“[A] feast of female empowerment, positive friendships, feel-good moments, and social satire.” — NPR
“A jolt of electricity, a blast of fresh air—everything delightful and exciting you could want it to be.” — The New York Times Book Review
Meet the Union of the Rakes—a new Regency romance series inspired by the Breakfast Club and other classic 80s films! In the first book, a bluestocking … series inspired by the Breakfast Club and other classic 80s films! In the first book, a bluestocking enlists a faux suitor to help her land an ideal husband only to be blindsided by real desire…
Lady Grace Wyatt is content as a wallflower, focusing on scientific pursuits rather than the complications of society matches. But when a handsome, celebrated naturalist returns from abroad, Grace wishes, for once, to be noticed. Her solution: to “build” the perfect man, who will court her publicly and help her catch his eye. Grace’s colleague, anthropologist Sebastian Holloway, is just the blank slate she requires.
To further his own research on English society, Sebastian agrees to let Grace transform him from a bespectacled, bookish academic into a dashing—albeit fake—rake. Between secret lessons on how to be a rogue and exaggerated public flirtations, Grace’s feelings for Sebastian grow from friendship into undeniable, inconvenient, real attraction. If only she hadn’t asked him to help her marry someone else…
Sebastian is in love with brilliant, beautiful Grace, but their bargain is complete, and she desires another. Yet when he’s faced with losing her forever, Sebastian will do whatever it takes to tell her the truth, even if it means risking his own future—and his heart.
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4.5 stars rounded up.
Lady Grace Wyatt is very happy with her bookish life studying reptiles and amphibians and moving under society’s radar. But there is one man she longs to be noticed by: her longtime acquaintance and fellow naturalist Mason Fredericks. The problem is he sees her as nothing more than a friend and he’s leaving in just two months on yet another expedition, leaving Grace very little time to gain his notice and with her father ailing, she must seriously consider finding a husband. So Grace comes up with a plan: she needs someone to publicly court her, a dashing rake who will make her notable by association and her friend Sebastian is just the man for the job.
As the son of a wealthy industrialist, Sebastian Holloway has always felt a bit out of place in society. Worse still his interest in the sciences, and not in iron, makes him an outcast and a disappointment within his own family. This means he receives only a tiny allowance to live on and must restrict his anthropological studies to books rather than much field research. So when his friend Grace asks for his help, he reluctantly agrees to let her make him into a showy rake instead of a bespectacled scholar, seeing it as an opportunity for social observations on the elite of society, of which he knows relatively little when compared to his vast knowledge of other cultures.
But with their secret lessons comes one-on-one time together, the likes of which Grace and Sebastian have never spent together and she begins to grow increasingly aware of him as a man. As her attraction becomes more real, she becomes more confused about feelings; Sebastian is supposed to be helping her secure the notice of another man. For his part, Sebastian’s attraction to Grace is rapidly becoming love, but she wants another man. Grace believes Sebastian’s attraction to her is all part of his adherence to the role of rake. When it comes down to it, Sebastian must move beyond his anxiety and be honest with Grace or lose her for good.
I loved Sebastian as the brilliant but painfully shy, anxious, and awkward hero. He had such little confidence in himself and it was lovely to see him grow. Grace also had self-confidence issues and because of this neither one believed the other could love them. It was so frustrating! But also so cute and endearing. I could really feel their pain and was rooting for these two the whole time, especially Sebastian, but they’re just the cutest pair of nerds. Even more lovely was the description of the bond of friendship between Seb and the Duke of Rotherby, as well as the other members of the Union of the Rakes, and it was a great reminder that love between good friends is sometimes just as valuable as romantic or familial love. Now I can’t wait for the rest of the rakes to get their stories.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
*I received an ARC from the publisher*
I’m a huge fan of Eva Leigh, so I was excited to get a sneak peek of her newest series, and HOO BOY, it did not disappoint. The Breakfast Club set in Regency England? That’s my catnip and I didn’t even know it.
The friends-to-lovers story manages to be sweet AND steamy, (STEAMY!) and there’s genuine respect, friendship, and caring between the characters, and you really root for their love, even when you want to shake them and scream “THEY’RE RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!”
Leigh weaves her research into a wonderful, witty tale, with interesting, compelling characters, and humor and heart. Leigh has such a way with words, and her characters feel so real, that when I had to take a break from the book due to my kids’ Preschool Plague, I found myself wondering about Grace and Sebastian as if they were friends I needed to reconnect with. This is the perfect foundation for her latest series. Just a great read.
Friends to lovers is not a favorite of mine but since I love Ms. Leigh’s writing and let’s get real, the cover is so gorgeous, I decided to delve into this beautiful book. Who does not love a nerd who becomes a “fake rake”? He is still a nerd inside and seeing Sebastian try to convert with the help of his friend is hilarious. All I can say is Sebastian, swoon!!! In my opinion, even though Grace is smart and funny and speaks her mind, she is too caught up in Mason for way too long in this story. Come on girl, see the beautiful man right in front of you. Even with that hiccup in the story, this is a great story of friendship and what they will do to keep that friendship.
I received a complimentary copy from the author.
Grace is ready to get married and she has just the man in mind. The only problem is that he doesn’t see her as a marriage prospect. Grace decides that if someone else pretends to pursue her, then Mason will finally notice her as someone that he could spend the rest of his life with. She has known Sebastian for years. They often meet at the library and have wonderful academic discussion. If she can transform him into a rake, then Mason will surely start to notice her. Grace doesn’t go out into society much, so she gets a book of her father’s to begin the transformation…which doesn’t go very well.
Sebastian is up for the challenge that Grace asks of him. He has been hiding his feeling for her for years and will do anything for her. The day comes for Sebastian to try all that he and Grace have learned and practiced from the book. But all Sebastian ends up doing is looking like a crazy person. Sebastian’s friend, the Duke of Rotherby, sees this horrible spectacle and steps in to help. Things definitely make a turn for the better at this point.
The three work together and work through Sebastian’s nervousness when talking to other as well as updating his wardrobe. Sebastian is a hit amongst the ton. But will Mason turn his eye to Grace, when he sees Sebastian paying attention to her? Or maybe Sebastian will overcome his misgivings and tell Grace how he really feels for her?
OMG, I absolutely adored this story!! The bantering between Sebastian, Grace and Rotherby had me laughing out loud throughout the story! I didn’t want it to end!! You will definitely want to pick up this story as it is a must read!! The next book is about Rotherby and I can’t wait for it to come out!!!
4.5 stars
Sebastian was an anthropologist, basically penniless, even though his dad owned a profitable iron works factory. He was a total nerd, living on mutton and threadbare, yet functional clothes, spending his limited funds on books-I loved him! His stammer and anxiousness in new situations had me feeling for him, but it also presented him as a regular, likable fellow. Seb had a unique collection of steadfast friends from his school days, which served him well when he really needed help pulling off the transformation of his lifetime-how to become a rake. All in order for his closest friend, Lady Grace, to win the attentions of another man.
Oy, the things you do for a friend…
Grace was an herpetologist. A unique job for a Lady, I thought, and much respect for her, because slimy reptiles and amphibians make me shudder just thinking about them:) She was sweet, witty with sharp intelligence, and a little odd, but she was happy as is. Confidence can take you pretty far and Grace knew where she wanted to be. When she finds herself in a pickle to get married, she decides to enlist Seb in a quack scheme to make another man interested in her, not realizing the one Grace really needs, not wants, has been in front of her all along.
Love is truly blind people…
I was excited to read My Fake Rake when I caught a look at the cover and blurb, however, I was doubly excited after hearing Eva Leigh talk about the premise behind the Union of the Rakes series-1980’s classic movies! Maybe I’m dating myself, but these days….well, they don’t make movies like they used to. The Breakfast Club tops my list of all-time must-watch films, so when I learned the Regency would mash with The Breakfast Club…. laughs, shenanigans, and a strong friends to lovers romance kept me entertained from beginning to end! This is a strong start to what looks like a fabulous series and I am looking forward to The Duke of Rotherby’s tale!
I received an advanced reader copy and this is my honest review.
Is there anything cuter than nerds in love?
Nope, there’s not and that’s why I love Eva Leigh’s new 80’s infused Regency romance, My Fake Rake.
Playing off 80’s film tropes from Breakfast Club to Weird Science, My Fake Rake is a friends to lovers that manages to be both tubular and all the crack at once. The first book in her new series The Union of Rakes revolves around a motley crew of young men who met at detention at Eton a la The Breakfast Club.
Our heroine, Lady Grace Wyatt, has a very niche, very un-ladylike interest: herpetology, the study of reptiles. While her work garners respect from scholars, her love of lizards makes the eligible men of the ton’s skin crawl. This includes the very handsome naturalist Mason Fredericks who bemoans not being able to find a wife who would take interest in his scholarly pursuits all the while ignoring our reptile-loving scholar right under his nose.
There is one person who has taken a “scholarly interest” in our lizard queen, and that’s her library buddy Sebastian Holloway. But, alas, he’s just a poor gentleman, cut off from his father’s fortune because of his sociological pursuits. Even with cash in hand, his status as merchant’s son would prevent him from gaining the hand of an earl’s daughter, so he’s doomed to watch her from the far aisles of the reading room.
When circumstances contrive to force Grace to make a move on her sweetheart naturalist, she and Seb conduct the ultimate sociological experiment: turn socially anxious Seb into a dashing fake rake to lavish attention on Grace and show Mason what he’s missing. When their experiment works (and of course, it works! These nerds know what they’re doing), everyone is left feeling confused, conflicted, and unsatisfied with the results. Never has being proven right felt more wrong.
The references to 80’s pop culture are fun and (and somehow appropriate for the Regency era), never seeming forced; my favorite call-out being the simple line at a ball: “We can dance if we want to.” You can hear the distance sounds of a synthesizer as you turn the pages.
My one trite complaint is that there were shockingly few sex scenes for an Eva Leigh book. Don’t get me wrong; It makes sense for the characters who are so smart yet misunderstand each other at every turn, but I was surprised that they didn’t “experiment” on one another more often in the book. It’s a slow burn, with a good portion of the romance happening in longing glances, but the pay-off is explosive.
My Fake Rake was a fun romance steeped in both Regency and 80’s nostalgia and lays a great groundwork for all the radical times we can expect from The Union of Rakes in the future.
Will two persons who have feelings deeper than friendship for another take the risk to damage their relationship and open their heart or will they keep their emotions shut down and risk to let happiness pass them by?
This is my first book written by Mrs Eva Leigh and it won’t be the last, this book was unputdownable, why I even chastised myself for choosing to read it on a working day!
Mrs Leigh has crafted a vivid tale of finding its with blood and flesh lively characters.
I simply adored this rather reversal of my Fair Lady with Sebastian Holloway as Eliza Doolittle.
I immediately fell in love with Mrs Leigh hero, I loved Sebastian, I rooted for him, my heart arched and broke for him, I cheered too for him! As all along his relationship moved from caring to deep love for Grace, he also found his voice and his confidence.
He is not the usual alpha man so oftenly portrayed in romance novels, he is the one waiting in the shadows, the one who will notice the heroine and give his handkerchief is needed. For her, he accepted to become someone else, to face his own fears and stand by her side to make her felt desired. Even ready to fade away back in the edges of her life if necessary to provide her what she asked for.
Don’t ask me why but I portrayed him as Eddie Redmayne as Newton Scamander, his gangly physic, his long frame avoiding other’s glares, his mane of hair …
« he could not consider failure. He’d been a disappointment to his family—he refused to disappoint someone he truly cared about. »
For a clever woman, Lady Grace was one very slow on the uptake, she catalogued all the things she liked then loved about him as she wanted to remember them but it took her so very very long to comprehend her own feelings I wondered where her big brain has gone. She is a recognized entity in her field but really guileless reading love. But I loved her, she is just ignorant and by analyzing all her own reactions and feelings, she accepted she made a mistake, a big one.
The main problem was she did acknowledge him as her friend but didn’t really saw him for the man who makes her heart beats faster, her belly flutters. She needed closeness and nearly losing him to understand how perfect he was, this man who faced his fears only for her.
The period of Sebastian metamorphosis from a bookworm to a rake was quite full of witty banters and quips between the trio of friends, Grace, Seb and Rotherby, at time it was really hilarious. It was really a marvel of twists and bounces from one situation to an other.
« “What I wear is serviceable enough. I’ve had this waistcoat for years.” “And it deserves some rest to repay its decade of valiant service,” Rotherby noted. “A rake is never dressed in clothing that’s old enough to marry.” »
The Love triangle trope is far from my favorite as it always leaves one party hurt.
And in this story, there is no vilain in this story, just a young woman who didn’t understand fully the range of her action when she jumped on the battlefields to win one man’s interest when her heart was already pulsing faster when close by an other. Why I even felt more sorry for FredericKs, as he is the underdog of the book, but stairs do gracious even in his defeat.
« “I wanted Mason, but it’s Sebastian I need.” »
Until the very last chapter, I was on edge, worried by Grace and Seb inability to see past their own mask, then there was this love declaration scene, one of the most beautiful I have read since long. My heart had stopped to beat for some seconds, as I was keyed up by what I was reading. This was the perfect rendition of Sebastian’s personality, a knight with or without a shining armor, who would follow to the end of the earth the woman he loved.
A special mention for Rotherby, for a duke, he is quite an amazing character too, aware of his flaws and playing with them, his friendship with Sebastian was so refreshing, a peer with a commoner and this same lofty peer, a rake of a Duke, playing matchmaker for his friend.
Why I was so happy to learn he will be the next rake in this series, what a fabulous hero he will make.
A big fat 10 stars
I was granted through Edelweiss an advance copy by the publisher Avon. I had previously to it preordered my own copy.
Here is my true and unbiased opinion.
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