Do we ever really escape our pasts and what others say behind our backs? Melinda and Miles do a marvelous job of thwarting those who live for gossip paving their own way to happiness.

Title: To Kiss a Rake
Author: Barbara Monajem
Genre: Historical Romance, Regency
Story Setting: London, 1804
Pages: 217
Published by: Soul Mate Publishing
Published Date: July 29, 2015
ASIN: B00ZAY07OK

Publisher’s Summary:

WHEN A LADY IS ABDUCTED BY MISTAKE . . . 

Melinda Starling doesn’t let ladylike behavior get in the way of true love. She’s secretly assisting in an elopement . . . until she’s tossed into the waiting coach and driven away by a notorious rake.

REVENGE REALLY DOESN’T PAY.

Miles Warren, Lord Garrison, comes from a family of libertines, and he’s the worst of them all—or so society believes. When Miles helps a friend to run away with an heiress, it’s an entertaining way to revenge himself on one of the gossips who slandered him.

Except that he drives off with the wrong woman . . . and as if that wasn’t scandalous enough, he can’t resist stealing a kiss.

My Thoughts:  Melinda can’t stand for injustice and she’s fiercely loyal. She is forced to act inappropriately to help her friend wed her true love, for Melinda believes in love. Her original efforts are fruitless for her friend. They only land her a husband not of her own choosing. Where was her love match?

We are all shaped by our past, how we were treated when young and other experiences in life. Melinda was must the hoyden from a family that valued conduct. Her family had an impeccable pedigree and she had to toe-the-line or be severely punished. Miles, on the other hand, came from a family who had flaunted proper conduct and was considered a rake from his past foolery.  Therefore, any misstep by his family wasn’t forgiven, it only reactivated disapproving tongues.  Can the two facing marriage possibly make a go of it and beat the odds of an unhappy union?

Rebecca, Miles’s illegitimate daughter, touches your heart strings as she already has a good taste of what is to come in her lifetime. It takes people like Melinda who have passed through part of this ostracism to recognize what it could do to young Rebecca. Her receptivity to accept Rebecca is very telling to the strength of her character.

I particularly like how the author gave us insight to Miles’s character. Miles had difficulty even thinking about fostering Rebecca. He preferred having her live next door, being her guardian. However, after marriage to Melinda, he didn’t want to hurt her with the constant reminder of the little girl. Not sure she was even his daughter, he wanted the best for her.

Ms. Monajem charmed me with this light Regency romp, where two honorable individuals see beyond how society wishes to label them. As I’ve come to expect from her writing, this story is very entertaining giving the reader a peek into the machinations in a time period in history which was very restrictive for females. There is never a dull moment in her work, always well-paced, great dialog, full of humor, charm and delightful, spirited characters. She is very much the Regency writer!

I received an ARC from the author for a read and honest review.

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Author Bio from web site embracingromance.com: Barbara Monajem is the award-winning author of the Bayou Gavotte paranormal mysteries, as well as nine Regency novellas (some with magic, which she finds irresistible). She lives near Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and an ever-shifting population of relatives, friends, and feline strays. She loves to hear from readers. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, and of course her website.
https://www.facebook.com/barbara.monajem
@Barbara Monajem
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