Reviews

The Fake February Rake by Charlie Lane

happily_after_heas's review

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

I had such a fun time reading this book. I loved both of the characters from the beginning and how attracted they were to one another from their first meeting. Instalust is a thing despite how some reviews don't like it. Personally, I love it. Hades is a doctor who is just trying to do right by his family. Lady Ophelia wants to help women who are trying to escape a bad situation and also avoid being married off to a man she cannot tolerate and will keep her down. Hades appreciates Ophelia's brains (and beauty) and she loves how he sees her as an equal. The author also gave us another little surprise about Hades that is one of my personal favorite microtropes but I'm going to let you find out what that is on your own. This was my first book by this author but not last!

pinkcowlandreads's review

adventurous emotional hopeful 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

The Rake Review is back and causing trouble again!

A stolen jacket, some late night escapades and ruined reputation forces Lady Ophelia Howard and Dr. Hades Jones together in an engagement forced upon them by her father in order to redeem him and take her off his hands!

Lady Ophelia is a self-proclaimed spinster devoted to the clandestine rescuing of women in trouble, who doesn’t trust men.

While Hades is/was a highly respected doctor to the ton trying to make up for the scandalous situation of his birth.

Seeing no escape from the forced engagement Lady Ophelia attempts to make the most of the situation and allows Hades to court her to see if he can earn her trust.

I love a good forest engagement that turns to true love. It was so sweet seeing Hades continually demonstrating to Ophelia that he is a man deserving of not only of her trust, but her love as well!!!

Above and beyond Hades and Ophelia, I absolutely adored the cute and fun family dynamics with his mother and sister! They were such a great addition to the story and not only rounded out Hades character, they added depth to the story as a whole.

Overall, The Fake February Rake

By Charlie Lane with the devilish doctor who’s a pure sweetheart at his core is available now!

…I can’t wait to see who we get in the next Rake Review in March!

Thanks to author Charlie Lane for my eBook review copy. Opinions are my own.

#TheFakeFebruaryRake #CharlieLane 

readingwithmrleo's review

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Once again, 𝒯𝒽𝑒 ℛ𝒶𝓀𝑒 ℛ𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌 did not disappoint!

𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗙 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘:
◌ Bold FMC
◌ Bastard MMC
◌ Marriage of convenience
◌ Lessons in seduction
◌ Selfless heroes

If you are looking for a short, fun read with sweet characters, this is perfect for you. From their first interaction, I was already quite intrigued by our characters. And things moved fast so it kept me hooked easily. I loved that the famous coat brought them together. Ophelia's motives were easy to understand and I liked that she admitted her mistake even though she did what she did for good reasons. She's a brave character, not afraid to act on her beliefs which made it easy to like her. So many things Hades said made me love him more and more. The way he realized he wasn't truly happy by trying to fit in this society and he was probably focusing on the wrong things was great. He was also very honest and let Ophelia be who she was without wanting to change her, truly perfect. They were just fantastic together, so endearing and their chemistry was easy to see. Also, our fake rake definitely made me swoon with his lessons in seduction.

"𝒯𝑜𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝓂𝑒. 𝒦𝒾𝓈𝓈 𝓂𝑒. ℒ𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓃 𝓂𝑒."

So yes, it was a compelling story with enjoyable and relatable characters, that I had a lot of fun reading.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘈𝘙𝘊. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

hookedbythatbook's review

4.0

A case of mistaken identity has Dr. Hades Jones scrambling to restore his reputation in this fun romantic caper. 

The Fake February Rake is the second book in The Rake Review series, one book for each month of the year written by different authors. And reminiscent of Bridgerton, it comes complete with its own scandal sheet, The Rake Review, penned by the Brazen Belle. Mr. February in our calendar of rakes is Dr. Hades Jones, who is not really a rake at all. 

I enjoyed every single word, the flow of each sentence, the pacing, and all the emotions it made me feel. Charlie Lane is a new-to-me author and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked reading this book. 

Ophelia’s father and Hades’s sister made some decisions that didn’t always make sense in the context of what I expected from them. It did serve to drive the story along somewhat but felt a bit out of place. And I didn’t always appreciate Ophelia’s attitude about ruining Hades’s career. 

This was a light-hearted, amusing read and Ophelia and Hades fit well together. I can definitely recommend this series if you like steamy historical romance. Each book stands well on its own. 

Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

00laura23's review

adventurous relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

This is a fun, entertaining read. Hades and Ophelia are interesting, intriguing, relatable entertaining, fun characters. I really liked these characters and their romance – it was very fitting for them. Their path to their HEA was full of twists and turns that were fun to read. Ophelia is the type of friend you want in your corner especially when you’re facing a tough time/situation. The various secondary characters added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. The story is easy to read and get into. This is the second book in a multi-author series which doesn’t have to be read in order. 

 

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

anakl's review

adventurous hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

 Oh what a rake!

But is he, really?

Thanks to the Brazen Belle column, the Ton believes Doctor Hades Jones to be the worst of all rakes, a villain in a green coat, that seduces women and takes them to his harem.

Yet Hades is everything but a rake and the culprit is none other than Lady Ophelia.

What ensues is a game of mouse and cat, with Hades seemingly getting the upper hand but with Ophelia escaping his clutch.

Doomed to be together, or so they believe, they found that underneath all that cluster excuse of society, they have more in common than they thought.

While Hades is a well behaved, quiet, professional man, Ophelia is outspoken and fierce.

Her tendencies to place herself in risky situations enerve the man, but he has no intention of leaving her alone.

I simply love Hades devotion to the women in his life. Respectful, loving and protective.

Ophelia is a wildfire, ready to burn herself in the process. A daring woman in difficult times for women. A much necessary help to those excluded, mistreated and scorned.

The Fake February Rake by Charlie Lane, has tropes such as a marriage of convenience, mistaken identity, rebellious heroine, and a sort of "enemies to lovers" touch that I absolutely love, this story is a lovely slow burn, with hints of spice 🔥, and a mild conflict quickly solved.

It's the second story in The Rake Review series, written by multi authors, and I'm enjoying them so far. Curious about the next one, Mad Duke March.

#thefakefebruaryrake #charlielane #therakereview #multiauthorseries #historicalromance
#theton #brazenbelle #mistakenidentity

Thank you to the author for allowing me to read this ARC and give out my honest review