Regency Rakes Meet Scandal & Second Chances

Rules to Catch a Devilish Duke — Suzanne Enoch

A governess who won't tolerate nonsense meets a duke with a wicked reputation — Enoch knows exactly what you're here for. Sophia White takes a position in the household of Adam Baswich, the Duke of Greaves, expecting discipline problems from his children, not attraction to their father. Enoch writes the slow burn so well: Sophia's sharp tongue, Adam's reluctant charm, the tension of a professional boundary neither can quite maintain. This is Regency romance stripped of filler — all banter, all heat. Explore our current copy of Rules to Catch a Devilish Duke or browse more Romance books at Patina.

In Bed with a Rogue — Samantha Grace

Grace writes rakes as charming disasters rather than tortured antiheroes, and this one's a delight. The hero's reputation precedes him — rakish, reckless, the kind of man respectable women cross the street to avoid. The heroine doesn't suffer fools, which means the ballroom intrigue crackles before the bedroom scenes even arrive. Grace's voice is lighter than Foley's or Enoch's; she plays the trope for fun, not angst. If you want a rake who makes you laugh before he makes you swoon, this is your entry point. Explore our current copy of In Bed with a Rogue or browse more Romance books at Patina.

One Night of Sin — Gaelen Foley

Lord Alec Knight is the youngest of the notorious Knight brothers, and Foley knows how to make a wager unravel beautifully. A masked woman, a reckless bet, a dawn encounter that upends Alec's entire libertine existence — this is the setup, and Foley commits. Becky Ward is respectable, sharp, and in possession of secrets that make her the perfect foil for a rake who thinks he's invincible. Foley's Knight Miscellany series (launched in 2000) built the template for interconnected reformed-rake romances, and this one holds up. Explore our current copy of One Night of Sin or browse more Romance books at Patina.

My Irresistible Earl — Gaelen Foley

Foley pairs a spy heroine with a brooding war hero earl, and the tension is immediate. Lady Claire's double life as a society darling and intelligence operative collides when she's assigned to investigate the Earl of Amberley — a man with shadows in his past and zero interest in being charmed. This is espionage meets ballroom romance, with the added complication that neither protagonist trusts easily. Foley's voice is darker here than in One Night of Sin; the stakes feel personal, not just social. Explore our current copy of My Irresistible Earl or browse more Romance books at Patina.

The Duke — Gaelen Foley

This is the Knight Miscellany series opener (2000), and it's the template every other reformed-rake novel copied. Robert Knight, Duke of Hawkscliffe, is England's most notorious libertine — wealthy, titled, utterly uninterested in marriage until his wild lifestyle threatens his family's standing. Foley knows how to make a rake's redemption arc feel earned, not convenient. The heroine isn't a saint; she's got her own reasons for needing the match. It's Regency London in 1817, and the world-building is immersive without slowing the plot. Explore our current copy of The Duke or browse more Romance books at Patina.

Sins of a Duke — Suzanne Enoch

Sebastian Griffin, Duke of Melbourne, built a reputation on control — Enoch strips it away in under 400 pages. Lady Josephine Ember won't be charmed, bought, or intimidated, which is a problem for a duke who's used to getting his way. Enoch writes power dynamics with precision: Sebastian's secrets, Josephine's refusal to bend, the slow unraveling of his unshakable facade. This is part of Enoch's Griffin family saga, so if you want interconnected plots across multiple dukes, start here. Explore our current copy of Sins of a Duke or browse more Romance books at Patina.

The Wicked Ways of a Duke — Laura Lee Guhrke

Prudence Bosworth has spent years salvaging her family's reputation, and then a reckless duke shows up to ruin it. The Duke of St. Cyres is exactly the kind of man Prudence should avoid — rakish, scandalous, utterly unbothered by society's rules. Guhrke writes banter like a fencing match; every conversation is a small victory or defeat. This is the second in Guhrke's Girl Bachelor series (launched 2008), and the dynamic here — propriety versus passion, respectability versus recklessness — is the series' signature move. Explore our current copy of The Wicked Ways of a Duke or browse more Romance books at Patina.

The Scottish Duke — Karen Ranney

Ranney shifts the setting to Victorian-era Scotland, pairing a duke with secrets and an American heiress determined to uncover them. This isn't London ballrooms; it's ancestral estates, Highland landscapes, and a slower burn than the Regency entries on this list. The duke's dark past and the heiress's stubborn curiosity make for a suspenseful romance — Ranney leans into Gothic atmosphere without losing the emotional core. Published in 2017, it's the most recent title here, and the prose feels more contemporary than Foley's or Enoch's early-2000s work. Explore our current copy of The Scottish Duke or browse more Romance books at Patina. The rake always reforms, the heroine always wins, and you'll always stay up too late reading just one more chapter. As of June 2026, Patina's Romance collection skews heavily toward these mid-2000s mass market paperbacks — the spines are creased, the pages are soft, and every copy has been loved before. Shop all Romance books at Patina Paperbacks →

Where can I buy secondhand regency romance novels with rake heroes in Sydney?

Patina Paperbacks stocks rotating preloved copies of Suzanne Enoch, Gaelen Foley, Laura Lee Guhrke, and Karen Ranney titles — most are mass market paperbacks from the mid-2000s through 2017. We're based in Sydney and ship Australia-wide, with free shipping over $29. The Romance collection turns over regularly, so if you're hunting a specific duke or series instalment, check the site or swing by if you're Inner West-local.

What's the difference between a rake and a duke in regency romance?

"Rake" describes behaviour — a libertine with a scandalous reputation, usually titled. "Duke" is the title itself, the highest rank below royalty. Most regency rakes in these novels are dukes or earls because the higher the title, the more dramatic the fall when love reforms them. Foley's Robert Knight (The Duke) and Enoch's Sebastian Griffin (Sins of a Duke) are both dukes and rakes, which is the subgenre's favourite combination.

Are Gaelen Foley's Knight Miscellany books connected or standalone?

They're interconnected but readable as standalones. The Duke (2000) introduces the Knight family; each subsequent novel follows a different brother or cousin. Recurring characters show up across books, so if you love Lord Alec in One Night of Sin, you've already met him in earlier instalments. Reading in order adds depth, but Foley writes clean enough exposition that jumping in mid-series works fine.

Why are so many regency romances published as mass market paperbacks?

Mass market paperbacks (the smaller, 4×7-inch format) were the dominant format for romance publishing from the 1980s through the 2010s. Publishers like Avon, Sourcebooks, and Ballantine used them for wide distribution — grocery stores, airports, drugstores — and priced them accessibly. Most of the titles in this round-up were originally published as mass markets, which is why preloved copies tend to show up that way. The spines crease easily, but honestly, that's part of the charm.

What should I read if I liked The Wicked Ways of a Duke by Laura Lee Guhrke?

If you loved Guhrke's banter-heavy, propriety-versus-passion dynamic, try Suzanne Enoch's Rules to Catch a Devilish Duke (governess/duke, same sharp-tongued heroine energy) or Samantha Grace's In Bed with a Rogue (lighter tone, same rake-meets-his-match setup). Guhrke's Girl Bachelor series continues with The Wicked Ways of a Duke's sequel, so that's the obvious next step if you want more of her voice.