Only Rakes Would Dare a book about two adults who need a solution to the pressure they are being put under to wed by their families.

Honestly I felt the storyline was weak. An easy enough book to read but I found it lacking. The constant use of the work Rake or Rakess was becoming annoying. You could see where the story was going from the start. It is not a book that had me enthralled and not wanting to put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give my honest opinion.

This is an opposites attract romance.
Edith and Griffin are meant to be together.
Lady Edith knows the sting of unrequited love, and now she wants only one thing—to marry a man who desires her or to never marry. But at the Season’s end, her father threatens to provide a husband if she cannot secure one herself. When a family friend saves her from the unwanted advances of one of their suitors, she falls a little bit in love. With his auburn hair and radical ideas about women, Griffin Paxton, the Earl of Eastern, is perfect. Except he doesn’t want her back.
Griffin will not be distracted by Lady Edith’s diamond-eyed beauty. He needs a wife to fulfill his dying father’s wish, and he needs her to be a model of propriety to repair the family reputation his rakish father sullied. When Lady Edith calls herself a rake, he knows she’ll never do. He’ll have to guard his attraction to her fiery spirit and open heart behind thick ice walls and look elsewhere.
But when Edith suggests they forge a fake engagement to appease both their fathers, Griffin can’t refuse. She needs his help, and he never ignores a damsel in distress. Will a fake courtship bring out their rakish desires, or will it offer a home to two hurting hearts?
Charlie Lane has written another excellent book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily .

Childhood friends meet again and strike a deal for a fake engagement. Griffin is avoiding passion and emotions at all cost to prevent himself from turning into his rake-ish father and late brother. Edith is licking her wounds after disastrously trying and failing to compromise another lord. She is much too emotional and spirited to suit Griffin, but he feels his ice walls melting around her. And since he's the only male in her life to treat her with any kindness and respect, she's at too much risk of falling in unrequited love (again). Being pushed to marry others by their fathers, they strike a bargain for a fake engagement. Until they realize their feelings cannot be ignored. Super sweet book and I love how Griffin comes to Edith's defense.

Edith made an error in judgement in a previous book, we find that it's because she is vulnerable and lonely and reached (chased? stalked?) out to the first person who showed her kindness. Luckily for her this was a kind man and he nor his bride held a grudge. Her father insists she be married by the end of the year or he will choose a husband for her.

Griffin has fought all his life against any strong emotion especially passion which he has always believed caused his father's uncontrolled behavior. Innumerable mistresses, drinking etc. and not even caring to try to hide it. Griffin's father insists her marry an appropriate lady before he dies.

Griffin and Edith knew each other as children, their mothers had been friends so when Griffin meets Edith at a gathering after not seeing her for several years he is drawn to her but after conversation he decides not to pursue a furthering of a relationship.

This is the story about how Griffin and Edith while faking an engagement to satisfy others, allows time and a safe space to look inside themselves to see how they have let the people around them have a profound effect on how they believe themselves to be and behave and in doing that heal and accept who they truly are and each other.

This is a good book that was enjoyable to read which had underlying messages about respect, dignity and a persons ability to make their own choices. We also get a happily ever after and a peek at who the next couple of books will be about.

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own*

1.5 stars

I wanted so much to have liked this book but something about it didn't hold me and made me have a bad reading experience.
After 45% I just wanted to finish this book and when I got to 85% I was skipping several parts because I was so boring and so uninterested in the story and characters.
I thought that this story didn't need to be so long, in fact, it could even be a short story since everything important happens so fast and in a few moments.
The rest of the book for me was just unnecessary rambling.
The characters also didn't find it so captivating and the plot itself was quite boring the development was weak and the change in the character's personality at the end was a little hard to believe.
So I'm sad that I didn't like it since I was enjoying this series of books.
I'm going to read the last one hoping it to be better than this one.

**Mild spoiler**

Only Rakes Would Dare is a book about a younger lady and a suitor that she knows from her past. Lady Edith has made a small name for herself by turning down several admirers attention for the attentions of one man, who happens to be in love with another woman. When her father deems it necessary for her to be married, she believes she is heartbroken and does not want to wed. She concocts a plan with the Earl of Easton to pretend they are engaged. Or course, the plan goes as most HEA stories go and they unintentionally fall in love.

I enjoyed reading this book, I would recommend to a moderately younger audience, There was sexual reference but nothing severely X-rated.

Thank you to NetGalley, Charlie Lane and WOLF Publishing for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

I liked Edith and but I liked Griffin even more, but I got quite bored with the endless references to being a rake or rakess. The story seemed to drag on at time's without much happening and the angst seemed forced somehow as there was really no reason for them not to marry until at the end. when Griffin's dad kicked off. All in all not the author's best effort. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A thoroughly enjoyable read. Really good characterisation especially for the two leads, Edith and Griffin. Edith’s character is both feisty yet vulnerable, headstrong yet caring. Griffin, full of controlled passion. I liked the way that some of the male characters, although brutish in appearance had a softer, considerate side. Above all, the book makes a valid point, that each person has dignity and should be treated with the respect the6 deserve and be allowed to make reasonable decisions for themselves.

I love an opposites-attract romance and this did not disappoint. Passion and logic intertwine to bring about a wonderful romance filled with passion and hope. Griffin and Edith are perfect for each other, and both are strong minded and intelligent. I was caught up in the this fake engagement, very engaging and even better happily ever after.

She had tried to seduce a man who loved someone else.  He has tried to be the exact opposite of a rake.  They need each other to keep there parents happy.
I found the book wonderfully written slightly intense and I kept thinking "ok this is it they are going to..... oh no they're not.  Well humph."  Needless to say I kept reading until the end. 

I recieved a free copy so that I can tell you what I honestly think. Hope you enjoyed my review. Now go enjoy the book

I really enjoy Charlie Lane's books and this one was no exception! It had been a while since I'd read the others in this series so I had to remind myself who Lady Edith was - she appears quite prominently as a rather persistent suitor to Lord Escher and in that book you're not given much cause to like her. You learn much more about her in this book, along with her rather rambunctious family. A sweet story between her and Griffin, who comes from a ramshackle family of rakes and rascals, and is desperate to break that tradition and restore some sheen to his title. Worth a read. Looking forward to the last in the series!

Good parts:
- smooth, witty writing;
- likable characters;
- fake engagement trope;
- entertaining romance.

The bad parts:
- Edith's father and brothers are so cartoonishly misogynistic it's painful to read;
- the ceaseless rake and rake-ess references… I get the story had to have a theme, but there are about a hundred too many 'rakes' in the story;
- honestly the whole romance timeline — who fell for whom first, and who had secret suppressed feelings since childhood for whom — was a bit of a hot mess.

Overall, I found the story enjoyable and I liked the development between Edith and Griffin.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

Last season (and in the last book of the Debutante Dares series), Lady Edith was struck by unrequited love and, determined to make him love her, made questionable decisions that could destroy her reputation if they got out. This season, armed with new friends and more self-confidence, she is determined to avoid unrequited love and only marry a man who desires her. But her family wants her to marry someone, anyone, as soon as possible. So when Griffen, an old family friend, tells her his dying father is requiring him to marry soon, she proposes that they fake an engagement until his father dies and she can find someone else suitable to marry, and Griffin reluctantly agrees to the plan. Unfortunately for Edith's growing feelings, Griffin has decided that the rakish Edith is not someone he would wish to marry. But are Edith's feelings truly unrequited? Or will a fake engagement bring out both of their rakish desires? The Debutante Dares series is a new favorite regency romance series! Each plot is almost ridiculous but also ridiculously enjoyable. Edith was a pain in the last book but really grew into herself in this book. And I loved Griffin! His kindness and fear of hurting those around him like his father did was so heartbreaking, and I loved his character growth into a more confident person. I also love the fake-dating trope, so I loved this plot! I can't wait for the final book in this series! Lady Sarah and Xavier's banter in this book makes me so excited for their enemies-to-lovers story.

This is my second book in this series and I didn't enjoy it as much as the first book. I liked Edith and Griffin, but I got quite bored with the endless "Rake and Rakess" references. The story seemed to drag on without much happening and the angst was more than I can tolerate. I have high hopes for Sarah and Xavier's story; however.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.