How to Court a Rake by Bronwyn Scott

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Wed Within a Year, #1

Release Date: April 1, 2025

As the grandson of the Earl of Sandmore, Caine Parkhurst and three brothers work for their grandfather as operatives known as the Four Horsemen. But the ton see them as rakes – a cover the brothers are happy to cultivate. Caine meets Lady Mary Kimber, the daughter of the Earl of Carys, while attending a ball, seeking information about a traitor. Normally, he would avoid an “innocent” like the plague, but she intrigues him, so much so he asks her to dance and then ends up humiliating her by leaving in the middle of the dance. His reason for leaving was not voluntarily, his grandfather ordered the brothers to go to Wapping to catch a traitor set on sabotaging a ship sailing to Greece. During this mission his younger brother Stepan goes missing and leads directly to Caine being bestowed the title of Marquess of Barrow and lesser titles for his brothers. Titles that will only become hereditary if they marry within a year, a condition Caine has no intention of honoring. Caine is heartbroken over the loss of Stepan, but he isn’t ready to believe he is dead and there is still a traitor to find. This brings him back to Lady Mary, as her father may be assisting the traitor. He never expected to like her so much and when she suggests he court her to stall her father’s plans to marry her off, he is more than happy to comply. But he never planned on falling in love and knows that she will probably hate him once she realizes his reason for seeking her out. A HEA seems unlikely, but one never knows when love is involved.

After years of being a dutiful daughter and a perfect debutante, yet still being passed over by two dukes, her parents have decided that enough is enough and have told Mary that if she doesn’t find an acceptable husband this season, they will arrange a marriage for her. When her path crosses with Caine something inside her rebels and she allows herself to be bold, but it backfires when he leaves her on the dancefloor, damaging her already fragile reputation. But when he calls on her the next day to make amends, she never imagined that her live was about to change and her heart will never be the same.

This was the start to a new series and if this book is anything to go by, I am all in! I enjoyed this book so much, it has wonderful characters, a bit of espionage, a mystery, some steamyish love scenes, wonderful secondary characters, a bit of action, a really nasty villain, heartache, a hard-won HEA and not one by TWO epilogues. I am looking forward to the next book and would happily recommend this book to my fellow HR lovers!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *