The Ruin of a Rake
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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780062642530 |
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| Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Publication date: | 08/22/2017 |
| Series: | Cat Sebastian's Turner Series , #3 |
| Pages: | 336 |
| Sales rank: | 242,158 |
| Product dimensions: | 4.20(w) x 6.50(h) x 0.90(d) |
About the Author
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
The Ruin of a Rake
4.6 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
7 reviews.
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SPECTACULAR
Cat Sebastian never fails to leaving me reaching for another of her books. This whole series has been amazing. Each of the stories is unique, followed no formula, and is completely unpredictable.
Just beyond romantic, watching these guys get together (and making it work) is completely entertaining and hot as hell.
Gary Furlong is like a drug to me at this point, he's my narrator crack and I gotta have more. Damn, he's good. The variety in his characters, all the different accents he does, he's just so good. His Lord Courtenay has got to be the sexiest thing I've ever heard.
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Well written, heart wrenching in places, sweet and hot!
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(Spoiler Free Review)
Cat Sebastian has an uncanny ability for showing complex emotions though the eyes of her characters. The ability to not only take very complex people, but to have it feel real. The book may seem slow to unfurl at first with many details that seem unrelated creeping outward, tying one thing to another. Ultimately building a plot that's satisfying and fresh.
Diversity:
This book is M/M and contains a high steam level. It's crafted in a historical setting where their relationship is not accepted. The historical details are well handled, and don't either impede the romance, or become a major turn-off. Their sexuality while not accepted at the time the book takes place, is not something either character runs from. Additionally, one MC copes with the effects of a recurring long-term illness and there is a culturally-diverse marriage of a prominent side-character and a secondary love story woven in.
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OMG, this series. (As an aside, it really needs to be classified as a series, Ms. Sebastian--it'll be much easier to say, "You really need to read that ___ series by Cat Sebastian" instead of "You really need to read those interconnected m/m Regency romance books by Cat Sebastian...they're called The Soldier's Scoundrel , The Lawrence Browne Affair , and The Ruin of a Rake . Because OMG I want to tell everyone to read them ASAP.)
(Just sayin'.)
I have no idea how she does it, but Ms. Sebastian once again gave us a group of characters here that I absolutely dare you not to fall hard and fast for. Admittedly, at first I wasn't too sure about these two--the labels "prickly and difficult" doesn't even begin to describe, well, both of them, to an extent and at various times--and I honestly don't even know when it is that I went from thinking, Ugh, these two... to thinking, Oh! These two... :) but at some point I just knew they had to find a way to be together or....I don't know what. It wasn't going to be pretty, though. Fortunately, both Ms. Sebastian and her heroes came through for us on that one, and she did it with style.
Favorite line:
"Missing you is profoundly inconvenient, I'll have you know. I have things to do and places to be, and all the while I feel like I've mislaid a piece of my soul and I won't get it back until I see you again. That can't be normal."
See? Sigh...
So now I'm left anxiously awaiting whatever Ms. Sebastian writes next, and seriously contemplating a binge-reading of all three books, just so I can enjoy the interconnected awesomeness of these characters and their stories.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
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I loved this story! The contrast between the characters couldn’t be more stark with the lazy and affable Courtenay and the strict strait-laced Julian at odds from the start. It doesn’t stop the intense sexual attraction that flares between them leading to some very steamy scenes even as both don’t want to admit they are starting to like the other. But what’s equally interesting is the way they are perceived in public versus their own private beliefs of themselves. Julian is thought to be proper and boring and is well received in society. But the truth is he’s a little bit selfish too, having made some decisions without thought to the consequences to the people around him. Plus he’s trying to hide his modest beginnings so he knows that he’s putting on a fake facade, one that unravels the more time he spends with Courtenay.
Courtenay has the appearance of a man of leisure and has the funds to prove it, yet lives in a very modest flat in a poor area of London as much of his money goes to supporting family members (who want nothing to do with him) and old servants. He’s got a heart of gold hidden under that rakish exterior and feels the loss of his sister and the care of his nephew keenly, as they were the only people who didn’t judge him outright. Julian makes him realize that he’s been wallowing in self-pity for too long, even if it’s been hidden, and helps him regain his confidence by assisting in his business affairs and making him see that he needs to take a more active role in his life if he wants to be truly happy.
Both Julian and Courtenay go through significant growth as characters as the story progresses, discovering things about themselves both positive and negative. The conflict (with a heart wrenching black moment!) leads to a very satisfying conclusion as they find a way to accept each other’s flaws and admit to their true feelings. The Ruin of a Rake is an emotional and sexy character driven romance, and it’s definitely going on my re-read shelf.
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The Ruin of a Rake is actually the first book from Cat Sebastian that I've ever read, and after reading this one I am going to have to go back and read the first two books. I ended up really enjoying this one. I have a habit of avoiding historical romances because I am worried that I will get bored, (that sounds really awful but it's just not my thing normally) but this one kept me engaged the entire time. I ended up reading this one in one sitting. I couldn't get enough of these two. The two MCs in this book, I believe, have made appearances in the previous books in this series, but I still felt as if it read as a stand alone. It did make me extremely curious about the previous couples tho, so I'm glad I bought the first two so I can catch up!
I really enjoyed this rake vs. wallflower trope because it was a little different than you would expect. In this one, the wallflower is the more "hard-hearted" man and the rake is the more emotional of the two. I thought that was a fun twist on the usual. This was also a bit of a hate to love kind of romance too. Courtenay didn't like Julian because he's so uptight and acts as if he is better than everyone. Julian didn't like Courtenay for the sole reason that he was attracted to him, I think. lol!
I couldn't help but love Courtenay's character. He lived a wild life, but now he's realized that the way he was living doesn't make him happy anymore. He's ready to turn things around and dispel the rumors about him so he is fit to see his nephew again. He had such a heart of gold. I felt so bad about the way people treated him and the things that were said about him. Julian took a little longer for me to warm up to, but I ended up really liking him too. They were polar opposites but it worked for them. Julian always had to be perfectly polished and Courtenay helped him loosen up a bit, whereas, Julian helped Courtenay become more responsible. They were a good match together, and had great chemistry. There are a few steamy scenes but they don't overwhelm the story.
*I received a free ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. *
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I refrained from buying this for a couple weeks, but gave in finally because I couldn't get it out of my head. And I am so glad I gave in to the temptation. This book was charming and funny and titillating enough to entertain. The characters are actually decently written. Or I expected so little that I was very pleasantly surprised. It gave me warm fuzzies just like Yuri! On Ice did. So it's one big softhearted aquee for me.
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