Early Book Review: The Taming of the Rake by Kasey Michaels

The Taming of the Rake by Kasey Michaels is a historical romance due to be released on July 26 2011. It begins a trilogy about three brothers, born bastards of an Earl but raised as gentlemen. Each brother reacts differently to his unique circumstances, and the reactions of society to them. The Taming of the Rake is about the oldest of the brothers, Oliver Le Beau Blackthorn. Beau has been working subtle revenge against Thomas, who beat him for the simple mistake of loving and asking to marry his sister Madelyn. Chelsea is the youngest of Thomas's sisters who has been suffering under Thomas's thumb as he has taken to a crazed religious devotion including the idea that Chelsea must marry his religious adviser. Chelsea is shrewd, and had figured out that Beau must have a hand in the financial disasters that Thomas keeps stumbling into and comes up with a plan that will rescue her from marrying the scheming adviser and further Beaus revenge against Thomas. Running off to marry her brother's enemy made so much sense to her until Chelsea sets her plan into action, but she gets far more than she could have anticipated. There are twists and turns that make everything much more complicated than she imagined when she plotted her escape.

The action and plot twists within The Taming of the Rake are constant and completely unexpected. I was impressed by the creativity Michaels showed in her well constructed characters and unexpected moments that inspired emotions in me as I read. There were moments when I giggled or said 'aww', as well as some steamy scenes that definitely hold your attention. The family members that the readers meet in this delightful romp are just as entertaining as the main action of the story. Beau has a very unique family, and Chelsea's siblings are special in their own less endearing way. I particularly enjoyed getting the introductions to the brothers that will get their own books in this trilogy, particularly since their role were seamlessly woven into the story rather than feeling force, which sometimes happens with other series.

The Taming of the Rake had a great balance of wacky characters, unexpected events and moments of real romance. Beau and Chelsea both try to maintain some distance, and regularly remind themselves and each other that they are merely helping each other out. They are only using each other as they race towards marriage. However, events conspire to bring them closer together and learn more about each other than they might have expected. In a day of society matches and arranged marriages, the trip they undertake to Scotland allows them more time and opportunity to grow to care for each other than their contemporaries likely received did.

The only thing that bothered me about The Taming of the Rake was the constant reminders of how Beau and Chelsea came to be in their current situation. It was not overly distracting, but it did get to be a little bothersome as each of them laid out the details of how they came to be in their current situation, both in conversation and in thought process. Other than that, I thought that The Taming of the Rake was a fun and satisfying read, perfect for a lazy weekend or a vacation read. I recommend it for fans of Kasey Michaels and of historical romance in general. I am looking forward to reading about the adventures and romances that Beau's brothers find themselves embroiled in the books to come.