4-STAR REVIEW: A RAKE LIKE YOU by Becky Michaels

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The Description

Linfield Hall: Book 2
Publication Date: August 31, 2021

About to turn thirty, Charles Finch finally realizes his luck has run out. He’s twenty thousand pounds in debt, his entire family hates him, and the powerful Duke of Rutley is watching his every move. So Charles sets out to do what any handsome but impoverished earl would: find a young lady with an impressive dowry to marry him and replenish his coffers.

Louisa Strickland much prefers managing the successful estate her father left her to the company of society. But now that her younger sister has come of age, Louisa finds herself in Mayfair, forced to protect her family from desperate fortune hunters like her neighbor, Charles Finch. And when Charles sets his sights on Louisa’s sister, Louisa will do anything to avert his attention elsewhere.

As Charles and Louisa find themselves rekindling an old friendship that once went up in flames, Charles begins to wonder if there could be something more between them. He only needs to prove he’s not the man he once was. But unfortunately for Charles, it will take much more than passionate kisses and giving up brandy to convince independent Louisa to marry a rake like him.

Excerpt

The Review

A Rake Like You is the second book in the Linfield Hall series and the third book by Becky Michaels. I have read all three books and am pleased to see that Michaels’ storytelling skills have improved with each one.

A Rake Like You is a friends-to-lovers story, or maybe it is enemies-to-lovers. We are never quite sure because the heroine, Louisa Strickland, is not sure herself.

Charles Finch and Louisa grew up on neighboring estates. Louisa is a very independent girl that will inherit the family property. She enjoys managing the estate and has no desire to marry (and lose control). During her first season, she and Charles pretend to be romantically involved to put off other suitors. Charles is an immature rake and is caught with his pants down (literally!) to Louisa’s dismay. In the seven years that follow, Charles lives a dissolute life and manages to get twenty thousand pounds in debt. He comes to his senses and cleans up his act about the same time Louisa reenters society to help her younger sister through her first season. The story involves the merry dance that Charles and Louisa engage in as they untangle their feelings for each other.

A Rake Like You is an enjoyable Regency story with sensual elements. It is the kind of book where characters have become stuck in one belief system and struggle to adjust their thinking. This is particularly true with Louisa. She just can’t believe that Charles has reformed or that he cares about her. And she can’t accept the idea of marriage and losing the management of her estate. Several other characters complicate the situation. There is also an ongoing story about Charles’s sister and her relationship with his friend, the Duke of Rutley (obviously an upcoming book).

Overall, A Rake Like You is an engaging story that will appeal to Regency readers. Buy Links

About The Author

Becky Michaels is a historical romance author and self-proclaimed Anglophile. After graduating from Boston University with a degree in English, she reluctantly decided to get a day job but never stopped writing—or dreaming. THE LAND STEWARD’S DAUGHTER, a Regency romance set in 1815 England, is her debut novel. Despite the cold winters and high rent, she still lives in the Boston area with her boyfriend and cat.