The Rake Review

Series · 9 books · 2023-2024

By Kate Bateman, Fenna Edgewood, Shana Galen, and more

Books in series

Jilted in January

2023

No. Absolutely not. Persephone Cuthbert would rather walk over hot coals than say one word to the man who broke her heart—let alone help him. The author of The Rake Review may have declared him the most marriageable man in London, but Persephone knows the truth. Edward Johns is the cold-hearted bastard who broke her heart. She will not allow him to play her or the unsuspecting ladies of London false. Except Persephone has made helping people her life’s work. How can she refuse him when a man’s life is in danger? Ten years ago, Edward Johns jilted the love of his life for the sake of familial duty. He’s hardened his heart to steel, and he has no desire to marry—he intends to leave all of that to his younger brother, Alfred. Until said wastrel disappears without a trace. Naturally, the one woman in London who can help him is the very angel who has haunted his dreams for a decade. But family always comes first. To save his brother, Edward will keep his hands to himself—mostly, and his heart under lock and key—no matter how bewitching his angel has become. Jilted in January is Book 1 in the multi-author series, The Rake Review. This steamy second chance, fake dating Regency romance will keep you glued to the page and sweating with excitement—keep a fan handy!

The Fake February Rake

2024

The ton thinks Hades is a rake. He’s not. Before the Brazen Belle’s gossip column named him February’s rake, Dr. Hades Jones was the ton’s most trusted doctor, proper in every way but for his family’s scandalous past. But the rake the Belle named wasn’t him. I t was someone wearing his distinctive silk-lined coat, which was stolen from him months ago. Now Hades is on the hunt for the coat thief, and what he finds in a Covent Garden alley is not what he expects—a woman with doe eyes, a steal spine, and a tart tongue he unexpectedly wants to taste. Everyone thinks she’s Hades. She’s just wearing his coat. Lady Ophelia Howard has one purpose in life—protect the women of London from rakes, scoundrels, and rogues. Unable to save her father’s mistress, she’ll do whatever she must to keep other women from suffering the same fate, including theft. She stole the devilishly handsome doctor’s coat to hide her identity while sneaking women to safety. She didn’t mean to smear his good name. And now he’s caught her, and he insists she help restore his reputation. Any way she can. Including marriage. But can marriage to an earl’s daughter bring the ton calling once more? Or will Ophelia’s radical secrets ruin them both? The Fake February Rake is book 2 in the multi-author series The Rake Review. If you enjoy watching some of London's most notorious scoundrels getting raked over the coals, then be sure to collect all twelve bachelors in The Rake Review!

Mad Duke March

2024

Whisky. Plenty of it. Keep it coming… That’s all that Alexander Blackwood, the notorious “Mad Duke” of London, desires. Determined to waste his life away, he manages to offend even his closest friends. But when he carelessly ruins Miss Emily Fitzwilliam while in a drunken stupor, he finds himself chained to the only woman in England who refuses to fear or fawn over him. It was the best day of her life… Until it wasn’t. Emily Fitzwilliam loses everything when she is scandalously ruined by the most notorious rake London has ever known. And worst of all, the bounder refuses to marry her! But the wicked Duke who destroyed her life is about to discover that payback is hell. A hasty marriage neither party wanted is about to become a passionate battle of wills as two warring hearts are destined to become one flesh… whether they like it or not. Mad Duke March is book 3 in the multi-author series The Rake Review. If you enjoy watching some of London's most notorious scoundrels getting raked over the coals, then be sure to collect all twelve bachelors in The Rake Review!

It's Raining Rakes in April

2024

An undercover duke and a clumsy, but ambitious, debutanteEveryone knows debutantes will do anything to marry a duke, which is precisely why this season, the Duke of Ridgefield is going undercover as yet another notorious rake—the mysterious Mr. Pope. As the eldest of seven sisters, Miss Julia Rigsby has one task in life—marry well. The trouble is, she’s clueless when it comes to flirting. Might she learn a trick or two from one of London’s handsome, rakes? Mr. Pope, it seems, might make for a capable teacher, not to mention, easy on the eyes…Book 4 of The Rake Review—an exciting shared world where a new gossip sheet takes London by storm, raking the rakes of London over the coals...

The Scot Who Made June Hot

2024

A Second Chance She Fears... Lady June Fairchild, the Countess of Windermere, is trapped in a loveless and cruel marriage, haunted by a secret from her past. Before she became the wife of an earl, she was married once before... and her husband was never confirmed dead. Now, nearly ten years later, the unimaginable has happened. Her first husband has returned—but not to reclaim her love. This time, he seeks revenge for the heart she broke. From the Shadows of Betrayal... The night he pledged his life to the woman he adored, the Duke of Tulloch was forced to disappear. Upon his return, he discovered his bride had swiftly remarried an earl, branding her a brazen bigamist in his eyes. Ten years later, this jilted, kilted Highland husband emerges from the shadows with a single purpose: revenge. Hardened by betrayal and time, he is no longer the young man who once loved June. Now, he's a formidable duke, ready to unleash his wrath and reclaim his honor, come hell or high water. Can two hearts bound by fate and torn apart by secrets find a way to trust and love once more? The Scot Who Made June Hot is Book 6 in the multi-author series The Rake Review. If you enjoy watching some of London's most notorious scoundrels getting raked over the coals, then be sure to collect all twelve bachelors in The Rake Review!

A Scandal in July

2024

A summer to remember. . . Charming bachelor Rhys Davies has absolutely no intention of falling for anyone with the surname Montgomery. The rivalry between their two families is legendary, after all, and despite all three of his siblings succumbing to the fatal attractions of the enemy, Rhys is convinced he’s immune. Until one night, when he meets Lenore Montgomery—and promptly loses his wits. A week he’ll never forget. . . Lenore Montgomery has wrestled a giant water snake in Brazil, chased a panther with a shoe, and survived an unfortunate shipwreck off the coast of Madagascar, but none of those things has been as difficult as seducing Rhys Davies. The stubborn man’s been ignoring her all season, so when she hears they’ll both be attending a week-long family party at his country estate, she enlists the help of her meddling relatives to prove there’s nothing as irresistible as forbidden fruit. . . especially when it might lead to true love.

An Heiress for August

2024

London’s most notorious rake needs to wed. August Wade was never meant to be the Duke of Courtland. Now he’s inherited the title from his uncle along with the poorly managed ducal estates. After months of attempting to remedy the situation, August concludes that he must wed an heiress. Specifically, Miss Hazel Dartmont, only child of an obnoxiously wealthy textile merchant. Not only is Miss Dartmont wealthy, but she is several years on the shelf and far beneath him socially. She will be thrilled to draw the attention of a duke. Desperate, even. Miss Hazel Dartmont is an expert at avoiding marriage. Hazel only accepted the invitation to Lady Talbot’s house party to escape London and the attentions of an overly amorous gentleman. As a wealthy heiress, albeit one with a pedigree most of society turns their noses up at, Hazel is accustomed to being targeted by every desperate dandy in London. Now well past marriageable age, Hazel delights in her independence and has no intention of ever taking a husband. Not even the rakish Duke of Courtland can change her mind. An Heiress for August is book 8 in the multi-author series The Rake Review. If you enjoy watching some of London's most notorious scoundrels getting raked over the coals, then be sure to collect all twelve bachelors in The Rake Review!

#11

Mr. Notorious and the Nefarious November

2024

He may be Mr. Notorious…Three weeks in November. Munro Notley told himself he need only survive twenty-one days in London, then his niece would be married, and he could disappear again. He’d been wandering Europe for years now, ever since Beatrice Haddington Barnet rejected his offer of marriage and wed his best friend instead. Now Notley’s brother, the viscount, has demanded his attendance at the family wedding, and Notley just wants to survive the social whirl without acknowledging her. It’s a brilliant plan…until Beatrice, now widowed, is standing before him and Notley makes a drunken confession he can’t take back. But she’s the one with the nefarious scheme. Beatrice knew she made a mistake almost as soon as she said her wedding vows. Despite being in love with Munro Notley, she’d rejected his proposal because of his reputation as an irredeemable rake. It turns out her husband was the true rake. A few years after their marriage, he was shot in a duel over a courtesan. Beatrice has vowed never to so much as look at a rake again. When she reads in The Rake Review that Notley is back in London for her niece’s wedding, she plans to stay as far from him as possible. But once she sees him, those broad shoulders and that smoldering smile stir up old feelings. He still wants her, and she can’t deny she wants him too. Can he pass five wicked tests and claim her five scandalous prizes? Beatrice will not trust a man so easily this time. If he wants her, Notley will have to pass not one, but five tests. For each challenge he passes, she’s offering a tantalizing reward. But Notley will not have an easy time of it. Beatrice’s wicked tests will prove once and for all whether Notley’s sobriquet as Mr. Notorious is well-deserved or whether he’s reformed his rakish ways.

#12

Tall, Dark and December

2024

~ Second chance ~ Enemies to lovers ~ The Brazen Belle welds a poison pen to hide a broken heart. Will the duke of her dreams return to heal it? Bachelors beware—a new gossip sheet is taking London by storm! Every month, the columnist known as the Brazen Belle selects one of London’s most notorious scoundrels to both pan and praise in her Rake Review column. With a fresh target on these rakehells’ backs, the ladies of London are taking aim. Will it be gaming hells or wedding bells for these notorious scoundrels? Follow their exploits in the steamy new Rake Review series! Tall, Dark and December is the final book in the multi-author series The Rake Review. If you enjoy watching some of London's most notorious scoundrels getting raked over the coals, then be sure to collect all twelve bachelors!

Authors

Kate Bateman

Author · 14 books

Also writes as K.C. Bateman

Fenna Edgewood

Author · 12 books

USA TODAY bestselling author Fenna Edgewood writes steamy, swoon-worthy stories of love, family, and adventure. Fenna lives on the Canadian Prairies with her husband and two tiny tots (who are adorable but generally terrible research assistants). She is an award-winning retired academic who has studied English literature for most of her life. Before becoming a full-time author, her last "real" job was teaching high school students above the Arctic Circle. After a long hiatus from writing make-believe as a twelve-year-old, she has returned to the genre with a bang! For a FREE book from Fenna, join her NL: https://fennaedgewood.com/newsletter/ And be sure to follow her on Bookbub for the latest deals! https://www.bookbub.com/authors/fenna...

Shana Galen

Author · 57 books

Shana Galen is three-time Rita award nominee and the bestselling author of fast-paced, witty, and adventurous Regency romances. Kirkus says of her books, "The road to happily-ever-after is intense, conflicted, suspenseful and fun," and RT Bookreviews calls her books “lighthearted yet poignant, humorous yet touching." She taught English at the middle and high school level off and on for eleven years. Most of those years were spent working in Houston's inner city. Now she writes full time. She's happily married and has a daughter who is most definitely a romance heroine in the making. Want to know more? Visit Shana's website at http://www.shanagalen.com and sign up to be notified when Shana has a new release http://bit.ly/ShanaGalenNews

Tracy Sumner

Author · 26 books

"Witty dialogue and steamy sensuality.” —Publisher’s Weekly The USA Today bestselling author's storytelling career began when she picked up a historical romance on a college beach trip, and she fondly blames LaVyrle Spencer for her obsession with the genre. She’s a recipient of the National Reader’s Choice, HOLT Medallion, Golden Leaf and MAGGIE among others. She lived in New York, Paris and Taipei before returning to NYC. When not writing sizzling love stories about feisty heroines and their temperamental-but-entirely-lovable heroes, Tracy enjoys reading, snowboarding, college football (Go Tigers!), yoga, and travel. She loves to hear from romance readers! Find me everywhere on social here! https://linktr.ee/tracysumner

Annabelle Anders

Author · 49 books

Married to the same man for over 25 years, I am a mother to three children and two Miniature Wiener dogs. After owning a business and experiencing considerable success, my husband and I got caught in the financial crisis and lost everything in 2008; our business, our home, even our car. At this point, I put my B.A. in Poly Sci to use and took work as a waitress and bartender (Insert irony). Unwilling to give up on a professional life, I simultaneously went back to college and obtained a degree in Energy Management. And then the energy market dropped off. And then my dog died. I can only be grateful for this series of unfortunate events, for, with nothing to lose and completely demoralized, I sat down and began to write the romance novels which had until then, existed only my imagination. After publishing over twenty novels now, with one having been nominated for RWA’s Distinguished ™RITA Award in 2019, I am happy to tell you that I have finally found my place in life. Thank you so much for being a part of my journey! To find out more about my books, and also to download a free novella, get all the info at my website! www.annabelleanders.com JOIN MY NEWSLETTER: https://www.annabelleanders.com/newsl... FOLLOW ME ON AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Annabelle-Ande... AND FACEBOOK: :https://www.facebook.com/Annabelle.An... AND BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/annab...

Kathleen Ayers has been a hopeful romantic since the tender age of fourteen when she first purchased a copy of Sweet Savage Love at a garage sale while her mother was looking at antique animal planters. Since then she’s read hundreds of historical romances and fallen in love dozens of times. In particular she adores handsome, slightly damaged men with a wicked sense of humor. On paper, of course. Kathleen lives in Houston and is married with one college aged son and two very spoiled dogs.

Charlie Lane

Author · 16 books

Charlie writes Regency romance that's lighthearted and hot. Her books have a little bit of angst, a lot of laughs, and a whole lot of heart and heat.

Sadie Bosque

Author · 17 books

Sadie Bosque is a steamy historical romance author. Surrounded by the enchantment of the historical setting, her love stories communicate to the modern reader through the experiences of her characters. The heroes and heroines of Sadie’s stories are flawed, imperfect creatures with big hearts. Sadie believes that a happily ever after has to be hard-earned. The trials and tribulations her characters go through make them stronger and make the HEA so much sweeter. For a free novelette exclusive to my subscribers signup: https://sendfox.com/sadiebosque Follow me on Bookbub for latest sales: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sadie...