Cold-Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas

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Title: Cold-Hearted Rake
Author: Lisa Kleypas
Series: The Ravenels #1
Published by: HarperAudio
Release Date: October 27, 2015
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Mary Jane Wells
Length: 11 hours and 3 minutes
Genres: Historical Romance
Source: Libby
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2021 Audiobook Challenge, Lenoreo's 2021 Backlist Reader Challenge, Lenoreo's 2021 COYER Spring, Lenoreo's 2021 Historical Romance Book Bingo
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ Google ✩ Kobo ✩ IndieBound ✩ iTunes ✩ Book Depository ✩ Libro.FM
My rating:

Blurb:

A twist of fate . . .

Devon Ravenel, London's most wickedly charming rake, has just inherited an earldom. But his powerful new rank in society comes with unwanted responsibilities . . . and more than a few surprises. His estate is saddled with debt, and the late earl's three innocent sisters are still occupying the house . . . along with Kathleen, Lady Trenear, a beautiful young widow whose sharp wit and determination are a match for Devon's own.

A clash of wills . . .

Kathleen knows better than to trust a ruthless scoundrel like Devon. But the fiery attraction between them is impossible to deny—and from the first moment Devon holds her in his arms, he vows to do whatever it takes to possess her. As Kathleen finds herself yielding to his skillfully erotic seduction, only one question remains:

Can she keep from surrendering her heart to the most dangerous man she's ever known?

My Review:

3.5 stars — Once again I will preface this review by saying I don’t read a lot of historical romance…they are definitely outside my wheelhouse.  But a few books in this series have been recommended to me, so I started at the beginning.  The funny thing is, I really enjoyed myself, but I don’t think it was our main characters and their romance that necessarily put it over the top for me…which is strange to say the least.

I think one of the things that made this book so enjoyable was 100% the narration of Mary Jane Wells.  She is *so* easy to listen to, she draws me in and keeps me captured.  I love her emotions, her pacing, her conveyance of wit…Devon was so dry sometimes, and it comes across perfectly.  And most importantly for this listener, her voices were SUPER distinct and easy to follow!  I LOVE that.  I mean, I had a hard time understanding Mr. Winterborne at times, but I was okay with that because it felt authentic.

Kathleen had so many admirable qualities, but she also frustrated me to a degree I was not expecting.  I loved how strong she could be, and how she tried to sass back to Devon.  I appreciated it more when she stuck to it than when she capitulated.  I also loved how much she cared for her new family and the people on the estate.  On the other hand, she was weirdly blind about her loved ones, especially Helen.  I was bummed about the way she let her rules take over everything, and how she butted in where she shouldn’t have.

Devon was…interesting.  He had some great quips, and once he actually decided to go for it, I felt for the struggle he had with his new responsibilities.  But he was kind of a jerk.  And I get that there was a lot behind that, but I’m not sure if I actually saw as much growth as I might have wanted.  Or rather, it felt abrupt at times.  I don’t know.  I enjoyed him at times, but he wasn’t my favourite.

And honestly?  Their romance was relatively meh for me.  I mean, they had physical chemistry out the wazoo, but I wasn’t always comfortable with the way Devon seduced Kathleen.  And I didn’t see a growth of feelings so much as an abrupt change…mostly from Devon.  I don’t know…it just wasn’t my favourite.  And honestly, the ending felt a bit fast and anti-climatic.  *shrugs*

So what was my favourite?  OMFG, so many of the secondary characters!  From the Ravenel sisters, to West, to the servants, to even Mr. Winterborne.  There was a great cast feeling, and I appreciated everything the whole group was going through.  The twins were hilarious.  I really loved West, and I felt like Kathleen had a better relationship with him than Devon (though in a sisterly way).  I really felt their connection.  I will also say, I wasn’t expecting to get POVs outside of our two MCs, and normally that might get a bit cluttered, but it really worked in this story!  I LOVED getting a glimpse inside West’s head, and I really loved the peek at the introductory feelings between Helen and Mr. Winterborne.  Honestly, I was suuuuuper excited for their book until the ending.  That was odd.  But I’m still going to give it a try.

So as you can see, I actually had mixed feelings in some ways, but the final star rating shows just how much I enjoyed the overarching story and cast, and obviously the narrator.  I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next for this family.