Manda Collins

How to Romance a Rake



You can lead a wallflower to the ball, but you can't make her bloom—unless one daring young bachelor turns up the heat…



What's a nice girl like Miss Juliet Shelby doing at a place like Lord Deveril's ballroom? With her shy demeanor, she's a total stranger to the dance floor and a source of mockery for the ton. So imagine her surprise when Deveril gallantly comes to her defense—and offers to teach her to dance! Juliet can hardly believe the most handsome bachelor in London would notice her, until he takes her in his arms and sets her heart ablaze…



Lord Alec Deveril has never felt such a spark of attraction for an unmarried lady before. Unlike the "fashionable" ladies he's accustomed to, Juliet possesses a generous spirit, a fiery intelligence—and an explosive secret. Deep in the London underworld, a dear friend has vanished, and Juliet fears the worst. Deveril insists on helping, escorting her through the darkest alleys in town. But he too is hiding a shocking secret—and the only way he can defeat the devil in his past is to seduce the angel in his arms…

“With her trademark wit and charm, Manda Collins has penned a deeply romantic and emotionally satisfying story in How to Romance a Rake. Her heroine is plucky and tremendously appealing, and I cheered for her well-earned happily ever after.” —Vanessa Kelly, award-winning author of Sex And The Single Earl

“Collins' second installment of the Ugly Duckling trilogy is both a lovely, sensitive romance and a taut thriller. Collins brings a dashing hero and a wounded wallflower together in the type of love story readers take to heart. With compassion and perception, she delves into the issues faced by those who survive physical and emotional trauma. Brava to Collins!” —RT Book Reviews, 4 stars

“Absolutely delightful, HOW TO ROMANCE A RAKE, the second book in talented author Manda Collins' UGLY DUCKLING series, is an emotion-packed, passionate historical romance” —Romance Junkies, 5 stars, Blue Ribbon Review

“How to Romance a Rake is a wonderfully moving story about two damaged people coming together to form a unique bond. Manda Collins is now on my auto-buy list, and I can't wait for the final book in this series. ” —Rakehell, Where Regency Lives

“How to Romance a Rake is a wonderful story in which a quiet and shy heroine triumphs over adversity, overcoming obstacles to win the heart of one of London's most eligible bachelors. It is the sort of story that warms the heart and reaffirms the notion that love conquers all. Books like How to Romance a Rake are why I read romance.” —Romance Novel News

“The passion sizzles in this book and while Collins delves into deeply emotional issues she also infuses her stories with plenty of humor along with a terrific secondary cast…If you haven't read Manda Collins yet, now's the perfect time to start. How to Romance a Rake is going straight to my keeper shelf. I highly recommend it!” —The Romance Dish

“Manda Collins's How to Romance a Rake is one of those rare books I enjoyed in pretty much every respect. There were too many exceptional elements to mention everything, but I was particularly blown away by the quality of the writing, the excellent humor, the integration of subplots, and the characters. I would not hesitate to recommend How to Romance a Rake to any reader of historical romance.” —The Historical Romance Critic