Book Review: Twice a Rake by Catherine Gayle

Title: Twice a Rake

Author: Catherine Gayle

Series: Lord Rotheby's Influence #1

Release Date: April 22nd 2011

Publisher: Night Shift Publishing

Age: Adult

Some scandals are meant to be . . .

When Aurora Hyatt loses her journal in Hyde Park, her ruin is a foregone conclusion. After all, if anyone discovers her writings, they'll find scandalous fantasies involving the newest rake in Town alongside entirely-too-candid thoughts about her typical dreary suitors. Aurora will either be forced into a loveless marriage with the first nodcock to make an offer, or she'll be assigned a permanent position on the shelf. Oh, dear good Lord. What catastrophe will God smote down upon her next?

If Niles Thornton, Baron Quinton, desires to maintain any semblance of his current lifestyle, he must fulfill the requirements his grandfather, Lord Rotheby, has set for him. First and foremost: he must marry and begin filling his nursery within the year. When he is nearly barreled over by a racing curricle and a journal flies out to land at his feet, his troubles are over. Inside the journals pages, Quin discovers a scandal waiting to happen. Surely a young lady who would write such brazen things in a journal (and then dare to lose it) must recognize the necessity of a hasty marriage, even if the gentleman making the offer is rather less-than-honorable.

In a drunken haze, Quin kisses Aurora on a crowded ballroom floor, necessitating their immediate marriage. Quin's troubles are only beginning, however, as Aurora's writings are soon the focus of both gossip rags and drawing room conversation. When word arrives of an even greater scandal following in his wife's wake, will he prove himself a drunken abuser like his father, or will he become the loving husband of Aurora's fantasies?

Twice a Rake was free for Kindle a few weeks ago and I loved how it sounded. I'm glad I decided to read it, I liked it.

Aurora is a lonely woman who is having fantasies with Niles Thornton, Baron Quinton (Quin). He's very handsome and she liked to write, so her fantasies are written in her diary. But one day she looses her diary and Quin, by luck, finds it! It's not that bad since Quin needs to marry, and fast. Why not with Aurora?

I really liked Aurora and Quin's story. It's obvious their attraction and that they should be together, but Quin has a big baggage, he's not ready to be a husband.

Mostly he's scared of being as his father, and that keeps him out of reach. But he also made mistakes in the past, and now they are coming to his life again to hurt the only person he loves, Aurora.

Aurora is very modern. She really doesn't sound like living in old London, and it's difficult to believe someone at that time would write sexual fantasies in her diary. But she's very sweet and easy to like. I kind of felt sorry for her, because it wasn't really her fault, but she should have been more careful!

Overall, I liked this book. It kept me reading until the end, and Aurora and Quin's story was very emotional.

More about this book at www.catherinegayle.com, Goodreads, Amazon.