Jordan's The Rake Gets Ravished (spoiler-free review for Netgalley)

The Rake Gets Ravished

Sophie Jordan

Stars:  Excellent ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

Heat rating:     🔥🔥🔥🔥

This book is amazing. It’s one of the best I’ve read. This is especially significant due to the fact that I did not like the first book in the series. I am glad I didn’t give it up, because this second book is excellent.

We meet Mercy in the previous book, and learn a little about her history—we are briefly introduced to her sister Grace and hear about brother Bede. She seems very innocuous in the first book. In this book, she sparkles.

First of all, I adore that she a 26-year old spinster who is trying to maintain her family farm and take care of her siblings and employees. She’s strong and disciplined and devoted to her family and the farm. But she also has big problems with her siblings. Mercy is always giving of herself to help others, particularly her little sister, who she’s been raising since her mother died, and her brother, who is selfish and careless. She is a straightlaced, proper country miss—or is she? Mercy will do ANYTHING to help her family, which sets her on a collision course with Silas. Silas is amazing. I fell in love with him immediately. I only wish we could learn more about him, though Sophie Jordan does give us insight into his background, which explains his motivations. He is gorgeous and his character is written so well. I could read about him all day long.

As soon as Mercy and Silas meet, sparks ignite, even though she’s innocent (but still a woman with needs, wants, and desires). She is not his type, but something about her draws him in and enraptures him.

You can feel the heat between these two, especially from Silas. He is rich and powerful and urbane, and definitely doesn’t need a country miss in his life. The thing is, the reason they met is a lie—she is a thief, and he is a blackguard who doesn’t care about others. They’re such an unlikely couple that you just have to root for them. Plus, when they’re together, it’s explosive. You can FEEL it. The description of when they come together is just perfectly detailed and exciting.

Of course, we expect a happily ever after, but the path to that type of future is neither straight nor smooth—and to get there, Mercy and Silas will have to become very different people than we met in the first chapter.

I also like the secondary characters, and am impressed with how the author fleshed those out—servants, employees, friends, townsfolk. There is some foreshadowing for the third book, which I will preorder as soon as I can.

I absolutely loved this book and these characters. I could NOT put it down. After reading just a couple pages, I knew I wouldn’t rest until I finished it. Once I did, I knew I would read it again!