My Fake Rake

My Fake Rake by Eva Leigh is book One in the The Union of the Rakes Series. This is the story of Sebastian Holloway and Grace Wyatt. Grace is a Blue Stocking / Wallflower who has set her mind to a man named Mason. But of course Mason doesn’t know she is alive. So her plan is to get her friend Sebastian to pretend to pursue her which will make Mason want her. But Sebastian is like her a bookish person so she knows she is going have to re-due him to make it more believable. Sebastian has feelings for Grace but her mind is set on another so he tries to help her but it just brings his feelings up more.
Enjoyed their story.

This book is totally charming.

*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.

What a great romance novel this is! Grace is a very smart woman stuck in a time where that is not appreciated. Her life is going fine though I told her father gets sick asking her to marry sooner rather than later. With a specific man in mind she recruits her friend Sebastian to play a rake interested in her. Things go awry when they start to practice together as feelings start coming into play that will detail the whole plan. Proves love has a mind of its own as the story plays out. A great historical romance that will help you hooked until the very end. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.

TW: This book goes in-depth into social anxiety. I received a digital ARC of this book for reviewing purposes.

I had been following the progress of Eva Leigh’s new series, The Union of the Rakes, via social media, and I was especially excited to read the first installment, “My Fake Rake.” While an homage to ’80s movies, the core of it is a gender-reversed tale of “My Fair Lady,” but with scientists.

Seb Holloway is one of five Eton students on the fringes of society, having forged a bond with his peers during a lengthy period of bonding in the library, an homage to “The Breakfast Club.” He is friends with fellow scientist Lady Grace Wyatt, who has her own sights set on another naturalist. While Seb has twinges of attraction of Grace, it’s nothing compared with once he is pulled into her idea – if he becomes a rake and pretends to be courting Grace, then maybe her naturalist will finally notice her.

It is a classic friends-to-lovers tale that is bolstered by just how wonderful the leads are. Lady Grace is very assured of herself, especially when it comes to her career. Her family loves and is supportive of her. She has been wounded by society, but when her father falls ill and asks her to marry, she wants to make him happy.

Then there is Seb. If he doesn’t inspire fierce protectiveness by the end of the prologue, you won’t get far in the book without developing those feelings. He is a true cinnamon roll: too good and too pure for this world. Shunned by his father, Seb is crippled by social anxiety that drives the book just as much as the romance between Grace and Seb.

The beauty of this book isn’t in the titular romance: it is in the sheer amount of love and acceptance shown toward Seb by Grace and that close group of friends from Eton. Seb’s closest friend, the Duke of Rotherby, steps into the role of fairy godmother with such aplomb that surely he will put Disney characters out of work. Between Grace and Rotherby’s support, Seb finds ways to manage his social anxiety. It is not magically cured, and you know it will never go away. Seb has good moments and bad ones, but he now has coping mechanisms. He also has support and people who accept everything about him unconditionally. It is the purest form of love.

Another major theme is the inner struggle between fighting growing feelings for your best friend and ensuring you don’t step on their toes. Throughout the book, Seb makes sure that everything is Grace’s choice. Consent is utilized beautifully. I just want to live in the Benezra Library, even though I am a history person and not a sciences one. It has the best policy. “The best part about the library was its policy of admitting anyone, male or female, white or black, young or aged, impoverished or wealthy, provided that the person seeking entrance displayed a genuine love of the sciences.”

I also love how the book establishes that strong friendship and camaraderie between Grace and Seb before their feelings go off the deep end. I absolutely love the scenes where both of them whip out journals to make observations of the world around them – much to the bafflement of Rotherby. Really, I could just read an entire book series about these three with Grace and Seb dragging Rotherby along on their scientific expeditions.

My only minor complaint is that I wish we could have seen Seb confront his father as the book progressed. Mostly because he sounds like an insufferable git, and I wanted to see Seb get his own back.

“My Fake Rake” felt like a giant, warm hug, the sort of story you pull out repeatedly on a cold winter’s evening while bundled up in warm blankets and a mug of cocoa. It makes me feel happy, and if you are looking for the ultimate comfort read, pick up this book. I’m also greatly looking forward to Rotherby’s story, which comes out next year.

I suppose it’s time for me to admit that I am absolute trash for a smart nerd in glasses, who magically transforms into a handsome heartthrob when the specs come off! Pair him with a smart woman who refuses to tie herself into knots to satisfy the expectations of others, and I am hooked! I loved these two awkward, adorable brainiacs and I loved how perfect they were for each other. Such a fun series!

A perfect combination of sighs and laughs.

Review originally published at Romancing Romances

4.25*

I really liked this book. This is a book for nerds, with nerds. Our couple is formed by Grace, a herpetologist (studies reptiles and amphibians), and Sebastian, an anthropologist. They’ve been friends for years, and they enjoy each other’s company. Sebastian has a huge crush on Grace, and Grace is slightly attracted to him, but neither one does anything about it.

Enter Mason Fredericks. He has money (which Seb doesn’t have), society loves him (Seb doesn’t do well in society), and he’s a fellow scholar with a similar field to Grace’s. She’s had a small crush on him for some time, and when her dad makes a request she can’t refuse, Grace asks Seb to help her get Mason’s attention.

Seb can’t say no to Grace. Even if it hurts him, he just wants to see her happy. And this is how he got himself in a situation where he’s helping the woman he loves, get another man.

Beta heroes, anyone? I have to say, each day I love them more and more. They are my kind of people.

I really liked how their relationship evolved from friends to lovers, which is one of my favourite tropes. Their relationship is based on love, friendship, and mutual respect – respect for each other, and their respective fields of study. It made me *swoon*.

It was interesting to see how they each dealt with their feelings, and how Sebastian sometimes was completely blind to how Grace was feeling, and vice-versa. There’s a lot of miscommunication in this book, which I’m not the biggest fan of, as this was pretty much the only thing stopping our couple of getting together, but we can overlook that for all the good stuff.

I also really enjoyed the companionship between the male characters of the Union of Rakes, as they support each other, no matter the circumstances. It’s the kind of friendship we all look up to. Which also means, I’m super excited to read the rest of the series!!!!

Loved the characters and can’t wait to finish the series. The opening chapter was excellent! On Page 18, Sebastian states ‘to get my father to understand his youngest son’ but on page 172 Grace’s mother states ‘no one knows much about his eldest son’. Am I the only one confused? Is Sebastian the youngest or oldest? Thank you for making the maid, Katie, a reader!

My Fake Rake is brilliant! It had everything I love in a romance: Friends-to-Lovers, the makeover trope with a flip, feminism,snappy dialogue, and delightful humor! I laughed out loud so many times I lost count! Sebastian is kind, considerate, not afraid to show affection, and has a fantastic sense of humor. Oh, and he’s fantastically oblivious to his ridiculous good looks. Seriously, the bespectacled hero can GET IT! Let’s not forget that he is so supportive of his friends. A+ hero material! My feelings on the female MC, Lady Grace are just as favorable. She starts out a little (okay, a lot) self-absorbed, but is not unlikable. Grace is intelligent (if not sometimes short-sighted), competent in her field of study, and also enjoys a slightly naughty sense of humor. By the end of the story, she’d seen the error of her ways and recognized that she was often guilty of treating those she loved in a less than considerate manner. That self-reflection and insistence on doing better really made me appreciate her character even more. I loved following along as these two friends had their eyes opened to the possibility of being a little more than just friends.
This will make my Top Reads of 2019 List and I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series!

This book is very, very, very cute. Seb and Grace are lovely bestie nerds with a very dumb plan to get her married to the man she has a crush on. He gets a make-over with a little help from his old school friend who is a duke and he and Grace spend a great deal of time pretending they don’t have actual feelings for each other to see their really dumb plan to the end.

There were tons of funny, cute lines and both Seb and Grace were natural in their passions and believable falling in love (especially since they both were always attracted to each other, just convinced themselves that they should be friends). At times they are kind of awful to each other with their cluelessness and are both horrendous listeners, but it’s believable because they are also both such focused people.

You root for them because when they are being themselves together they are just so wonderful. The ending is cute and a bit silly, but only in the most fun way. And there are a bunch of fabulous 80s references threaded through-out that just make you smile. It’s everything it’s promised to be. This is a good, cute, fun, book that is just happy.