Rules for Reforming a Rake

The Farthingale Series, Volume 3

By: Meara Platt

Narrated by: Hollis McCarthy

Daisy Farthingale protected her sister by taking blame for a scandalous incident that occurred during her sister’s debut season and now embarks upon her own entrance into society with a slight tarnish to her reputation. No one trusts her judgment when it comes to men, but Daisy is determined to redeem herself in the eyes of her beloved family by marrying the most honorable man she can find....

Unfortunately, she finds herself falling in love with London’s most notorious rakehell, Lord Gabriel Dayne, a disreputable wastrel who may be spying for the French! What’s a girl to do? Fortunately, Daisy has gotten her hands on Lady Forsythia Haversham’s Rules for Reforming a Rake.

Gabriel Dayne, younger son of the Earl of Trent, has spent the war years cultivating his image as a knave and drunken rakehell to hide his true occupation as a spy against Napoleon’s forces. His missions on the Continent have taken a harrowing physical toll as well as an emotional one. Sent home to recover from gunshot wounds acquired in a skirmish (though most of London Society believes he was shot by a jealous husband), he’s determined to enjoy the wastrel reputation he’s taken great pains to develop, for he soon expects to be recalled to battle. But the dangers he encountered in Napoleon’s war pale in comparison to the danger he faces from Daisy Farthingale, the beautiful slip of a girl who creates havoc with his heart from the moment he sets eyes upon her.

©2016 Myra Platt (P)2018 Myra Platt

Loved it

this series is great. Just wish they would have gone in order and not started in the middle. you already know things turn out right for the others before you get to read their stories.

Story listening order

Listening/reading order: 5 (Rose), 6 (Nikola), 4 (Laurel), 3 (Daisy), 1 (Lily), 2 (Dilly)

Enjoyable stories. Strong, intelligent heroines and heros.

Terrible Writing & Narration

This book was just terrible from the start and never improved. The writing is very poor. Too many tedious details are in the book that don't have any importance, but important items are glossed over.
The heroine is going to a dinner party and references a "scolding she received on the way". I thought I missed it and rewound to find it, but it was not there. Instead the author gives details about where the harpist is sitting and covered by ferns...why??
By the 5th hour, both the h/h know each other very well, enough to discover their true character. After that are the remaining 8 hours really necessary?
The hero cares for the heroine, but when she tells him she wants his brother, he forgets to tell her that his brother is engaged...this after caring enough to clean damage to her dress. I can't understand his actions, so am very confused.
The heroine actually tells the hero that she is reading a book on how to reforma rake, which I would think is not something anyone would want to divulge ( that there is even a book that outlines lessons like this). Also, many family members get intimate information about their kissing, but there does not seem to be any issues with this behavior. I can't understand this either, as the heroine is trying to reform her own reputation in the eyes of her family.
The idea that the hero will not marry is reinforced so many times, I was just sick of it!! Okay, I get it he is a good man pretending to be a bad one and he never intends to marry...stop hitting me over the head with this information...I get it.
The heroine seems to figure out that both war is going to break out and that the hero is a spy, doing covert work for the country. If he is such a good spy for all these years, how can an innocent girl with little experience figure him out so easily. Again, just confusing and illogical. Not to mention that in a large city like London, they keep "running" into each other, and no one thinks it's a little odd.
The narrator is awful. I am not sure what she is going for, but it does not help the book .
I would not recommend this book as it was a waste of a credit, but more importantly a waste of time ( especially rewinding to try to find scenes that the author did not write, but just references. She might as well have used yada..yada...yada)