Waking Up With a Rake (The Royal Rakes) by Connie Mason with Mia Marlowe

I won a copy of Waking Up With a Rake a while back and recently read it in an attempt to move some of the books off of my To Read Shelf and onto the Read Shelf.  It was such a fun read and perfect for reading on a cold day in Ohio.

The Fate of England's Monarchy Is In The Hands of Three Notorious Rakes.

To prevent three royal dukes from marrying their way onto the throne, heroic, selfless agents for the crown will be dispatched...to seduce the dukes' intended brides. These wickedly debauched rakes will rumple sheets and cause a scandal. But they just might fall into their own trap...

After he's falsely blamed for a botched assignment during war, former cavalry officer Rhys Warrick turns his back on "honor." He spends his nights in brothels doing his best to live down to the expectations of his disapproving family. But one last mission could restore the reputation he's so thoroughly sullied. All he has to do is seduce and ruin Miss Olivia Symon, and his military record will be cleared. For a man with Rhys's reputation, ravishing the delectably innocent miss should be easy. But Olivia's honesty and bold curiosity stir more than Rhys's desire. Suddenly the heart he thought he left on the battlefield is about to surrender...

The only thing that was a bit awkward in reading this is that my seven year old son's name is Rhys.  I never want to associate him with romance.  NEVER.  But it was a great book.  I enjoyed how unusual Olivia was for a lady of her time period.  Her father encouraged her to be studious and adventurous in a time when that was frowned upon by society.  She can ride astride, jump hedges with her horse and she breeds orchids.  Rhys is a great leading man because even though he is a rake, he has morals and values.  He treats his sisters well and he is loathe to hurt Olivia.  He wants to do the right thing even though he feels stuck.  I also loved that even though there was the possibility for Olivia to come away from everything with Rhys with a feeling of being used, she never really felt that way.  She loves him and trusts him completely even knowing that he may not have always been honest with her.  That is something that love needs- trust.  All in all, I really enjoyed this book and plan to look for the other two books in the series when I next head to the book store.

You can click here to find this book on Goodreads.  Connie Mason can be found on her website.  Mia Marlowe can be found on her website, Facebook and Twitter.  I give Waking Up With a Rake 4 Fairies for a fun historical read that shed light on a historical event that I hadn't even known happened!