Review: The Rake and the Recluse by Jenn LeBlanc

“There’s something so romantic about the premise of this series…”
~ Under the Covers

I’ve had this book on my TBR for such a long time and I was craving some time travel reads recently so I finally picked it up.  THE RAKE AND THE RECLUSE is a story about two brothers getting their HEA throughout one story.  I always love stories with a side HEA that can make me care for both.  Double happiness!

Francine is from the twenty first century.  Her parents were killed years ago in an accident and she’s left with her father’s journals which talk about a family legacy that makes it possible for certain people to travel back in time to meet the person they were always meant to be with.  So when Francine is in a car accident and wakes up in the late 1800s in the body of a woman from her family that she carried a picture of, she starts questioning her fathers ramblings.  She still has to deal with the situation her new self is in and she’s in the protection of the Duke of Roxleigh after a devious man tried to force himself on her.  Now they must save her again from his clutches and she has to figure out how to accept being in this time and never going back to her old life.  Throughout the story, we also get a romance for the Duke’s rakish brother, Perry.

I was hoping for a little more from the time travel element but I really enjoyed the premise of it.  It’s not just anybody that can travel back in time and it’s not without a purpose.  The right person will travel back to the right time they should’ve always been in, to meet the person they should’ve always been with.  There’s something so romantic about the premise of this series and to be honest it’ll keep me coming back to read the rest of the books.

This was a steamy slow burn story.  Is that a thing?  While I always considered these as erotic, I found that while this was a spicy read I don’t know that I would classify it as such.  It’s certainly sexier than your standard Outlander but no whips and chains in sight.  It was a sweet story with a touch of insta love that didn’t bother me at all because that time travel description made the magic of insta love believable for me in this case.

There’s an innocence about Francine that Gideon needed to soften up and it was charming to see them come together.  Perry might’ve stolen the show for me though, I adored his character.

I’m excited to see where this series goes to next and hopefully we find out if Francine’s parents also traveled back in time and are still alive!

Favorite quote:

“My lady,” he said, standing in front of her, so close that the heat from his body permeated her gown.
“My intention -“
He paused as his breath quickened and his baritone deepened in his chest. “- is to ruin you.”

 

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[about-author author=”Jenn LeBlanc”]

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