fully appreciate what she does for him at one point in the story.

In the end, I’ll remember how fine a writer Emily Sullivan is but not necessarily this book itself 🥴. With that being said, definitely check out the first book in the series, A Rogue to Remember, if you haven’t already & expect great things from her to come!

4 ⭐️. Release date: 12/28.​


[ID: in front of a dark blue wall is a building made of jewel colored doors (an advent house); in front of the house is a white blanket and a copy of the book. There’s a reflection of the book’s title & the bottom of the cover underneath it.]

This was an action-filled, who-dun-it, political rousing, mystery, thriller from the first chapter that just got better and drew the reader in deeper as the story moved along!
The heroine is using an assumed name to be a lady's companion/secretary as she writes the memoirs of the lady into a book. The heroine was arrested for a crime that she did not commit, and was slandered by the press. She meets up with the hero at a house party in an ancient castle just purchased by a leading industrialist if the day. The industrialist made the skin crawl on the heroine and she stayed far away. But the hero was handsome and charming and an aristocratic who dabbled with widows. She stayed away as long as she could, while the hero used his spy senses to investigate sedition. As the house party went on, the intrigue intensified. The hero was actually assigned to infiltrate the party as a guest and secretly watched the heroine.
The story was intriguing from the first chapter. I actually couldn't pit it down. And the story kept bouncing from one point to another. Once the reader realized one component of the story, another one came along. There were many lies and falsehoods that needed to be solved. Would someone die before it was over? Did the undercover people let on to their lies and reveal themselves? You have to read to find out. I give this story 5 stars and a definite recommendation to read.

Plot: I loved reading about Sylvia and Rafe's romance! There was a bit of a mystery element to this one, as well, which I quite enjoyed.

Characters: Sylvia was a great MC, and I really liked Rafe as the love interest! I also loved her friendship with Georgiana, and I really look forward to her getting her own book!

The Cover: I like it!

Overall: This was a fantastic Historical Romance, that I really loved, and I can't wait to read the next book! Overall, I definitely recommend!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

“You’re wrong.” He moved his hand to caress the soft curls gathered at the back of her neck, and she pressed into his touch. “I’ve been avoiding you these last few days. I told myself it was for your protection. That it wouldn’t do you any good if people thought I was paying you particular attention. But I was also protecting myself,” he added softly.

She’s in hiding. He’s undercover.

It should be a match made in heaven. But it feels more like a headfirst dive into bad decisions and decadence. Neither one of them can afford to blow their cover.

Sylvia endeavors to be inconspicuous. Her colorful past has left her with few choices, and her current position as personal secretary to an overly perceptive employer, means she has no choice but to blend into the woodwork. Despite her concerted efforts to escape notice, she immediately catches the eye of the notorious womanizer and rakehell Rafe Davies.

Rafe is at this houseparty for one specific reason. He’s here to ferret out secrets and plots against the Crown. His devil-may-care, studied nonchalance, is the perfect way to throw the scent off his trail and cloak his true intentions. But the inobtrusive secretary unfailingly draws his gaze every time they are in a room together. It’s a dangerously combustible compulsion he needs to quell before she becomes too big of a distraction.
Despite his determination to avoid Ms. Sparrow, Rafe finds himself sharing confidences with her that reveal he is a multi-faceted man, with more on his mind than parlor games and boudoir assignations.

She is intrigued, but wary of his intentions. And then like a besotted fool, she gives him a glimpse into her distrust of the male half of the species. And then she is at pains to avoid his gaze, as it seems he is irrevocably drawn to her. They begin to seek out each other’s company at every opportunity. They are irreverent of the danger their connection poses, and the fact that their true selves are revealed one painstaking layer at a time.

Their first kiss happens in the quiet of the library. And the flame is ignited.

I absolutely adored the second book in the League of Scoundrels series!

Plot: 5 Stars
Characters: 5 Stars
Steam: 5 Bonfires!!!!

Rafe Davies might seem like just another charismatic rake, but in reality, he is one of the crown’s most valuable agents. As relentless as he is reckless, Rafe has never come upon a mission he couldn’t complete. But when he encounters the intriguing-yet-prickly lady’s companion Miss Sylvia Sparrow while on assignment at a Scottish house party, he finds himself thoroughly distracted by the secretive beauty.
Though most women would be thrilled to catch the eye of a tall, dark, and dangerously handsome man, Sylvia is through with that sort of adventure. She trusted the wrong man once and paid for it dearly. The fiery bluestocking is resolved to avoid Rafe, until a chance encounter between them reveals the normally irreverent man’s unexpected depths—and an attraction that’s impossible to ignore. But when Sylvia begins to suspect she isn’t the only one harboring a few secrets, she realizes that Rafe may pose a risk to far more than her heart.
Sylvia and Rafe's attraction is impossible to ignore.
The gist of the story is that Rafe is a agent for the crown and Sylvia is harboring secrets of her own.
Emily Sullivan has written a perfectly compelling story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Emily Sullivan is a new favorite in the realm of historical romance. Her League of Scoundrels series is a fun take on the Victorian era, with espionage and a wee bit of danger tossed in. I loved A Rogue to Remember so I jumped at the chance to read the second book, The Rebel and the Rake.

I didn't think anyone could come close to how much I loved Lottie and Alec, but I was wrong. Sylvia and Rafe completely stole my heart. Rafe, a spy for the Crown, has cultivated a rakish persona, and no one has seen the real him in a very long time. Sylvia, a radical anarchist and proponent for women's rights, has reinvented herself as a simple secretary after an explosive scandal left her with nothing.

She's being blackmailed. He's on an assignment. When they meet at a house party at a Scottish castle, they feel an immediate attraction, and sparks fly. But can their love survive their many secrets?

I love Sullivan's tendency to craft women who color outside the lines. Lottie took her future into her own hands. Sylvia refuses to accept society's expectations for a "respectable woman." These books are so much fun, and the happily ever afters are well-earned and satisfying.

Thank you to Forever Pub and NetGalley for my e-ARC in exchange for my review.

Rafe Davies, agent of the crown, is on assignment at a Scottish house party, where he encounters companion Sylvia Sparrow. Sylvia is being blackmailed and is desperate to avoid Rafe, until a chance encounter makes their attraction hard to ignore.

This is the second book in the League of Scoundrels series. I was intrigued by Rafe in the first book and was curious to see where his story would go. The plot was interesting, but the story was too slow moving for me. The individual elements were there, and the time period was obviously well-researched, but I just found myself getting bored.

Tropes: Spy, Bluestocking, Forced Proximity

* I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

I only want to love Emily Sullivan's books but they just do not work for me. I think they might be too character driven and not enough plot driven for me. Thanks for letting me try it.

A Rogue to Remember was great, and I was so excited to read the second book in this series. Emily Sullivan is a wonderful regency-era author who clearly puts a lot of research into her plots & characters. I love the dimensions to both Sylvia and Rafe --- they are stubborn, headstrong, whip-smart and totally perfect for one another.

Some parts of the plot were slower than others, but it was all necessary build up to a great conclusion. I definitely recommend this series and can't wait for the next book!