WILL A RAKE’S WICKED WAYS
Andrew Carrington, Earl of Bellingham, believes in being a gentleman, whether it’s fishing a soggy stranger out of the Thames or assisting a fetching lady into his bed. If the stranger becomes a friend and the lady a mistress, all the better. He certainly welcomes the opportunity to help Laura Davenport, a dazzling young widow with a rebellious stepson. Her gratitude, he hopes, will take an amorous form. But from the moment he sets foot in her drawing room, he gets far more than he bargained for …
LEAD THE LADY ASTRAY?
It was a moment of desperation. On the brink of losing her stepson, Laura turned to the notorious Lord Bellingham for help. Suddenly she, a vicar’s daughter, is in the precarious position of resisting his tantalizing advances. How Bell earned his wicked reputation is clear; the surprise is how much more there is to him than the gossip sheets could possibly reveal. Now every moment with this dangerously desirable man puts Laura’s good name at risk-and promises pleasure unlike any she has ever known …
Vicky Dreiling is a confirmed historical romance junkie and Anglophile. Frequent business trips to the United Kingdom allowed her to indulge her passion for all things Regency England. Bath, Stonehenge, and Spencer House are among her favorite places. She is, however, truly sorry for accidentally setting off a security alarm in Windsor Castle. That unfortunate incident led her British colleagues to nickname her Trouble.
When she’s not writing, Vicky enjoys reading, films, concerts, and, most of all, long lunches with friends. A native Texan, she holds degrees in English literature and marketing.
You can learn more at:
VickyDreiling.com
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SOURCE: PUBLISHER
MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT
Laura Davenport, the daughter of a vicar has married for love and even though he is twenty-four years her senior, she is really happy and adores his son, Justin. So when, mere months after they marry, he becomes ill and passes away. She has been Justin’s mother in all ways and now that he is seventeen, he is starting to act out, carousing and drinking. The Earl of Bellingham, known as Bell, is a known rake and has an eye to bed the lovely widow. Bell show up on her doorstep to confront Laura about her problems with reigning Justin in. The uncle has also heard rumors of Justin’s wild ways and sets off to assert his guardianship while Bell is there with Laura.
In a moment of panic, Laura tells the uncle that the two are engaged and he has nothing to worry about. Bell, a sworn bachelor, goes along with the plan, but soon finds his plans changing as well as he becomes more intrigued with Laura. Bell has lost his entire family and has no plans to ever be in the position to care about people again. As this pair become friends, a true romance builds even though both swear they never will marry. As Bell helps Justin, he develops a connection with the boy and with his step-mother. Yes, there are some really swoon worthy moments.
I adore how Dreiling really can create a scenario which rings true for the time period. You can actually imagine the scheming that women must take on during the Regency period since they are no more than property during this time period. The characters show a wonderful depth, especially with Bell, as he confides his loses to Laura. Even the secondary characters of Justin and Laura’s friend Lady Atherton, are very noteworthy. She also has pinned evil on the deserving uncle. Now, I can’t wait until the next one in this series!
Disclosure If you are considering purchasing this book or anything else from Amazon, please use my link above since I earn a very small percentage of the sale which helps pay for shipping my giveaways! I received this book from the publisher at no charge and in no way influenced my review.
Thanks for your review. I enjoy Vicky’s book and can’t wait to get my hands on this one. It is unusual for a widowed woman to have the care of her step-son especially when there is an uncle involved. If the uncle is the boy’s guardian, why is the boy living with the step-mother? Seems a little implausible to me that this would happen during the Regency era.
Aside from that little point, I think I will enjoy this book too.
kareninnc at gmail dot com
Hi Karen H in NC! The circumstances are explained in the novel. Essentially, the uncle is derelict in his duties.
Cheers!
Vick
Great review!
Ahhh I can’t wait to see more of Bell. So glad you enjoyed it! I’ve got this one on my review list for next week and am even more excited about it now 🙂
~Anna
Thank for the clarification Vicky —
Yes, Karen H, I didn’t go into that in the review — with most fiction, there always seems to be at least one thing you must suspend belief for and I have read other stories from this time period where the guardian is non-responsive.
I just love how Vicky makes her characters so believable. I get so excited about these characters that I could write pages about them but try to limit it so I don’t ruin the whole plot. And believe me, I can ruin it for you if you want to email me LOL! Everyone at BEA has asked me what I am reading and I can’t stop talking about this book!
I missed this blog stop yesterday, Vicky, because it was Sunday and I was just plain lazy…so now I’m catching up! 🙂 So glad to “meet” you again on this tour. jdh2690 at gmail dot com