For the Sake of a Scottish Rake: A Friends to Lovers Highlander Romance

Anna Bradley

Feb 2020 · Besotted Scots Book 3 · Lyrical

About this ebook

Do you need an escape? Have you finished binging Outlander and you need another gorgeous Scottish hero to fall in love with? Another romance to root for? Ciaran and Lucy’s love story is just what you’re craving…
 
For the Sake of A Scottish Rake features all of your favorite tropes—a fake relationship, friends to lovers, and a simmering slow burn that will keep you desperate for more! A witty and delightful Highlander romance with a feisty heroine and a hero to swoon for—what else do you need?
 
After a sheltered upbringing, Lady Lucinda Sutcliffe is finally embarking on her first season, eager to experience everything she's missed. When Lucy realizes that her uncle plans to quickly marry her off in exchange for a slice of her fortune, she begs a favor of a new acquaintance, Ciaran Ramsey. If Lucy remains single until she turns twenty-one, she--and her money--will be out of her uncle's power. All the charming Scot needs to do is woo her for six weeks, and then jilt her.
 
The Ramseys don't need the scandal of a false engagement attached to their name. But Lucy's older suitor is both distasteful and dangerous, and the noble Ciaran can't allow his lovely friend to be forced to marry such a man. And besides, the more time Ciaran spends with his new "betrothed," the more their ruse begins to feel very much like the real thing. Passion like this is impossible to feign, but how much is a rogue willing to risk for love?
 

Ratings and reviews

For the Sake of a Scottish Rake by Anna Bradley Besotted Scots #2 Quick easy to read historical romance. It was not my favorite book by this author and I am sad to say that as I have truly enjoyed other books by this author. What I liked: * Lucy was not predictable * Three romances in one * The friendships * The thwarting of the bad guys * That everyone had a HEA What I didn’t like * Lucy’s behavior was more than a bit over the top and not in keeping with the times. *The time being rung in days and weeks and even times on the clock and spelled out repetitively * Falling back on the gambling relative using the heroine to pay his debts...to a less than admirable holder of those debts * The predictability * The lack of a true backstory for the main characters * Wondering how Uncle Jarvis became her guardian Did I enjoy this book? Not so much Would I read another book by this author? Maybe Thank you to NetGgalley and Kensington-Lyrical for the ARC – This is my honest review. 2-3 Stars

For the Sake of a Scottish Rake is the third book in the Besotted Scots series. I haven’t read all the earlier books in the series, but I don’t feel like I missed anything by not reading them. The main characters were well-developed, and the book had a lot of humor. At first the book seemed to drag, but it speeds up once they arrive in London for the Season. Lady Lucinda “Lucy” Sutcliffe had led a sheltered and she was ready for adventure. She meets and is “rescued” by Ciaran while swimming in the ocean. Although she didn’t need rescuing then, she does once she realizes her uncle had plans to marry her off and steal her money. Ciaran Ramsey had been wandering through life after having to leave Scotland the woman he had loved all his life. Meeting Lucy seemed to rouse Ciaran from dull life. He tried to stay away from Lucy, but finally admitted to his interest in Lucy and their morning meetings on the beach. When Lucy comes up with the idea of a fake engagement for six weeks, Ciaran was not going to let it be to any other man but himself. The more time they spend together as an engaged couple, the stronger their feelings become. Will they realize their love for one another before her uncle accomplishes his plans? Once my interest was caught by the book it was hard to put down. Lucy was self-reliant, feisty, and full of spunk. Ciaran was a hero needing someone to help bring him back to life. I enjoyed the book, although I wish the author would have let the two other couples have their own books. Their courtships sounded like they had a great story behind them. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

While I would say that I thought that this was a fun read I ultimately had mixed feelings about it. To start I liked the premise of the book and the basic outline of the characters. Unfortunately, after these things the murkiness sets in. The book very much tries to be a friends-to-lovers romance but in my opinion that really wasn't the case. Lucy and Ciaran were in fact new acquaintances that had their relationship growing simply because of plot reasons. I also took issue with some issue of the actions and behaviors that the characters engaged in, seemingly without fear of reprisals. This seemed very inaccurate for the era that this story takes place in. Tongues would seriously wag and ruination and disgrace would loom and lastly, I kind of found Lucy's attitude annoying, which I refuse to elaborate on do to spoilers. So in the end I would say this was an OK read.

About the author

Anna Bradley is the author of The Sutherland Scandals and The Sutherland Sisters novels, as well as the Besotted Scots series. A Maine native, she now lives near Portland, OR, where people are delightful and weird and love to read. She teaches writing and lives with her husband, two children, a variety of spoiled pets, and shelves full of books. Visit her website at www.annabradley.net.