I loved every aspect of this and we got a plus sized main character? Hell yeah! The characters were incredible, though the mother was extremely grating. I loved every minute of the reading experience.

This is the third book in a series, following the sons of the Duke of Kennet. The first book focused on Thomas, the heir, the second which I have read focuses on Robert, the second son. This third installment is about Lord Michael, the third son, which has been away from polite society for the past four years since being jilted by his fiancee. He is a recovering alcoholic who is very restless and finds solace in his horses. He meets Clara, who loves her peregrine falcon, her kitten Pockets and horses, and it's a bit of a case of insta-love on both sides. However Clara's parents are determined to marry her off to a Duke.

So... lots of things going on - there are complex family dynamics on both sides and this book is a little darker than your average HR (as is the second book, much more in fact). I liked a lot of about this book - I really like the Ashton family, Clara is fab, her maid is a great character and the story zips along. There are some glaring anachronisms in language - the most egregious being our heroine shouting 'are you f*cking insane?' at two Dukes having just discharged a gun on a dueling field.... and then some more minor 'gottens' which I feel could be so easily remedied by the find and replace function!!!

All in all a good read though. If these books could just maybe get a really tight edit, they'd be very very good indeed - as it is I am going for a very solid, have a read.

This was the first book in the series that I read, because of this it would have been helpful to have some sort of prologue to provide some backstory. It is possible to follow along with what is going on with all the family members, but some more information on what had happened in other books would have been helpful. I'm also assuming that the events in this book overlap with those from book 2 so I got little snippets of that story but no resolution. All of that aside, I did really enjoy this book! I loved that Clara wasn't the typical thin gorgeous woman we usually get in romance novels. I liked that her and Michael at least had known one another as children because it made their whirlwind romance more believable. I went back and forth with how I felt about Clara's parents - sometimes I liked them and other times I thought they were pretty awful in how they treated Clara. Had they just been a little more upfront and honest with her about why it was so important she marry maybe things would have gone differently. But they didn't, so here we are. Michael's desire to prove and make something of himself for more than just to win Clara's hand in marriage was one of my favorite things about this story. I also really liked that Wykeham's mother was actually a very kind, down-to-earth person and recognized what a twit her son was. In most novels, she would have been stuck up and as awful as her child, so this was another breath of fresh air. At first I thought that Clara was an idiot for telling Wykeham about her and Michael (especially in public) but then when I considered everything the author put in that scene I realized that it was actually a very empowering thing for her to do. Much like Michael's mother, I wanted to smack him when he thought the worst of Clara and didn't even listen to her when she tried to correct his thinking. Their reconciliation scene is pretty sweet though, so I'll forgive him. Although I came in a little late to this series and barely know these characters I can't wait for book 4 to find out what happens with Beth.

3.5*
Clara’s parents are determined she should marry this season, her clumsiness having caused scandal and gossip that has vastly decimated her prospects. When a Duke shows interest, Clara feels cornered and trapped as despite her dislike of him a marriage between them is more or less assured. The only person who gives her hope is a third son who seems enamoured with her, but he is a rake, mired in scandal and vastly inferior to a duke in her parents eyes. And so begins a sort of courtship, the redemption of a rogue, the machinations of a man used to getting what he wants and a horrendous scandal.
This book was an okay read with a trapped heroine of the wrong shape to be popular and a hero who has fallen to rock bottom until his family drags him back up. I did have some issues with some of the plot though that felt out of kilter with the time period/characters and I was surprised by the hero’s new career, on practically the last page, when the entire book had been based on something different.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Having been left at the alter before, Michael is not looking to marry. Attracted to Clara, he becomes determined she not have the marriage of convenience her parents have arranged. Michael’s family unites to help him achieve that goal and more. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Dragonblade publishing for my copy of Nothing but a Rake.
Lady Clara and Lord Michael both find themselves on the outskirts of polite society and are each plauged by their own scandals. However, when the two are brought together by a search for Lady Clara's kitten they seem to fall for each other immediatly. Although clear skies is not up ahead for the couple when Lady Clara's parents force her to marry an appalling duke.
I could not put this book down I just loved it. I loved the chemistry between Clara and Michael. I really like how the interactions between the characters felt real and natural. My only problem would I felt that the ending was too short. Keep in mind I did not realize this was part of a series. However, this did not effect the joy or the plot of the book.