While I found the climax straining my suspension of disbelief, I enjoyed the book. There's some progress on the Lizzie and Joseph front. Rainbird meets the lady he loved and lost again. Luckily for the beautiful and wealthy Miss Esther Jones, whose outlook on life has been soured by her late father, Lord Guy Carlton isn't a hardened. I didn't expect the outcome of the subplot about Carlton's servant, Manuel. We learn a something about how young country misses in the clutches of a brothel keeper are sold the first time. I thought Ms. Chesney's scenes involving a mob demonstration over the House of Commons' treatment of Sir Francis Burdett, Member of Parliament, were just part of the story, but that really happened in 1810. Each chapter begins with an appropriate quotation, most of them in verse. It's light fun to while away the time. ( )

"Rake's Progress" is the fourth book in Marion Chesney's "A House for the Season" series. As Rainbird and the staff await the latest tenant of 67 Clarges Street, they have no inkling of what is in store for them. The latest tenant is Lord Guy Carlton, home from the war in France and determined to drown his memories in wine and women. While in a highly inebriated state he manages to insult Miss Esther Jones, a quite prim and proper heiress.

Can a rake reform, driven by the realization he is in love with a lady of innocence?

I thought this installment in the series was weaker than the preceding three, but it still was an enjoyable read. ( )