This book was so perfect. It had all the makings of a truly exceptional piece of work. I adored Harrington's writing and her characters. I loved that we got to see some amazing secondary characters as well!

The premise was unique and very well done, and the best part was that it actually delivered on all its promises. I was either on the edge of my seat or smiling from ear to ear throughout the book.

And can we just take a second to talk about the SIZZLING chemistry. Honestly, it was leaping right off the page. I can't remember the last book I read with such well written and tasteful intimacy.

All in all, I absolutely adored this book and I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it!

ARC was kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been super into historical romances lately and this one was amazing! Thank you so much for the early access!

Finished this book two days ago. I enjoyed most of it. It had me rolling my eyes at some cliches or just cringey sentences and the ending felt a little over dramatic, so much happened in so little time, another bad thing and then another all at once.
But i loved the chemistry between the two protagoists and the way they communicated with each other instead of assuming and fighting because of it.
All in all an entertaining book for in between.

This series is new to me and I was eager for some adventure and mystery in regency England. Secret societies and spies and threats against the government and two people having to work together for a bigger cause—while falling in love— really appealed to me.

Too bad the hero was a sex-shaming jerk. I never believed his redemption and that ruined the romance for me. It’s probably a solid addition to the series, but while Olivia is brave and smart, I never warmed to Alex. One of the reasons he likes her because she appears virtuous and when he learns she’s not he hates her for it. Pot meet kettle.

The decent conspiracy takes second place to a romance that falls flat with a sex-shaming hero who doesn’t do nearly enough groveling or self-reflection before going back to the heroine. The writing was good and I’m curious about Captain Reed, but I struggled to believe Alec’s character arc.

I received an ARC from NetGalley

Alex must find out who is trying to overthrow the government. Led to Olivia, a prim and proper school headmistress, he learns she has secrets of her own. Together they must learn to trust each other to find the culprits and prevent impending disaster. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for my honest review.

Another fun entry in this series. Though the two main characters were easy to root for, what really intrigued me was his half-brother. I am more interested in the next book in the series.

An unapologetic rake attempting to cover up his pastA rule-following heroine unafraid to speak her mind Thrilling action and mystery Passionate attraction that overrides their deepest resistance Notorious rake, Alexander Sinclair, Earl of St James, takes pride in displaying his sins. When he's tasked by the Home Office with finding the men who attempted to assassinate the prime minister, his hunt leads him to Olivia Everett, a most proper schoolmistress who wants nothing to do with a profligate nobleman like him.
Unknown to her, Olivia's brother Henry has been working with the revolutionary group planning to overthrow the government. Shocked and hoping to save her brother, Olivia agrees to help the persuasive earl. But they closer they get to uncovering the villains, the more Alec and Olivia will need to trust each other.
A agent for the crown, Alex means to never fall in love because of his cruel father. Olivia does not mean to fall in love with the very handsome rake but she does.
This is a passionate tale full of misunderstandings and love.
Anna Harrington has written a very good 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.

3 1/2 stars rounded up., although I wish I could really leave this at 3 1/2 stars. I liked the author's writing style and got drawn into this book very quickly, even though there are some well-worn tropes in evidence ("the otherwise intelligent but pitifully defenseless h looks for someone in a bad part of town after dark and has to be saved" is a trope that I would be happy to see go by the wayside). I thought the scenes between H/h were nicely steamy, creating great chemistry. I was warming up to H, even though at times he was on the overbearing side. But then (SPOILERS AHEAD.................................) the h revealed the truth about her past and, unexpectedly, H was a complete jerk about it. Boo!

For the rest of the book, I'm afraid just couldn't get over H's self-righteousness and hypocrisy, and felt that he needed to come to terms a lot more with his past before he and h "did the deed." The sex scene made me uncomfortable since it occurred so quickly on the heels of his dismissal of her. And I didn't like how the abuse at the hands of his father was used to excuse his attitude and behavior. To be honest, I didn't care for how this topic was handled by this book in general. It was more of a convenient plot device than anything else.

The ending is action-packed, with everything tied up pretty well. I just wasn't that into H/h's HEA, unfortunately. If their relationship had developed with more finesse, this would have been an easy 4 stars. I liked the smoothness of the author's writing and the humorous dialog early on. But by the conclusion, I just didn't find the fun escapism I generally look for in my fiction.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4 stars

Alec is rather like a james Bond character, searching for traitors and others that are a threat to the state and royalty. He's father was not very nice and Alec is conflicted about his half brother. He tracks Olivia because he believes her brother is involved in sedition. He thinks Olivia is sexually innocent and is disappointed and feels betrayed when he finds she's not quite as she seems.
Eventually we learn what happended and Reed (the step bother) is obviously going to be the next book chasing a perceived villainess. I wasn't that impressed with the name scepter for the dodgy organisation as it seems even more of a lnk to 007. This is book 4 of the series so perhaps I should have started at the beginning.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have never been caught up so quickly into a book like this one! It captures your attention from page one and never disappoints. The story is original, the characters are real. The hero is not perfect and learns from the sweet, not so perfect heroine. Together they learn the meaning of trust. This is a well written story, very believably done and worth the read

“Half of his gut wanted to turn her into a debauched creature; the other half wanted to keep her pure. But all of him wanted her”

“Ah beauty … there you are at last”

“Never fear, Miss Everett … I have no intention of toying with you”

“Is that what you want, Olivia? … For me to seduce you?”

I absolutely loved this book!!!
Yes it is the fourth in the series of the Lords of the Armory, but trust me when I say that you really don’t need to have read the others to follow or understand the plot of this one!!
With a bit of themes that may be triggering, it had the right amount of romance and mystery to made me absolutely in love with it!!
The main characters were great and, while Olivia in an amazing, strong-willed and determined woman, I could easily relate to her falling for Alec … and hard !!!
Through intrigues, betrayals, kidnaps, secrets and a school to teach young girls what it means to enter society, those two people find each other in a very uncommon way …
We have an enemies to lovers trope. A forced proximity and also a collaboration that will come with some good but unexpected developments…
Plus there were some absolutely great side characters whom I’d love to know more about!!!
The writing style made the plot dynamic but understandable and the book easy to get into.
You should absolutely check this book out !!
And if you’re new to the series … check the others too because you won’t regret it !!

“What he wanted from this most proper woman was hours and hours of completely improper distraction”

“Good God, he was jealous of himself”

“If anything more exciting happened between the two of them, she might not survive it”

“Alec or Henry … which man could she trust?”

Alexander Sinclair, Earl of St James, has been tasked with investigating mathematician Henry Everett to uncover his involvement with the revolutionary group Scepter. Alex loses track of Henry and so decides to follow his sister, Olivia, the prim and proper headmistress of a girls school. Olivia lives her life as a proper young lady while hiding a terrible secret that could cause her school to lose their patrons forcing the school to close. When Alex confronts her about Henry's activities, Olivia doesn't believe her brother could be be involved in such a nefarious group. Now Scepter is targeting Olivia and Alex must do everything in his power to keep her safe and protect his own heart as well.

This was another intriguing book in the Lords of the Armory series. I really liked Olivia. She was the brilliant mind behind Henry's math projects, but because women can't be recognized in that way, she has to settle for Henry taking all the credit. Facing the accusation Alex makes against Henry, Olivia finds herself drawn to the handsome rake. Alex was an intriguing character as well. I loved the banter between him and Olivia especially when he was the "masked man." That certainly raised the sexual chemistry between these two. The cast of secondary characters were well done and I can't wait to see what happens when Alex's half brother Captain Reed pursues another lead in their quest to bring down Scepter.

I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own.

The fourth book in the Lords of the Armory series follows Olivia Everett, a proper schoolmistress, and Alec Sinclair, the Earl of St. James. When an assassination plot against the prime minister is uncovered, Alec and his half-brother are charged with finding the people attempting the murder. Alec’s investigation leads him to Olivia’s brother. Determined to save her brother and prove his innocence, Olivia works with Alec to figure out who wants the prime minister dead and how her brother is involved. However, neither Olivia nor Alec expected to develop feelings for each other. With so many obstacles in their way, can they have a future together?.

This is such a great addition to the series! Olivia is a smart and capable woman with a lot on her plate. Burdened with responsibility and secrets, Olivia has no time for men, especially a rakish man with a reputation like Alec’s. Alec is so much more than a rake, however, as Olivia quickly learns. He is smart and brave, and his loyalty to his country drives him. Alec, like Olivia, has secrets from his past that burden him and define him, and both have to face these wounds and secrets before they can truly embrace their future. It’s interesting to see how this pair helps to tear down each other’s walls.

Olivia and Alec have fantastic chemistry and a wonderful opposites-attract romance. They have some fabulous banter, which is equally funny, teasing, antagonistic, sexy, and tender. They are from such different worlds, and they face so many obstacles, but their connection is instantaneous. From their first meeting, you can feel the chemistry between them, and that carries throughout the story. Though I didn’t love his initial reaction to and treatment of Olivia when he found out her secret, I did like how hard he worked to earn back her trust and forgiveness. I also like how both characters learned more about themselves and each other and emotionally grew throughout the story. They are both complex and layered characters that complement each other well.

The complex relationship between Alex and his half-brother is another intriguing aspect of the story. They do not have an amicable connection, and their interactions are stilted and awkward. However, I can definitely see a change happening as these brothers work together and get to know each other more. I’m curious to see how this relationship changes and develops as the series progresses.

I love some of the other secondary characters in the story, including Alec’s mother and sister and the young girls in Olivia’s care. And Philip has my heart! He’s such a sweet and eager young man, and I can’t wait to see more of him! His character really brings to light problems that were prevalent during this time, including working conditions, child labor, and more. I like that Harrington continues to highlight important social issues and feel it adds a lot of depth to the story while also enhancing the character development.

In addition to the dynamic characters and messages, Scepter continues to be an evasive and dangerous threat to the characters. The stakes grow ever higher, and with assassination attempts, bombings, murder, and more, Alec and Olivia find themselves in dangerous and life-threatening situations throughout the story. It’s suspenseful and intriguing, and it seems like the lords of the armory are getting closer to revealing Scepter and foiling their plans. I’m curious to see what happens next in this over-arching plot.

I would definitely recommend A Relentless Rake to lovers of historical romance or romantic suspense. It’s a great story with wonderful, layered characters and a swoon-worthy romance. Though it’s part of a series, A Relentless Rake can be read as a standalone. However, some characters from the first books do make appearances in this one. Special thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and the author for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

I absolutely adored this read! It's been a while since I've read a good historical romance that delivers just the right amount of love and representation of strong female characters set in the Regency era. I have not read any of the author's previous works, but if they are anything like this read, than I am definitely putting them on my list!!

This is another in a series that has as its backdrop a threat against the crown from a murky group called Scepter. In Relentless Rake, the threat is tied to a bombing that wreaks maximum damage by using mathematical equations to determine a building’s weakest spots, thus identifying where to locate explosives to cause the most destruction. The hero, Alec, is an earl and army veteran. He is one of two army veterans entrusted with investigating this plot to prevent future bombings. A clue leads them to Henry Everett, a math instructor at a girls’ school, established by his dead father and now managed by his sister, Olivia, the heroine. After Henry disappears for a few days, Alec who assigned to watch Olivia, ends up saving her from a couple thugs. Eventually, Alec and Olivia work together to try to uncover the truth of Henry’s involvement and stop Scepter.

While a solid addition to the series, for me, something was missing to make it outstanding. The pace seemed rather slow and Alec was a little hard to warm up to for a good part of the book. Also, a minor irritation was how frequently it was mentioned that Olivia posed with her hands on her hips.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Sourcebooks Casablanca for an advance copy to review.

Earl of St James, takes pride in displaying his sins. When he's tasked by the Home Office with finding the men who attempted to assassinate the prime minister, his hunt leads him to Olivia Everett, a most proper schoolmistress who wants nothing to do with a profligate nobleman like him.
Unknown to her, Olivia's brother Henry has been working with the revolutionary group planning to overthrow the government. Shocked and hoping to save her brother, Olivia agrees to help the persuasive earl. But they closer they get to uncovering the villains, the more Alec and Olivia will need to trust each other.

Anna Harrington writes terrific historical romance. This is another wonderful book.
It's steamy and swoony. The heroine is smart and brave. The hero is swoon-worthy. Their chemistry is great!

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

I blew through this book in a day because I literally could not stop reading it. It sucked me in from the very beginning and refused to let me go until I'd reached the last page.

As has been the case with the other installments of the Lords of the Armory series, the mystery of what Scepter will do next provided an engaging and tense backbone to a lovely romance. The knowledge that the organization would stop at nothing to achieve their ends kept me reading, because I had to know what they would do next and how it would impact Alec and Olivia.

On the subject of the two romantic leads, I think they may have been one of my favorite couples in the series so far. Their dynamic was alternately funny and crackling with sexual tension. I particularly loved Olivia, with her kind heart and her driving desire to live down a single mistake of her past by doing the best she could in the present. Alec was alternately witty and brooding, an excellent rake hero.

*spoilers ahead*

My main issue with this book was Alec's fixation on the truth, to the point of essentially slut-shaming Olivia for a single mistake. While his qualm was that she had lied to him, it came across that he was upset she had lied specifically about being a virgin which, technically, she hadn't. His rage made sense in the scope of his character, but it still left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. I almost wish he had uncovered some other lie, one that didn't rely so much on Olivia having had sex one time several years before, to fuel his rage - and ultimate character growth. The way things stand, this part of the plot slightly undercut my good opinion of an otherwise great romantic lead.

Still, as my blowing through the book can attest, I really enjoyed this read. I'm very much looking forward to the next installment!

4.25/5

A Relentless Rake was an absolute delight to read! It had everything I could ever want in a romance—a smart, strong woman, a charming rake, some intrigue and mystery, hidden identity, a smattering of feminism, and happy ending.

The banter between Olivia and Alec was incredible. I don’t usually react when I’m reading books, but I found myself smiling at the way he pushed her buttons and how she fired back.

Well-written, interestingly historical, some spice, this is a 5/5 for me! I can’t wait to read more about Captain Reed, either.