Wild, Wild Rake

Wild, Wild Rake

The Cavensham Heiresses

Janna MacGregor

St. Martin’s Press, Feb 25, 2020

Historical Romance

Provided by Author’s rep via NetGalley

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The cover is lovely and romantic, even more so than the rest of the books in this series. I have read and reviewed only the first and fifth books. All of the covers are really nice. I believe I mentioned how wonderful the golden yellow cover was on Rogue Most Wanted. But the cover on this book, Wild, Wild Rake, is dark and lush and creates a very sensuous mood. With the couple so intimately involved with each other at the top, it can’t help but catch the eye of many romance readers on bookstore shelves.

Our heroine this time is Avalon, married to Richard Pearce, the Marquess of Warwyk. Their marriage is forced on them by her father. Neither wanted it and both of them are unhappy with it. Avalon is innocent. Warwyk is evil. He has a long-standing mistress who is the madam of a London brothel. She is pregnant at the same time Avalon is with Warwyk’s heir. Both women have sons. Warwyk moves his mistress, Mary Bolen, into his London townhouse and throws his wife out in a very public scene. Avalon swears to never be at his or any man’s mercy again. She orders a large carriage and four white horses, all new gowns, expensive jewelry and she gets herself her own townhouse. She moves her household to the country house and attempts to help women who have been taken advantage of by men as she was. She works with a connection in town that no one would suspect. She raises her son to see women as equals. As her son reaches the age typically consider old enough to go to school, her husband sends someone to evaluate the situation, someone who witnessed her public humiliation of being thrown from her home.

Mr. Devan Farris is the younger brother of the Earl of Larkton. He is a member of the clergy, still young and handsome. But since he saw her face her husband’s humiliation of her that day, he has gained great respect for her strength of character. So when he is sent in by her son’s guardian and conservator of the estate to spy on her, he is more on her side than they realize. Devan settles into Thistledown, Lady Warwyk’s small village as the new vicar and tutor for her son and sets about getting to know what’s going on as well as getting to know the lady in charge and her secrets. He’s surprised and very impressed with what he learns as he gets to the heart of the matter. In spite of shenanigans and manipulations by others, they find their HEA and it makes for a really good story. Their night in the wine cellar and just who locked them in. An attempt to leg-shackle the vicar by a local girl. Lies about the lady of the manor and more. This sixth book in the series is another really good read I highly recommend!