Thanks NetGalley for the eARC.

This one divided me a bit. I found the MMC actually quite long suffering…what started as fun and witty banter just turned into frank abuse and bullying between two characters who were apparently trying to hide their feelings. I also don’t approve of his method of trying to get her out of his head towards the end of the book. It had some really sweet moments…the poems he gave her, how he looked out for her sister and protected her. She had some serious growing up to do. I’m also mindful that there was an age gap, so some immaturity on her part was partly expected. The reconciliation was sweet. I’d give this 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Cressida has always taken the brunt of her father's anger since her mother died. She is a charming and spirited girl but thanks to her drunken father she has never been out in society. Cressida has no hopes of making a good marriage, but that is fine. She doesn't want to be married anyway!

Lucius is a well-known rake in London society but when the title Marquess of Windmere is forced upon him, Lucius is forced to make some tough decisions for the good of his family. When visiting his inherited estate, Tamarix Hall, he overhears Cressida gossiping about him.

Cressida's aunt returns from India to answer Cressida's call for help, and the elder girls are thrust into local society. A society circle that includes Lucius. After being involved in a scandal the two wed to save the reputation of Cressida's sisters.

Will this be a happy marriage? Will Lucius abandon Cressida for London society? Will Lucius give up his rakish ways? Will Cressida succumb to Lucius's charm?

This was a lovely read! Cressida is stubborn and lots of fun to read about. She is strong and cares deeply for her sisters. Similar to Lucius, who cares deeply for his brother and Lucius is the lovable wayward good guy. There is good angst. Some solid spice. This is a solid 4 stars and I hope to read more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for the arc!

This is a cute and quick read, the type of regency novel one can enjoy on a relaxing day. There is a lot of potential in the plot and characters, though not always fully realized. Honestly, sometimes I struggled to care about the main characters; somehow I felt the secondary ones were much more entertaining, and I wish they had a richer background. The pacing is a bit weird, it starts out perfectly ok, but the second half of the novel and the ending feel extremely rushed. All in all, not bad for a first novel. I'll be curious to see how the author evolves.

Received a copy for review.

I wanted to love this book. It sounded right up my alley.
However, the “enemies” was heavy handed and his treatment of his former mistress and her involvement in this story was not necessary.

The Rake of Tamarik is such a great regency romance. I really enjoyed both Lucius and Cressida and found their story interesting and even funny at times. Both characters are headstrong and kind of mean, so you can imagine the sparks flying as they butt heads. Enemies to lovers and forced marriage are some of the tropes you will see in this one. All in all, this is well-written and has an enjoyable plot. I look forward to reading more by this author.

I loved the first half of this book/ the slow burn the animosity of the enemies, but the second half was so frustrating. I don’t typically find the miscommunication trope a good read, but literally having to wait till the last 5 or so pages for a resolution made this a less enjoyable read than I hoped for. I would have preferred the ending more developed as it felt so rushed.

I almost bypassed this book, the cover didn’t appeal to me much, but I’m a sucker where books are concerned. I’m glad I’m a book glutton because this was a delight. The romantic tones emanating from this book were undeniably engrossing. Cressida and Lucius found love when they least expected it, but it came at a price.

This was an enjoyable historical romance where the main characters are forced into a marriage of convenience. Also, they don’t start off as big fans of each other either. Usually, this is something I love in historical romances, and while it was fun to read the two characters bicker from the start, after about halfway through the book, there’s a bit amount of time they spend apart from one another that I could do without. While this time apart worked in their resolving their issues-and understanding how they wronged each other- it also took page away from their romance, and made the ending feel a bit rushed.

I couldn’t help but think that more could’ve been done with the banter and the inevitable sexual attraction between the hero and the heroine, and perhaps a tad bit more about the relationships in general between the main characters and their families.

Still, this was a fun and quick read. I’d definitely read more from this author. Also, judge a book by its cover cause I love this one.

3.5 upped to 4
There's a lot of potential, there's humour, witty banters and it could have been a solid 4*.
I wasn't a fan of the MCs and felt that there wasn't a lot of chemistry. The pace is a bit weird as it's not easy to understand how much time is passing.
The author is talented and this is a promising debut.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

What can I say but I loved this book from start to finish. It's one that you will read again and again. The characters were genuinely a wonderful mix. The friendships were so strong you just felt them Bravo on a great story.

I was honestly quite disappointed with this book. While there were circumstances that occurred to and around the two main characters, the characters themselves had very little personality. It also felt like there was too much conversation for anything of value to happen.

Thank you NetGalley et. al. for the ARC!

I’m going to start with all of the things I liked about this - then go into my rating!

So, here goes! There are a lot of my favorite tropes in this and some of them are well done, especially for a debut. It’s an engaging enemies-to-lovers story, with forced marriage and missed communication. And, the marriage happens because the two leads (Lucius and Cressida) wind up alone in a room together. The scandal!! We love to see it! Also, the romance scenes are very well written. The author (mostly) nails the regency romance language and the verbal sparring is fun! By the end of the story, I loved Lucius.

Unfortunately, the character development and timing did not work. I can’t tell how much time passed in the book, as weeks and months(?) were casually mentioned. Plus, some massive problems were solved insanely quickly. For example, the aunt appears so suddenly and immediately introduces the girls so they can be “out.” The suddeness here undermined the emphasis on how oppressed they were by their father, who was so easily cowed by the aunt figure. The suddeness unfortunately applied to the main romance relationship too, which lessened my interest in them as a couple.

With this, the miscommunication became so extreme it lacked coherency. Sometimes Lucius would contradict himself in one conversation, spewing out hateful responses will little reflection - same with Cressida. While there is some reflection on how they regret what they say, there isn’t enough of an internal monologue for either character to support their eventual feelings. I felt as though I were relying on the tropes to build the characters, rather than relying on the characters to emphasize/engage with the tropes. And, Cressida’s trauma is handled pretty poorly (at least, in my opinion).

In short, because so much felt over-the-top yet still insignificant, the story felt fragmented and inconsistent. By the end I liked the characters and wanted them to be together… only to be sorely disappointed with how abrupt the ending was.

Overall, if this were not a debut novel, I would have leaned towards one star. That’s because I think this is a solid start, but needs another round of revision for narrative cohesiveness. This could have been a much longer book. BUT. I liked the start that it was - the author clearly has a firm grasp on this style of writing, this first story was just possibly doing too much.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for the arc!

I really liked this book. I felt that the set up was lovely, and that the writing style was succinct and easy to understand. It was quite an atmospheric read which is always a must in historical fiction. However, I feel that the mc and the love interest didn’t have enough chemistry. The romance wasn’t built on the way I felt was organic. They went from hot to cold too quickly and didn’t have much reason for pursuing one another. I do think that there was an attempt to develop the characters and whilst I do appreciate that, it wasn’t as much as it could have been.
Apart from that, I really enjoyed the humour and overall vibe of the book!

An Austen-esque romance with more oral sex and less of Austen's dry witty humor- The Rake of Tamarix Hall is a novel about Cressida and Lucius who are, from the very beginning, the very embodiment of the Enemies-to-Lovers trope. Or maybe Enemies to Forced Spouses to Lovers is a better description!

What I liked -
The prose is great, the writing flows perfectly and the dialogues are never clunky, and the language never feels out-of-place: so overall, it was a pleasure to read. The supporting characters are also very well written (and had me hoping for more books about all the sisters!) The plot is also excellent!
Extra marks for that perfect note from Lucius to Cressida!

What I didn't like-
There is miscommunication, and then there is a total and complete and utter lack of communication. The amount of times these two run away from each other without a word leaving the other to assume the worst is honestly annoying. The 'enemies' part of the 'enemies to lovers' never seems to end! Right up to 90% of the book, the MCs barely have, like, 3 civil conversations, and even those are very short. Though we do get to see them developing feelings for the other, it's all in their own heads and never really shown.
The reason for Cressida being so ...triggered by him is alluded to throughout the book, but since it is affecting her entire behavior towards Luci, it should have been explored in more detail, and not in the last 5 pages.

Even with all these issues, a few more romance-y ('ardent') scenes would have made the book perfect!This is very good, especially for a debut, and I look forward to reading more from this author.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for this book! (less)

A really enjoyable debut novel by North. The characters were fantastic, bold and authentic. North also brought the landscape/setting alive. If you have time to read it in one sitting I would recommend doing that! I wish I'd set aside the time to do so as I'm sure I'd have enjoyed the book even more. I'm already looking forward to North's next novel. I'm hoping for another take on that era as North clearly excels here. I'd love her to do a series about the other sisters as I'd like to know how their stories continued after this book.

Great dialogue and banter. Characters with depth. Enemies to lovers that’s a super slow burn, and heavier on enemies than lovers.

Cressida doesn’t want to marry and be controlled by a man after having a abusive father and Lucius sleeps around rather than lose the will to live after the death of a wife like his father did or be beholden to family obligations. Complex family feuds and secrets on both sides also impair their relationship.

Spoilers. The characters’ time apart led to some resolutions, but it slowed down their developing relationship, and as a result the rushed ending was a little unsatisfying. Lucius’s reconnection with his mistress after he married had an ick factor for me. I don’t like the hero needing to nearly hook up with someone else to make him realize he wants the heroine after all. The book stops in the middle of the story’s only sex scene, which was a little jolting. I would have preferred the scene either continue and have an emotional conclusion, or just close the bedroom door.

I still enjoyed this one and am ready for Alexander and Astrid’s stories.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 4/5 stars! I enjoyed this book in both its plot and its romance, and I would happily recommend it to others. While I am admittedly a fast reader, this was a relatively quick read having finished it in one afternoon. The focus was on the two main characters and their tension first, and their out-lying familial issues second. The writing itself is well done, although I am not used to the manner of speaker that the characters used (I imagine it is like Bridgerton, or just maybe Victorian nobility) it took a little while to get used to. Since the book centers around just a few central issues, it is a little difficult to describe it without giving away spoilers. There are a few things I wish for from this book. For one thing, I wish it was longer, or perhaps the same length but rearranged a little. The characters move in their relationship from A to B to C, and I feel we just spent way too much time on B. A had a good length, B even seemed fine, but then C was just so short. Spoiler (or maybe not because it’s what you expect from a romance book) we get our happily ever, after but there isn’t too much detail to it. I got to the last page and pressed on to the next part, only to be hit with the “Acknowledgments” section. I audibly went “huh?!” The ending just felt abrupt, and I hope this author takes this as a compliment and not a criticism, I just want to know what happens next! The book wasn’t so long that we couldn’t keep it going, but if the author was considered about the length, plot B and the beginning of plot C could have shrunk a little in order for there to be more, maybe have a plot D. I also just wish there was more subplot too! I know I already said this, but I want to know what happens with the side characters! In terms of spice for anyone looking for it, or looking to avoid it, I will say the tense scenes we get, when any character kissed, it was well written and had just the right amount of spice. The ending does bring us an R-rated scene, but it is not X-rated in my opinion. So for those looking for 100% clean, you won’t find it here, if you’re looking to sweat, you also won’t find that here.

3.5/5

I love a historical romance, and this was a fun read! From the first chapter I felt pulled into their world, the dialogue felt genuine and I could hear the clip clop of horses in the town, the swish of dresses and the muffled laughter in hallways. Although so far removed from the world we live in now, I felt as though I was right there with them. There were some moments that I found really moving, which made me feel really connected to the characters.

The relationship itself was a rollercoaster, but an enjoyable one! I particularly felt that because both of them had trauma this was a really good ‘in’ for them to be able to connect to each other. That being said, I did find it hard to connect to Lucius at times as he was very misogynistic, especially in the beginning. I know that he’s a rake of course, but I found some of his thoughts quite off putting in the first few chapters. After a while though I really found myself enjoying spending time with him, and I’m glad that Cressida gave as good as she got, however I think some of the jibes came across as a little bit too mean. I did really like her as a character but I found she came across as a little spiteful. That being said, both characters have gone through some traumatic experiences so I can understand how they may have reacted in that way.

Overall, I loved the way their relationship developed and I really did feel like they belonged together. I would recommend to anyone who lives historical fiction with a splash of romance!

The Rake of Tamarix
by Georgina North

Lucius Anselme, the new Marquess of Windmere, is no stranger to responsibility. He visits his new estate in the Berkshire countryside a man with a plan: Set Tamarix Hall to rights and return to London in time to enjoy everything the season has to offer—the theatre, the balls, the women. What he doesn’t plan for is making the acquaintance of Miss Cressida Ambrose. She’s clever, beautiful, and just the kind of young lady who might tempt him if he wasn’t wholeheartedly opposed to matrimony.

Marriage may be a woman’s best chance at a comfortable life, but for Cressida Ambrose, she’d sooner walk into a lake with pockets full of rocks than be subjected to the whims of a man, especially one as irritating as the new Lord Windmere, who flirts and teases and frustrates her by turn. She’s content to fade into spinsterhood, until disaster strikes.

Unfortunately for her, he’s the only one who can pull her back from the brink of ruin. And unfortunately for him, helping her means doing the one thing he promised himself he never would.

I thought this started out ok; the first few chapters reminded me of a Georgette Heyer novel. But the pace was extremely slow and the characters didn't feel very distinct from one another. The chemistry wasn't really there between Lucius and Cressida either, but their dialogue was certainly overwrought. In fact, there was a lot of dialogue in this book and none of it was particularly interesting. It's also weird that the book ends on a sex scene—I like that it's included, it justs makes for a very abrupt and incomplete ending, even though there was literally nothing else to wrap up by that point. All in all, just an oddly executed romance. Probably won't read another book by this author.