#THE RAKESS BY SCARLETT PECKHAM

[betterbooksandthings]

"Feminist romance novels are everywhere. With so many options and so little time, sometimes it’s nice to have a list like this as a starting point. This is going to be a very fun list of delicious feminist romance books that you must pick up and read, but before all that, we must discuss the feminism of it all.

For the sake of this article, I am following Mikki Kendall’s approach to feminism in Hood Feminism. The idea is that committing to intersectional feminism that includes trans women, women of color, and disabled women means understanding feminist issues are inherently variable and not always immediately recognizable as feminist issues. Kendall explains, “A one-size-fits-all approach to feminism is damaging because it alienates the very people it is supposed to serve, without ever managing to support them” (3). So, while feminism is about the promotion of gender equality, that is just an element of feminism. The role of active feminists is to be aware that more than just a person’s gender impacts their access to rights and services. While I would also recommend reading bell hooks and other excellent feminist writers, I appreciate Kendall’s explanation here.

Feminist literary critics have also looked at how romance can talk about the complexities of feminist issues within their story framework. Avidly Reads Guilty Pleasures by Arielle Zibrak understands the ways romance novels are a source of feminine media culture some associate with shame and censure, reflecting that the Western world often diminishes feminine interests and pursuits. All that is to say, romances have been praised for centering feminist interests and issues like love, job security, equal partnership, and reproductive rights."

[triviareads]

sometimes I think about Lady Melbourne and how the running joke re her kids was "haha who's their dad?" but she was just too hot(?) and popular to care, and wonder how I can translate that into a historical romance heroine.

[mediaevalmusereads]

Ok, more specific recs if you want historical romance with working class characters:

At Least One Character is Working Class

Ana Maria and the Fox by Liana de la Rosa - M/F, an heiress and an MP

The Duke Who Didn't by Courtney Milan - M/F, a sauce-maker and a duke

Vampires of El Norte by Isabela Canas - M/F, an heiress and a vaquero

A Gentleman Never Keeps Score by Cat Sebastian - M/M, a disgraces gentleman and a tavern keeper

Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare - M/F, daughter of a children's book author and a duke

Marry Me By Midnight by Felicia Grossman - M/F, heiress and a synagogue custodian

Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan - M/F, a fortune teller and a marquess

Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare - M/F, a barmaid and a duke

Would I Lie to the Duke by Eva Leigh - M/F, a soap maker and a duke

The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare - M/F, a seamstress and a duke

Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas - M/F, an impoverished heiress and a business owner

The Governess Game by Tessa Dare - M/F, a governess and a duke

Duke of My Heart by Kelly Bowen - M/F, a private investigator and a duke

Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean - M/F, a lady and a criminal

True Pretenses by Rose Lerner - M/F, an heiress and a conman

Sweet Disorder by Rose Lerner - M/F, a newspaperman's widow and a war vet

Both Are Working Class

The Marquis Who Mustn't by Courtney Milan - M/F, an innkeeper and a potter

An Unseen Attraction by KJ Charles - M/M, an innkeeper and a taxidermist

Hen Fever by Olivia Waite - F/F, a soldier's widow and a poultry farmer

Beauty and the Blacksmith by Tessa Dare - M/F, a gentlewoman (not nobility) and a blacksmith

The Devil Comes Courting by Courtney Milan - M/F, a missionary's adopted daughter and a telegraph line worker

A Lady By Midnight by Tessa Dare - M/F, a music teacher and a corporal

Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins - M/F, a cook and a business owner

The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews - M/F, a working class woman and a tailor

The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham - M/F, a lady libertine and an architect

Something Like Love by Beverly Jenkins - M/F, a seamstress and a bandit

The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan - M/F, a governess and a duke's servant

Unraveled by Courtney Milan - M/F, a criminal and a magistrate

[mermaidsirennikita]

I'm finally getting into historical romance after avoiding it for too long. Weirdly, this is because of Bridgerton, even though the show is often boring and the books feel as old as they are. Can you help me find overtly feminist books with sex scenes that are meaningfully connected to the characters and/or the plot. I enjoy fic, but I want the exact opposite of it when I'm reading a novel. Thanks!

Sure!

Scarlett Peckham is a great starting point here. Her books are on the more creative side re: sex scenes (by which I mean mildly kinky lol but also INTENTIONALLY kinky, as in the characters know what kink is) but she's very interested in the movements around them and come from diverse backgrounds. Her recently-concluded Society of Sirens trilogy is about a group of friends who campaign for women's rights, etc; what makes it more interesting to me than say Evie Dunmore books (I'll be honest, not a big fan of those, and they WILL get recommended to anyone who asks for feminist historical romance) is that the heroines legitimately come from different walks of life. One of them is a "rakess" who's basically a high class lady gone rogue; one of them is a biracial heiress; one is a courtesan who actually doesn't hate sex work but also can acknowledge its pros and cons.

This series also has some of the more consistently... I don't wanna say "beta" heroes, but none of them are alpha males and they're also not straightforward "cinnamon rolls".

Sarah MacLean has a great ongoing series called Hell's Belles about a group of female friends who fuck shit up for the sake of helping women who need them. The most recent book hits on the subject of abortion rights especially, which I looove. All MacLean books are written with feminism in mind, but this series is probably the most explicitly feminist.

Joanna Shupe is another author I'd blanket recommend on that level. Her Uptown Girls trilogy has a heroine, for example, who wants to open a casino for women and hits on things like an "unconventional" happily ever after (i.e., one where being together and happy forever doesn't necessarily mean marriage and babies.... people HATED that Florence and Clay were like "oh we're just gonna fuck each other and not have kids for the rest of our lives" and I liiiived).

Her Fifth Avenue Rebels series is also quite feminist, both casually and more politically. Our first book has a tennis playing heroine, and the last focuses on a heroine who spends a lot of her free time providing birth control to poor women, while also being upfront about her sexuality, the fact that she's had an abortion and doesn't regret it, the damage the Comstock Act caused... Also, her hero is completely in awe of her. I WOULD recommend reading this series in order, as they're all good and that last book is at its best when you see the buildup of the leads beforehand.

Grace Callaway definitely has a lighter tone... while actually hitting on some pretty dark shit... But if you want something that's feminist, super sexy, and kinda campy, Lady Charlotte's Society of Angels is literally Victorian Charlie's Angels with a female "Charlie". There is a lot of sex in these books, but I find it really fun and about getting the characters to bond. She also gets into subject matter that a lot of (white) authors don't... Like the Opium Wars.

Beverly Jenkins, of course, is one of the best out there. Her characters are more quietly feminist, but it's kind of an obvious part of the stories because she's not interested in white society at all. She also writes excellent female friendships and familial relationships. I'd recommend trying Forbidden (the Black heroine goes out west and becomes a cook, falls for a rich white man, thinks they can't be together, is unaware that he actually is NOT white and is the son of an an enslaved woman and a plantation owner who left the South and is now passing) or To Catch a Raven (really fun heist-y romance that involves the THEFT OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE) to start, though Indigo is my favorite of hers.

Diana Quincy writes really fun, feminist-streaked romance novels, some of which star Palestinian characters. Her most recent book is The Duke Gets Desperate and I fucking loved it. An American businesswoman inherits a castle and shows up like "Okay but we need to start hosting paid tours here because otherwise it's a money pit and I'm selling" while the duke who insists she did not actually inherit gasps in horror because you can't! Host! Tours! IN A CASTLE!!!!

Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller is a great one. The heroine is the third generation to run this hotel in Vienna after her grandmother and mother did. They've also been consistently officially single (her grandmother actually has a female partner and her mother is a rich man's mistress) and illegitimate. The heroine is very independent, has no shame about her sex life, and is both funny and practical... Then people start trying to kill her and the strait-laced undercover American spy who's been at the hotel has to save her. Also he's a virgin. Fast-paced, funny, super romantic, and very unconventional.

Minerva Spencer has an entire trilogy about a group of women who perform in a circus—The Wild Women of Whitechapel. Very feminist, very fun, there's dueling and boxing and men who are very happy to be with women who could step on them.

Definitely get into Adriana Herrera's Las Leonas series—it's about a group of friends who leave the (now) Dominican Republic for Paris. You get everything from birth control to Lesbian Paris discussed, as well as tons of romance, fingerbanging on the Eiffel Tower, and more.

[isurrenderedtoromance]

The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham · 3.5/4

[portmanteaurian]

3 for the book meme !

Realizing I didn't specify when I reblogged but I'm answering anything that says "this year" with 2022, obviously. Most questions would have pretty boring answers if I was using what I'd read in 2023. 3. Top five books of the year Melissa Adler - Cruising the Library: Perversities in the Organization of Knowledge. One of my favourite nonfiction reads in years, I have recommended it to so many people. Read it if you have any interest in the ways information is classified, organized, and controlled -- but especially if you have an interest in queer history or in library science/critical archive studies. Gengoroh Tagame - My Brother's Husband. Lovely, heartfelt, often very funny. Really good kid character which is something I can be a little picky about. Maya Deane - Wrath Goddess Sing. Sweeping ancient-Greece epic fantasy. Takes its premise ("what if Achilles was a trans woman") to really interesting places. Gets me very excited to see what Deane will write next. The last two are a little tougher because I rated a bunch of things 4.5 stars on the storygraph this year but I'll say: Sacha Lamb - When the Angels Left the Old Country. Great narratorial voice, charming historical YA fantasy, deeply likeable principal cast. Zen Cho - Spirits Abroad. A collection of fantastical short stories spanning a pretty broad swathe of Cho's career. Highly recommend if you have liked her other work but it's also just rock solid fantasy writing generally. Some of the cleverest premises I've encountered in a while. Honourable mentions: Scarlett Peckham's The Rakess (steamy, politically-minded m/f histrom), Kotomi Li's Solo Dance (tr. Arthur Reiji Morris, somewhat melancholic lesbian litfic), Sofiya Pasternack's Black Bird, Blue Road (middle-grade historical fantasy adventure about grief and what it means to live)

[mediaevalmusereads]

A few recs for my followers, if interested:

KJ Charles, Olivia Waite, and Cat Sebastian all write queer/lgbt+ romances set in the 19th century (some will be Regency, some later). Charles in particular has a whole series (Society of Gentlemen) which might work for you (though some characters are upper class).

Courtney Milan usually has stories set post-Regency, but not quite full-blown Victorian. Some good ones without upper class: The Marquis Who Mustn't (no actual marquis), The Devil Comes Courting, and The Governess Affair. Unraveled is also good.

If you don't mind moving away from England, try Beverly Jenkins and Alyssa Cole. They write about the Old West, the Civil War, etc. 19th Century America.

Tess Dare has a couple, but my favorite is Beauty and the Blacksmith. A Lady By Midnight might also work for you, though there are some upper class shenanigans in that one.

Mimi Matthews has a few, though they're later than Regency. Try The Siren of Sussex first.

Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas features a heroine whose family is on the brink of ruin. She grapples with the benefits of marrying a man who isn't a member of the peerage. He's rich, but owns a business, so it's up to you if that counts as upper class.

The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham features a lady libertine and an architect.

Rose Lerner has a few romances about working class people all set in the same town (Lively St. Lemeston). I liked True Pretenses and Sweet Disorder, though all are very charming. I haven't read Listen to the Moon yet, but it might be more your speed.

Sarah MacLean's Bareknuckle Bastards series was fun, though it features the children of a duke. Most of them grew up on the streets, however, and have no connection to their father.

I think Elizabeth Essex has some featuring naval officers, though I'm not the most enthusiastic fan of her writing.

i wish regency era romance novels weren’t all about rich upper class people. less romancing a random duke and more romancing the hot rousseauist guy who holds seditious gatherings in his home in sheffield. there should be a romance novel about the london corresponding society

[thethrobbingmembers]

THE THROBBING MEMBERS REVIEW: The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham

I had to pay an $11.25 library fine to read this book and I want that money back. -Smurf

The main character keeps kingfishers in a cage? Those are wild animals! -Margo

I don’t know why Adam couldn’t keep his magic dick in his pants. -Catherine

The plot? Meh. The sex? Chef’s kiss. -Lily

Dream Cast

Sera

Adam

Theme Song: Woman by Doja Cat

Summary 

Sera, an 18th century radical feminist, returns to her home town to write her memoirs. She meets Adam, an architect, and wonders if she should stop her man-hating, player ways and settle down. 

Review

This is the tragic tale of a man who is too horny to live and a woman whose hips do not lie. Sera loves to bang and refuses to settle down, and Adam is a stolid single father who is controlled by his dick. His wife died because they continued to boink against her doctor’s recommendations, and now he is INSISTENT that he will never bang again. This resolution does not last very long after he meets Sera. 

Most of this book was fun as hell. Everyone is horny and every loves crime. At one point, Sera must break her friend out of a mental asylum. At another point, Adam has to save Sera from an angry mob. After reading approximately a million boring contemporary romance novels with no conflict, this wildass book was a breath of fresh air. It’s only flaw was an insistence upon bringing modern feminism into what would otherwise be an incredibly fun, problematic good time. You cannot be historically accurate, feminist, and a wish-fulfillment romance novel at the same time. You gotta choose your path, and it should probably be the sexiest one. 

-Sarah

6.5/10 stars

Additional Ratings

Historical Accuracy: 2/10

I hated reading the preface and finding out that this book was going to be Mary Wollstonecraft fanfiction. 

Sexy Sex: 9/10 

Loses a point because he never fully gets pegged. 

Mystery: 0/10

It took so long to reveal Sera’s baby daddy even though we all knew who it was. 

Nicknames: 5/10

We HATED when Adam called Sera “Lass” but it was cute when he called her “Love.” 

Notes: You can’t mention Mary Shelley in the preface and then refuse to include a scene where the main characters bang on a grave. 

[betterbooksandthings]

He wanted to renovate his life for her.

The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham

[triviareads]

What is your favourite " widower finds love again" novels?

ooh ok I have a loooot of those:

Wicked Again by Kathleen Ayers: Haddon is a widower and Marissa a widow thrice-over (#1 and #3 were most likely murdered by her dad for mistreating her, and #2 was murdered by the family she's trying to take down in this book), and they hook up during a house party, but she's very intent on leaving it as a fling while he wants more. She's 49 and he's 40, I believe.

A Recipe for a Rogue by Kathleen Ayers: Hero is a twice-widowed, silver fox who likes to cook, and he slowly seduces the heroine by recipe by recipe from a rare cooking book. The heroine is plus sized and the hero is allllll about that.

The Duke Who Knew Too Much by Grace Callaway: First wife drowned on a boat with their son, and there was some(?) suspicion that the hero caused this to happen but tbh that's kinda overshadowed when the heroine accuses him of murdering his lover... which is how they meet.

Olivia and the Masked Duke by Grace Callaway: First wife was an cheater and an opium addict who also got the hero into it. After she died, the hero went into rehab and got himself clean and became dedicated to fighting drug on the streets, and the heroine was a (much younger) friend during the entire time as she developed a crush on him.

Fiona and the Enigmatic Earl by Grace Callaway: Hawk isn't looking to marry again but agrees to Fiona's proposed marriage of convenience and both of them intend on keeping their secret spy/investigator identities hidden.

What I Did For a Duke by Julie Anne Long: This one's actually really poignant because the hero has so much genuine grief over his first wife passing, but it's a quiet grief that he hides under this snarky, tormentor-ish facade.

Rules for a Proper Governess by Jennifer Ashley: Another hero who has a lot of grief for his wife passing to the point where he's juuuuust reconciling himself to the idea of moving on and possibly marrying someone else when he meets the pickpocket heroine who becomes his children's governess.

When the Duke Was Wicked by Lorraine Heath: Lovingdon is very intent upon not remarrying because he considers his first wife the love of his life and doesn't think there will be anyone else like that, but he slowly starts to fall for his younger family friend Grace, who asks him to help with her suitors.

Duke of Pleasure by Elizabeth Hoyt: Another widower with kids, Hugh is rescued on the streets by Alf, who's pretending to be a boy who's pretending to be The Ghost of St. Giles, and they work together to take down the villains of this book while Hugh continues to believe Alf is a boy.

The Viper by Monica McCarty: There's no love lost between Lachlan MacRuairi and his traitor dead wife, but it takes a while for him and Bella MacDuff to warm up to each other, especially after his prior failed rescue of her. Bella is also actually married for a portion of the book but we don't count her bitchass first husband for much.

In Which Matilda Halifax Learns the Value of Restraint Alexandra Vasti: Everyone thinks Ashford murdered his first wife but he didn't, not that it stops Matilda from being super attracted to him and coming to his remote home to give his sister art lessons.

The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham: The hero is a widower with kids, while the heroine is a free-spirited, sexually open type.

Earl of Every Sin by Scarlett Scott: Alessandro's first wife died during the Peninsular War and refuses to love again, and also refuses to kiss Catriona because "kissing is for his first wife only".

Accidentally Compromising the Duke by Stacy Reid: This man's so traumatized by his first wife dying of childbirth he's like, fingering the heroine to ensure "he did NOT release inside [her]" (which.... insane; basically a reverse breeding kink lolol) and refuses to see her once he finds out she's pregnant.

The Ivy Leavold books by Sierra Simone: Look Sierra herself said this is basically Jane Eyre That Fucks, and Mr. Markham here was married twice and both times the women died under mysterious circumstances. He meets Ivy, who was his late second wife's cousin, when she comes to live with him at his estate.

Contemporary Romance:

Hunted by Adriana Anders: The hero is still grieving his first wife's death and the kink camp they started together reminds him too much of her for him to venture down, until someone answers his ad looking for someone he can do primal play with.

New Camelot trilogy by Sierra Simone: I forgot Ash (King Arthur) was married then widowed between the first time he met Greer (Guinevere) and when they actually get together.

Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up by Charish Reid: Hero is still grieving his first wife, whose bar he takes over, and he also signs up to finish his degree like she would have wanted, which is how he meets the heroine. She's his professor, and she gets hired at his bar without realizing he's her boss.

The Secret She Kept in Bollywood by Tara Pammi: The hero's first wife was a Bollywood actress, and they unknowingly adopted the heroine's biological child that she gave up at birth. Fast forward a decade and a half later, Simon's daughter is about to make her acting debut, and Simon and Anya hook up without realizing who the other person is. ale

Mafia Mistress, Mafia Darling, and Mafia Madman by Mila Finelli: Fausto and Enzo are both widowers but they married their first wives out of duty so them falling for Frankie and Gia is really the first time they're falling in love.

[mediaevalmusereads]

2022 Reading Wrap-Up: the Good, the Bad, and the Meh

Below is a list of books that I read in 2022. I've sorted them into 3 categories: the good (books I loved), the bad (books I didn't like), and the meh (books I thought were just ok). Other than these categories, the books aren't listed in any special order or ranking.

The Good

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Witches by Brenda Lozano (trans. Heather Cleary)

How the Dukes Stole Christmas by Tessa Dare, Lisa Kleypas, Sophie Jordan, and Joanna Shupe

A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews

A Kiss for Midwinter by Courtney Milan

Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown

Lady Chatterley's Lover by DH Lawrence

Red Clocks by Leni Zumas

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ni Ghriofa

Possession by AS Byatt

The Good Girl's Guide to Rakes by Eva Leigh

Foote by Tom Bredehoft

The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews

Supersex Ed. Anna Peppard

The Girl in Red by Christina Henry

A Rogue by Night by Kelly Bowen

The Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu

Would I Lie to the Duke by Eva Leigh

Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas

My Fake Rake by Eva Leigh

The Governess Game by Tessa Dare

Morality Play by Barry Unsworth

The Meh

The Witches of New York by Ami McKay

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Not All Supermen by Tim Hanley

A Gentleman Never Keeps Score by Cat Sebastian

Witchy, Vol. 1 by Ariel Slamet Reis

The End Games by T. Michael Martin

The Companion by EE Ottoman

Grit by Angela Duckworth

The Invention of Murder by Judith Flanders

The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock

Last Night with the Earl by Kelly Bowen

A Duke in the Night by Kelly Bowen

Waiting for a Scot Like You by Eva Leigh

Forever Your Earl by Eva Leigh

The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare

The Rogue of Fifth Avenue by Joanna Shupe

A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourne

The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

The Widow of Rose House by Dianna Biller

I'm Only Wicked with You by Julie Ann Long

Dangerous Women by Hope Adams

The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

The Bad

Once Upon a Winter's Eve by Tessa Dare

Aphrodite and the Duke by JJ McAvoy

The Arctic Fury by Grace McAllister

The Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas

Born to be Wilde by Eloisa James

[mermaidsirennikita]

Do you know characters from historical fiction who have unusal jobs?

I'm gonna go with this under a historical romance lens as I don't really read historical fiction much anymore :)

Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller has a heroine who runs a hotel in Vienna! This book is so different and interesting in so many ways

Lady Charlotte in Grace Callaway's Lady Charlotte's Society of Angels series (Victorian Charlie's Angels) runs a detective agency lol

In Want of a Viscount by Lorraine Heath features an entrepreneur heroine! I don't know that it's like, her JOB JOB, but it's still there. The Notorious Lord Knightly, my favorite book in that same series, has a heroine who secretly writes an erotic memoir about her experiences with the hero, lol. It's like... Lady Whistledown if she slayed, and was less "DEAREST READER" and more "that fucking asshole Lord K touched my nipples in a garden and I think you all should know that"

(Lord K: OH MY GOD. I ONLY TOUCHED ONE PERSON'S NIPPLES IN A GARDEN.)

Prince of Broadway by Joanna Shupe features a heroine who wishes to be a casino owner. She's not there yet, but the book is about her getting there with the hero's help. Baron, an earlier Shupe book, has a heroine who's a fake psychic lmao

The heroines of Julie Anne Long's Lady Derring Takes a Lover and Angel in a Devil's Arms run a boarding house together--which in itself isn't a crazy job, but it's definitely not super common for ladies of their day and status (the titular Lady Derring was a countess before her husband died, and the other heroine was that husband's mistress). After Dark with the Duke, another book in that series, has an opera singer heroine.

The Postilion by S.M. LaViolette has a heroine who's disguised as a young man and does in fact work as a postilion (fancy horse helper). LaViolette has some other leads with interesting jobs... His Valet features a valet lead, which isn't THAT crazy (though I've never read a valet hero) but the character was assigned female at birth and is disguised as a man (she uses she/her pronouns by and large in private, but is clearly nonbinary). Aurelia features a heroine who draws nature sketches for a naturalist hero. If it counts because it's kinda under the table but still, Hyacinth has a heroine who disguises herself as a man and racks up cash by playing cards. The titular Melissa of Melissa and the Vicar runs a high class brothel.

Actually, When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare ALSO features a heroine with that same job.

S.M. LaViolette writes as Minerva Spencer as well, and she has a series about a string of heroines who are in a ladies' circuses. The Boxing Baroness features a lady boxer; The Dueling Duchess features a gunslinging duchess; and The Cutthroat Countess has a heroine who throws knives for a living.

A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera has a heroine who runs her family's rum business, and An Island Princess Starts a Scandal has an artist heroine and a business bitch heroine.

The Duke's Perfect Wife by Jennifer Ashley has a lady reporter heroine, which is why she feels perfectly comfortable jumping into her ex-fiance's carriage and going "SOMEONE SENT ME PICTURES OF YOU NAKED".

The Lord I Left by Scarlett Peckham features a dominatrix heroine, and the recently released The Mistress Experience (excellent) has a famous courtesan heroine. The heroine of The Rakess is a famous writer and lady about town.

Lisa Kleypas has a couple of author heroines--Sara Fielding in Dreaming of You and Amanda in Suddenly You.

[gimmeromance]

Ask from a user who wants to remain private:

With Leverage being renewed, I'm suddenly craving a good heist romance. Got any recs, please?

Oh we love a good heist...and we adore Leverage! So here’s some to try.

The Pirate & I by Katharine Ashe - M/F Romance, Open Door (Historical, Regency)

Confidence Tricks by Tamara Morgan - M/F Romance, Open Door (Contemporary, Romantic Comedy)

Never Mix Sin With Pleasure by Renee Ann Miller - M/F Romance, Open Door  (Historical, Victorian) [in Pre-order]

Bow Street Bachelors series by Kate Bateman - M/F Romance, Open Door (Historical, Regency) Book One / Book Two / Book Three

The Will Darling Adventures by KJ Charles - M/M Romance, Open Door (Historical, Queer)

Heiress for Hire by Madeline Hunter - M/F Romance, Open Door (Historical, Regency)

Faking It - Jennifer Cruisie - M/F Romance, Open Door (Contemporary, Romantic Comedy)

Zorak by Cyndi Friberg - M/F Romance, Open Door (Sci-Fi, Alien)

The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham - M/F Romance, Open Door (Historical, Regency)

Hunted by the Sky by Tanez Bhathena - M/F Romance, No Sex (YA, Paranormal)

A Pocket in Time by Lexi Post - M/F Romance, Open Door (Time Travel, Regency)

The Knight of Ambra by Lyn Brittan - M/F Romance, Open Door (Contemporary, Romantic Suspense)

The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles - M/M Romance, Unknown Heat Level (Regency, Queer)

Brazen Angel by Elizabeth Boyle - M/F Romance, Open Door (Historical)

The Financier by Liz Maverick - M/F Romance, Open Door (Contemporary, Romantic Suspense)

*These suggestions are not endorsements. Please read the description and the reviews to decide whether you want to read the books!

[monarchies-history]

The Rakess

The Rakess By Scarlett Peckham

Description:

Meet the SOCIETY OF SIRENS—three radical, libertine ladies determined to weaponize their scandalous reputations to fight for justice and the love they deserve… She’s a Rakess on a quest for women’s rights…

Seraphina Arden’s passions include equality, amorous affairs, and wild, wine-soaked nights. To raise funds for her cause, she’s set…

[accidentalspaceexplorer]

September Monthly Recap:

September was busy as all get out, and October’s shaping up to be worse, and yet I still managed to read 18 books in September. My favorites this month were A Taste of Gold and Iron, Last Exit, and A Strange and Stubborn Endurance, all recent releases! I read 6 new releases this month in total, and really enjoyed most of them - but also now I have so many books out from the library the stack threatens to crush me. Wish me luck dealing with it during my busy October!

The Hate U Give by Angie Carter: 4.75/5

Prince’s Gambit by C.S. Pacat: 4/5

Kings’ Rising by C. S. Pacat: 4/5

Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery: 5/5, re-read

You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria: 4.25/5

The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham: 4.75/5

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows: 5/5

Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia: 1.5/5, dnf

Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid by Thor Hanson: 4/5

Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep: 4.5/5

Hither, Page by Cat Sebastian: 4.5/5

Protect the Prince by Jennifer Estep: 4.25/5

Crush the King by Jennifer Estep: 4.5/5

Last Exit by Max Gladstone: 5/5

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring-Blake: 4.75/5

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen: 3.5/5

Invisible Things by Mat Johnson: 2/5

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland: 5/5

And again, progress on goals under the cut:

22 in 2022: 11

Read 100 books: 140

Read 40% AOC: 33.8%

Completing Series: 24 caught up/completed vs. 20 started

Translated Works: 5

Books in Spanish: 0

Numbered TBR: 11

Discworld: 2

Books by an Indigenous Author: 2

Physical TBR: 13

Storygraph Recs: 3

[christinaroseandrews]

I’m so glad you liked it!!! It’s such a good book, and I’m eagerly awaiting the next book in the series. The author really did nail how traumatized people react and that not everyone reacts the same way to trauma.

I knew I was forgetting some triggering stuff, but I kept wracking my brain and my notes and I couldn’t find them. Thank you for adding these. I appreciate it. Honestly, this book hit me so much in the feels.

Ardent and scandalous Seraphina Arden sets the hearts of good English men and women afire with her rakish lifestyle and even more salacious memoirs. They’re a best seller, and for a woman living on her own funding not only her libertine lifestyle but also her feminist causes, money is much needed. Which is why Seraphina returns to the storm-swept coasts of her youth to put her in the mindset to pen the long awaited sequel to her first set of memoirs.

There, she meets Adam Anderson. The kindly widowed Scottish architect with two adorable children and an utterly spotless reputation. He’s the good boy to her bad girl, so naturally she must have him. But Adam is unwilling and unable to give in to the passion offered by her, even though every fiber of his being sings to him to submit.

This isn’t your typical rakish rogue romance.

Set in 1797, the Rakess flips historical romance on its ear. It features an alpha heroine. A hard drinking, hard romancing, alpha heroine. The kind that if she were written as a man no one would blink an eyelid at. Seriously, every single one of Seraphina’s mannerisms wouldn’t be out of place on a stereotypical alpha hero/rake/rogue. And that’s part of the charm and the whole bloody point. Seraphina reminds me in many ways of George Sand, who also was a hard drinking, hard romancing, alpha woman. She’s got shades of Mary Wollenscraft as well. She’s very rooted in her age and her characterization is part of the joy. And like all good rakes, she’s got a dark and troubled past that needs the love of a good person to soothe.

Enter Adam… He’s what we would call a beta hero. He is not dominant, but he isn’t a doormat either. He’s got his own goals and to reach them he’s going to have to decide truly what matters to him. He’s the kind of being a hero who has to worry about his reputation. He’s got two small children a career which requires him to have the goodwill of those in charge. It’s dangerous for him to have a relationship with the Rakess, Seraphina Arden. Adam, our hero, slips into the role that women typically Inhabit in romance.

I’m not going to lie, it does take some getting used to. And let me tell you, my reaction exposed some deep seated internalized sexism and misogyny that I hadn’t realized I was carrying. I suspect that for some this discomfort would lessen their enjoyment of the story. For me, the realization heightened my pleasure.

I mean, let’s take a long hard look at that cover.

Look at it. Look at it hard.

I’ve placed it between two old school covers (please excuse the Fabio) to help illustrate my point.

It’s a call back to the clinch covers that were rampant in the 80s and 90s and still pop up today (although they have been replaced sadly by illustrated covers and headless torsos). There’s the strong grab by the Alpha Character. The one handed “I can do other stuff while I ravage you!” The intense look of “I want to sex you up and you’re going to let me.” All of that is in the WOMAN’S pose of the Rakess when historically it’s been the MAN’S position in Heterosexual romance. Then there’s the Beta character. We’ve got the closed eyes. The thrown back head. The slight grab that isn’t so much dominant but “I must hold on to something else I faint from sheer pleasure.” Again, the roles are switched on the cover. The man is the one succumbing to the pleasure promised whereas historically that role has been the woman’s. The man is the “passive one” while the woman is the “active one” and that is a huge switch. I mean, even the font is a dead on match for some of the “old school” clinch covers.As is the stormy background. And frankly I love it. The publisher, the author, and the cover designer deserve a fuck ton of kudos for this. And there’s a lot more going on here than in the majority of Illustrated covers recently.

But that’s just my opinion. LOL

Going deeper, there is a lot of historical accuracy in play in this book. From ways of preventing STDs (the heroine has a condom that she makes people use), to the reality that sugar was a direct result of slave labor (much like how chocolate is today). The fights that the sirens go through and the troubles that they experience are all very real. The fact that there is a double standard that they face is very real. They are women who are fighting against millennia of built up systems put in place to keep them docile and obedient. And if they stepped out of that place, they were often stamped down or hammered back into place by any means necessary. 

So this is me telling you that there’s going to be some social commentary in this book. And there are some triggers that people should be aware of: Prior Sexual Abuse, Death in Childbirth, Prior Child Abandonment, Period Appropriate Sexism, Period appropriate misogyny, period appropriate racism.

So, I Liked this book. I liked it a lot. It’s a fun read. There’s a good plot. I believed the romance. The characters were well written. I like that it challenged my preconceived notions and that it made me somewhat uncomfortable when I realized that I’ve still got my own internalized misogyny that I have to deal with. And like I mentioned before, that may be why so many other reviewers had trouble with this book. This is a book that forces you to take a very hard look at what you expect in romance and understand that there’s still a lot of internalized sexism and misogyny prevalent throughout the genre. Just like the cover, there’s a lot deeper going on here.

It’s a good book.

And it’s a romance I’m happy to recommend. It’s a romance that’s going to stick with me. And it’s a romance that I’m going to want to read again. And for that I give this… Five stars

If this is your jam, you can get it here.

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