How to Rescue a Rake was a debut for me of Jayne Fresina. It left me wanting more! What is good is that there are two other books and one novella in this series for me to delve into! Jayne Fresina's writing was very good if not a little drawn out. There were points I found myself wishing things would speed up a little. After I was finished however, I appreciated that the author took her time to tell the tale right.
Diana is a part of a group of young ladies who call themselves the Book Club Belles. In this book the girls are reading Persuasion by Jane Austen. Unfortunately I haven't read Persuasion but from the snippets in this book, the story lines were very similar. Diana connects quite a bit with the main female character of the Jane Austen novel. She is quiet and very proper.
Sherry (Nathaniel Sherringham) is the opposite of quiet and polite Diana. He is wild and doesn't care about rules. He falls in love with Diana before the events of the book and completely botches a proposal because he is drunk. A little miscommunication after the proposal and the two don't see each other until the book starts three years later.
The story really focuses on Diana coming out of her shell and learning to stand up for herself and her wants. I felt for Sherry because the feelings were there, but he made mistakes in showing it. The physical relationship is calm at first and gets spicy towards the end, but what I really liked was Jayne Fresina's in depth look into each characters' feelings. She really made the events play out cleanly and at a good pace.
I enjoyed the diversified cast of this book. There were several characters that were eccentric and wild and some who were strict and proper. It made the book come alive for me and relate a little more to Diana's situation. The story never had me laughing out loud but a I did chuckle a time or two. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from Jayne Fresina. The heat level was on the low side for a historical romance, but I liked it. I'm glad to have found another author I enjoy.
**ARC provided by Publisher**
Book two of the Book Club Belles Society is just as good as the first book. Really I think I liked it more than the first one. Rebecca Sherringham is a strong character; she is strong in her attitude with a rake brother like hers and an absentminded headstrong father she needs to be to stand up to them. She has had to deal with more than her fair share of gambling reprobates because of her brother and her opinion of men is not very complementary. Captain Lucas “Lucky Luke” Wainwright is supposed to be dead, until he shows up at the doors of his lawyers looking for his inheritance. Shocked to find his upstanding and proper brother married and living in a quaint little village in the home their great uncle left him he goes off to settle thing with him never expecting to find Rebecca. 
Jayne Fresina sprouted up in England, the youngest in a family of four daughters. Entertained by her father’s colorful tales of growing up in the countryside, and surrounded by opinionated sisters – all with far more exciting lives than hers – she’s always had inspiration for her beleaguered heroes and unstoppable heroines. 