Reformed Rakes

Indigo by Beverly Jenkins follows Hester Wyatt, a conductor on the Michigan Underground Railroad. Hester’s hands are marked by indigo, a remnant from her days as an enslaved person on an indigo plantation. When she hides the notorious Black Daniel as he recovers from injuries, he challenges her. Hester finds the man aggravating and attractive in equal measure. As he pushes for a relationship, Hester’s not sure she can make the jump. Her father sold himself into slavery to be with her mother, so to Hester, love is a dangerous thing. Beverly Jenkins famously leans on the historical part of historical romances. She’s written 18th and 19th century stories set in various cities and states in America.

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In Mistress of Mellyn, widower Connan TreMellyn hires Martha Leigh on as the governess to his eight-year-old daughter Alvean. Like many a governess before her, Martha finds mystery and murder at the Mount Mellyn estate. As she comes to know Connan she develops feelings for him but as the governess occupies the space where she’s not a servant but she’s not his social equal either. In this episode, the Reformed Rakes team up with Andrea Martucci from Shelf Love to discuss gothics of the 1960s, Eleanor Hibbert and her pen names, twin estates, and many references to Jane Eyre and Daphne du Maurier. (Spoilers for Wuthering Heights.)

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Gaywyck was published by Avon in 1980. Set on the Long Island estate of the wealthy Gaylord family in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Gaywyck charts an inter-generational terror born of abuse, madness, and unrequited love. We follow the protagonist Robbie as he arrives at the estate as the librarian. Like most gothic romances of the era, Gaywyck is a book that takes a microscope to cruelty. Please join the Rakes as we discuss people’s obsession with “good representation”, the Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde aspect of twins, cyclical violence, war profiteering, and Virga’s many movie references.

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The Rakes read the second book in the Lotus Palace series, The Jade Temptress by Jeannie Lin. Set during the Tang Dynasty in China in Chang’an, the capital, the series touches back to the Lotus Palace, a school and home for courtesans. Mingyu is one of the most sought-after courtesans, and she crosses paths with the constable Wu Kaifeng after her protector General Deng has been found murdered. It’s hard to convey through a plot summary how well Jeannie Lin builds sexual tension, but like Emma says in the episode, every scene between Mingyu and Kaifeng is charged.

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What exactly do the Reformed Rakes read when they don’t read historical romance? Okay, so half these books are historicals, BUT we recommended to each other what we want the other rake to read. Chels and Beth finally got Emma to read contemporary romance. Emma wanted Beth to try Mary Balogh again and Camille from Someone to Hold is important to both of them now. Emma and Beth recommended historicals to Chels lmao because they wanted Chels’ opinion on those books okay. It’s a good time.

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Visit our website for transcripts and show notes: reformedrakes.com

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A clinch, if you’re unfamiliar, is the type of romance novel cover where the couple is embracing, seemingly in flagrante delicto. Gowns are hiked up, cravats are discarded, and hair billows from some unseen force. For this special episode, I got to interview Sharon Spiak, a former romance cover illustrator who currently costumes and styles photoshoots, and Shirley Green, a photographer who has shot many of your favorite book covers over the past few decades. Join us to find out what, exactly, goes into the making of a clinch cover.

You can find excerpts from this interview, with accompanying imagery, on The Loose Cravat.

Sharon Spiak has prints of her oil paintings for sale, and they’re stunning. You can find them here.

You can find Shirley Green on her website, and follow her Pomeranian Rocky on Instagram.

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Visit our website for transcripts and show notes: reformedrakes.com

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Cheating is often regarded as the worst thing that a character in romance can do. Here at Reformed Rakes we love the meanies, so we try to get to the bottom of the knee-jerk disdain for cheating in books by dissecting historical romances that contain infidelity. We're joined this week by our first guest, Bayley, who you can find @bayleyreadsbooks on TikTok, and @bayleyreads on Twitter. 

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Visit our website for transcripts and show notes: reformedrakes.com

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Stormfire by Christine Monson is a bodice ripper with a reputation for violence. Set during the Irish rebellion of 1798, Sean Culhane kidnaps his political enemy’s daughter, Catherine Enderly, out of revenge. Here at Reformed Rakes, we don’t believe romance books are instructional manuals or need to portray relationships to aspire to. With that disclaimer, today we’ll talk about Monson’s powerful story about cyclical violence, grounded in political strife between two enemies.

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Visit our website for transcripts and show notes: reformedrakes.com

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In the spirit of excess and self-indulgence, the rakes inspect our own characters. What is a historical romance rake, and can they be categorized by type? Join us as we discuss Byronic rakes, malevolent seducers, charming rakes, loquacious weirdos, and so much more. This is a fun one with lots of recommendations, so ignore your gambling debts and hop in your curricle, we're on our way to the Hellfire Club! 

For further reading, check out A Taxonomy of Rakes on Chels’ Subastack.

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Twitter: @reformedrakes

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Chels’ Substack

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Visit our website for transcripts and show notes: reformedrakes.com

Thank you for listening!

Come with us to Cornwall as we discuss A Bride for the Prizefighter by Alice Coldbreath, a working class romance between a former schoolteacher and a prizefighting publican. This episode includes discussion of the gothic POV, stargazy pie, and a desperate plea to for historical romance authors to write more non-aristocratic main characters.

Support us on our PATREON

Follow us on social media:

Twitter: @reformedrakes

Instagram: @reformedrakes

Beth’s TikTok

Chels’ TikTok

Emma’s TikTok

Chels’ Substack

Emma’s Substack

Visit our website for transcripts and show notes: reformedrakes.com

Thank you for listening!