This was a very worthy follow up to A Rogue to Remember. It was a bit slow to start and you felt like you’re jumping into a story in the middle, but it picks up and turns out to be lovely.

You know when you find an author and their writing just clicks with you? Well that’s Emily Sullivan and I. After reading her debut novel (the predecessor to this one) earlier this year I knew we were a reader-author combo that was meant to be. This book did not let me down.

This book is definitely different than A Rogue to Remember. That one was very heavy in action plot whereas this one is a slower build. I still really enjoyed it. It was like drinking a hot latte, you know when you’re slowly sipping at the beginning because you’ll burn your tongue but you know it’s going to be good so you keep drinking it and then all of a sudden you can really enjoy it so you inhale it? Yeah, it’s like that. The Rebel and the Rake is such an entertaining story that pulls a lot of reverse historical romance tropes off and feels so modern.

Loves:
-Sylvia is the definition of a character arc! I adored watching her come to life over the course of the book. The hints of her at the beginning were perfect. I loved her backstory and her gumption. The fierceness of her friendship with Georgiana felt so real. Sure she had her flaws and wasn’t perfect, but that’s what I loved about her. I thought that her whole character was well developed and her backstory matched up perfectly with who she was. Can we be friends, Sylvia?? Also, we love a woman who initiates intimacy!!!

-Rafe! After meeting him in the first book I was truly excited to come to him next! His dedication to service and wanting to be a part of reform was endearing. I have a soft spot for characters like that. Once again, his backstory and character arc trajectory were perfectly aligned and made for an incredibly compelling character. His journey to finding himself from his past was beautiful and I loved how he listened, learned, and changed. And this man is so adorable in love, like a cute little puppy.

-The modernity of this book was off the charts and it was plausible--read the author’s note at the end if you don’t believe me. I always like reading about this time in history (1890-1910) because there’s a whole lot of change and very charged political atmospheres. While it’s subdued due to the book’s isolation in a Scottish castle, the elements that are brought in and the level to which they are discussed make this political science/history college major happy! LOVE IT!

-The end of the story too! I’m not going to spoil anything but it was the type of ending you always want in a book. It ties things up nicely so that you’re not upset with plot holes. It gives the characters room to breathe after the climax so you can see how that changed them. This ending was everything I wanted. Plus the epilogue! 10000/10 amazing!

-While the plot did feel slow to start I appreciated the careful crafting of the setting and characters at the beginning when I was in the faster parts of the book. I enjoy when there’s a mystery in a romance especially with characters on slightly different ends and this did it. It was like a romantic game of Clue.

Meh:
-So it was a little slow to start and I could easily see this as a turnoff point for many readers. Like I said, it isn’t as fast as Sullivan’s first novel, but I knew it was going to explode at some point and it did! It just took a little while to get there and if you’re not a big character driven plot book this could be an issue.

-Sylvia and Rafe’s beginning of their interest in each other felt a little weird and their connection took a little longer for me to believe than I wanted. I liked that they were both mutually into each other and I like a slow burn, I just wanted some more interaction between the two characters for them to get a good pining for each other beyond what there was.

Long Story Short:

I adored this novel. I begged for this novel (just a little). This book fulfilled my hopes that I had for it when I first saw its publishing and after reading A Rogue To Remember. The discussions of classism and sexism were beautifully handled and brought an additional layer of complexity to the story that I enjoyed. Sylvia and Rafe were well developed with compelling character arcs and the side characters were also treated with great care as well. I love the way that Sullivan can take important topics and isolate them while crafting a moving romance is superb. I just need her to never stop reading books because I never want to stop reading her books. Definitely recommend this book, especially if you’ve read Evie Dunmore’s League of Extraordinary Women series! This book would be the perfect match for you!

The Rebel and the Rake is book 2 in Emily Sullivan’s League of Scoundrels series and after loving book 1 (A Rogue to Remember) so much, I couldn’t wait to get to this book. This book takes place in Scotland in 1897 and I really enjoyed seeing the heroine as the rebel!

Sylvia Sparrow has a rebellious past and secrets, but the bluestocking is currently working/living as a lady’s companion when the story starts. While a house party is going on, Sylvia finds herself being blackmailed to steal away documents from her employers or risk her past of being an advocate for social reform and the scandal that resulted from that being exposed. She meets Rafe Davies, a spy who is undercover at the same house party. He was invited by the host after he received anonymous threat messages and have had documents gone missing. Rafe is the son of an Earl and an actress, he joined the Navy when he was just 15-years-old, and now works for the Foreign Office. Rafe and Sylvia quickly find themselves drawn to one another while also trying to keep both of their secrets hidden from everyone, they get tangled up together as everything at the house party starts to come to light and both of their secrets are revealed.

This book did have a slow start for me, I didn’t feel the immediate chemistry or pull to these characters. The second half I really enjoyed though and I liked when the action/intrigue started to pick up. I thought it was refreshing for the story and I did really enjoy the heroine being the anarchist and the hero being the spy/Queen’s agent. I loved that the heroine knew herself well and was not willing to compromise her ideals for the hero, she was a strong heroine and I loved to see it! Other fun moments I enjoyed: costume ball at the house party complete with wigs, the heroine’s relationship/support from her employer Mrs. Crawford, the heroine’s friend Georgiana, and that the heroine makes the first move/kisses the hero first!

While I did love the couple and tropes in book 1 more, I did end up enjoying this read and I am very intrigued with the couple for the next book, Georgiana and Henry, which we see as side characters in this book. I do really adore this author’s writing and can’t wait for the next one in the series!

3.5 stars/rounded up. Thank you to the publisher (Forever) for an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The Rebel and the Rake has a publish date of December 28, 2021.

There's a lot to love about this book. Victorian spies are some of our favorites. Rafe, our hero, is a spy who's going through a quarter-life crisis. He's spent a lot of time becoming the best spy around, but that means he's lost out on forming lasting connections. He's also started questioning the basis of his position bolstering the Empire. Oh, and he can't really brag about his job. Sylvia is a Woman with a Past that she keeps hidden... which has placed her in Rafe's path. She's also a woman with convictions that just might run alongside Rafe's growing disillusionment with his job. (Neither of them know any of this info about the other one, of course, which just adds a little soupcon of angst to the mix.)

They both know they should stay away from each other, but they JUST. CAN'T. FIGHT IT. And of course, that's what we want to read! The only thing we would have liked a little more of was an exploration of their initial attraction to each other. The sex is SUPER hot, Sylvia's past is fascinating, and the ultimate unraveling of the spy plot is delicious.

3.5 stars

The Rebel and the Rake by Emily Sullivan is the second book in the League of Scoundrels series. The story centers around a government spy named Rafe Davies and Sylvia Sparrow, a lady’s companion with a dark past.

I really liked the plot and central mystery of the book. It started out a little slow, but the end of the book was action packed. By the end, I really couldn’t put it down. I understand that the author had to set up the story and all the characters, but I think more action could have happened in the beginning of the book. Additionally, I had a hard time in the beginning of the book believing in Rafe and Sylvia’s connection.

I really did enjoy Sylvia’s character. She was a political activist for women’s rights, which isn’t something that I have seen a lot in historical romances. It was a nice contrast to have the anarchist fall in love with the government spy. I also like that Sylvia didn’t let love get in the way of her beliefs. She stayed true to herself and her character throughout the entire book.

Book three of the series will focus on Henry and Georgiana, two side characters in this story. I was really intrigued by both of those characters and I absolutely can’t wait to read their story.

I was invited to read an ARC of The Rebel and the Rake, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #TheRebelandtheRake

This book had a little hitch in its giddy-up - it took a minute for the story to really get going - but once it went off, it really got going and I couldn't stop turning pages. Highly recommended!

This was set right at the end of the nineteenth century, so not a Regency romance. At times the heroine felt very 'modern', but I see from the Author's note at the end that her backstory is plausible. For the first half of the book not a lot really happens: the hero and heroine and various other characters are at a house party in Scotland and the author explains their actions by frequent allusions to the past. Things pick up during the second part, although the plot is fairly complex. I believed in the happy ever after.

A bit slow at parts, and to be honest when I was at the 20-30% mark I wasn't too sure how I felt about it. It has a solid ending, though--the second half was much better paced!--and I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the next book. Book 1 is also on my TBR.

This is the second book in the series, but worked just fine as a standalone. Characters from the first book were mentioned briefly but didn't really have a role here. The MCs of the next book (Henry and Georgiana) play secondary roles in this one, as friends of Rafe and Sylvia, respectively.

Rating: 4 stars / B+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.