The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham: A Society of Sirens Novel Volume 1

The Rakess

Society of Sirens, Volume I

by Scarlett Peckham

Rating/Review: ☕☕☕☕☕ ( 5 cups for this haunting and beautiful role reversal romance between a libertine woman and a conservative man)

I have been an admirer of Scarlett Peckham ever since I read her first novel, The Duke I Tempted.  Her writing is vivid, emotive and basically took characters that were not familiar romance novel main leads and places them in situations that a reader will start wondering how will it all work out.  It works out perfectly I might add. 

Now, in her latest novel, The Rakess, she takes her characters and their stories even further.  Here, Seraphina Arden is the narrator, the protagonist who finds the social circumstances of her time quite oppressive to women, much more so to women like her who finds themselves judged in a different manner from men.  They become pariahs and are called such unfair names while men who commit the same transgressions are often forgiven and often times lauded for their acts.  Now is the time to fight for what is due to them, and so with her friends they decided to establish the Society of Sirens.  Women who proudly walk on the edge of what is deemed proper and improper but more importantly to make themselves known as equal to men.  But Sera, on her quest suddenly finds herself right on the path of one Adam Anderson, the one man who sees beneath her public persona and burrows himself deep into her being.  But at what cost to both of them should their association be made public?  Can Sera risk being hurt once more and can Adam forego a more secure future for him and his children for the sake of being with Sera?

The Rakess surprised me, it had an unexpected premise yes but more importantly this one dealt with a more in depth character development.  Sera's especially since her personality and struggles unfolds gradually and you as readers infer what her problems really are and how it plays into her behaviour.  It really is Sera's book more than a romance but Adam is no easy character as well.  In many ways the role reversal here is obvious on hindsight but while the romance is unfolding you feel the struggle of both these characters and their eventual unconventional HEA.  I adore it and I feel that The Rakess would be one of those romance that would stick with me for quite a long time.  The prose is quite lyrical, the characters wonderfully nuanced and the love story is memorable.

One of EW's 20 Must-Reads for April and an Amazon Best Romance of May!

Meet the SOCIETY OF SIRENS—three radical, libertine ladies determined to weaponize their scandalous reputations to fight for justice and the love they deserve…

She’s a Rakess on a quest for women’s rights…

Seraphina Arden’s passions include equality, amorous affairs, and wild, wine-soaked nights. To raise funds for her cause, she’s set to publish explosive memoirs exposing the powerful man who ruined her. Her ideals are her purpose, her friends are her family, and her paramours are forbidden to linger in the morning.

He’s not looking for a summer lover…

Adam Anderson is a wholesome, handsome, widowed Scottish architect, with two young children, a business to protect, and an aversion to scandal. He could never, ever afford to fall for Seraphina. But her indecent proposal—one month, no strings, no future—proves too tempting for a man who strains to keep his passions buried with the losses of his past.

But one night changes everything...

What began as a fling soon forces them to confront painful secrets—and yearnings they thought they’d never have again. But when Seraphina discovers Adam’s future depends on the man she’s about to destroy, she must decide what to protect… her desire for justice, or her heart.