“Strait-laced. Ruthless. Arrogant.”Alexander Westhide, the Duke of Rakecombe has no quarrel with such faint praise as he has forever shunned marriage, women and anything remotely resembling love. Indeed, the damning words merely serve to enhance his haughty façade. But beneath the controlled demeanour lies a duke beset by tragedy, a man turbulent and restless.“Forthright. Impudent… Capricious … restless.
“Forthright. Impudent… Capricious saucebox.”
Miss Aideen Quinlan can’t quite explain why she feels the need to taunt, tease and generally annoy the Duke of Rakecombe. Maybe it was for the heart-racing spar of words that always ensued, or maybe it was to see the duke’s broad fist clench on his ebony cane, green eyes glittering.
Or maybe it was because she was unable to erase the memory of his vehement kiss…
An unlikely couple.
Torn between his world of espionage and this unquenchable passion, the duke still refuses to lower his fierce defences. If Aideen is to capture her resistant duke’s troubled heart, it is she who must follow the Rules of the Rogue.
Resistance is futile…
Amazon No 1 bestseller for Regency romance…
Sensual Regency romance with warmth and wit, this story also includes unpalatable chefs, a darling of the Season with a secondary love story, deadly walking canes and sheep…
These books can be read stand-alone or as part of the Rules of the Rogue Series.
1 – An Earl in Wolf’s Clothing
2 – Merry Christmas, my Viscount
3 – Let Sleeping Dukes Lie
4 – Marquess to a Flame
These books contain scenes of a sensual nature.
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Loved Emily Windsor’s Book 2 in the series. When the duke calls his lady “my unquenchable fire”, you know it’s going to be a great chemistry. And it is!
Alexander Westhide, Duke of Rakecombe and Aideen Quinlan met in the previous book, when Alex saved her from a French kidnapper – they shared a kiss and he walked away.
Now almost a year later, they meet again and the passion is still simmering. Alex does not have time for a relationship, with Napoleon on the loose and possible traitors in the home office, he can’t lose his focus. And even if he could – he won’t. Aileen is a firebrand and not at all suitable for the position of duchess, even if he did want to marry, which he doesn’t!
Aileen cannot forget the priggish duke that saved her, kissed her and then left without a backward glance. He is pompous, arrogant, priggish and not at all her type. But she wouldn’t mind another kiss or two. When he sneaks up on her in the gardens of the ball she is attending, they trade taunts and she leaves.
The next day, she learns her dear friend Cordelia is being blackmailed and hatches a plan. Alex and Aideen meet again at the Gibbon’s ball – in Lady Gibbon’s bedchamber – they are each searching for information and share another kiss while hiding from Lady Gibbon. Alex leaves her again – but has forgotten his cane. Aideen holds it hostage and forces another meeting.
When they are caught in a compromising situation, Alex informs his mother that he came to the musicale to select his wife – Aideen.
They marry, but events in Alex’s past prevent him from letting Aideen get too close – he tries to push her away, but she is no delicate flower and refuses to let him. She loves him and will find a way to win his heart. But when Alex becomes over protective and shuts down, she realizes, he doesn’t need her and decides maybe it is time to go home to Ireland.
Alex will have to have to conquer his demons and make a grand gesture to win back his duchess. But old fears are holding him tight and his hesitation may cost him the love of his life.
This was another fabulous book by Ms. Windsor, the writing is wonderful, the characters entertaining, the love scenes steamy-ish, there is witty banter, incredible secondary characters (his mother and Jack are flat out hilarious), a secondary romance that in no way interferes or detracts from Alex & Aideen, some action, some heartache and finally an absolutely amazing ending complete with an epilogue.
This is the second book in the series and reading them in order would be best, but not necessary to enjoy this story.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me*
Loved this one! The mix of romance and suspense was great, and the end is just perfect! Also, the humour gives the story the last touch of loveliness. Looking forward to reading the next one, Jack’s story!
I loved this book and the characters. They were both beautifully developed. But that the Hero went on and on about not wanting to endanger the heroine got pretty tiring – until I went back and read (out of order) the previous books in the series. It is then easier to understand his retiscence. Definitely worth reading, but at times I wanted to kick his arse for perpetuating his angst. Really enjoying this series.
I very much enjoyed reading this. The witty banter had me grinning for much of the story. Plus there is a bit of suspense surrounding the case Alex is working on.
Another brilliant story in the series
This is another brilliantly written story in what is a great series. The plot is full of emotional twists and turns, and the characters are wonderfully portrayed, with the determination to achieve their goals. This is a great book that would suit all those who love steamy historical romances, that have a bit of suspense.
I loved this book. It was so fun and romantic. You can’t but help root for Aideen when she tweeks Duke Rakecombe every chance she gets. Even if she doesn’t quite know why she does it. And the poor Duke just doesn’t seem to know what the heck is happening. So fun. Great supporting characters and situations. I read it some time ago & am thinking of doing it again, just because I had so much fun with.
Alexander Westhide, the Duke of Rakecombe, has decided his country and keeping Napoleon out of power is more important than his ever-growing desire for the Irish lass Aideen Quinlan. Aideen, on the other hand cannot wait to find ways to be in Alexander’s presence to feed her growing fascination with him. The Duke of Rakecombe has prided himself on his cold calculating manner of handling members of the ton, specifically power-hungry mothers, and their insipid daughters. However, none of his training as a Duke or a government agent prepared him for a free spirit like Aideen.
This novel was recommended to me via Bookbub. It was free on Kindle Unlimited, so I jumped at the chance for a good historical romance. This is the first novel I have read by this author and the first novel I have read in this four-novel series. This novel was surprisingly humorous and entertaining. The cover photo is what drew me in because it seemed dark and menacing. The combination of Alex’s strait-laced English peerage behavior and Aideen’s wild Irish curses, with a bit of quaintness and devilry of secondary characters, this novel was a page turner. I did not have to read the previous novels in the series to understand the plot of this novel. I genuinely enjoyed Jack, the Marquess and felt he added more depth to the couple. I mean who does not like a meddling secondary character that makes things worse instead of better. I am interested to read his novel, which is the next in this series. I must say I did figure out the identity of Stafford’s butler early in the novel. Otherwise this novel was beautifully written, entertaining, and interesting. The story did end with a HEA, Alex and Aideen style of course. The only question I have is why were all nine of Mary’s illegitimate children blind?
I didn’t finish it. Porn masquerading as romance
After I read this book I had to go back and grab the first 2 before it! I loved the story of Aideen and Alex! She’s just such a resourceful Minx that you can’t help but love her. She speaks her mind in all situations (some get her into trouble, of course). Alex can’t keep his eyes off her and the sparks between the 2 are amazing! I loved Cordy’s parts in the story and how she used Aideen’s spirit to boost her own. Jack was amazing as well and I’d love to see his whole list of rules! I do hope Alex’s mother eventually gets to Egypt!
They truly are an unlikely couple, but they are my favorite couple! The passion between them just intensifies with every insult and curse they throw at each other. I loved how different they were from each other, but also alike in many ways. They couldn’t lie to each other no matter how hard they tried and it was an adventure with them at every turn. Rules were meant to be bent and broken when it came to the two of them. They way they got engaged was a shock and everything after that was fun. Everyone kept telling them what they saw, but they had to find it out for themselves. The ending was one of the most amazing endings!
Aideen was just as fiery as she was in the last book. She was not one to act without thinking even when ready to wring his neck. I loved how her mind always went to his work instead of other things when he would do something. I was holding my breath when she went to help him.
Alex is amazing at his job, but when it comes to women he is clueless but in a loveable way. He will break your heart with the tragedy that haunts him and how much he wants to protect her. I loved him from the start with how much he clearly loved her but didn’t want her to be hurt. I loved him asking Jack what stuff meant.
I absolutely loved his mother and her offer to everyone. Jack will have you laughing at every turn with his rules and the added story of her friend’s love was amazing.
This story has lots of adventure, spying, and romance. I loved Aideen’s spirit and determination as she tried to get through to Alex. The Duke had such a firm stance on his past that I had to admire him, but it was satisfying when he began to see beyond his past. I recommend this story and look forward to more in this series.
I received a copy of this story as a gift, and it is a Book Obsessed Chick Star Review selection. This is my unsolicited review.
Alexander Westhide, the Duke of Rakecombe is an agent for the Crown. His life is full of danger, not only to him but all those close to him. That is why he pulls a cloak of ruthlessness around himself. If he shuts himself off, nobody can get hurt. Unfortunately or fortunately for him a certain Irish spitfire will not be ignored.
Miss Aideen Quinlan has always known about the secret world of undercover work. Her beloved uncle makes some of their best gadgets. It can be a scary and dangerous world, but she is no fainting society miss.
Our protagonists met in a previous book in this series, but you don’t have to have read it to enjoy this one.
This story is full of excitement and danger, but there are definite times when you want to smack the hero. Much like our heroine does. A very amusing tale with great characters. Hopefully “Jack” will get his story next. I can’t wait for some lady to bring him to heel.
I love this series , you can read each book on it’s own, but I prefer to read them in order.