mwana 's Reviews > Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake

This book was very meh. It started out promisingly. A young wallflower, Callie, stumbles into a dashing rogue who makes her feel daring although briefly. Fast forward ten years later, she ends up bored at a ball and sneaks off to hide in her brother's man cave. Or whatever the equivalent of a man cave is in regency romance.

Her brother tempts her to take scotch and she decides nah, too much too soon. While leaving, she accidentally eavesdrops on her younger sister and the new husband-to-be who are discussing her miserable spinster situation. The oblivious brother-in-law calls her passive and all those years of boredom and being overlooked overwhelm our dear sweet MC.

She then writes down 9 rules she will have to break so as to feel adventurous and whatnot. The things were a boring combination of what ladies shouldn't do and what men take for granted. Like gamblling and riding a horse astride.

It was all just so tedious. Callie would be in one part defiant and in the next spineless. Sometimes it felt exhausting rooting for her. Her mother was presented to be some kind of obstacle but that challenge is never really faced. In some instances, it's like they forgot the existence of the list.

The story grew even more disappointing when it trickled down to romance tropes. Callie got some kind of spiritual makeover when she finaly realised that yeah she's the gorgeous woman she never thought she was; Callie is a reactive flushing wanton virgin who makes the rake believe in love again; the eventual chaotic conflict that makes the main couple break up and they get back together due to either nosy or well-meaning friends orchestrating events to getting them together.

While I wasn't looking for anything groundbreaking, I wasn't entertained enough to make up for it.