Rakes are not as Rakish as they seem - pattern detected!
 Hey now I have bones to pick with Milady Sofi Laporte How is this just three books?  Hear me wail!  One simply can't just go around writing cute books that make people cry and laugh and smile like goofballs and end it at three. I say that's a travesty.

A disclaimer: I'm not a fan of plays or stories with "ugly" disguises meant to make a beautiful MC seem hideous when in fact the "ugly" in question just looks like the average person. This is probably why I've hated the Madea-Norbet-Shallow Hal fatsuit movies. Feels cheap and easy to get a couple of laughs but underneath it all, instead of a good story it's just featherlight depthless drivel. Strangely enough, I don't hate The Ugly Duckling, Swan Princess or  Mulan - fo figure.

Okay now that's off my chest. This was laugh out loud hilarious and so sweet I needn't have added sugar to my coffee at all.

I loved this book

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Romance Plot/Storyline/Themes : Oh this did not take the turn I was expecting - I mean yes I was expecting love and a cute romance but the route to that big reveal of both the scandal and the confessions of love were so unique.  I loved it.  This was syrupy sweet and tender and hilarious and I loved every minute of it.

Character Development/Favorite Character : Laporte has this way of creating supporting characters you root for as much as the two main characters. Where Great Aunt Mildred and Aunt Ernistina were hilarious and different shades of the same coin; Cousin Millicent in this book is a sweet old cat lady and I love her.  Miles is a trash bag and you know what,  I'm wondering if "Prinny" now George VI will have a bigger feature in the next book, I mean we finally got to meet the potato sack royal in this book whereas in the first book he was heavily mentioned.

Ava Sackville/Violetta Winter:  Honestly I hated the dual identity in the beginning but I got over it.  Much like the MMC, I much prefer Ava, I also found her reasoning for the disguise both plausible and utterly ridiculous.
Tristin Ravenscroft: Similar characterization as Adrian but darn it I love Tristan way way more and his layers are just a tad deeper than Adrian St Addington.  He is loyal, sweet, devoted, but also a degenerate gambler for ... reasons
Kit: I found him flitting between vapid and loveable, weird how he reminds me of Jessica in the first book.

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene::
Tristen meeting Millicent for the first time and trying but failing to do something he had already psyched himself out to do out of desperation.  I cackled.

Ava/Violetta, Tristin and Cousin Millicent trying to save kittens in a basement.  That whole scene was just a laugh a minute. 

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes: 
●All the cursed Sydneys with their fine aristocratic noses, blue eyes,
title, birthright, and wholesome wives. May they populate Hades with their
infernal beauty and virtuosity. (Tristin on being forced to marry )
●“The Earl of Ravenscroft,” she whispered, as if he were Beelzebub personified. (Millicent on meeting Tristin )
My father doesn’t like scandal. He doesn’t even like the whisper of a scandal. Our family name is hallowed, you see. We are to live the life of saints.” He sounded bitter. “ (Tristan on Livingstone)

If she could only hide under the table, crawl along on the floor, safely hidden by the tablecloth, and sneak out of the dining room. For one crazy moment she considered doing that. (Ava at that forsaken dinner)
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts: The Opera being scandalous - time is weird, things change so much.

StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Romance books by 2025