This compelling story has interesting main characters with explosive chemistry. I enjoyed the growth of the characters throughout the story and the horse racing subplot. I look forward to reading more about the secondary characters, who have already been introduced in the book.
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley; these are my opinions.

When Gemma infiltrates Rake’s stables, she does it as a young man. Her horse expertise leads her to be a jockey for his difficult horse. Rake can’t understand why he is attracted to his stable boy until he finally realizes Gem is a girl. Their attraction flares and Gem fears her other secrets will tear them apart. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Oliver Heber Books for my honest review.

Horse racing is a large part of this story. I found it interesting and well researched.
Gemma and her twin brother Liam are illegitimate adult offspring of an Earl. The have been working at various stables, Gemma disguised as a boy, until Liam is injured in a horse race. They find an inn so he can recuperate. Gemma/Gem goes to the stables to see the horses and runs into the Duke of Rakesley, known as Rake. He offers Gem a job in his stables. When the Duke discovers that she is the only one that his racehorse Hannibal will let get near him, he hires her as his jockey.
The Duke figures out pretty quickly that Gem is not a boy and I love the relationship that develops between them.
However, Gem/Gemma has a secret. She is secretly spying on his stables for another horse racer.
There are some interesting side characters in the book.
This is a wonderful, entertaining read.
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and these are my opinions.

This is a fun, interesting read, and a good start to a new series. Gemma and Rake are such interesting, relatable, captivating characters. Each have been affected by people in their lives, that have shaped how they view what they want out of marriage – which isn’t necessarily what they need. Gemma is strong, smart and gifted with animals. I especially enjoyed the scenes of her with the horses. She and Rake are a good match for each other. I loved the growth of the characters throughout the course of the story. I did with we had gotten more from one of the subplots. The secondary characters added to the fabric of the story.

Trigger Warner: there is the death of an animal on page and the discussion of off page mental abuse.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the All’s Fair in Love and Racing series. Gemma dresses up as a stable hand to infiltrate the Duke of Rakesley’s racing stable and collect information for a rival horseman. Gemma and her twin brother were the illegitimate children of an earl and are running away from his overbearing care. When Gemma gets to the duke’s stables, she has a way with the wild and untrained horse and quickly moves up to being a jockey. While Rake runs an impressive stable, he’s curious about the new stable hand “Gem”. When he finally realizes that his new employee is a woman (and a very attractive one), they start a steamy affair that keeps her feeling guilty about her initial motives for being there.

I fell in love with the characters and loved watching their story unfold. It definitely feels like the secondary characters could potentially be featured in their own story at some point, so I am interested in seeing if that comes to fruition.

Gemma and her brother Liam are on their way to work at Somerton the famous racing stables of the Duke of Rakesley. Liam breaks his leg and Gemma has to impersonate a male stable groom as Gem. She has a special way with horses and soon has the most difficult racing horse going through his moves and eventually being able to ride him. Gem becomes his jockey and there are plans for her to ride him in a prestigious race.
The Duke Rake is observant realizes she is not all she seems and they begin a steamy romance. However the Duke had previously made to tentative plans to marry a widowed Duchess and combine their highly successful stables.
Rake cannot get Gem out of his head but he cannot marry his jockey.
As the race approaches, twists and turns in the story force all to make some difficult decisions.
Truly enjoyed this unique story and the compelling attraction of Rake and Gemma.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute little regency romance novel…the plot is always predictable in these books, but we love it like that!

Rake (I’ve got problems with the name, it’s kind of cringey) is a decent character, Gemma is pretty well written…I’m just not a massive fan of the miscommunication or hidden identity ‘She’s the Man’ situations.

I love the horses. I also love that Gemma is a horse whisperer. I really like Artemis and the sibling rivalry portrayed with Artemis and Rake.

There were times when I really wanted to slap both of the MCs. But look, it was a cute little read and I don’t regret it. 3.5 ⭐️

Check TWs: animal death.

The horses were such a large part of the story that if you can’t enjoy that element you’ll struggle. I liked the process of Rake figuring out Gemma was a woman. His inner thoughts overall were one of the best parts of the book. But their relationship developed too quickly to be believable for me.

I never saw enough from Gemma’s point of view to connect with her motivations. Her fear of her father and why wasn’t shown and then was resolved really easily. We never see her act as a spy and report what she saw in Rake’s stables. If she was going to be paid 200 pounds for winning, why betray Rake for 50? I wish we had as much of her POV as we did of Rake.

Still, I read this in a day. I liked the pacing and the supporting cast and would read the next in the series.

This is an enjoyable read about horse racing and the horse whisperer jockey who is also a woman. She may have an ulterior motive to be in his stables but she is foremost a horse lover. In her, he has found the in between where magic can be found and wisely didn’t let go. Romance, steam, subterfuge, excitement and some tragedy in this very enjoyable read.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and leaving my review voluntarily.

(TW: death of an animal)

This was an interesting perspective for a historical! We always hear about gambling on horse races in the background of historicals, but this was a fun read to understand a bit more about the racing world in this context.

Liam and Gemma [Gem] - the illegitimate children of the Earl of Bolton - have escaped their father's clutches and are on their way to achieving a new life for themselves when Liam breaks his leg and must recuperate, while Gemma goes undercover as a stable lad to spy on the stables of the Duke of Rakesly for Lord Deverill. Eventually, Rakesly discovers Gemma's true identity, but only part of her motivation for masquerading as a 17-year-old boy. Gemma's way with animals enables her to be the only rider to be able to work with Hannibal, a giant black stallion. Secret identity, spying, siblings on the run, and a duke's wounded pride all make for an interesting conflict and romance.

I had a bit of trouble reconciling the fear Liam and Gemma had of their father with the relative ease with which Rakesly was able to scare him off. The resolution didn't seem as momentous as the mounting conflict indicated for 80% of the book.

The secondary characters in this book, Lady Artemis in particular, were engaging. I felt so awful for Dido and Artemis after the race. The guilt Artemis felt must have been debilitating. I'm eager to see which secondary characters get their own books and who they end up with, so I look forward to the rest of the series.

ARC received courtesy of NetGalley.

Right so. I was alarmed at the beginning of this book when our heroine (Gemma, or 'Gem' in disguise) meets the hero's horse (Moonraker... great name) and the description has him at 15 hands. I am horsey, 15 hands is not a very large horse, particularly not for a man. I was concerned that horse-related writing missteps would marr this book for me!

Actually though, after that little stumble, I rather enjoyed it! Rake, the duke, is a bit of an enigmatic character but he warms up over time. Gem is a bit of a horsewhisperer. I've read other regencies where a woman riding a horse to victory is an ABSOLUTE SHOCKER but in this book it's treated quite lightly which I liked as it helped the story to flow without the overriding Spectre of Ruination.

All in all, worth a read! I'd be interested in some follow-ons for Rake's sister Artemis, and his best friend Julian.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

4.5 stars. I read this is one sitting. Sofie Darling is a writer who makes few missteps; her dialog, descriptions, and research are consistently well done, and this book is no exception. It immerses you in the backdrop of competitive horse racing during the Regency period while it also quickly draws you into the relationship between Gemma and Rake. These MC's are from completely different backgrounds but develop a growing regard for each other as well as sizzling chemistry. No mistake, the scenes here are spicy!

Gemma is an illegitimate daughter of an earl who has gone undercover as a stableboy for Rake, a duke who owns some of the finest horses in England. She has agreed to spy on his stables for an amount of money that will allow her and her twin brother to finally stop running; they are being stalked relentlessly by their biological father and her brother must take time to heal from an injury. Gemma and Rake's relationship evolves in a fairly organic manner (no, it doesn't take him too long to realize she's not a boy) after she becomes elevated to jockey, as she has a way with horses. With kindness and patience, she is able to forge a fierce bond with Hannibal, a stallion that everyone believes is unrideable. The early training and competitive racing scenes in the book are exciting to read even if you're not a fan of the sport, and I appreciated that there is a difference drawn between riders who used crops and spurs and those who did not.

Secondary characters are also memorable. My heart went out to Rake's sister, Artemis, and what happened toward the end. I'm looking forward to her book in the series.

I mentioned earlier that the MC's have great chemistry. Rake is one of those MMC's I'm just drawn to. He seems intense and serious on the outside, maybe a tad rigid, but has a wry sense of humor, and you believe in his care and concern for Gemma. Every one of the love scenes with him just hit the spot.

I did like Gemma, with one caveat: the spy business. Once Rake trusted her to be his jockey and agreed immediately to share winnings, she should have dropped dealings with "the Devil" like a hot coal. POSSIBLE SPOILERS:..................................Gemma didn't even know whether Deverill would pay her and her brother, and I lost some of my respect for her sibling when he and Deverill continued plotting. Any sabotage could have put the livelihood of the other workers, and the health of the animals, at risk, and regardless, Gemma could have been imprisoned. The reader doesn't know all of the information she gave Deverill by the end, but the fact that she said she would do it again to help herself and her brother bothered me. You wonder why, with her love for horses and the sport, her conscience would even tolerate it, although she cynically justified to herself at one point that Rake could afford to lose. I honestly felt like she should have groveled more at the end.

Overall, though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and all of the emotional connections, including those between human and animal. This is a promising start to a new series.

I read an advanced reader copy of this book and this is my voluntary review. Opinions are my own.

Want something sexy and swoon-worthy? Yes, this is the book for you. It's sexy, beautiful, lovely, and earth gripping yes!

Odds on the Rake is a charming story of Gemma Cassidy who disguises herself as a boy to work (and spy) in Rake, The Duke of Rakesley's stable.

This is an engaging story, I read it in one sitting. I liked both characters. Gem was spunky and Rake was intelligent and arrogant. Both were well written, I especially liked the inner workings or Rake, and even how Gemma describes him in her thoughts. Very cool and composed which makes epilogue even sweeter.

This book introduced some interesting characters, I look forward to reading their stories.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC, opinions are my own.