Reviewed by Ami
Title: How to Catch a Wicked Viscount
Author: Amy Rose Bennett
Series: The Disreputable Debutantes #1
Hero/Heroine: Sophie & Nate
Genre: M/F Historical Romance
Length: 319 pages
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Release Date: August 27, 2019
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: A young lady’s tarnished reputation might cost her everything in this first book in the Disreputable Debutantes series.
Shy, bookish Sophie Brightwell is expected to make an advantageous match to improve her family’s fortunes. However, Sophie’s plans to make a spectacular debut go horribly awry when she and her three closest friends are expelled from a young ladies’ academy for unbecoming conduct. Since the ton will be sure to close their doors on these disgraced debutantes, they determine that unconventional means need to be employed in the husband-hunting market. Rakehells—the beau monde’s wickedest members—might be the only men willing to overlook a young lady’s besmirched reputation.
But how does one catch a rake?
Nate Hastings, the devil-may-care Viscount Malverne, is the older brother of Sophie’s best friend, fellow disgraced debutante Lady Charlotte. When a terribly foxed Nate accidentally compromises Sophie, Charlotte strikes a wicked bargain: in order to avoid a scandal and the parson’s mousetrap, Nate must help Sophie snare a husband. But as Nate fulfills his obligation and begins to instruct the lovely Sophie in the art of luring rakes, he soon finds himself battling his own fierce attraction to her.
Review:
How to Catch a Wicked Viscount is the first book in Amy Rose Bennett’s newest series “The Disreputable Debutantes”. I have been slowly falling in love with M/F historical romance this year, after years of making it one my least favorite romance genre. So, I want to expand my reading catalogue. Bennet is a new-to-me author, and this being first book, I thought it was a good place to start.
Unfortunately, I found How the Catch a Wicked Viscount to rather bland – both in characterizations and in storyline. It started interesting enough with Sophie Brightwell – along with her three other friends – being expelled from Academy for Young Ladies of Good Character because they were caught doing “bad things” (they only drank a little and prepared themselves for some ‘naughty’ readings). Then in the next chapter, Nate Hastings, Viscount Malverne, were also being written into newspapers (the article didn’t name names but everyone knew!) that he had been stealing lady’s undergarments
I just felt that the author didn’t dig deep into layers of shy Sophie and supposedly wicked Nate. They didn’t spend enough time to get pass of physical attraction – in fact, I thought Sophie spent more pages with her friends, as well as Nate. Sophie had crush on Nate, and I felt that her love to Nate was just an extended infatuation.
It was too bad because Sophie was writing children’s book on the side, and I believed that Nate also had “layers” in him, living with nightmares after Waterloo.
This book clocks more than 300 pages, and it is already far too lengthy for me to enjoy.
Overall Impression: It was okay
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*
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