Only a Rake Will Do

De: Christina Diane

Narrado por: CC Kline

Handsome, good kisser, love, and a rake.

Those are the requirements Grace Snowdon expects to find in her future husband. However, Grace’s focused search for her perfect match during her debut season may be closer than she realizes…

Arthur Osborne, Earl of Sidmouth, has been in love with the inquisitive and ambitious Grace for quite some time. When one dance between good friends changes everything, Arthur is determined to be her perfect match, if only Grace will tell him the truth about what it is she wants…

Can Grace embrace the truth about Arthur? Or will Arthur fail to live up to Grace’s high expectations?

©2024 Christina Diane (P)2024 Christina Diane

Unlikely betrothal

Only a Rake Will Do by Christina Diane is a great Victorian Regency romance. C. C. Kline did a great job on the narration. What you want in a significant other might be the person you least expect. They might be closer than you expect. This story is a key example of that.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.would recommend

Short, sweet, and spicy

This was a super fun and fast listen. The narrator’s voice and accent worked well for the story. The MMC is very likable in the way he prioritizes consent and respects the FMC — even though she had some misguided ideas about relationships. It was impressive how Diane demonstrated character development and growth for the FMC is such a short format. Don’t miss it if you like regency themes and romance.

very enjoyable (J)

great storyline, the narrator does a great job. definitely a must Listen to short story. overall excellent story.

A short but entertaining listen

The narration wasn’t my favorite, but I appreciated that this was a shorter listen. That said, the story itself was enjoyable, and the characters were likable, making it a worthwhile experience overall.

I can’t wait to read the rest of this series!

What a fun introduction to a series I’m dying to get lost in! I only wish the narrator had given this the performance it deserved.

Steamy, Sweet Romance

Grace is written so well and so pure with a hint of inquisitive naughtiness and Arthur ends up being perfect for her. The fact that they have known each other for so long and then a dance/get together is what pushes them to the point where they see they want more than friendship is sweet.

The setting came off well showing the familial relationships between siblings and how friends of family in that age could easily end up being family members.

Love this narrator as well, her accent makes this more believable even with the distinction in the tone. Some of the enunciation is a bit off from what was the class being portrayed (as a historian, it is obvious the characters what we would call the 1% or super rich today). Didn't take anything away from the amazing narration work done and the story going right with it.

Excited to hear more of the series.

A Rake

This was a sweet coming of age book. Arthur was the most perfect rake for the youngest sister and everything on her list for a husband. I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this and am giving an honest opinion. The narrator had the habit of leaving off the " g" on words like making and they sounded like slang words a lower class of people fall into using. As these were upper class women , they wouldn't talk like this. It was a glaring distraction when I listened.

OK historical romance novella

At only 1.5 hours, Only a Rake Will Do isn't the deepest story. But it was a nice introduction to Christina Diane's writing style and some of her characters that seem to be part of a series that I might look into. it was a cute friends-to-lovers story and honestly, I could have used a bit more to round out the story.

CC Kline's narration was just middle of the road for me. I had to speed up the replay once I realized it was just too slow at normal speed or me. Once it was moving a little faster, I was able to enjoy the story more.

It's not the best historical romance I've ever read, but it's also not the worst. I'll probably give a longer story a try to get a better feel for Ms Diane's character and world building since it was pretty non-existent in this short story.