To Redeem a Rake (The Heart of a Duke Book 11) by Christi Caldwell
Also by this author: The Love of a Rogue, Seduced By a Lady's Heart, Loved by a Duke, My Lady of Deception, The Heart of a Scoundrel, To Wed His Christmas Lady, To Trust a Rogue, To Woo a Widow, The Rogue's Wager (Sinful Brides #1), Along Came a Lady (All the Duke's Sins, #1)
Published by Christi Caldwell Ink on September 9th 2016
Pages: 273
Goodreads

He's spent years scandalizing society.
Now, this rake must change his ways.
Society's most infamous scoundrel, Daniel Winterbourne, the Earl of Monfort, has been promised a small fortune if he can relinquish his wayward, carousing lifestyle. And behaving means he must also help find a respectable companion for his youngest sister--someone who will guide her and whom she can emulate. However, Daniel knows no such woman. But when he encounters a childhood friend, Daniel believes she may just be the answer to all of his problems.
Having been secretly humiliated by an unscrupulous blackguard years earlier, Miss Daphne Smith dreams of finding work at Ladies of Hope, an institution that provides an education for disabled women. With her sordid past and a disfigured leg, few opportunities arise for a woman such as she. Knowing Daniel's history, she wishes to avoid him, but working for his sister is exactly the stepping stone she needs.
Their attraction intensifies as Daniel and Daphne grow closer, preparing his sister for the London Season. But Daniel must resist his desire for a woman tarnished by scandal while Daphne is reminded of the boy she once knew. Can society's most notorious rake redeem his reputation and become the man Daphne deserves?

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Karen’s Thoughts

Caldwell’s The Heart of a Duke books have always pushed beyond the standard historical romances; to those that search the souls of each of her characters bringing out both redemption and transformation via beautiful love stories.  As with truly great authors Caldwell had me enveloped in her story from the very first pages and I applaud her for always being true to her characters and her stories.  If you read Hoyt, Dare, Campbell, Balogh, James or Kleypas, you need to add Caldwell to your author list. She is one of the best character driven writers in the genre.

To Redeem a Rake is Caldwell’s most emotionally compelling novel to date, as it is fraught with not only the requisite desire needed in all romances, but a deep soul searching tale for both the heroine Daphne and the hero Daniel.

I had a visceral reaction to this book, at times it hollowed my soul with emotional plight of Daphne the heroine in To Redeem a Rake. I read it through a sheen of tears that at times clouded my eyes, as both the hero Daniel and the herione Dahne are broken people. Daphne as a young girl had a horrible riding accident that shattered her leg, and because of that she was crippled for the rest of her life walking with a cane and a limp. The reason this book resonated so deeply is that the author painted a true to life character in Daphne a woman despite her disability is trying to live an authentic life. The reaction that London’s society has to Daphne is cruel. I wish I could say that it’s a book and people aren’t like that in real life, but humanity can at times be a vile creature. Despite humanity having it’s dark underbelly, I applaud Caldwell in showing the depth and breath of Daphne’s spirit as she shines in her own souls journey.

In previous The Heart of a Duke books, I loathed the minor character of Daniel, the Earl of Montfort. He was vile and totally unrepentant in his seeking his own gain and pleasure. I could not imagine Caldwell being able to redeem a character as morally debauched and reprehensible as the Earl of Montfort. His moral compass was decided pointing to carnal pleasure and alcohol, cue the orgie. Readers had experienced those wild parties in the previous series books. Some may think Caldwell went to far with the inclusion of the debauchery of regency England, but historically she is spot on in her portrayal of the excesses. If one only read Jean Austin, which had a skewed version of the period, one might be shocked by Caldwell’s writing, as we tend to think of the period being filled with virgins in white. The reality was much different, especially amongst those who sought the excess of life.