Releases 26 January 2016
**advance reader copy received via NetGalley**
This was my first Nicole Jordan book, and it is the fourth book in her Regency era series titled Legendary Lovers. The premise of the series is very interesting; a young female member of the wealthy and scandalous Wilde family has decided that eligible relatives will find love linked to the myths of legendary lovers such as Pygmalion, Beauty and the Beast, and Cinderella. The Art of Taming a Rake is loosely based on The Taming of the Shrew, and the author does not disappoint with the characters or the story. This fourth book in the series focuses on disowned and scandal-tainted Venetia Stratham, who comes after renowned rake Quinn Wilde with both barrels blazing. No, seriously, she pulls a gun on him.
I enjoyed the male lead in this story because he was very active and had a lot of depth. The author allowed for limitations of character and reality without dragging the plot to a standstill, but managed to keep things real. I especially appreciated Venetia’s character, which was written quite strongly for a woman in the Regency period. I am not a fan of wilting females, and Jordan wrote a ferocious heroine who retained her delicacy while retaining an acceptable amount of hesitancy and fear when appropriate. The plot was good, the overall line of the series appears to be solid, and I will be following up on the earlier books as soon as I can. While the fourth book stands alone amazingly, I feel that reading the first three books would enhance the story even more.
Ruckie
Reviews by Ruckie 