THE ART OF TAMING A RAKE – Nicole Jordan
Legendary Lovers Series , Book 3
Ballantine Books
ISBN-13:  978-0-553-39255-5
February 2016
Historical Romance

London, England – 1817

Over two years ago, Venetia Stratham was involved in a scandal and disowned by her parents.  It's only by the good graces of her friend, Cleo Newcomb, employing her as a companion in Paris that saved her from who knows what.  On her wedding day her betrothed, Viscount Ackland, appeared late at the church, disheveled, drunk, and smelling of cheap perfume from the bed of his mistress.  Venetia declared in the church her wedding was off and left in her carriage.  Her mother insisted a woman put up with whatever her husband wanted, and she was quickly disowned, leaving her younger sister Ophelia behind.  However, upon returning to London from Paris, Venetia has found that the Viscount's friend, Quinn Wilde, Earl of Traherne, is reported to be setting his sights on Ophelia, and no matter how much Venetia writes her, Ophelia will follow the rules of her parents.  Venetia cannot allow Ophelia to go through the heartache she did, so she shows up at a gambling hall/bordello to convince Traherne to leave her sister alone; she might not need her knife, but who knows if the devil will listen to reason.

Quinn Traherne immediately recognizes Venetia despite her revealing gown and half-masked face.  He would remember her anywhere; his friend Ackland had been her betrothed, and he was a witness to the wedding debacle.  Quinn is there trying to win against Edmund Lisle, whose mistress Lady X has been seen wearing a certain pendant that belonged to Quinn's mother before she and his father and his aunt and uncle died in a boat accident coming to England from France years ago.  Perhaps winning a large amount of money will encourage him to say where he got the pendant.  Quinn would have preferred to just talk to Lisle, but since Lady X was Quinn's mistress first, jealousy on Lisle's part hasn't helped any.  But when he sees another drunken gentleman approach Venetia and try to put his hand on her, he gets up from the gaming table and goes to save her.  They end up in one of the rooms kept for patrons of the club, and Venetia tries to convince Quinn to leave her beloved sister alone.  Quinn had been especially nice to Ophelia, but was only using his reputation to ease the taint of scandal that still lingered with her family.  Perhaps if others saw him being nice to Ophelia, she might be accepted more in polite society.  But Venetia doesn't believe any of what he says, and threatens him with her knife.  But as Venetia and Quinn are leaving the club, they are set upon by several men trying to beat him up.

The next day Quinn is going to Venetia's house and is run off the road by another carriage.  When Quinn never shows up, Venetia next takes a pistol to his house.  When Quinn is shot at while they are in the garden, and all his servants see Venetia's gun, they assume she shot him.  This has the makings of an even larger scandal, so Quinn knows the only way to calm things down is for them to get married immediately and go out of town while he recovers from his wound.  Venetia doesn't know if Quinn will keep his word to have a marriage with no intimacy, so she can leave to return to Paris with her friend whenever she wants after the danger is over.  Can Venetia be around the charming and roguish Quinn without letting her feelings for him grow into love?

Nicole Jordan is continuing the Legendary Lovers series that was started by Lady Katharine Wilde, determined to bring her family members true love by matching them up with legendary lovers such as Beauty and the Beast and Romeo and Juliet.  Now Kate's cousin Quinn is the next on her list, and Kate actually chose Venetia's sister Ophelia, as his match.  Told from Venetia and Quinn's point of view, Venetia is determined to avoid her sister undergoing the pain of a philandering betrothed or an adulterous husband.  Quinn knows he was partly to blame by bringing Ackland in his condition to the wedding, but what else could he have done?  Quinn has always been attracted to Venetia, and getting her to trust him may be the hardest thing he's ever done.

Secondary characters are the rest of the Wilde family who were brought together in previous books, and their husbands or wives.  Hawk is of special help to them, but it's Philipe Rieux, Compte de Montreux, a Parisian cousin, who is determined to rid the world of Quinn.

THE ART OF TAMING A RAKE follows in the Legendary Lovers series after PRINCESS CHARMING, LOVER BE MINE and SECRETS OF SEDUCTION.  This leaves only Lady Katharine herself to meet the legendary lover she deserves.  Quinn and Venetia deal with mistaken motives, trust issues, and the true character of each other before they can embrace their true lover.  Enjoy the journey and snap up a copy of THE ART OF TAMING A RAKE this month.

Carolyn Crisher