⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? Somewhat. Plenty of racy, sensual moments that were delightful on their own, but didn’t quite come together for a believable, cohesive relationship.

It had been the moment Elwood Tyburne, the Earl of Belmont, had been dreading for months. Ever since that Brazen Belle and her dastardly Rake Review had started wreaking havoc upon all of his friends and acquaintances, some of which were wrongly accused, he had been in a state of panic. He despised the attention, especially when he hadn’t done anything – lately. In truth, he’d been doing his best to lay low. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem that the intrigue was going to die down anytime soon, and it appeared he was about to have additional trouble in one tenacious lady.

Meliah Newton is on the search for the elusive Earl of Belmont. She has a dream to become a respected journalist, just like the Brazen Belle. She’s convinced that if she could prove that Lord Belmont is a complete ne’er-do-well, she would finally get the recognition she has been longing to obtain. To her dismay, the man seems to be more of a challenge than she expected, but she has never been the sort to give up lightly, and she perseveres, finally cornering the rat in his hole. What she hadn’t expected from all this was her flaming attraction to him, nor the way her body melts under his expert touch. She knows he’s only trying to seduce her away from him, but it’s only drawing her closer.

MY THOUGTHS

The Hunt for Mr. October is the tenth 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. October in our calendar of rakes is Elwood Tyburne, the Earl of Belmont.

Elwood saw Meliah as a challenge to conquer and she saw him as a means to an end. His reasons for asking her to go with him were somewhat mercenary. I enjoyed the slow seduction at the hunting box and there were some very sexy moments, but I wasn’t all that convinced of their feelings.

Unfortunately, this story fell a bit flat for me, even though I really loved the title. There were a lot of actions, thoughts, and pieces of dialogue that were inconsistent. Elwood, Meliah, and Elwood’s parents contradicted themselves more than once. As a whole, this is a very charming series and I am looking forward to the rest.

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: October 1, 2024
Sensuality Rating: Hot
Series: Book 10 in The Rake Review
Other books in the series: Jilted in January, The Fake February Rake, Mad Duke March, It’s Raining Rakes in April, One Fine May, The Scot Who Made June Hot, A Scandal in July, An Heiress for August, Seducing September’s Scoundrel
Tropes: Class Differences, Close Proximity, Billiards Lessons