A Rake of His Own

Stariel, Book 5

By: AJ Lancaster

Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton

Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

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 a second-chance enemies-to-lovers romance. It occurs chronologically after the events of The Stariel Quartet, but can be listened to as a standalone.

©2022 AJ Lancaster (P)2023 Podium Audio

sweet surprise

It is rare to see something original. This detective, murder mystery, faery, and hot love genre’s the sweet surprise of the decade. AJ, your brain is a fascinating creature!

My favorite in the series, hands down!

Hetta and Wyn was a very cute story, but Marius and Rakken?! Glorious!! As soon as I finished, I immediately started it over. I couldn't get enough! I would LOVE another book with Marius and Rakken.

superb combination of story & narration

I loved all of it - the development of Marius and Rake’s as individuals and their relationship was beautifully done and within a good murder mystery melding earth & fairy. Nicholas Bolton was a wonderful narrator as well.

Probably my fav in the series

I know this is sort of blasphemy since this is the spin off book, but I loved this so much! The relationship dynamic is so sweet in its convoluted way and also highly on point for the anxious/avoidant attachment dynamic.

a good romance +detective story

loved it and the pacing was quite good. was a bit worried the romance would feel contrived but it actually ultimately slowed down at just the right time. the detective story was well done as well and I would be open to reading more by this author.
Narrator did a good join with voices making each unique and imparting emotion well. easy to hear and understand.

Loved!

You can definitely listen to this as a standalone, though I think it would have been even more enjoyable had I listened to the others. I think knowing their interactions before would have made it even funnier and adorable. That said - I still absolutely LOVED this book. The humor, the steamy, the mystery, the world building. Great world building, just from this single book!! Great, great listen!!!

As fun as I was hoping and yet not what I expected

I really enjoyed this book. I still love the title and the foresight that went into it.

Hetta and Win were running from crisis to crisis for four books. Most of their relationship obstacles were external.

In this book, the crises are external and the obstacles are internal. I was not expecting a murder mystery! It worked, though. And it was cool to see some more of the wider issues involved in integration.

This book doesn't take itself quite as seriously as the other Stariel books, as evidenced by the snarky chapter names. It's slightly more graphic. Not so much in what's shown as in the words used.

The narrator did a good job. I wish the various narrators had a cheat sheet to keep them from pronouncing things differently from each other, but that's a minor quibble and not his fault.

Love this!

A mystery and an endearing (and spicy!) fulfillment of meaningful attraction. Excellent new narrator - I’ve so enjoyed every book in this series, but the book 4 narrator was a bit off in some of the make voices (jarringly so). This narrator’s interpretation is perfect. I truly hope there are more books coming. :)

Great story!

Wonderful story. I love how the past stories are woven onto this one to enrich the narrative. The performance by Nicholas Boulton added extra dimensions to all of the characters, but especially Rake. Can’t wait for boom six if there is to be a book six.

A tonal shift that brings new vibrancy to the series

The narrator does an excellent job doing distinctive voices for the two main characters. The relationship between them is achingly sweet. Where the first books were about the development of a stable, constant love, this book is all about the butterflies and uncertainty of new love. The murder mystery is a great angle that separates it from the other previous novels. While the love scenes also have a shift in tone, it made sense for the characters and the scenes individually felt earned.