What do you think?
Rate this book
The Rake
A remarkable tale of redemption and transformation, The Rake is a love story set against the backdrop of a changing world. Perfect for fans of Bridgerton.
It is the turn of the 19th Century and Lord Jaspar Heddington is a rich handsome rake, who womanises with impunity, indulged by the world he inhabits who turn a blind eye to his peccadilloes. However, when Jaspar seduces the beautiful, innocent Laura Ludgrove, the enusing scandal is different.
To escape the fallout, his beloved sister, Nillie, orders him out of London and back to Bardfield, his estate in the country. On the journey, he encounters a mysterious and beautiful girl who captivates him - and then unexpectedly shoots him. Wounded and bleeding, his life is ultimately saved by young Dr Horace Sugden, a trailblazer of the new scientific world.
Overwhelmed, Jaspar struggles to understand why he was shot. Still haunted by the strange encounter, Jaspar decides to search for the girl who invades his dreams - but will he emerge with more than he bargained for?
It is the turn of the 19th Century and Lord Jaspar Heddington is a rich handsome rake, who womanises with impunity, indulged by the world he inhabits who turn a blind eye to his peccadilloes. However, when Jaspar seduces the beautiful, innocent Laura Ludgrove, the enusing scandal is different.
To escape the fallout, his beloved sister, Nillie, orders him out of London and back to Bardfield, his estate in the country. On the journey, he encounters a mysterious and beautiful girl who captivates him - and then unexpectedly shoots him. Wounded and bleeding, his life is ultimately saved by young Dr Horace Sugden, a trailblazer of the new scientific world.
Overwhelmed, Jaspar struggles to understand why he was shot. Still haunted by the strange encounter, Jaspar decides to search for the girl who invades his dreams - but will he emerge with more than he bargained for?
- GenresRomanceRegencyHistorical
424 pages, Paperback
Published July 28, 2021
2 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 23, 2021
The book started off with a bang with this new author. The Hero, Lord Jasper was a difficult character to like. His use of woman was very shabby..... This is the story of his growth from a Rake to a more caring man. He has a near death experience and this changes him. The book had a lot of side story's and characters. I enjoyed the first third of the book the most. It slowed down in the middle with several side plots and picked up again at the end. It was a nice book. Thank you NetGalley for providing this book for my review.
November 30, 2021
I did enjoy this book, although the pace did slow during the middle part but there was plenty of action later on and it became a real page turner. There were a good number of characters, some I think could have been left out as they didn’t add anything to the story. I like Grizelda ( apart from the name), she was feisty but also caring for those she loved. Jasper, Lord Heddington, had a change of character after a near death experience and began to change his ways. The way people spoke and behaved seemed right for the era. There is a romance but neither are sure of the other’s feelings and it doesn’t go smoothly. This was an entertaining read and I will read more by this author. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
December 22, 2021
I had high hopes for this Regency-based romance, and story of a rake’s transformation from the jerk he was to a respectful person by the end of the book.
Instead, I was pretty disappointed. Jasper, Lord Heddington, is known amongst his fellow peers of the ton that he romances women then dumps them. Jasper soothes himself about the negative repercussions to the women by sending them off with various expensive baubles and the like. His latest conquest is a young, pretty thing with about zero brain. After bedding and dumping her, even his closest sister thinks he went a little too far, and sends him out of town, whereupon he’s shot by a beautiful redhead for no reason he can imagine and then, after a long difficult month of recovery, Jasper has a change of heart and decides to do better in his future relationships.
Jasper’s transformation was not credibly handled by the author. Before his near death experience, he wondered how an acquaintance of his, a duchess or something, who is a spoilt, self-centred, manipulative person, could fare so well in Society. Considering he’s a spoilt, self-centred, manipulative person, I found his musings hilariously ironic, and thought it unlikely that one month was all it took for him to suddenly start caring about the reputations of the women he is yet to be involved with.
I also thought the author only awkwardly engaged with the power differentials between Jasper and all the women he used and the various lower class people he dealt with in the story; as well, Grizelda’s turn from hatred to love was too fast and implausible.
And the plot was meandering, and already overloaded, then the author threw in a kidnapping.
So, overall, awkward and too long.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Matador for this ARC in exchange for my review.
Instead, I was pretty disappointed. Jasper, Lord Heddington, is known amongst his fellow peers of the ton that he romances women then dumps them. Jasper soothes himself about the negative repercussions to the women by sending them off with various expensive baubles and the like. His latest conquest is a young, pretty thing with about zero brain. After bedding and dumping her, even his closest sister thinks he went a little too far, and sends him out of town, whereupon he’s shot by a beautiful redhead for no reason he can imagine and then, after a long difficult month of recovery, Jasper has a change of heart and decides to do better in his future relationships.
Jasper’s transformation was not credibly handled by the author. Before his near death experience, he wondered how an acquaintance of his, a duchess or something, who is a spoilt, self-centred, manipulative person, could fare so well in Society. Considering he’s a spoilt, self-centred, manipulative person, I found his musings hilariously ironic, and thought it unlikely that one month was all it took for him to suddenly start caring about the reputations of the women he is yet to be involved with.
I also thought the author only awkwardly engaged with the power differentials between Jasper and all the women he used and the various lower class people he dealt with in the story; as well, Grizelda’s turn from hatred to love was too fast and implausible.
And the plot was meandering, and already overloaded, then the author threw in a kidnapping.
So, overall, awkward and too long.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Matador for this ARC in exchange for my review.
December 7, 2021
The Rake by Gillian Hawser had both pluses and minuses for me. On the plus side, I enjoyed the story line with its tale of redemption and its enemies-to-lovers theme. Jaspar Heddington was not at first a likeable character, but we did see him change and grow throughout the story, and I enjoyed following that transformation. On the negative side, the pacing of the story was a little off. The opening and ending were entertaining, but things floundered for a while in the middle, with a wide range of side characters drawing the action away from the main plot. Also, although this book was published back in July (and was therefore not an ARC still awaiting final proofreading), there were a fair number of typographical and grammatical errors, which did jerk me out of the story at times as I paused to work out what the sentence was trying to convey. Despite these minuses, though, The Rake was still an entertaining story overall and if you are a fan of Regency romance with rakish heroes, I am sure you will find enjoyment in this piece. It gets 3.5 stars from me.
I received this book as a free review copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 13, 2021
I often enthuse about books, and this one deserves enthusiasm. A vivid novel set at the turn of the nineteenth century, this is a book which describes the progress of a man who would admit that he has been a rake; a man careless with the affections of women, a man who enjoys relationships with women outside marriage. Happily there are women who will not accept this, and in this well written story a woman actually shoots Lord Jasper Heddington. Attractive, incredibly wealthy and with a title to safeguard, he knows that he must marry and get a male heir, but in this detailed and beautifully written book he gets diverted by many things - including serious injury. As a world of balls, presentations and concern over reputations whirls around, Jasper is confronted by new concerns introduced to his life beyond his usual lifestyle, but can he cope in a rapidly changing world?
Fans of Georgette Heyer, Bridgeton and other Regency/ Georgian period novels will be extremely impressive with this society based novel of life among the upper classes. It is a lot more weighty than some novels which feature the same sort of subject, not only in length (which is considerable) but also in terms of subject matter. This book is not only about manners, conversations and fashionable clothes, but also some of the issues that were becoming important at the turn of a new century. This is a book that is dominated by women, who have very different experiences and intentions. The characters, including Jasper, are very well drawn with real depth and well described emotions. Ranging from a concerned grandmother through a sister who has a lot on her mind, these are not all young women with romance on their minds. The social issues covered are well dealt with and add a certain level of realism. I am so glad to have had the opportunity to read and review this extremely engaging book.
The book begins with a description of Jasper Heddington. A friend of the very real Mr Beau Brummell, he is classically handsome and fabulously wealthy by the standards of the time. Although of an impeccable pedigree, he is let down by a certain hardness. He would be the target of ambitious mothers anxious to marry off their daughters, but many are aware of his reputation for women. Not that he ever hurts women; they willingly become his mistresses and he always takes care of any woman that he spends time with however briefly. When he encounters Laura Ludgrove he is instantly smitten, and such is her lack of worldly wisdom that she believes that this is her opportunity to gain a wealthy and generally desirable husband. Her “friends” are distracted, and an easily impressed woman leaps to wrong assumptions. His behaviour is unforgivable, and it is up to his wise and kind sister Petronella, or Nillie, to take action to try to remedy the situation. Neither has reckoned with a determined yet mysterious woman who will take unusual and decisive action.
This novel is a thoroughly engaging read of a usually confident man about town who is completely thrown off balance by events beyond his control for the first time in his life. There is humour, there are touching moments, and there are enough descriptions of the appearance of characters to satisfy those keen on the fashions of the time. The author obviously has an interest in buildings of the time, as each house is so lovingly described, from the grandest to the poorest. Not that the research ever gets in the way of the narrative; this is a book of atmosphere where questions are answered. I really recommend this historical novel for its romance, characters and thorough celebration of the time in which it is set, a book of transformation and real change in many senses.
Fans of Georgette Heyer, Bridgeton and other Regency/ Georgian period novels will be extremely impressive with this society based novel of life among the upper classes. It is a lot more weighty than some novels which feature the same sort of subject, not only in length (which is considerable) but also in terms of subject matter. This book is not only about manners, conversations and fashionable clothes, but also some of the issues that were becoming important at the turn of a new century. This is a book that is dominated by women, who have very different experiences and intentions. The characters, including Jasper, are very well drawn with real depth and well described emotions. Ranging from a concerned grandmother through a sister who has a lot on her mind, these are not all young women with romance on their minds. The social issues covered are well dealt with and add a certain level of realism. I am so glad to have had the opportunity to read and review this extremely engaging book.
The book begins with a description of Jasper Heddington. A friend of the very real Mr Beau Brummell, he is classically handsome and fabulously wealthy by the standards of the time. Although of an impeccable pedigree, he is let down by a certain hardness. He would be the target of ambitious mothers anxious to marry off their daughters, but many are aware of his reputation for women. Not that he ever hurts women; they willingly become his mistresses and he always takes care of any woman that he spends time with however briefly. When he encounters Laura Ludgrove he is instantly smitten, and such is her lack of worldly wisdom that she believes that this is her opportunity to gain a wealthy and generally desirable husband. Her “friends” are distracted, and an easily impressed woman leaps to wrong assumptions. His behaviour is unforgivable, and it is up to his wise and kind sister Petronella, or Nillie, to take action to try to remedy the situation. Neither has reckoned with a determined yet mysterious woman who will take unusual and decisive action.
This novel is a thoroughly engaging read of a usually confident man about town who is completely thrown off balance by events beyond his control for the first time in his life. There is humour, there are touching moments, and there are enough descriptions of the appearance of characters to satisfy those keen on the fashions of the time. The author obviously has an interest in buildings of the time, as each house is so lovingly described, from the grandest to the poorest. Not that the research ever gets in the way of the narrative; this is a book of atmosphere where questions are answered. I really recommend this historical novel for its romance, characters and thorough celebration of the time in which it is set, a book of transformation and real change in many senses.
January 3, 2022
*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*
Full disclosure - I could not finish this book. I tried, I picked it up multiple times with a "no quitters" attitude, but just could not do it. I found that (pretty much right from the start) I hated every single character in it - even characters I had liked in The Arranged Marriage I ended up really disliking.
The Rake of the title is just a sleazy man who preys on naive young girls. I realize that age differences weren't much of a problem in the time period in which this takes place, but in 2021 I really don't want to read about a guy who (I'm assuming) is in his mid to late 20s going after teenage girls. In most novels taking place in this time period the rakes have tons of affairs, but always with women who are experienced and know what they are getting into (mistresses, married women, widows, etc). That is not the case in this book. Jaspar purposely seeks out young girls he knows he can seduce and who won't see it coming. Within the first couple of pages it points out that he has ruined the lives and reputations of countless young women who are then turned out by their families and have to resort to prostitution. His behavior with Laura in the early chapters pretty much shows what a horrible human being he is. He pursues her with the intent of seducing her, he knows that she is naive as he often refers to her as "stupid", and then after he gets what he wants he pretty much tells her that he didn't do anything wrong and she seduced him (apparently he's really good at gaslighting young women as well). The only reason he wants to change his behavior is because the author needed him to for this book to happen. His sudden change in attitude pretty much comes out of nowhere (the getting shot part is pretty weak) and is immediately called in to question when he believes Laura & Grizelda should be grateful for what he is doing in order to spare them any scandal (which he could have prevented by not pursuing Laura in first place) which shows he still takes no responsibility for his own behaviors. And this is shortly after he was bragging about some of his past conquests - a real class act, this guy. Perhaps this all changes in later chapters and he does become a better person in a believable way, but I just didn't care. And why should he get to have a happy life when he ruined so many young women who will never get that kind of opportunity?
Grizelda I could have liked, but she immediately ruined that chance when she decides that maybe Laura was partly to blame, after all Jaspar is so handsome and her sister is rather "silly". Definitely no sister code here. As we quickly learn Laura has not learned anything from what happened with Jaspar - I truly believe the author did this so we would not see Jaspar in such a bad light for what happened. If Laura is the kind of girl who is always seeking out male attention maybe it was her fault for what occurred between her and Jaspar.
I also hated every single supporting character because they all just enabled Jaspar's behavior. His sister took a 'yes, he treats women terribly, but what can I do?' - oh, I don't know, maybe tell him you want see him and he can't come near your kids until he changes his ways? Also, who was Laura & Grizelda's mother that the women she would choose for the godmothers to her daughters would have any sort of relationship with Jaspar and allow them to spend time with him? Seriously, I was beginning to think this author hated women by how incredibly dumb she made all of them!
As I said at the beginning, I probably only made it about 1/4 of the way through the book (which is probably way too long to begin with) before I just couldn't do it anymore. These characters are all horrible and poorly crafted, as is the plot.
Full disclosure - I could not finish this book. I tried, I picked it up multiple times with a "no quitters" attitude, but just could not do it. I found that (pretty much right from the start) I hated every single character in it - even characters I had liked in The Arranged Marriage I ended up really disliking.
The Rake of the title is just a sleazy man who preys on naive young girls. I realize that age differences weren't much of a problem in the time period in which this takes place, but in 2021 I really don't want to read about a guy who (I'm assuming) is in his mid to late 20s going after teenage girls. In most novels taking place in this time period the rakes have tons of affairs, but always with women who are experienced and know what they are getting into (mistresses, married women, widows, etc). That is not the case in this book. Jaspar purposely seeks out young girls he knows he can seduce and who won't see it coming. Within the first couple of pages it points out that he has ruined the lives and reputations of countless young women who are then turned out by their families and have to resort to prostitution. His behavior with Laura in the early chapters pretty much shows what a horrible human being he is. He pursues her with the intent of seducing her, he knows that she is naive as he often refers to her as "stupid", and then after he gets what he wants he pretty much tells her that he didn't do anything wrong and she seduced him (apparently he's really good at gaslighting young women as well). The only reason he wants to change his behavior is because the author needed him to for this book to happen. His sudden change in attitude pretty much comes out of nowhere (the getting shot part is pretty weak) and is immediately called in to question when he believes Laura & Grizelda should be grateful for what he is doing in order to spare them any scandal (which he could have prevented by not pursuing Laura in first place) which shows he still takes no responsibility for his own behaviors. And this is shortly after he was bragging about some of his past conquests - a real class act, this guy. Perhaps this all changes in later chapters and he does become a better person in a believable way, but I just didn't care. And why should he get to have a happy life when he ruined so many young women who will never get that kind of opportunity?
Grizelda I could have liked, but she immediately ruined that chance when she decides that maybe Laura was partly to blame, after all Jaspar is so handsome and her sister is rather "silly". Definitely no sister code here. As we quickly learn Laura has not learned anything from what happened with Jaspar - I truly believe the author did this so we would not see Jaspar in such a bad light for what happened. If Laura is the kind of girl who is always seeking out male attention maybe it was her fault for what occurred between her and Jaspar.
I also hated every single supporting character because they all just enabled Jaspar's behavior. His sister took a 'yes, he treats women terribly, but what can I do?' - oh, I don't know, maybe tell him you want see him and he can't come near your kids until he changes his ways? Also, who was Laura & Grizelda's mother that the women she would choose for the godmothers to her daughters would have any sort of relationship with Jaspar and allow them to spend time with him? Seriously, I was beginning to think this author hated women by how incredibly dumb she made all of them!
As I said at the beginning, I probably only made it about 1/4 of the way through the book (which is probably way too long to begin with) before I just couldn't do it anymore. These characters are all horrible and poorly crafted, as is the plot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2021
I received this ebook from NetGalley and this is my freely given review.
I really started out hating several aspects of this story.
Jasper Heddington, the so-called hero, is a rake, in this case meaning a true predator, seeking to seduce even innocent young women. Literally seeking to seduce them, then abandoning them in the morning with a bag of coin like a whore, at an inn, and leaves with no remorse. This is the first section of the book. Essentially he comes across as a man slut, having also bedded both the heroine and her sister's godmothers too. Really, from the way he is written, he should be pox ridden with a passel of bastards, have his nose falling off from syphilis, or should have been shot at by a few husbands or fathers.
But as the story goes on we find out that he wants love and a relationship like what his sister has? Ridiculous to expect that considering his disregard of women as anything beyond prey for seduction, or brief dalliance. Laughable to think he would yearn for something with greater depth when he is incapable of giving that depth, as well as hypocritical. Even his grandmother wants a marriage of convenience for him, with a woman she likes, and whom she thinks would be fine with him continuing to have affairs with various other women.
Ironic he does not like the Duchess of Stapleford, the mother of the heroine, Petty form The Arranged Marriage, damning her as being self centered and manipulative to get her way. Like he is not? He does have some redeeming features in that he loves his family and friends, but really other things like building the hospital came after his near death experience, which would not have happened if he wasn't such a cock wielding asshole to begin with.
So obviously, I dislike Jasper. I like him a bit more in the end, because his near death blah blah blah seems to make him realize that his behaviour is pretty horrible and he has to redeem himself. But I find I really did not like or understand some of the female characters also. The young woman he seduces seems rather silly and superficial. The heroine of the story was OK, but then ultimately I could not believe that she went from wanting to kill him for what he did to her sister to wanting to marry him. I could not relate to that about face. Some aspects of their conflict and developing relationship, and his actions to redeem his behaviours were appealing, such as his helping Tarn and his family, but I felt it was also quite a big personality change and too much of a change from the callous bastard who seemed more interested in dalliances than social reform.
I would say this is 2, at the most a 2.5, out of 5 for me. The Arranged Marriage was a better story, and I did like the crossover of some of those characters here, though they did not really add anything of real substance to the plot of this story.
I really started out hating several aspects of this story.
Jasper Heddington, the so-called hero, is a rake, in this case meaning a true predator, seeking to seduce even innocent young women. Literally seeking to seduce them, then abandoning them in the morning with a bag of coin like a whore, at an inn, and leaves with no remorse. This is the first section of the book. Essentially he comes across as a man slut, having also bedded both the heroine and her sister's godmothers too. Really, from the way he is written, he should be pox ridden with a passel of bastards, have his nose falling off from syphilis, or should have been shot at by a few husbands or fathers.
But as the story goes on we find out that he wants love and a relationship like what his sister has? Ridiculous to expect that considering his disregard of women as anything beyond prey for seduction, or brief dalliance. Laughable to think he would yearn for something with greater depth when he is incapable of giving that depth, as well as hypocritical. Even his grandmother wants a marriage of convenience for him, with a woman she likes, and whom she thinks would be fine with him continuing to have affairs with various other women.
Ironic he does not like the Duchess of Stapleford, the mother of the heroine, Petty form The Arranged Marriage, damning her as being self centered and manipulative to get her way. Like he is not? He does have some redeeming features in that he loves his family and friends, but really other things like building the hospital came after his near death experience, which would not have happened if he wasn't such a cock wielding asshole to begin with.
So obviously, I dislike Jasper. I like him a bit more in the end, because his near death blah blah blah seems to make him realize that his behaviour is pretty horrible and he has to redeem himself. But I find I really did not like or understand some of the female characters also. The young woman he seduces seems rather silly and superficial. The heroine of the story was OK, but then ultimately I could not believe that she went from wanting to kill him for what he did to her sister to wanting to marry him. I could not relate to that about face. Some aspects of their conflict and developing relationship, and his actions to redeem his behaviours were appealing, such as his helping Tarn and his family, but I felt it was also quite a big personality change and too much of a change from the callous bastard who seemed more interested in dalliances than social reform.
I would say this is 2, at the most a 2.5, out of 5 for me. The Arranged Marriage was a better story, and I did like the crossover of some of those characters here, though they did not really add anything of real substance to the plot of this story.
January 16, 2022
I thought the premise of this book was good. It was very abnormal to have a gentleman hook up with an innocent, and not try and marry her. I think it's great that it went in a different direction than normal, but it is also quite off-putting for the die hard romance fans. That was the first hurdle the reader must make it over.
The story is very choppy. I would say this is the second hurdle for a reader. The story jumped around and abruptly ended at times. Most of the time, it was easy enough to understand the closure, but it did make me pause every time it happened which slowed me down.
The next hurdle would be the various characters and story lines outside of the main story. These made following the main story more difficult. I do not mind extra characters and story lines, they just need to propel the main story in order for it to be a good addition. At times, I felt like I was missing a previous book with backstory to understand characters, ie the friend with one arm and his love interest. A couple of authors who have done entwined stories are Mary Balogh with the Survivor series, or Eloisa James with the Desperate Duchesses series. These authors have a tendency to have a lot of characters to keep track of, but the extra people build up the story more than just being included for fluff. Along the same lines, because of these extra stories, I had the hardest and longest time figuring out who the end heroine was. Between Grizelda, Netta, Aurelia, who knew where the story was going, which is not the romance norm. I would have liked to know sooner who I should be falling in love with. One last note on characters, using Nellie and Netta was pretty confusing since they are so close to the same. Also, using first names when the character has only been mentioned by last name previously was difficult, this happened with the fired chaperone.
I did enjoy how the story made a full circle with the main character going from being a villian to redemption to hero. I also really liked the time references throughout to help me know that it took more than a week for this change to happen and for the two main characters to fall in love. I like how Jasper was able to clean up his mess with Laura along with making himself better. I love that the story wasn’t too angsty. I would have loved to have seen Netta and the doctor fall in love rather than Netta being a crazy person in the end.
Overall, it was an enjoyable story, just difficult to get through reading it.
I saw mention of The Arranged Marriage in one review, I couldn't figure out if The Rake came before The Arranged Marriage or after. It would be helpful if it was more clear on Goodreads which book to read first.
Thank you to the author and publisher for the free copy via Netgally in exchange for a review.
The story is very choppy. I would say this is the second hurdle for a reader. The story jumped around and abruptly ended at times. Most of the time, it was easy enough to understand the closure, but it did make me pause every time it happened which slowed me down.
The next hurdle would be the various characters and story lines outside of the main story. These made following the main story more difficult. I do not mind extra characters and story lines, they just need to propel the main story in order for it to be a good addition. At times, I felt like I was missing a previous book with backstory to understand characters, ie the friend with one arm and his love interest. A couple of authors who have done entwined stories are Mary Balogh with the Survivor series, or Eloisa James with the Desperate Duchesses series. These authors have a tendency to have a lot of characters to keep track of, but the extra people build up the story more than just being included for fluff. Along the same lines, because of these extra stories, I had the hardest and longest time figuring out who the end heroine was. Between Grizelda, Netta, Aurelia, who knew where the story was going, which is not the romance norm. I would have liked to know sooner who I should be falling in love with. One last note on characters, using Nellie and Netta was pretty confusing since they are so close to the same. Also, using first names when the character has only been mentioned by last name previously was difficult, this happened with the fired chaperone.
I did enjoy how the story made a full circle with the main character going from being a villian to redemption to hero. I also really liked the time references throughout to help me know that it took more than a week for this change to happen and for the two main characters to fall in love. I like how Jasper was able to clean up his mess with Laura along with making himself better. I love that the story wasn’t too angsty. I would have loved to have seen Netta and the doctor fall in love rather than Netta being a crazy person in the end.
Overall, it was an enjoyable story, just difficult to get through reading it.
I saw mention of The Arranged Marriage in one review, I couldn't figure out if The Rake came before The Arranged Marriage or after. It would be helpful if it was more clear on Goodreads which book to read first.
Thank you to the author and publisher for the free copy via Netgally in exchange for a review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2021
I don’t generally begin reading a book intending to dislike it, however, I will say that I struggled with liking the main character, Jasper, from the start of this novel. I still question why I read an entire novel about a privileged, titled man who treats people rather terribly, makes terrible decisions, and ultimately ruins a young girl’s life, doesn't suffer the consequences of his actions, and I'm supposed to like him? Want to read more about him? Wish him well? What truly floored me is how the narrative places the blame on the young girl, all those around her, and generally everyone else except Jasper it seems. He’s too charismatic apparently to be blamed for anything. Then, just when I thought he was getting a redemption arc and maybe I would start to like him, he goes through a minor shift where he only tries to help others in order to get the woman he wants, ironically enough, the sister of the young girl whose life he ruined. I think it’s safe to say, I was less than thrilled with the narrative. While I fully understand that all of these things more than likely happened during this time period and honestly this story is probably more historically accurate than many regency romances I’ve read, I also think we need to recognize that we live in a modern age where this narrative -- namely the objectification of women, gaslighting, slut-shaming, women shaming women, etc. -- is not the name of the game anymore and quite honestly, it’s not what I want to read about.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for this honest review.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for this honest review.
December 4, 2021
I was intrigued by this book from the start, the setting and blurb captured my attention, and I loved the cover. Couple things that I was unaware of. One, it’s written in the 3rd person which I am not a fan of. It detaches the characters for me and makes it harder to get into the story because I feel like I am outside the story and not in it if that makes sense. Second, it has fade to black I know that’s not a big deal for some, but I am not a fan of them, I prefer the details it again helps me to connect with the characters and what’s happening between them.
Okay now to the story I was overwhelmed at times with all the secondary characters throughout, it convoluted the story and made it kind of hard to follow. Jasper is a Rake, and he is the definition of one, taking what he wants with no recourse and without remorse. I didn’t like him, but that’s to be expected I mean the book is called The Rake for a reason. What I was not a fan of was he didn’t have any redeeming qualities until about midway. I am glad that he finally had some but at that point he just irritated me.
All in all, this was a good story, not great but good. I like the redemption ARC and that he did decide to become better. I am sad that it was due to his almost dying and not because he realized he’s a terrible person, but I digress. This book had great potential but fell just a little flat for me. Absolutely worth a try though.
Voluntarily Reviewed an Advanced Complimentary Copy
Okay now to the story I was overwhelmed at times with all the secondary characters throughout, it convoluted the story and made it kind of hard to follow. Jasper is a Rake, and he is the definition of one, taking what he wants with no recourse and without remorse. I didn’t like him, but that’s to be expected I mean the book is called The Rake for a reason. What I was not a fan of was he didn’t have any redeeming qualities until about midway. I am glad that he finally had some but at that point he just irritated me.
All in all, this was a good story, not great but good. I like the redemption ARC and that he did decide to become better. I am sad that it was due to his almost dying and not because he realized he’s a terrible person, but I digress. This book had great potential but fell just a little flat for me. Absolutely worth a try though.
Voluntarily Reviewed an Advanced Complimentary Copy
November 28, 2021
The Rake by Gillian Hawser is about Lord Jasper Heddington being involved in a scandal with a young Laura Ludgrove. He leaves London to return to his country home but after a stay in an inn, a red haired woman shoots him and nearly kills him. He spends time searching for the beauty while coming to terms with his mortality. He realizes how he wants to marry, love and have a family. He struggles with his search and the option of marrying the woman that his grandmama wants for him. He returns to London and rejoins society for the season while trying to repair Laura Lodgrove's reputation and image to also find the woman who shot him.
This story has the very basic push and pull and a little bit of enemies to lovers. I enjoyed the first third of the story and was really looking forward to the rest of the story. I shortly realized many problems with the writing and storytelling. For example I counted more than 10 spelling and grammar errors. I had trouble following all the characters that were introduced with their backstories. The story fluctuated between interesting and boring. Every character that was introduced had a several page backstory that did nothing but hinder the storyline.
The storyline was interesting but I do wish that it was evenly spaced out and focused more on the main characters.
Read on Netgalley
This story has the very basic push and pull and a little bit of enemies to lovers. I enjoyed the first third of the story and was really looking forward to the rest of the story. I shortly realized many problems with the writing and storytelling. For example I counted more than 10 spelling and grammar errors. I had trouble following all the characters that were introduced with their backstories. The story fluctuated between interesting and boring. Every character that was introduced had a several page backstory that did nothing but hinder the storyline.
The storyline was interesting but I do wish that it was evenly spaced out and focused more on the main characters.
Read on Netgalley
December 23, 2021
The author is new to me, so I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this up.
I found this to be a nice story about redemption, set in the Regency time period. It was ineresting to see the growth of Jasper from rake to a genuinely caring man. He starts out as a rake of the worst kind, seducing and bedding really any woman, even innocents. One time even his sister thinks he goes to far, and sends him off to the country to avoid scandal. On his journey there he is shot by a beautiful redheaded woman and is gravely injured. Having this near death experience he begins to see life differently and realizes he needs to change his ways. He tries to search for the shooter and in the process realizes that he wants to marry and have a family. He goes back to London and doesn't give up the search for the mysterious lady, and he eventually finds her. This story was an enemies to lover story of sorts and it was quite entertaining to read. I was a bit disappointed that the story was told in 3rd person, as I like reading the character's point of view, but the story was still enjoyable. I would like to read more by this author in the future.
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.
I found this to be a nice story about redemption, set in the Regency time period. It was ineresting to see the growth of Jasper from rake to a genuinely caring man. He starts out as a rake of the worst kind, seducing and bedding really any woman, even innocents. One time even his sister thinks he goes to far, and sends him off to the country to avoid scandal. On his journey there he is shot by a beautiful redheaded woman and is gravely injured. Having this near death experience he begins to see life differently and realizes he needs to change his ways. He tries to search for the shooter and in the process realizes that he wants to marry and have a family. He goes back to London and doesn't give up the search for the mysterious lady, and he eventually finds her. This story was an enemies to lover story of sorts and it was quite entertaining to read. I was a bit disappointed that the story was told in 3rd person, as I like reading the character's point of view, but the story was still enjoyable. I would like to read more by this author in the future.
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.
January 1, 2022
This book was a pleasant surprise, not high on steam (mostly closed-door) but has supremely entertaining characters and story. Lord Jaspar Heddington is a terrible rake and human being that seduces the innocent country girl Laura. When he abandons her, Grizelda, Laura's sister decides to take revenge and shoot him. This sort of begins Jaspar's transformation when he finds himself falling for his attacker. Drawn to each other, Jaspar slowly begins to reform, and Grizelda begins to see him in a different light when he helps reform Laura's reputation. I also really loved how the story wrapped up, it was really cute.
I loved this story. I found Jaspar's redemption journey to be well-told. When the book starts, he's sort of this terrible character and as he finds himself drawn to wild Grizelda, he wants to be a better man. There's a couple of misunderstandings that move the story forward instead of hindering it. I found myself just really liking both characters and invested in their HEA.
While this book is low on steam, it doesn't deter the tension and attraction between the characters. I am excited to read more books from this author.
I loved this story. I found Jaspar's redemption journey to be well-told. When the book starts, he's sort of this terrible character and as he finds himself drawn to wild Grizelda, he wants to be a better man. There's a couple of misunderstandings that move the story forward instead of hindering it. I found myself just really liking both characters and invested in their HEA.
While this book is low on steam, it doesn't deter the tension and attraction between the characters. I am excited to read more books from this author.
November 28, 2021
4 stars
I liked this story though I didn't really like the hero. He treats women badly and comes across as entitled, probably typical of his time. It is novel that we don't meet the heroine until much later in the story.
The other aspect of the book that harks back to Heyer is the inclusion of historical characters and the sheer number of people in the book. Modern novela seems to put a spotlight on perhaps 4 protaganists in a narrative, whereas this one joyfully adds the other debutantes, Jaspers friends, Grizelda's godmother, his and her sisters and other couples that get their HEA. (I think Grizelda isn't a particularily flattering name but IMO is evocative of her anger towards the hero).
I will look out for more novels by this author it's a great start as a debut novel. For those to whom such things matter it's a clean story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I liked this story though I didn't really like the hero. He treats women badly and comes across as entitled, probably typical of his time. It is novel that we don't meet the heroine until much later in the story.
The other aspect of the book that harks back to Heyer is the inclusion of historical characters and the sheer number of people in the book. Modern novela seems to put a spotlight on perhaps 4 protaganists in a narrative, whereas this one joyfully adds the other debutantes, Jaspers friends, Grizelda's godmother, his and her sisters and other couples that get their HEA. (I think Grizelda isn't a particularily flattering name but IMO is evocative of her anger towards the hero).
I will look out for more novels by this author it's a great start as a debut novel. For those to whom such things matter it's a clean story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
January 20, 2022
The Rake is a regency romance about a guy named Lord Jaspar Heddington. He is rich, charming, and a bit of a rake. After he seduces a woman named Laura he is sent away by his sister. While away he is shot and left for dead. The experience changes him into a caring man. I thought the characters were very well-written and the setting was great. I did find it very slow in spots and found myself skimming through them. However, the writing is fantastic, this author knows how to tell a good story.
April 29, 2022
Regency romance as a genre was more or less invented by the late, great Georgette Heyer in 1935. For many years there was a flurry of activity as numerous writers tried to imitate her quality and style but more recently the genre has almost been in mothballs. Now, like manna from heaven, Gillian Hawser has written with quality and skill a poignant story that captures the mannerisms of 1812 perfectly. The author clearly knows a thing or two about Regency England and puts them to good use in a very strong plot. A splendid novel.
August 26, 2024
I love Regency novels and this one began full of promise. The character development was good - bad man becomes better man, but it was like wading through treacle in the middle section. It was almost as if the author was trying to reach a word count. Perhaps a novella would have been a better vehicle for the story.
December 8, 2021
The Rake is the first book I've picked up by Gillian Hawser and while I have another book of hers in my library, I'm holding on picking it up. I didn't love this story. For me, I have to connect with the characters and I didn't really love any of them in this book.
Jaspar, while wholly fitting the title, isn't great. He apparently has been working his way through the ladies of the Ton but most recently, seduces an innocent, Laura Ludgrove. When things go sideways and he decides to head out of town, he comes across a mysterious woman who eventually shoots him. As he is recovering, he has an epiphany that he decides he wants to change and find a relationship like the one his sister has with her husband. He also keeps flashing back to the woman who shot him. Eventually they cross paths again and he finds out she is Grizelda Ludgrove, Laura's sister.
As Jaspar and Grizelda continue to cross paths their relationship changes. I found it a bit odd how her feelings changed and honestly didn't love that Jaspar had a relationship with both. It seemed weird.
As I said, I didn't love this one but the writing was great and I will pick up the other book eventually.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy.
Jaspar, while wholly fitting the title, isn't great. He apparently has been working his way through the ladies of the Ton but most recently, seduces an innocent, Laura Ludgrove. When things go sideways and he decides to head out of town, he comes across a mysterious woman who eventually shoots him. As he is recovering, he has an epiphany that he decides he wants to change and find a relationship like the one his sister has with her husband. He also keeps flashing back to the woman who shot him. Eventually they cross paths again and he finds out she is Grizelda Ludgrove, Laura's sister.
As Jaspar and Grizelda continue to cross paths their relationship changes. I found it a bit odd how her feelings changed and honestly didn't love that Jaspar had a relationship with both. It seemed weird.
As I said, I didn't love this one but the writing was great and I will pick up the other book eventually.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews