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beccaand's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
what I got in The Rakess: complicated female characters, buttoned up heroes, high angst, luscious scenes.
Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Miscarriage, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Addiction
Moderate: Child death, Pregnancy, Grief, and Animal death
typedtruths's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Grief
caseythereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
- This book touches on so many of the ways patriarchal society hurts women and pushes them down. I felt so deeply for Seraphina and was rooting for her to realize that she deserved to be treated with love and respect, just as she calls for other women in her writings.
- SPOILER! The one thing I found odd about this book is that Seraphina knows so much about pregnancy prevention and yet seemed to know nothing about how or where to obtain an abortion, or that it might even be a possibility. Like, it simply was not mentioned at all?
Graphic: Sexual content, Abandonment, Child death, Vomit, Alcoholism, Animal death, Grief, Cursing, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Confinement, and Forced institutionalization
aqtbenz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, Death, Child death, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent and Vomit
friends2lovers's review against another edition
3.5
“Fucking is rarely inconsequential.”
- The Rakess has a much stronger cast of secondary characters than The Duke I Tempted. Seeing how Adam and Sera interacted with their friends and family really helped flesh out their characterization.
- The feminist themes are interwoven with the story well. Peckham is aware of and acknowledges the historical setting. She does not ignore the legal and social constraints on the female characters during this time period. Nor does she shy away from depicting the consequences when they attempt to circumvent them.
- Sera was allowed to make mistakes, but always recognized them as such and apologized or made amends. I expected her to be one of those “strong female characters'' whose bad behavior is excused or forgiven simply because she’s a woman. Thankfully, I was proven wrong.
- Despite the feminist themes and the heroine-centric story, Adam is not emasculated or belittled in order to elevate the heroine. Often times, an author’s approach to a “feminist” romance involves taking the hero down a peg or two, perhaps to symbolize destruction of the patriarchy. Peckham does not resort to that at all.
- The narrator, Sienna Francis, was fine. I would listen to her again, but won't be actively seeking her out. I found a review on AudioGals that puts into words what bugged me about Francis: “repetitive intonation.” Every sentence was delivered with the same flat modulation. This was a detractor for me, but not a major one.
- In one of the top goodreads reviews, the reviewer criticized the book for a lack of sex positivity, but I personally found it to be refreshing. Peckham depicts all the complexities of sex. Both the hero and heroine have to find a balance between pleasure and risk. The reason I chose the opening quote that I did is because I think it encompasses the underlying theme of vulnerability in the story. For further reading on this topic, I recommend Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again: Women and Desire in the Age of Consent by Katherine Angel. I think about the book often, especially when reading romance—a genre which mirrors, in its portrayal of sex and sexuality, the consent culture that Angel is critiquing.
Heat Index: 4.2🌡️🌡️🌡️🌡️
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Sexual content, Child death, Cursing, Death, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Grief, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Misogyny
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
ticktock's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Death, Grief, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Sexual content
circe813's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Miscarriage, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Alcoholism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Abandonment, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Grief
jessiewolf's review
- 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
5.0
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Miscarriage, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
linguaignota's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Miscarriage, Addiction, and Child death
Minor: Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Kidnapping
aubreylane's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The heroine of this novel, Seraphina, is a defiant feminist who embraces her scandalous reputation as a loose woman. While some readers may be looking for a regency celebration of feminine sexual confidence divorced from tragedy and injustice, that is not the project of Peckham’s new series #SocietyofSirens. The sex on the page is up to Scarlett Peckham’s usual standard - unflinchingly explicit and dirty - but she also refuses to shy away from the social and emotional toll that Seraphina’s choices have on her personal and love life. While both Sera and her sweet wholesome hero, Scottish architect Adam, have endured tragedy, and Sera engages in harmful use of alcohol on the page, the emotional payoff is realistic and satisfying.
The Rakess heralds the lush, complex, emotionally resonant regency world of the Society of Sirens series.
⭐️ 5 stars ⭐️
TW slutshaming, miscarriage, alcohol abuse, spousal abuse, institutionalisation
Graphic: Alcoholism and Miscarriage
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Misogyny