Niki (mustreadalltheromance)'s Reviews > What the Rake Remembers

As an agent of the Crown, Irish native Ciaran Kelly has used the charisma and charm he possesses in spades to cultivate a rather rakish reputation, though he has only ever loved one woman and still grieves her death. When his cover is blown he winds up tortured and beaten to within an inch of his life. When he awakens with no memory he finds he must rely on a woman who clearly despises him.

Lady Frederica Dawe has grown hardened by life since her father cast her into the streets of St. Giles and left her and her there to die. Now she's learned to fight and is equally determined to take down the Secret Society for the Purification of England. Until the prisoner she rescues turns out to be her biggest heartache returned from the past and worst still she can't even berate him for it since he has no memory. But when Ciaran recovers his memory everything implodes and both he and Frederica have to reevaluate everything they thought they knew about their lives up to this points. All the while their mutual enemies are closing in and the two must decide if they can trust each other again and allow their love to prevail.

This story had many twists and turns and so much going on. I understood it just fine without having read the previous books, but I really wish I had read them because that would've enhanced this story and made the references make more sense. As you can probably tell from the blurb, the language is almost totally modern, but that really didn't bother me since it was clearly purposeful and never tried to be period accurate in the first place. The story was fast-paced and I couldn't put it down. However, I would've liked to see more real conversation between Ciaran and Frederica. After everything they went through I really needed more closure for them and without them sniping at each other and without Frederica constantly trying to prove her worth. This was my first read from this author but I will be checking out more of her works now.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.