THE RAKESS

When the rake is a woman instead of a man, society may not permit a happy ending.

Seraphina Arden is loved by her friends but feared by polite society. She’s a “rather unpopular figure in most circles,” thanks to her writing about women’s rights and the rumors about her numerous affairs—all completely true and unacceptable in the 1790s. She’s so notorious, in fact, that she’s had to return home to Kestrel Bay in Cornwall to work quietly on her most explosive book yet. It’s here that she meets Adam Anderson, a Scottish widower who is anxious to grow his practice as an architect so that he can provide for his two young children. She’s instantly attracted to him, proposing a no-strings-attached fling, but he resists temptation—until he doesn’t. Their attraction grows quickly, but the closer they get, the more painful memories surface for both of them; anonymous town residents keep trying to drive Seraphina away, and she abuses alcohol to cope with her past and current trauma. Adam, scared to abandon his tame but stable life, tries to let Seraphina go. When he succeeds, she is heartbroken. When she finally releases her memoir and all her secrets become public, Adam realizes he can no longer justify his choice—but it may be too late for their love to survive. This is the first book in Peckham’s new Society of Sirens series, and like its heroine, it is thrillingly complex and suspenseful. Peckham’s previously established talent for creating strong-willed heroines and heroes who respect them shines here along with her knack for creatively spicy scenes of intimacy. Given how well each member of the Society of Sirens is developed in this volume, readers will be anxious to read the next installment.

A compelling historical romance from one of the genre’s rising stars.