Summary
Mellie, has zero suitors and prospects since she lives in the country with her father. but there is one man, that she and her father have had the opportunity to work with, Trevor Anaedsley. Mellie has her own goals for her life, including a new formula for a beauty product she hopes will one day be successful. She loves her father, but is lonely at times too. She wants more, but has no idea how to gain that until Trevor offers her a deal. Act as his fiancée and go to London, and have the opportunity to meet other young gentlemen she could set her sights on and marry one day. Trevor has been cut off from all of his funds until he marries, his grandfather is determined to show him the “true path” and Trevor knows he will have to find a way around it. So he decides to offer Mellie a deal, to soften his grandfathers hand. But there is one problem….Trevor is attraction to one woman, a woman he is supposed to help find another man for…he is in big trouble….because he is starting to love her but will he lose her to another man…

The Hero
Trevor has always had an interest in the sciences. He has studied under a respected scientist, and his daughter Mellie. Trevor is also a future lord, he is easy-going and intelligent, but a bit naive at times. He was charming and quite the rogue at times, and I loved how protective he is of Mellie. Trevor is quite cunning and can be creative in his plans, and I enjoyed how he pulls some run around his family and friends. When he wants something, he doesn’t let anyone stand in his way.He was a charming hero, and there were many qualities I liked about him, he never gives up and is very smart and romantic.

The Heroine
Mellie Smithson, is a winning heroine. I grew to really love her. She is spirited and lively, she doesn’t hold back on her opinions, and lets others know what she thinks. She is comfortable with who she is, she is very smart and sassy. I loved her attitude and the ways she views life. She could be a bit more firm in her certain aspects, but overall I grew to admire her overall. I loved the way she fights for what she loves and believes in, and I couldn’t help but adore her strength and courage to face new things with a positive attitude.

Plot and Story Line
I was very excited to read 50 Ways To Ruin A Rake, I have loved Jade Lee for years. I had high hopes for this story, and I did enjoy this story…it was enjoyable and humorous and very entertaining bantering. But I couldn’t fully get into the story like I wanted to. I felt like it was a bit predictable in certain areas, and it didn’t hold my attention like previous books from this author have done. I found other aspects quite enjoyable though, but I think I put my rating a bit lower because I became bored with the plot at times. It felt pretty uneven at times, but what I did love was the entertaining bantering between Mellie and Trevor. Quite a few giggles and snorts, the humor and light and witty and I enjoyed seeing how they interacted with each other. The love story was evenly paced and I felt that it had a consistency that wasn’t true with other portions of the story, which is why I kept with it. The ending was tender and sweet and I love it.

The Cover
Can I say WOW!! I just adore this cover…that sensual pose, with the yellow colors, and I love the tone of the colors. It is probably one of the best covers I have seen all year.

Overall View
50 Ways To Ruin A Rake was a light and sweet romance, a story of humor and wit, poignant romance and following your dreams. ( )

I didn’t like this book at all. The cover was nice but the story left much to be desired.

SPOILER ALERT!!!!

I didn’t like the main characters. At first Melinda starts out as a strong woman taking control of her destiny. She won’t give her uncle her cosmetic formula because she wants the money for herself so she can go to London and find someone who will love her so she isn’t stuck marrying her cousin Ronnie. This sounds good but several times throughout the story she says that Ronnie will probably be the one she winds up marrying even though she doesn’t want to. If she is strong enough to stand up to her family, why would she later give in and marry Ronnie?

Also, I didn’t like how she later is willing to give the formula over to a man so he can make lots of money and she would be his mistress. What happened to wanting the money so she can control her own life?

I also don’t like how she gives herself to Trevor when he is drunk and leaves when he is asleep and then gets mad when he doesn’t act like she wants. She also complains a lot about the duel that Trevor and Ronnie fought in the beginning of the book but then later makes a spectacle of herself. I felt that for a woman who was strong enough to fight for what she wanted – a chance to go to London to find someone to love her – she is awfully quick to give up on the man she loves and accept someone who doesn’t love her and never will.

As for Trevor, he is selfish and continuously refers to Melinda as being “beneath him”. He also caves to Eleanor’s suggestion and abandons her once they get to England. He also says no kissing but then keeps kissing her and being intimate. Even after he decided he wants her, he never has a conversation with Melinda to if that is what she wants. He just assumes to know what she wants because of the deal they made – which he convinced her to make. He should have known then that she didn’t really want the deal.

As far as the secondary characters, they were irritating. Her father was a jerk who doesn’t know his own daughter. Ronnie is an idiot. Her uncle is a bully. Eleanor acts like she is jealous and wants Trevor for herself.

I also don’t like how there was no epilogue to tell us if Trevor ever makes it right with his family.
( )

Here come Rakes and Rogues, a brand new series from one of my favorite authors, Jade Lee.

I can’t tell you how welcome this story was to my Jade-ed [pun intended] palate! From the first paragraph I knew this was going to be one fun read and I was right.

When you put a handsome hero as charming, smart and a bit naïve together with an outspoken, highly intelligent and unique woman, you can always expect sparks to fly, and that’s what these two bring to this story.

My favorite part of this story, besides the wonderful characterization of the main characters, was the dialogue. It was filled with wit and humor that had me laughing out loud.

I honestly dreaded the end because I so much enjoyed the unfolding of the romance.

Once more Jade Lee delivers on all three “P”points that are a must for me, besides the characterization: plot, pace and passion. She really knows how to marry the sweet with sensual, leaving me satiated at the end of the story.

I’m eagerly looking forward to reading this series and hope you’ll join me.

Melanie for b2b

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher ( )

I picked up this book in audio from Hoopla, and it was such a cute little fun story. I don't know if I would have enjoyed it quite so much if I was reading it because the narrator was just really good. She really brought out the desperation of Ronnie and had me cracking up at his ridiculous romantic antics.

The heroine in this story is Melinda Smithson, a bluestocking scientific country cit. Melinda has been sheltered in the country helping her father with his scientific experiments to treat ticks on sheep. Even though Melinda desperately wants to go to London to find a husband, everyone in the family dismisses her wishes because they all believe she will marry her cousin Ronnie. The uber-dramatic nonsensical brute poet. Ronnie was so ridiculous that I could not help but laugh, and the narrator did a fabulous job with his character. Mellie was an interesting character as well. I liked that she was intelligent and an inventor, but still wanted the fairy tale love and romance.

Our hero is Trevor Anaedsley, heir to a dukedom. However Trevor's grandfather has cut off his funds as a machination to get Trevor to marry. Trevor comes up with a scheme to subvert his grandfather, and help Mellie out of her situation as well. I liked Trevor, but felt like he was a dunderhead sometimes. I did not like how everyone, Trevor included, was so stuck on the caste system (even though that is probably historically accurate).

Let me just tell you that Trevor's family is HORRIBLE, particularly his mother and grandfather. I was ecstatic when Trevor and the Duke went head to head; I only wish he would have taken up for Mellie with more people - particularly Elinor. I hated how everyone was treating Mellie like she was beneath them and could not make her own decisions. That would have driven me absolutely batty.

Overall this was a cute love story with a bit more steam than the traditional historical romance. [a:Jade Lee|177048|Jade Lee|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1383768369p2/177048.jpg] is a new-to-me author and I am happy I gave her a shot.

Bambi Unbridled ( )

4.5 stars
Mellie (Melinda Smithson) is a blue stocking with a penchant for science and has a muslin bleaching formula and cosmetic cream under her belt. But Mellie wants more. She wants the money from her cream sales in her name only (so not done and seriously, what a scandalous thought), freedom and independence (such dangerous desires, is it her mother’s madness coming out?) to marry for love (and that vehemently excludes her cousin Ronnie). Mellie wants the picket fence, 2.5 kids, and pet. When she looks at Trevor’s scheme it’s logically sound and on the surface seems to be the answer to both their dilemmas. Problem is once emotions are brought into play logic tends to fly out the window.
Trevor comes to Mr. Smithson and Mellie’s home to escape, creditors mainly, after being cut off by his grandfather. Mellie’s desperation to escape marriage to Ronnie and be the mistress of her own fortune and future sets his mental wheels aturnin’ and everything becomes crystal clear….He and Mellie can help each other attain their goals, easy peasy. Since they really don’t even like each other, parting and breaking the engagement once each has obtained their objective will be simple and allow Mellie to save face. As a gentleman he can do nothing less, after all, it is part of his code.

What was it Burns said? “The best laid schemes of mice and men…..”

50 WAYS TO RUIN A RAKE is my first Jade Lee. If I had to try and encapsulate Mellie and Trevor’s pothole filled path in one word it would have to be effervescent. Reading is the perfect entertainment. It also educates, elucidates, illuminates, and my personal favorite, provides an escape from life’s stresses.
50 WAYS TO RUIN A RAKE was the perfect read at the perfect time for me. Snappy and clever applies not only to the dialog but the plot and characters too. The madcap misadventures of Mellie and Trevor sparkled and brought me much needed levity. Intelligent humor, or at least my definition of it, isn’t always thick on the ground so it’s always gratifying to discover it, especially by happenstance. If this is an unusual departure for Ms. Lee my fingers and toes are crossed that she plans to make it habitual…….I’m still grinning.
Reviewed for Miss Ivy’s Book Nook Take II, Manic Readers, and Novels Alive TV ( )