I've found in the past that Mills and Boon books can sometimes be style over substance. Most often they are quite simple plots with forgettable characters. You read for familiarity and ease, not because the book will set your world alight.
I didn't find that this assumption fit 'Rake most likely to rebel'. Yes, the plot was rather simple and a little repetitive at times, but I felt that the characterisation really supported this novel, and though I did lose interest a few times with regard to the plot, I kept reading because I genuinely liked Haviland and Alyssandra.
The leading couple were not cut from the 'regency cookie-cutter' and offered a freshness to the genre. Alyssandra was loyal but unafraid of her own attraction and lust. She gave as good as she got, and I loved her spark. Havilland was just enough macho fencer, but unconfident Viscount to balance his nature and I loved that he wasn't so desperately loyal to the title that he didn't question his place in England. The chemistry between them was insane, much more interesting than the traditional virgin-heroine/charismatic hero troupe.
The plot was fairly simplistic; there was a good guy, a bad guy and a girl in the middle. The plot surrounding Antoine kept it from being a cut-and-dry/obvious love-triangle troupe. I did feel that it was somewhat repetitive. The main theme was hidden identity and secrets but in truth, I think that the book was too long to sustain interest in any of the main secrets.
There were too many chapters dedicated to long fencing battles, too many instances of Julian and Haviland comparing the length and skill of their swords, too many instances of [insert name here] deciding not to tell [insert name here] a secret or about their life. If some of these events had either been removed or streamlined, then I don't think I'd have lost interest, but unfortunately my brain did tend to go 'Oh another fencing lesson - skip skip skip'. The book was just too long to sustain the simplistic plot, so these sections just felt like filler. I'd rather have had a more succinct novel than a longer novel with filler.
Great characterisation, a good step away from the 'cookie-cutter' regency style, but perhaps a little let down by the plot and length.