MoodReads - Romance Book Discovery

Beta soft launchEvery book’s tags are being checked by hand ✨ some categories are fuller than others while I work through them all ✨

Cover of A Rake of His Own

A Rake of His Own

by A.J. Lancaster

🌶️🌶️🌶️moderate·spoiler·Stariel #5

Why Read This?

A clever murder mystery wrapped in a delicious enemies-to-lovers M/M romance. The banter between the beleaguered botanist and the melodramatic fae prince is absolutely top-tier, and watching their antagonism soften into something deeper is pure joy.

Synopsis

Marius Valstar doesn’t know which is worse: the dead body in his greenhouse or the naked fae prince on his desk. The only rakes of interest to Marius are garden tools. Not fae princes. Certainly not the arrogant, selfish fae prince he has the misfortune to have a history with. But when Prince Rakken turns up naked and bleeding in Marius’s college the same day a body appears in his greenhouse, scruples must take second place to solving a murder that could unravel the delicate balance between humans and fae. Marius’s own developing magical powers are more hindrance than help – as is Rakken’s bloodied past. Forced to work together, they must forge an uneasy alliance if they are to track down the killer. But how can Marius trust the man who represents everything he’s trying to avoid? A Rake of His Own is a steamy m/m gaslamp fantasy featuring a melodramatic fae prince, a beleaguered botanist, and an enemies-to-lovers romance. It occurs chronologically after the events of The Stariel Quartet, but can be read as a standalone.

At a Glance

4.40 ★ Goodreads
Spice Level🌶️🌶️🌶️moderate
Endingspoiler
PairingM/M
Romance Pacingslow burn

Top Tropes

enemies to loverssecond chanceforced proximity

Mood

wittycharmingmysteriousromantic

Book Details

Goodreads Rating

4.40 ★

Page Count

437 pages

Published

2022

Primary Genre

Fantasy Romance

Pairing

M/M

POV

First Person

Romance Pacing

Slow Burn

Cliffhanger

spoiler

Audiobook

Available

Yes

Tropes

RomanceMagicActionAngstWorld
Theme Constellation

sign in to see all 5 tropes

Mood & Vibe

Mood

sign in to see writing style, pacing & more

Characters

MMC: beleaguered botanist developing magical powers sign in to unlock

Spice Details 🌶️

Emotionally focused steam, classy and thematic rather than anatomically detailed sign in to unlock

violence (murder)period-appropriate homophobiablood

World & Setting

secondary world fantasy sign in to unlock

Reading Context

Deeply satisfying - the enemies-to-lovers arc resolves beautifully with mutual respect and genuine tenderness after all the sharp edges sign in to unlock

Similar Books

Cover of The Charm OffensiveKU

The Charm Offensive

Alison Cochrun

🌶️🌶️🌶️·dual POV
forced proximityhidden identitysecret relationship
Cover of Prince and Assassin

Prince and Assassin

Tavia Lark

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️·dual POV
enemies to loverssecret identityassassin falls for mark
Cover of Sorcery and Small Magics

Sorcery and Small Magics

Maiga Doocy

🌶️🌶️🌶️·third person
forced proximitymagic bondsurvival romance
Cover of Paladin's Hope (The Saint of Steel, #3)

Paladin's Hope (The Saint of Steel, #3)

T. Kingfisher

🌶️🌶️🌶️·dual POV
forced proximityworkplace romance
Cover of Swordcrossed

Swordcrossed

Freya Marske

🌶️🌶️🌶️·dual POV
arranged marriagebodyguard/protection detailfake dating
Cover of Kings Rising (Captive Prince, #3)

Kings Rising (Captive Prince, #3)

C.S. Pacat

🌶️🌶️🌶️·third person
captive romanceforced proximityhidden identity
Cover of When the Tides Held the Moon

When the Tides Held the Moon

Venessa Vida Kelley

🌶️🌶️🌶️·first person
captive romanceblood feud romancesecret relationship
Cover of The JockKU

The Jock

Tal Bauer

🌶️🌶️🌶️·dual POV
sports romancebet/wager romancecelebrity / rockstar romance

Short Takes

quick 280-character reactions for this book. drop a thought, rate the vibe, keep scrolling.

Sign in to share your take.

Loading...

Book Chat

Talk about A Rake of His Own with other readers