This was a strong twelfth entry in the Rake Review series, it had that historical romance element that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall feel of this. The characters were everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall feel in this type of book. I enjoyed the way Tracy Sumner wrote this and was excited to read more from them.

5 ⭐️

This novella was soooooo good, and I was honestly a little surprised. Sometimes novellas can feel like incomplete stories, but this didn't feel like that at all. The characters are complex and fully developed even with this abbreviated length. I also loved the older FMC, my fair lady role-reversal plot. not only is it a unique twist on a pretty common trope, these characters had some seriously steamy chemistry (pun absolutely intended). West, an American inventor and bastard brother to a Duke, is not only incredibly sexy but also seriously smart and driven which makes him quite the dreamboat MMC. His confusion and lack of respect for the British aristocracy makes him the perfect foil to Penelope. Her initial stuffiness made me uncertain of her as a character, but boy did she grow on me. She was definitely not what she seemed on the surface and her hidden depth and passion for art was such a nice touch to her character. Not to mention when you learn why she puts on this rigid persona, it's hard not to fall in love with her.

Tracy Sumner writes such great romance and intimacy scenes- especially first kisses, and this one did not disappoint. She blends the emotion and romanticism seamlessly with the sexiness and it ends up becoming such a beautiful scene. Overall this book has all the romance angst with both of our protagonists fated to be with others and with so many very practical odds against them. The conflict is brief but totally works for this story, and Penelope's strength of character in that moment made her a stand-out character for me. I picked up this book, because I'll pick up most anything by this author, and was so happy that I did. There's such a great balance of romance, angst, sexiness, and humor that is so rare to find in a novella. Had it been longer it likely wouldn't have worked as well. While I typically don't give full 5-star reviews, I honestly couldn't find any issue with this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Victoria Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! The expected publication date for this book is December 1, 2024 and I will post my review on Goodreads on November 19, 2024.

I so enjoyed Chasing the Duke that I had to read the long lost brother story. Weston Whitaker was raised in Philadelphia and not with a silver spoon like his brother the Duke. He returns to London looking for investors for his steam engine. Instead he is all the talk of being Mr. December in the scandal sheets. Taking his brother’s advice he hires a person to remove the rough American edges and become more endearing to the Brits. Expecting an old lady to be his tutor he was surprised at the young beauty before him. Definitely other things besides which fork to use or how to address a Pier is on West’s mind.
A quick read, and yes it’s got some steamy parts. Always love when previous characters reappear. All opinions expressed in this review are mine own.

American inventor Weston is in London to drum up investors in his business. He needs to learn English etiquette to succeed. Penelope is used to teaching etiquette to women, but is open to working with the attractive Weston. They try to ignore their mutual attraction. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for my honest review.