Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    A Beginner's Guide to Rakes
    A Beginner's Guide to Rakes
    A Beginner's Guide to Rakes
    Audiobook10 hours

    A Beginner's Guide to Rakes

    Written by Suzanne Enoch

    Narrated by Anne Flosnik

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    All of London is abuzz with the return of the utterly alluring, recently
    widowed Diane Benchley. Will she remarry? What will she do with her
    late husband's fortune? Society is shocked by her announcement-at the
    Grand Ball, of all places!-that she plans to open an exclusive
    gentleman's gaming club in the family mansion. But no one is more
    stunned than the Marquis of Haybury, Oliver Warren.Years
    ago, Oliver and Diane shared a private indiscretion. Now Diane
    threatens to reveal Oliver's most ungentlemanly secrets...unless he agrees
    to help her. A notorious gambler-and rake-Oliver is overqualified to
    educate Diane in the ways and means of running her establishment. But
    striking a deal with Diane might just be the biggest risk Oliver has
    ever taken. This time, the only thing he has to lose is his heart...
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMar 12, 2012
    ISBN9781452676074
    A Beginner's Guide to Rakes
    Author

    Suzanne Enoch

    A native and current resident of Southern California, Suzanne Enoch loves movies almost as much as she loves books. When she is not busily working on her next novel, Suzanne likes to contemplate interesting phenomena, like how the three guppies in her aquarium became 161 guppies in five months.

    More audiobooks from Suzanne Enoch

    Related to A Beginner's Guide to Rakes

    Titles in the series (4)

    View More
    View More

    Related audiobooks

    Historical Romance For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Prince William’s Statement

      May 24, 2021

      Prince William’s Statement
      1 min read

    • Article

      Into The Breeches

      Jul 8, 2022

      Into The Breeches
      7 min read

    • Article

      Big Question

      Apr 7, 2020

      Big Question
      2 min read

    • Article

      Winter Sun

      Feb 6, 2020

      Winter Sun
      4 min read

    • Article

      Lay Your Burden Down

      Mar 1, 2019

      Lay Your Burden Down
      15 min read

    • Article

      Nugrybauti

      Apr 24, 2019

      Nugrybauti
      8 min read

    • Article

      The little NIGHTINGALE

      Dec 28, 2022

      The little NIGHTINGALE
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Clues To ROMANCE

      May 4, 2021

      The Clues To ROMANCE
      6 min read

    • Article

      Winter SUN

      Oct 4, 2022

      Winter SUN
      4 min read

    • Article

      A Lost Prayer

      Feb 2, 2023

      A Lost Prayer
      10 min read

    • Article

      Stranger Than Fiction

      Apr 12, 2024

      Stranger Than Fiction
      5 min read

    • Article

      The little NIGHTINGALE

      Dec 21, 2022

      The little NIGHTINGALE
      9 min read

    • Article

      The little NIGHTINGALE

      Dec 7, 2022

      The little NIGHTINGALE
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Telegram

      Jul 15, 2019

      There was an austere beauty in the fading light of the December afternoon, which suited her mood. Glints of weak sun shimmered through the stained-glass windows, lighting the white altar cloth and the wooden choir stalls. Connie’s hand slipped, again

      7 min read

    • Article

      Mrs Simpson Learns A Lesson

      Jul 29, 2021

      Mrs Simpson Learns A Lesson
      4 min read

    • Article

      Confido BY KURT VONNEGUT

      Nov 1, 2022

      Confido BY KURT VONNEGUT
      13 min read

    • Article

      Part Sixteen The Meeting With Count Ferrari

      Jul 8, 2022

      THE INTRIGUING CASE OF A MURDER IN PARIS Count Ferrari’s regal residence was a solid half hour walk according to the conscientious concierge at Noella’s hotel. Apparently it would be a mucky, muddy trudge through the Paris streets, heading south from

      4 min read

    • Article

      The PROMISE

      Sep 8, 2021

      The PROMISE
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Crown JEWELS

      Jun 8, 2022

      The Crown JEWELS
      6 min read

    • Article

      Typewriter

      Aug 2, 2021

      Chère Madame. Vous ne vous rappelleriez pas de moi, mais de ma part… Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap… She flicks the return bar – PING – and her fingers fall back into rhythm. Catherine’s French comes as naturally as the movement of her

      5 min read

    • Article

      Bucksaw

      Jun 3, 2019

      From the back seat of the car, Benjamin read the gold-lettered sign at the edge of the rolling green lawn and said, “Why do they call it a correctional facility?” He’d meant only to think the question, rather than speak it, but lately, more and more,

      23 min read

    • Article

      The heartbeat OF PARIS

      Apr 10, 2024

      The heartbeat OF PARIS
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Scarlet PEBBLE

      Feb 28, 2024

      The Scarlet PEBBLE
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Glove

      Mar 4, 2024

      The Glove
      8 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for A Beginner's Guide to Rakes

    3.5/5

    62 ratings8 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      In The Beginner's Guide to Rakes, we get one character not usually seen in the regency romance world and one which is a fresh take on an old standby. Lady Diane Benchley is widowed and through a bit of work moved herself from poverty to if not riches, at least a comfortableness that she hadn't enjoyed for most of her marriage. Her grand venture to take her late husband's family home in London and turn it into a Gentleman's club not only hits a snag, but sets the gossips' tongues to wagging. The one man who can help, the Marquis of Haybury, Oliver Warren, had loved, and ran away from, Diane two years ago, and he has his own demons to expel.This duo is fascinating in their depth of character and the ways in which they work to avoid, and yet be close to, each other. Sometimes the machinations got a little, well, old fashioned, and a times you wished the characters would just talk to each other, but in spite of that, the characters and their story held my interest and kept me turning the pages well past midnight.I loved the honestly these two brought to the tale, as well as the unique, and sequel-inducing, setting the author has created. Several of the secondary characters will get their own stories, no doubt, and I look forward to reading them as well.
    • 3/5
      Short ReviewIt has been quite some time since I have read Suzanne Enoch, and I bought this book about a year ago, and its been on my shelf collecting dust, so since there have been a few books come into this series, I thought I would try reading the first installment, before I got the others. In the past I have come to love Enoch's writing and her powerful ability of storytelling, but I am sad to say I was disappointed in A Beginner's Guide To Rakes. For some reason I had the hardest time getting into the story, and by the time I was halfway, I wanted to finish it just to find out what happens, but I ended up skimming a bit (which is the worst, just so I could get through it). I think the biggest issue I had was the heroine in this story. I didn't like her at any part of the book. Usually I don't have such a difficult time with heroines, but there was something so hard about her character. I felt like there was so much harshness in the way she treats Oliver. You see how they both make mistakes when they first have their affair before they see each other again in London. I also understand how hurt she could be, but at the same time I wanted to shake some good common sense into her. She frustrated me to no end, and I couldn't help but have some serious issues with her. Oliver I liked from the first page, and I loved how patient he was with her, and never took what she said to him to heart. Even though there was a good solid story outline, and it had the same characteristics that I have come to admire in this author, I never could get fully into the story, and trust me I did try quite a bit. I do plan on trying the second one in the series, hoping it will be much better, because I don't want to give up on this author that I have loved in the past.
    • 4/5
      I wish some of the plot points had been tightened up, with some further consideration there were surely alternatives to get to similar ends that would have been a bit more buyable. But I'm giving it four stars anyway because the page by page writing was good. The H & h both grew as people, and their relationship developed over time, and they each had a friend who was an interesting sidekick. This was my first book from Enoch, and I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series.
    • 4/5
      This book was enjoyable. Diane is a young fiercely independent widow intent on stirring scandal. After her deceased past husband left her penniless from her gambling, she decides to open a gentleman's club so that others gambling will work in her favor. In the process, she ends up hiring a cast of girls with no where else to go. In order to fund the project, she needs help, and blackmails the man who broke her heart a few years ago - the Marquis of Haybury, Oliver Warren.

      Oliver is also fiercely independent and not used to not being in control. When Diane re-enters his life, he's forced to confront old feelings. Diane keeps him on his toes with with outlandish behavior and demands, but it's the unexpectedness and her determination which draws him to her.

      When Diane's brother-in-law threatens to ruin her club, Oliver and Diane find themselves no longer adversaries and instead teammates on a battle to save the club they have both invested heavily in.


      Audiobooks note: I found the voice of "Jenny" to be quite annoying

      Romance: 3
      Heroine: 3/5
      Hero: 3.5/5
      Steaminess: 3.5/5
      Plot: 4/5
      Accessory Characters: 3/5
      Writing: 4/5
      Overall: 3.5/5
    • 3/5
      This is only my second Suzanne Enoch book, and I realize she's writes witty, fun romances. This one, however, just didn't grab me. Who knows why? I liked it, but I'll probably not read it again.
    • 5/5
      In The Beginner's Guide to Rakes, we get one character not usually seen in the regency romance world and one which is a fresh take on an old standby. Lady Diane Benchley is widowed and through a bit of work moved herself from poverty to if not riches, at least a comfortableness that she hadn't enjoyed for most of her marriage. Her grand venture to take her late husband's family home in London and turn it into a Gentleman's club not only hits a snag, but sets the gossips' tongues to wagging. The one man who can help, the Marquis of Haybury, Oliver Warren, had loved, and ran away from, Diane two years ago, and he has his own demons to expel.This duo is fascinating in their depth of character and the ways in which they work to avoid, and yet be close to, each other. Sometimes the machinations got a little, well, old fashioned, and a times you wished the characters would just talk to each other, but in spite of that, the characters and their story held my interest and kept me turning the pages well past midnight.I loved the honestly these two brought to the tale, as well as the unique, and sequel-inducing, setting the author has created. Several of the secondary characters will get their own stories, no doubt, and I look forward to reading them as well.
    • 3/5
      Somewhat disappointing. It wasn't bad; it just wasn't as good as her other books that I've read. I'm interested enough to read the next one in the series, though--but perhaps not on audiobook, if it's the same narrator. I wasn't crazy about her reading style--it was more difficult to differentiate male voices from female voices than I'd like.
    • 3/5
      Not the best by Suzanne Enoch. I found it very difficult to get into this storyline for the heroine was constantly irritable and cranky. Penniless widow who was suddenly dropped by her lover (our hero) two years earlier comes to London to open a gentleman's club. He's funding it because she's blackmailing him. Much happens, they can't resist each other, but she needs convincing he's changed. Not bad, but not great either, and can't understand the title, has nothing to do with the story! Still, I will read the novella that tells their story two years earlier while lovers in Austria and what went wrong.