If You Give a Rake a Ruby by Shana Galen

Her mysterious past is the best revenge…

Fallon, The Marchioness of Mystery, is a celebrated courtesan with her finger on the pulse of high society. She’s adored by men, hated by their wives. No one knows anything about her past, and she plans to keep it that way.

Only he can offer her a dazzling future…

Warrick Fitzhugh will do anything to protect in compatriots in the Foreign Office, including seduce Fallon, who thinks she can lead him to the deadliest crime lord in London. He knows he’s putting his life on the line…

To Warrick’s shock, Fallon is not who he thinks she is, and the secrets she’s keeping are exactly what her his heart’s desire…(from the back of the arc)

Book Details:

Title: If You Give a Rake a Ruby, Author: Shana Galen, ISBN: 978-1-4022-6976-9, Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca, Formats: ebook & Mass-Market paperback, $7.99 US, How I Read It: Mass-Market Arc from Publisher, Rating: 4.5 Crowns

My Thoughts:

Fallon, the aptly named Marchioness of Mystery, is the second of the Three Diamonds (famed courtesans that were given their monikers by the Prince Regent) and the most secretive about her past. Amidst the swirling rumors that she is a gypsy princess or the daughter of a fallen maharaja, one man, Warrick Fitzhugh, who happens to be a Diamond in the Rough, is determined to discover who Fallon really is and what connection she has to the crime lord that wants him dead.

While Warrick is haunted by a past he cannot forget, Fallon is determined not to reveal hers.

Though I liked book one (When You Give a Duke a Diamond) in the Jewels of the Ton Series, I wasn’t overly thrilled about it yet I want to rave about If You Give a Rake a Ruby from the rooftops. The characters, the plot, the pacing, just about everything in If You Give a Rake a Ruby made me eager to devour this book.

I liked that Shana Galen made Fallon mysterious, what I enjoyed even more was the fact that Fallon wasn’t a whimpering fool, she was strong character and that made for an interesting read. Warrick was the character that I found myself liking the most. He’s haunted by the deeds of his past and nothing make a better hero than a haunted one. Plus, he worked as a spy and I do so love a spy.

When Shana Galen writes about spies, everything clicks into place and that is exactly what happened in If You Give a Rake a Ruby. While some of the interaction between Fallon and Warrick feels a bit rushed, overall the book is a grand romance.

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