Thank you, NetGalley and WebMotion, for the chance to read and review The Rake Mistake by Erica Ridley.

I read a lot of regency romance and thought that one way or another, The Rake Mistake would fit in that category. I was wrong! It's a charming prequel heist novella that makes a very interesting standalone.

While the book builds up to a heist, I loved getting to know Phillipa and her family dynamics in this one. I also think publishing this is fantastic from a marketing perspective! Not only will we get these great little heist stories featuring each woman from the heist club (I hope), but the books also tie into The Wild Wynchesters series, which is more of a romance novel series. The story was enjoyable to read and perfect for when you're in the mood to just be entertained!

I gave the book three out of five stars. A lot of the stuff was a little unbelievable to me. You can tell me that's stupid of me because the whole point of reading a book like this is to tell reality to bugger off. I think it was the animals and the amount of stuff I had to take in with the Wynchesters. If you read this after reading The Wild Wynchesters, you probably won't have this problem. I also didn't care for the ending; I know it's supposed to be happy ever after, but I would have found it more interesting if things with the rake and all the women had been more intense. My last problem is with the cover. I wasn't expecting a cover like The Wild Wynchesters, but this one is not my favorite. It just seemed very low-budget to me. I don't know if the publishers will approve me again after that last comment.

Overall, this is a lovely prequel novella that whets your appetite for other books by Erica Ridley. ( )

The Rake Mistake by Erica Ridley
Heist Club #1

What a fun way to spend the day! I smiled a LOT as I read this little story. Many books are labeled romantic comedy t hat don’t even get a hint of a smile from me while I read them but this one…was delightful and had me smiling often! I am not sure but think The Duke Heist probably was a prequel to this prequel, but both can be read as standalone stories.

What I liked:
* Phillipa: independent, bluestocking, only child of ambitious social climbing mama, doesn’t want to marry, prefers books and her reading circle to men or the idea of marriage. Can’t wait to read more about her…and said the same thing in my review of The Duke Heist.
* The Wynchester siblings: introduced in The Duke Heist and I do want to hear more about all six of them.
* The reading circle…that seems to be nameless though everyone has a name for it. A group of women that are intrigued and intriguing…will they find happily ever after(s) too?
* Great-Aunt Wynchester: chuckling as I type. *I* know who she is and can’t wait till Phillipa finds out who she is, too.
* The plot, writing, characters…all of it.
* The situations that made me laugh…like two women in armoire or the way Great-Aunt Wynchester managed to carry found objects without anyone knowing…so many times I just chuckled or smiled because what I was reading made me happy.
* The interactions and dialogue of the reading circle.
* Knowing that there will be another book in this series soon :)

What I didn’t like:
* Phillipa’s mother: a right pain in the patoot. I wanted to sit her down and give her a talking to more than once.
* That Phillipa couldn’t please her parents as she was and was never enough for them.

Did I enjoy this book? Oh my, yes!
Would I read more in this series? Definitely!!!

Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars ( )