In The Rake’s Fiancée we have the story of a second chance at love. While the heroine’s fortunes have declined since her last meeting with the hero, his social standing is now higher than it was, and a chance meeting on a cold night is what sets the story in motion.

Believing him to be a rake, Phoebe Lowell coldly rejects Ben Holden’s proposal of marriage, and their lives have taken very different paths in the eight years since. Phoebe is now forced to earn her living by working as a china painter at a pottery factory, and although it is certainly not the life she had envisioned for herself, she is not unhappy and finds satisfaction in her work. One day, when caught in a winter storm, Phoebe’s only refuge is the home of the same man she rejected years ago, who is now the new Baron Holden. Nevertheless, Phoebe knows she won’t survive the night outdoors and when faced with an uncooperative butler, passes herself off as Ben’s fiancée in order to gain entrance to the house for the night.

When Ben arrives and finds Phoebe asleep in his bed, he takes the opportunity to get a little payback, and pretends to have lost his memory. Still unable to leave the house because of the snow, Phoebe is more and more drawn to Ben as she begins to recall the times they shared years ago. She also befriends his great-aunt Constance, who still awaits the return of her long-gone fiancé, Jamie. Holden House itself seems to be in a great state of disarray, almost bare and with servants who seem to be hiding something. There is, indeed, a mystery, and though the details are revealed later on, the source of the mysterious happenings was not all that difficult to guess.

As Phoebe realizes that she loves Ben, and probably never stopped loving him, she is faced with her impending return to her real life back at the factory. Ben as well, faces not only losing Phoebe again, but also how to get out of the plot he himself has created. On top of these problems, Ben and Phoebe face real danger as they close in on who is involved in the mystery surrounding Holden House.

The Rake’s Fiancée has one of those plots that requires some suspension of disbelief if it is to be enjoyed. At the beginning of the book Ben describes Phoebe as his friend, confidante, and constant companion, so it seemed just a little unlikely that, based on the word of her uncle, Phoebe would immediately question Ben’s character and not know how he’d react to her questioning. Ben’s plan to get his revenge also seems somewhat rash for the honorable, nice hero that he is. Despite the lack of plausibility of some events, Phoebe and Ben are, overall, likable characters who have gone through much and finally come to realize that they are lucky enough to have gotten a second chance with each other. I enjoyed this book and I’ll be looking for more of Ms. Kirkland’s books in the future.