Title: The Wrong Way to Catch a Rake
Author: Lara Temple
Published: December 2022
Genre: Historical Romance, Mills & Boon Historical, Harlequin Historical

Blurb:

Enjoy this exciting Regency romance set in Venice.

Can she unmask the rogue…

…among the canals of Venice?

So far Phoebe Brimford’s experience of Dominic, Lord Wrexham, is that he lives up to his reputation as dissolute rake. But he’s also frustatingly charming and distractingly attractive! And while undercover spy Phoebe knows entangling herself with such a character is the wrong way to go about her mission, the closer she gets to Dominic, the more she suspects he’s not as lost as society seems to think he is…

My Review:

It’s a story of Dominic, friend of Lord Sherbourne’s from The Lord She Should Never Desire, but it’s also a standalone book. Well as impressed as the first book, I couldn’t express how I loved this book.

Set in Venice, Dominic went to Italy four years ago, I thought he was an exile Lord, but apparently I was mistaken. For Phoebe, Dominic is an utter rake which is good for nothing except for his charming, attractive physique and appearance. He is infamous for his drinking and gambling habit, yet Lara’s splendid writing led me to construct those preconceived characters when in fact he isn’t.

Phoebe is very much irritated by Dominic’s habits because it reminds her of her uncle. She attempts to evade him. Unfortunately, Dominic has taken an interest towards her as her remarkable words etch within his mind through their lighthearted banter.

For Phoebe, it’s so highly unlikely if Dominic is attracted to her. She always admits that she is merely a plain unattractive lady companion yet for Dominic, she looks so different compared to the ladies he meets. She is intelligent, observant and annoyingly captivating.

From the very first page, Phoebe and Dominic had enticed me. Their witty banter and outsmart-mouthed opinion kept me amused over and over, especially how Lara’s writing contrived its story, its meticulous historical detail, mouth-watering food, their emotional and sexual attraction and also its steaminess which emanated particularly when half-naked Dominic playing football made me curse (because I could envision how perfect his feature was).

I couldn’t tell how much I loved Lara’s book especially when she put an unexpected thrilling blew at the peak of the story. The book is so brilliant, full of geographical and historical rhetoric, and I loved when determined Dominic wants to win his future wife, Phoebe despite their accusation of one another regarding their secret identity. Thank you Lara Temple, for this ARC which I voluntary reviewed.

Rate: 5 of 5

About the author

Lara Temple was three years old when she begged her mother to take dictation of her first adventure story. Since then she has led a double life: by day an investment and high-tech professional who has lived and worked on three continents, but when darkness falls, she loses herself in history and romance – at least on the page. Luckily her husband and two beautiful and very energetic children help weave it all together. https://twitter.com/laratemple1