Of course, things come to a head (the novel opens with a beating), and they must flee at once.įate has lavished beauty on the Merridew sisters–that is, all save the eldest. Once free of their grandfather, she’s sure at least one of her beautiful sisters will find someone to marry quickly. Per their father’s will, once Prudence turns 21, she’ll become guardian of all her sisters, and when they each marry, they’ll receive the dowry their parents left them. Prudence has been biding her time: in just a few more weeks, she’ll be able to take her sisters away from their prison, even if they have no money.

The five girls end up in the custody of their paternal grandfather, a violent and hateful asshole who, natch, is increasingly more violent, using religion as justification for his abuse. When the oldest daughter is 13 and the youngest still a toddler, the couple dies from a fever (potentially the plague). Neither family approves of the marriage, so they run away to Italy, where they live happily, very much in love, begetting five daughters. The background for the series is this: the only son and heir apparent to Lord Dereham falls in love with a wealthy cit whose grandfather was a butcher. There’s a couple of spoilers in this review, and I swear a couple of times. Reader beware: yearslong physical and emotional abuse of children and young girls, on page rape of a teenager as character backstory miscarriage death of parents. However, it suffers in the re-read, because I have a lot less patience for some tropes than I once did. I mentioned long ago that I had liked this book very much, and I still like many things about it. Now, Prudence’s plot is about to go terribly, albeit deliciously, awry.The Perfect Rake is the first of the Merridew Sisters books by Anne Gracie. In spite of the lies, Gideon is so taken with charming Prudence that he’s eager to join her game, especially if it will award him a stolen kiss or two. The delightful spitfire claims she and the Duke are engaged-although a taller tale was never told. But when Prudence arrives at his doorstep and mistakes him for his cousin, the Duke, it is Gideon who’s infatuated. All it will take is a little matrimonial deception.Ī renowned rake, Gideon, Lord Carradice, has a way of making ladies swoon. So when their abusive grandfather is laid up with an injury, she seizes the opportunity to concoct an ingenious plan that will allow all five of them to escape the clutches of their legal guardian. But plain Prudence bears no grudge she loves her four beautiful sisters infinitely.

A phony engagement turns into real passion in this delightful Regency romance from award-winning author Anne Gracie.įate has lavished beauty on the Merridew sisters-that is, all save the eldest.

The perfect rake by anne gracie