Married to the Rake by Samantha Holt

Characters Fascinating, but Plot Dull

This book was a little frustrating at times because, while I enjoyed the characters of both the hero and the heroine, I felt like the plot was a bit dull. The book has a good premise: the hero and heroine are from neighboring families who have participated in silly feuds since medieval times; these have escalated into hatred between the families, as evidenced in the current generations by their fathers. The hero, Brook, wants to mend this feud because he sees the toll it is taking on his father. The heroine, Chloe, while she doesn’t trust him because he is a Waverly and has a reputation as a notorious rake, wishes for the feud be over for her brother’s sake for when he inherits. So essentially, the plot of follows recurring complications that are similar in nature. Brook and Chloe set up something that they think will help, they fail, and they try again. There was no sense of progressive complications, no escalating conflict. I found the heroine’s self-loathing because of her looks to be disheartening; self-acceptance, if it is used as a theme in a book, needs to be handled sensitively, and I do not believe it was done so here. I also have an issue with the cover. I’m not sure which timeframe this is supposed to be, Regency or Victorian, but ladies from neither era would have worn a dress with so much skin showing. If this is meant to be an undergarment, it isn’t period either. Still, I liked these characters and their interaction; I just wish there was more to the plot.