⭐⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? Yes. A case of mistaken identity has Dr. Hades Jones scrambling to restore his reputation in this fun romantic caper.

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. It 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. 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?

MY THOUGHTS

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.

Were you hooked by that book? Let me know in the comments below.

Genre: Historical Romance
Published: February 1, 2024
Sensuality Rating: Warm
Series: The Rake Review
Other books in the series: Jilted in Janauary