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jaydavies's review against another edition
2.0
While the storyline is refreshing in that the man changes himself to help a lady. Instead of the typical lady changing herself to catch a mans attention. I felt it lacking in that Sebastian had to change in order for Grace to recognize her love for him. Meanwhile she is disappointed that her crush is suddenly interested in her. Honestly I just felt terrible for Sebastian in the end, it was like he was being used. I wish there had be more interacts between Sebastian and Grace before they had sex. It really just didn’t fit the story in my opinion.
amberreadsromance's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love an Eva Leigh historical. I can always count on joy. This was an impulse buy based solely on the premise: two nerds falling in love and messing it up spectacularly inspired by the romantic comedies of the 1980's. Sebastian is especially loveable. I related wholeheartedly to his struggles with introversion and anxiety in social situations. I don't normally subscribe to the notion that love can cure anxiety, but I liked this approach. In the end, it was Seb who overcame his struggles and the result is satisfying. I also normally dislike the Cinderella trope where a character changes their appearance and/or behavior and are suddenly seen as worthy by the love interest (Seb being Cinderella in this case), but again the approach was carefully constructed. Grace becoming angry at Mason for not seeing her as worthy before Seb courts her frustrated me a bit because she doesn't see Seb himself as a worthy partner until he becomes "a rake." The dirty talk and the barn scene were both pleasant surprises. All in all, an enjoyable read. I can't wait to dive into the next book in this series.
zlibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
I received a digital ARC of this book from Edelweiss Plus.
Grace and Sebastian, the heroine and hero of this delightful novel, are passionate intellectuals. They navigate life and love with a bit of social awkwardness. Grace has access to appealing men within a small circle of independent researchers, but may lose an opportunity that will change her life forever. Refreshingly, shy hero Sebastian is more of a beta than an alpha; he’s what could best be described as an anthropologist in this pre-Franz Boas world. Happily, he’s unpretentious enough to sing bawdy drinking songs loudly enough to entertain a neighbor on a different floor of his lodgings. Sebastian lacks a bit of town bronze, and it falls to his rakish best friend to help him dress, move, and converse as a desirable gentleman, a process that happens in several humorous scenes.
As an African American Librarian fond of history and romance, I was charmed by the imaginative, almost fantastical research Benezra Library where our hero and heroine have some of their earliest conversations, and where romantic tension first appears in the form of another man. The Head Librarian, Mr. Okafor, is a man from what is known in our day as Nigeria. Grace is able to enter and use the Benezra Library -- accompanied, of course by her maid, as expected of any genteel lady -- despite its preponderance of male patrons. Amusingly, the maid enjoys scandalous novels written by another character in this series.
Pedantic sourpusses may grumble that the library isn’t historically accurate. Neither are happy endings, but I seek out romance fiction -- and recommend it to others -- precisely because sometimes one wants happy endings for intriguing, likeable characters moving through a well crafted genre fiction journey. Leigh’s library touches on true events -- colonization, indirect allusions to the very real life of Sarah Forbes Bonnetta later later British history, the history of people of African descent in women striving to live intellectual lives -- and that’s why it’s fun to read about, especially in the hands of such an engaging storyteller. Leigh’s writing also presents people from the servant and working classes in a sympathizing and humanizing light, and includes moments when upper-class characters -- Sebastian, in this case -- realize how seldom they truly listen and pay attention. This approach gives her stories depth.
Narrative and sexual tension builds through plot twists and turns, leading to an ending with strong visual imagery. No spoilers except to say that it’s fun.
Eva Leigh’s work is a real pleasure. I buy and recommend her novels with confidence.
Grace and Sebastian, the heroine and hero of this delightful novel, are passionate intellectuals. They navigate life and love with a bit of social awkwardness. Grace has access to appealing men within a small circle of independent researchers, but may lose an opportunity that will change her life forever. Refreshingly, shy hero Sebastian is more of a beta than an alpha; he’s what could best be described as an anthropologist in this pre-Franz Boas world. Happily, he’s unpretentious enough to sing bawdy drinking songs loudly enough to entertain a neighbor on a different floor of his lodgings. Sebastian lacks a bit of town bronze, and it falls to his rakish best friend to help him dress, move, and converse as a desirable gentleman, a process that happens in several humorous scenes.
As an African American Librarian fond of history and romance, I was charmed by the imaginative, almost fantastical research Benezra Library where our hero and heroine have some of their earliest conversations, and where romantic tension first appears in the form of another man. The Head Librarian, Mr. Okafor, is a man from what is known in our day as Nigeria. Grace is able to enter and use the Benezra Library -- accompanied, of course by her maid, as expected of any genteel lady -- despite its preponderance of male patrons. Amusingly, the maid enjoys scandalous novels written by another character in this series.
Pedantic sourpusses may grumble that the library isn’t historically accurate. Neither are happy endings, but I seek out romance fiction -- and recommend it to others -- precisely because sometimes one wants happy endings for intriguing, likeable characters moving through a well crafted genre fiction journey. Leigh’s library touches on true events -- colonization, indirect allusions to the very real life of Sarah Forbes Bonnetta later later British history, the history of people of African descent in women striving to live intellectual lives -- and that’s why it’s fun to read about, especially in the hands of such an engaging storyteller. Leigh’s writing also presents people from the servant and working classes in a sympathizing and humanizing light, and includes moments when upper-class characters -- Sebastian, in this case -- realize how seldom they truly listen and pay attention. This approach gives her stories depth.
Narrative and sexual tension builds through plot twists and turns, leading to an ending with strong visual imagery. No spoilers except to say that it’s fun.
Eva Leigh’s work is a real pleasure. I buy and recommend her novels with confidence.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
5.0
My Fake Rake is out today! 11/26!!
My favorite research dork babies written by Eva Leigh are out in the world in a reverse My Fair Lady, with a few nods to Pretty Woman thrown in for good measure (ahhh, the boat scene!). I love them so much. Also, Leigh so cleverly seeded in little bits for the other four heroes in this series - The Union of the Rakes - and I would like the rest of the books now please.
My favorite research dork babies written by Eva Leigh are out in the world in a reverse My Fair Lady, with a few nods to Pretty Woman thrown in for good measure (ahhh, the boat scene!). I love them so much. Also, Leigh so cleverly seeded in little bits for the other four heroes in this series - The Union of the Rakes - and I would like the rest of the books now please.
winterreader40's review against another edition
3.0
This book contains my least favorite type of character, the stupid/smart people. Unfortunately for me both MC's were the embodiment of this characteristic. Sebastian is an anthropologist and Grace is a herpetologist and they've been friends for 4 years. When Grace's father falls ill and says he wants her to marry she knows who would be her ideal husband a fellow naturalist Mason Fredericks, but he's never seen her as anything but a colleague. She asks Sebastian, a terminally shy man, to play the rake for her so that Mason will sit up and take notice.
This quote sums up how I feel about both of these characters "For a woman who prides herself on her intelligence, you're so very, very stupid." While this was definitely not a fave I'm still looking forward to reading the other books in the series.
This quote sums up how I feel about both of these characters "For a woman who prides herself on her intelligence, you're so very, very stupid." While this was definitely not a fave I'm still looking forward to reading the other books in the series.
nevclue's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty cute. Two awkward nerds who fake date because she wants to attract the hot scientist who doesn't notice her. Except it's a historical romance.
scarletohhara's review against another edition
3.0
This book is definitely one of the better written regency novels I’ve read so far. The author takes time to build the friendship between the protagonists , and that worked for this book.
ironsandwine's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
saranel81's review against another edition
4.0
The name almost made me reconsider my decision to read this book, but I'm glad I did. I just refuse to say the name out loud, it feels so ridiculous.
I don't usually read romances, they tend to be a bit shallow for my taste. But this was fun! It was light, it was enjoyable. It was a positive experience. Maybe I'm just really super pleased to see a female character with a positive relationship with her parents, who truly do love and support her rather than being toxic influences on her life. I want more of that in fiction in general, not just in romances.
The plot is nothing ground-breaking, but it serves nicely. The characters are likable, the writing style is comfortable. This isn't great literature, but it's a nice popcorn read that didn't make me feel like banging my head against a wall or complain about how stupid everyone was acting.
Most of all, I'm hoping for more from this series. I want more people of color in larger roles, I want more subversion, I want more playing with gender stereotypes. I'm looking forward to seeing how the stories of the others in the Union of Rakes play out.
I don't usually read romances, they tend to be a bit shallow for my taste. But this was fun! It was light, it was enjoyable. It was a positive experience. Maybe I'm just really super pleased to see a female character with a positive relationship with her parents, who truly do love and support her rather than being toxic influences on her life. I want more of that in fiction in general, not just in romances.
The plot is nothing ground-breaking, but it serves nicely. The characters are likable, the writing style is comfortable. This isn't great literature, but it's a nice popcorn read that didn't make me feel like banging my head against a wall or complain about how stupid everyone was acting.
Most of all, I'm hoping for more from this series. I want more people of color in larger roles, I want more subversion, I want more playing with gender stereotypes. I'm looking forward to seeing how the stories of the others in the Union of Rakes play out.