Lady Sophronia Sorrow considers herself an unlikely heroine. Why, just her name alone proves this. Sophronia Sorrow sounds like a girl from a gothic penny novel—the foolish miss who falls prey to a rake and becomes an object lesson for the true heroine to avoid. No, despite her mawkish name, Sophie refuses to spend her life invisible and unwanted, relegated to the margin of the text. Despite her … her eccentric, bluestocking ways, there must be a place where she is wanted. If only she could uncover the identity of her natural father, perhaps she would belong there?
But one thing Sophie knows for sure—unlike that foolhardy miss in a novel, she will not succumb to a rake. No matter how thoroughly the rakish Lord Rafe Gilbert may tempt her.
Lord Rafe Gilbert longs for freedom—freedom from his controlling father, freedom to live his life as he chooses. He knows playing the rake keeps his autocratic father in check, but Rafe longs to determine his own destiny. Case in point, he fell in love with Lady Sophie years ago, but his father’s threats and his mother’s health prevent him from pursuing Lady Sophie in earnest. So when Fate thrusts Sophie into his path, Rafe knows he must turn her away and distance himself. But doing the right thing has never been so impossibly difficult.
Sophie and Rafe soon find themselves on a journey together from London to a castle in the Scottish Highlands. Along the way, can two kindred souls heal from past hurts and seize a second chance to write a love story of their own?
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WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Lady Sophronia Sorrow considers herself an unlikely heroine. one thing Sophie knows for sure—unlike that foolhardy miss in a novel, she will not succumb to a rake. No matter how thoroughly the rakish Lord Rafe Gilbert may tempt her.
Lord Rafe Gilbert longs for freedom—freedom from his controlling father, freedom to live his life as he chooses. He plays the rake keeps his autocratic father in check. Years ago, Rafe fell in love with Lady Sophie, but his father’s threats regarding and his wife’s health prevent Rafe from pursuing Lady Sophie in earnest. So when Fate thrusts Sophie into his path, Rafe knows he must turn her away and distance himself. But doing the right thing has never been so impossibly difficult.
MY TAKE
Oh the feels in this one!! Loved it so much! Rafe’s father made me SO mad!! The resolution is so satisfying.
“Imagine living your life feeling like a cautionary tale.” That’s just how Sophie has felt and her tendencies towards categorizing nature only serve to contribute to her bluestocking ways. Sophie longs to belong–to feel wanted and loved–and she won’t settle for less.
Although Rafe and Sophie come from different backgrounds, they share a commonality, which leads them to embark on the same journey to Scotland. Nichole Van has composed a delightfully beautiful story, full of spellbinding prose that completely enchanted me. The characters thoughts, words, and banter sang a hallelujah chorus to my soul and had me swooning, smiling, and eagerly devouring each and every single page. I love nothing more than immersing myself deep into a story and this one was so satisfying.
I was captivated with the goings on in London, but Scotland is where my heart was really stolen. I loved the adventures and thought I knew exactly how things would turn out, but never fear–I was surprised. I loved the twists, the plot, the setting, the characters, and really, just everything about this tale.
Although this series can stand alone, there is a spindle of mystery that drifts throughout each of the books and it was gratifying to uncover another layer of it in this book. I’m anxiously awaiting the next story!
Content: mild+ language; mild violence
*I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.*
MAN!! I loved this one. Stayed up late to finish it. I needed every word. This is the second book in the Black Tartan series. A brotherhood of yummy Scottish men who have a deep connection going through an adventure together. This is the story of Rafe the Rake and Sophia Sorrow the bluestocking. This was seriously the most fun regency romance I have read in a while. This pulls you in from the very beginning and it has all the feels! So much tension and torment! But so much light hearted fun. This book deals with some pretty heavy issues but they are handled very well. This is not a squeaky clean read, it has talk of sex as she has been married before, there is clean innuendo and bits of scattered swearing. The swearing is more words like bloody and bastard. He’s kinda an angry guy there for a bit. So if you like your regency on the squeaky side where they never touch and only share one chaste kiss at the end, this book is not for you. There is no religion. Mention of a prayer.
THANKS NICHOLE!!!!!!
I loved Rafe and Sophie! The chemistry of these two characters was AMAZING! I could not put this book down. I was a bit heartbroken for these two at the start and for some parts later on in the story, but that just made me even more glad when they got their happily ever after. There were twists and turns I didn’t see coming as I read this book. I enjoyed how Sophie was this delightful bluestocking and that Rafe loved how smart she was and that they loved challenging one another to be better. Rafe was such a great character, the whole misunderstood seemingly bad boy with a heart of gold.
Definitely a five-star read for me. This is a clean romance with plenty of excellent kisses and swoon.
Holy buckets, this book was absolutely fantastic!
I seriously loved everything about this book – the characters, the forced proximity, the clever and witty banter, the super swoony romance, and the crazy unforeseen plot twists.
Seriously, I have entire pages marked on my kindle because I could not decide which sentence or paragraph to mark.
Loved the first book in the series and with how much I enjoyed this one, this series is quickly shaping up to one of my all-time favorites.
Off to binge read the next three!
Lady Sophronia Sorrow, what a name! Sophie doesn’t want to have to change her bluestocking ways in order be accepted by others. She wants to be loved for herself. Lord Rafe Gilbert simply wants his freedom. Freedom from a domineering and often cruel father who uses Rafe’s love for his mother to control him. Freedom to life his own life where he can be with the woman he loves–Lady Sophie.
I did not want to stop reading/listening to this book! I loved Lord Rafe and Sophie’s banter–when these two got together you could feel the chemistry. I wanted more on the story of what happened to his friend and “brother” Jamie. More importantly I wanted to know if Rafe would be able to get away from his bully of a father so that he and Sophie could be together.
I loved how Rafe and Sophie accepted each other–quirks and all. I love when a character has layers and Rafe definitely has layers–he’s not the rake he pretends to be. I was not expecting the twists and turns the story took last third of the book. I couldn’t read fast enough to see how it would end. This book definitely put me through the wringer and gave me a book hangover. I’m loving this series and can’t wait until I have time to read the next book.
I own an ebook copy but when I found out I could borrow the audiobook from my library with the Hoopla app I jumped at the chance because I wanted to hear the accents. I loved the narrator.
After reading Suffering the Scot, Book 1 in this series, I couldn’t wait to start this book. It was just as delightful as the first. I’m glad to have discovered this author. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I highly recommend it.
I recommend this entire series! Sophie is fiesty and the whole situation is intriguing. I love that in the end Sophie realizes that she was loved and chosen by her surrogate father. I cannot wait to get my hands on another Brotherhood of the Black Tartan book!
The romance here is what every nerdy girl dreams of: a hot guy who appreciates brains in a woman. I liked that the plot was not about how they overcome differences, but how they work through their challenges to solve their separate problems, making it possible for them to come together. The characters were relatable, the plot unpredictable, and the ending satisfying. A good curl-up-on-the-sofa-with-a-cup-of-tea sort of romance.
Wow! First Nicole Van romance for me and I was smitten. Romancing the Rake has all my personal favorite hallmarks of a great historical romance: thoroughly developed, interesting characters that challenge the norm of the period but credibly stay within the historical construct; a developing romance that is intense, passionate without sex, and tackles the personalities and issues of two different people who converge together for love of each other; content that probes bigger life questions without becoming maudlin or prosaic; and a hero that every woman hopes to find. I’m sold on Van! Heading to Amazon for another.
good entertainmemt -kept my attention throughout.
I am really enjoying this series!
I was done with romance books – period. Always the same story. Most are poorly written. NOT THIS ONE! I could not put it down. It was excellent. The story has depth. The characters are real people with troubles, dreams, and lives. I enjoyed every minute of this book. Nicole Van can create a story you will remember.
I love Nichole Van’s writing style, she writes well and paces her stories extremely well. The plot just gets thicker and thicker as the story progresses with lots of action and interesting, stimulating drama. The characters are vivacious and full of life. Sophie pursues something she thinks she needs, to feel wanted and loved… creating a world of intriguing biological similes that give order to her perplexing status. Rafe, the rake, continues to astound her with his behaviour so that she doesn’t quite know where to place him in the biological strata. I loved the unfolding drama and it kept my interest throughout the entire story. It is a witty, clever and well thought out plot. Thanks Nichole for a very pleasurable experience.
This is a great and well-written story which pulled me in from the very first scene. There were several very surprising – but not illogical – developments as the story progressed. This story touches on the legal situation and dependency of women as well as the lack of understanding for mental health issues in the period.
I much enjoyed Sophie’s imaginative categorization and naming of the people and animals of her surroundings. Rafe was up to the task of keeping up with Sophie’s quick mind.
I plan to read the other books of this series.
This book went beyond all my expectations for a historical romance. Not only were the characters absolutely wonderful and thoroughly fleshed out, but the storyline itself and the accuracy of the historical era were perfect and on point. Nichole Van never ceases to impress me, her writing impeccable and her stories and characters wonderful. Highly highly recommended.
I get book hangover from Nichole Van’s books. Every. Single. Time. After finishing one of her books I can’t start another for a couple days, (which is kind of a big deal in my life). Even if I try to start another one I can’t get into it until I flush the fabulousness of Nichole Van’s writing out of my system. Not that whatever I pick isn’t also fabulous, but… book hangover. Her characters are not only layered, but uniquely engaging with specific quirks that you love. Rafe and Sophie were fascinating studies in human nature. Nichole Van is an expert at hooks. She keeps you reading well past your “one more chapter” and gives you so many leads (in a good way) that you’re never really sure of the outcome until you’re reading it. My most favorite thing about this book was how it showcased the author’s ability to get you to feel empathy, not just compassion or sympathy, but true empathy for the characters. I feel like’s it’s an understatement to say it gave me all the feels.
This was my first Nichole Van book–and it won’t be my last! Sophie & Rafe are a unique couple that readers will root for.
Nichole Van never disappoints. I loved every part of this story. Every twist and turn kept my attention. Lord Rafe Gilbert as the handsome, dashing rake had women swooning at his feet. Lady Sophronia Sorrow was too smart to fall for his charms. Sophie’s intellect and spunk made her an endearing heroine. Her clever, scientific descriptions of the other characters made me laugh. “Despite their lofty titles, Sophie and her siblings were on the edge of respectability, tolerated and received, begrudgingly by the ton.” While at first it seemed they had nothing in common except attraction, they find they have more chemistry than they ever expected. Just when I thought I had it all figure out, Van throws in a surprise or two. In the end, they save each other from danger and despair. I applaud the author for her gentle handling of the topics of women’s rights, emotional abuse, and mental illness and the horrifying treatments of that time. Fabulous characters, raw emotions, detailed scenes and descriptions fill the pages of this intriguing romance. Take a romp through the Scottish Highlands with Rafe and Sophie. I guarantee you will enjoy the journey. A fabulous addition to the Brotherhood series.
*I received a copy of this book from the author. All opinions are uniquely my own.
I thoroughly enjoyed Sophie and her frank bluestocking mannerisms! Her scientific categorization of members of society and the way she studies and interprets their behavior was hilarious. She and Rafe have amazing chemistry, and he adores her eccentricities. The unfairness and injustice that keeps them apart is difficult to swallow, but important lessons are learned as they each passed through their own refiner’s fire. Sophie especially had wisdom for Rafe that helped him finally overcome his anger and find inner peace. Their journey together was exciting as they came to know each other again, but this time at a much deeper level, and long-held family secrets are finally revealed. The sense of mystery and suspense propelled the plot forward and the way history wove their two families together was surprising. There is also an overarching mystery of the shipwreck in Rafe’s past that connects all the books together. I’m loving this series and can’t wait for more!
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)