Rent: A Rake's Guide To Pleasure (Zebra Historical Romance)

Victoria Dahl's historical series:

To Tempt a Scotsman

A Scotsman's Surrender (short story)

A Rake's Guide to Pleasure


I really enjoyed Dahl's first in this series, so I was definitely looking forward to "A Rake's Guide...". The first 20 chapters did not disappoint. The story moved well with both main and side characters I found easy to like. (And not like when appropriate.) The villain was more of a lost soul with mental infirmity than a truly villainous man, which made it possible to sympathize with his plight. "Wicked" is the absolute perfect way to describe the love scenes. The leading couple was perfectly matched.


Emma's whole family has died and left her destitute. A neighbor family kindly took her in as a teen, with hopes she would marry their son. When Emma learned that the son was not mentally stable, she ran and hid from everyone who knew her. In order to support herself, she has disguised herself as the widow of her late uncle. On the London scene, she frequents gambling tables to earn money. Once she has saved enough, she will flee London and find herself a quiet cottage by the sea where she can live without fear.

Hart, the Duke of Somerhart, is known for being cold as ice. Many jokingly call him "Winterhart". London society is shocked to see him showing emotion where the young widow Emma is concerned. Emma is finding Hart hard to resist, but she refuses to become his next mistress. Although her mind is filled with naughty thoughts of what she would love to do with him, she knows he could find out the truth of her identity and end her dreams of freedom. Hart wants Emma. He knows she wants him, too. He is delighted to find her weakness: Emma wants a man who takes control during intimacy. The Duke gladly takes that role.

Hart suspects that Emma is not all she claims to be. Having been betrayed by women before, he prays he is wrong. When Emma disappears, Hart untangles her lies to learn that a madman has been stocking her. Is Emma nothing but a lying thief, or is she really a woman scared for her life?


The story flowed and made sense until the last few chapters. The demise of the villain actually occurred in a way that made me feel sorrow for everyone involved. I found I could like the "bad guy" and wish things had been different for him. That is a rare story trait that always appeals to me. Other than that, the final chapters annoyed me because the heroine became nasty to the hero with the pretense of her being a woman with a wounded inner child. Throughout the book she was a strong and determined woman with a secret wicked side. Again, that was the perfect match for the wicked duke. At the end, she was constantly screaming at him and telling him things like "I don't want you." and "You disgust me!" He became a combination of a whipping boy and Dr. Phil, willing to take her abuse and analyze her reasons for acting that way while begging her to marry him. Ooof!

Still, the book as a whole is a great read. I'm excited to see that the next book is going to be about the Viscount Lancaster, whom you will come to know and love in this book.


Want to read the series? Here are the links to the first two stories:

To Tempt A Scotsman (Zebra Debut)

A Scotsman's Surrender


If you like London historical romance, you'll love Gaelen Folie's long- running series. Here are the first 5 titles to get you started:

The Duke

Lord of Fire

Lord of Ice

Lady of Desire

Devil Takes a Bride