Welcome, fellow readers, to another blog post inspired by our favorite romance era—the Regency period.
For sure, the immersive descriptions of glamorous balls and detailed accountings of the era's customs are charming. But if we are being honest, what keeps us always craving for more romance books set in the Regency era are the love interests.
Here, we are going to analyze the archetypical heroes that we follow through the storylines of our beloved historical fiction books to better understand exactly what those gentlemen had that today's dating scene is lacking.
Dukes and rakes are the two most commonly introduced archetypes in the regency plotlines.
There are people who crave falling in love with a prince-like character, attend balls, and have secret meetings in the gardens to exchange a timid kiss. And on the other hand, there are some of us—if not all of us—who need adventure and suspense for sparks to start flying.
We can assure you that you don’t have to pick just one. Let’s dive into the specifics of these two types of gentlemen.
In romance books, rakes are typically dangerous, arrogant, but irresistibly charming young men. They are prone to bad habits, such as gambling or drinking, and they are defined as the morally grey characters of the story—at least at the beginning. In current times, they have become our favorite bad boy archetype in historical romance. However, it is important to mention that the type of rakes in different subgenres varies.
Of course, as the arts tend to imitate life, there are real people who inspired this character archetype…
As we have established, the rake is part of the aristocracy. They are witty, known to impulsively share their liberal and sometimes controversial thoughts, and very handsome—not only for their lovely build. Most times, personality is all that matters anyway. A rake usually has an intriguing aura around him, attracting people like a seductive magnet. They are all-in for an open, no-strings-attached situationship— as we would say in a contemporary romance. Their only promise? That they will give their partner—of the night—an unforgettable experience.
They will do anything to avoid responsibilities, and they are reluctant to act upon their duties when it comes to their royal/nobility title. Their plan is to remain carefree and enjoy their rebellious lifestyle for as long as possible.
However, as the old saying goes, we tend to attract what we fear the most, and for a rake, the greatest fear is love and marriage.
From the Restoration period till the 18th century, these playboys remained masters of the art of seduction. They still are perfect examples of the red-flag heroes, that we all adore and believe that love can change them.
Well, only a very special kind of woman is able to show a rake the way out of his sinful life.
But sometimes these heroines have to join the sin as well in order to do so… It’s just too tempting, isn’t it?
Already intrigued to fall in love with a rake? Let’s suggest some book titles from our favorite authors, like Julia Quinn, Tessa Dare, Sarah MacLean, and many more.
As the first book in this romance book list, we recommend nothing else but one of Tessa Dare’s. Colin Sandhurst, Lord Payne, needs to avoid the courting season at all costs. So he decides to escort a lady far away from England to avoid any unfortunate marriage arrangement. But love will find this rake in no more than one week…
Gabriel St. John, Marquess of Ralston, is an expert at giving advice in seduction. As a famous and notorious rake, he is so sure of himself that he won’t realize how fast he will fall in love with the lady who seeks his console.
Christopher Ward, “Kit,” is a rich scoundrel and a handsome rake. He will offer his expertise in seduction to a young lady in order to get something he wants in return. He will surely come out of the deal more fulfilled than ever!
Sebastian Holloway will be transformed into a rake in order to help his colleague to catch the eye of a famous and handsome naturalist. From a bookish, rather boring type of guy, to a rake, Sebastian will play his new role so perfectly that we will fall in love with him in the end.
Trevor Anaedsley is cut off of his grandfather’s funds. If he wants the money, he has to marry. Of course, he thinks he can simply arrange that by visiting an old friend in the countryside. He will find a loophole for the marriage, but when it comes to love, there is none.
Now let’s see some of the hottest rakes that readers loved, love, and keep loving till today:
And now that we have become acquainted with the most famous rakes in historical romance, let’s go back in time again for a short history lesson…
During the Restoration period (1660-1710), the main source of entertainment and spectacle was the theater. Comedy as a genre flourished and a new kind of characters were developed by the period’s playwrights. One of them was our favorite rake.
Now, there were two different types; the Falsewit and the Truewit. As we have already made clear, a rake’s whole personality depends on their wit. A Falsewit is a hypocrite, willing to abandon his rakish ways and marry in order to secure themselves financially, whereas a Truewit is honest and admires their partner for their witty demeanor too. They will get married out of love and respect.
Surely we can presume that the role of a rake in fiction would fit any kind of plotline. To get a better picture of the various romance subgenres and find your personal favorite rake, follow the link above.
First things first, duke is a royal title and it is referring specifically to men. This can signify that someone is either the ruler of a duchy or just a member of royalty or nobility.
The female equivalent title is “duchess”. In terms of leadership, a duke stands below emperors, kings, grand princes, and grand dukes. When it comes to royalty, they follow the princes and grand dukes.
Maybe they are related to “the knight with the shining armor” trope, but not always… They can also enjoy a rakish lifestyle. See, for example, the Duke of Hastings in Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series.
When it comes to historical fiction, there are very specific guidelines in the character development, even the appearance, of a duke. When they are not out attending to their people, helping them in the fields, and building some muscle, they are found in exclusive clubs, gambling, and drinking. It seems that dukes are the most prone to become rakes, right? Well, they are mostly qualified.
The Duke is the rank closest to the prince, so in order to avoid any serious historical inaccuracies using princes’ names, it is rather easy to come up with a duchy and create a young, handsome ruler. We all once in our life have dreamed of marrying a royal! Imagine that they are the billionaires of the Regency era. Oh, the plotline possibilities…
Usually, they are dealing with trauma, caused by their parental environment; the loss of a parent, or just cruelty. So, they are reluctant to connect profoundly with someone, let alone marry them. They are often attracted to wallflowers because they are bored and need a challenge to spice their life up. They will only confess their feelings at the climax of the story when their love interest’s safety is jeopardized.
Valentine Napier, the Duke of Montgomery has come back to London from exile and he is ready to get his revenge. He is fearful and notorious and nothing will stand in his way. Nothing but a beautiful, red-headed spy.
The Duke of Hastings will make a deal with his best friend’s little sister; he will pretend to court her only to ensure his peace and quiet, avoiding any further marriage proposal. But he won’t be able to deny the attraction between him and Daphne.
Clayton Westmoreland, the Duke of Claymore, desperately wants to marry a specific lady. He will do anything to have her, and he is sure he can make her fall in love with him too. The fact that she is in love with another man doesn’t seem to affect him at all.
Christian Langland, Duke of Jervaulx, is serious only when it comes to giving lectures on math. His other pleasures in life don't match his scholarly persona. However, his health will take an unexpected turn, and his family will turn their backs on him. Only one woman will stand by his side till the end. Make sure you read a book review on Goodreads.
Ransom Vane, is about the secluded duke, who isolated himself after a bad injury. He is grumpy, stubborn and unwilling to accept any kind of help dealing with his trauma. Well, in that case, we all know that all he needs is a little bit of love to soften his cold heart.
Undoubtedly, it is interesting to explore the word of the regency romance from the perspective of a rather controversial female gaze—controversial by the period’s standards anyway.
Women enjoy their royal titles, but they are not always satisfied with just that. There are many cases when the heroine has to save the day not just by agreeing to an arranged marriage to repay her family’s debt. Many historical fiction books follow women warriors, who work hard to make their living or are determined to defy societal rules and enjoy their life in a more rakish way. As you can understand, those women were the favorite subjects to gossip about in the drawing rooms, as scandals during that period were a lady’s favorite cup of tea.
As her role in society was too restricted, a woman could be characterized as a libertine by merely speaking her mind. So, going through the list below, don’t be surprised when you find a courtesan stealing the heart of a duke.
While the word “rake” is presumed to be part of the period’s slang, a duke is an official and very influential title. Being a duke comes with great cost but with great social advantage too. In most cases, the duke is the eldest son and heir of a duchy that was forced in one way or another to rule.
A rake doesn’t have to be an heir. Authors can choose to explore the life of the second and, maybe, more neglected child of a royal family. It is the perfect opportunity to create a thorough rakish character since there is no responsibility towards the family, thus, they are more carefree and prone to scandals.
The trauma that the character must go through while the story unfolds is usually different in favor of the plotline. For example, it is already suggested that a duke sometimes suffers from family drama, or something darker, that his title and responsibility won’t let him short out. On the other hand, because of all those difficulties that he has faced, he has become really a kind and dependable person who cares for his people.
When it comes to the rake, there are no limitations in character and titles. Everyone can be a rake and be interested in his role. But the more fascinating sounds, the darker it is actually. A rake can be a member of an underground dangerous society, delaying with gambles, guns and women. The challenge for a character like that would be escaping his life as it is and choosing to love someone.
The stakes in these two cases are different, but still, it is hardly possible to argue anything, because there is no standard canon in fiction. And that’s the magic of it!
The rivals that a duke can have need to be worthy of his title in order to be interesting. Imagine a story where a duke saves his girl from a mere thief, without a special reason behind the action… boring. We, readers, need twists and side plots. The villain should be the duke’s alter ego in most cases.
For the rakes, the only actual rival is their own selves; their bad habits, their fear of commitment and their inability to express their inner thoughts. Through the storyline and the heroine’s help, they mature and get to be worthy of their social status.
As you can guess, a duke needs to find his equal in status and sometimes fortune too. That is where the challenge lies in matters of love. He always has a wide variety of lovely young ladies to choose from, but the one who catches the eye most of the time is the bluestocking. He merely needs someone to remind him that he can’t have anything in life, even if he is a duke. The tropes that often flourish in this kind of historical romance fiction are forced marriage or marriage of convenience.
For a rake, marriage is usually out of the question. He is too satisfied by the attention of the other sex, and the last thing he needs is responsibility of any kind. Maybe a chance encounter with an equal in wits would make him reconsider some of his ways. More frequently though, a rake would fall into his own trap when he decides to share his insights in seduction with an innocent enthusiast. It’s the tutor-like situation that we know you love to read.
Before you run to look up the titles we suggested on Amazon or download them on your Kindle, take a look at our articles and find out more about Regency and our all-time favorite Outlander. We are sure that those highlanders are worth your while. Also, don’t waste energy in an effort to choose your next read as we have endless lists with titles for all kinds of tropes you may love in historical romance!
Enjoy!
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Nikki Sheryee insists that she’s “up to no good” whenever she’s in the company of books. Armed with a degree in English Language and Literature, she wields the power of words like a mischievous wizard. Her lifelong dream? To be the editor who sprinkles magic dust on manuscripts! To Nikki, a book is more alive than a caffeinated squirrel on roller skates. Readers nurture it, cuddle it, scold it, and occasionally challenge it to a duel! But in the end, a book does its own thing, pulling at our heartstrings and revealing our inner human-ness. Nikki’s favorite pastime? Well, it’s none other than the noble art of daydreaming! And she wears her daydreamer’s badge with pride, sharing this delightful delusion with the crème de la crème of her friends.
