ARC Review: The Rake's Daughter (The Brides of Bellaire Gardens #2) by Anne Gracie
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Series: The Brides of Bellaire Gardens #2
Author: Anne Gracie
Published July 26th 2022 by Berkley
Goodreads Synopsis
An earl is forced to play matchmaker for the daughters of a rake in a smart and witty new Regency romance from the national bestselling author of The Scoundrel’s Daughter.
Recently returned to England, Leo, the new Earl of Salcott, discovers he's been thrust into the role of guardian to an heiress, the daughter of a notorious rake. Even worse, his wealthy ward has brought her half-sister, the beautiful but penniless Isobel, with her. Leo must introduce Clarissa to London society and find her a suitable husband, but her illegitimate half sister, Izzy, is quite another matter. Her lowly birth makes her quite unacceptable in aristocratic circles.
However, the girls are determined to enter society together. They’re devoted to each other and despite the risk of scandal and ruin if Izzy’s parentage is discovered, they refuse to be separated. Much to Leo’s frustration, nothing he says or does will convince them otherwise. To further complicate matters, sparks fly every time Leo and Izzy interact.
Called away for a quick visit to his country estate, Leo instructs the young ladies to stay quietly at home and consider their position. But when he returns, he's infuriated to discover that Clarissa and Izzy have launched themselves into society—and with tremendous success! There's no going back. Now Leo must enter society himself, protect Clarissa from fortune hunters, and try not to be driven mad by the sharp-witted, rebellious Izzy, and the rich, unworthy men drawn to her beauty.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.
When Leo, Earl of Salcott, discovers that when he inherited the title, he also inherited guardianship of Clarissa, the heiress daughter of a notorious rake. Thinking it'd be easy to take her to London, and get her married off before long, he doesn't expect that Clarissa would refuse to go without her half-sister, Isobel, whose illegitimate status and lack of a dowry will be hard to explain away. Deciding to pretend the sisters are legitimate, both enter the Marriage Mart, and are a tremendous success. So why is Leo's so angry that Izzy has men flocking to her?
I enjoyed this book even more than the first one, and The Scoundrel's Daughter was a joy to read. I love books that have couples who rub each other up the wrong way the first time they meet, though sparks fly. And that was clearly the case with Leo and Izzy. Their personalities are both very vibrant, and though they might not appear to bring out the best in each other, they do, and I loved the way their relationship developed over the course of the story. The relationship between the sisters was great too, and the fact that Clarissa had fought for years for the same rights and privileges of Izzy was perfect. A great addition to the series, and I can't wait for Anne's next book!
Dates Read:
July 24-26, 2022
Rating
4 Stars
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