“Rich with subplot, historical detail and beautifully descriptive writing that keeps the pages turning until the delightfully unconventional happy ending.”—NPRAn Indie Next/LibraryReads pick!An Apple Must Listen Audiobook for September!A lady must have money and an army of her own if she is to win a revolution—but first, she must pit her wits against the wiles of an irresistible rogue bent on … irresistible rogue bent on wrecking her plans…and her heart.
Lady Lucie is fuming. She and her band of Oxford suffragists have finally scraped together enough capital to control one of London’s major publishing houses, with one purpose: to use it in a coup against Parliament. But who could have predicted that the one person standing between her and success is her old nemesis and London’s undisputed lord of sin, Lord Ballentine? Or that he would be willing to hand over the reins for an outrageous price—a night in her bed.
Lucie tempts Tristan like no other woman, burning him up with her fierceness and determination every time they clash. But as their battle of wills and words fans the flames of long-smoldering devotion, the silver-tongued seducer runs the risk of becoming caught in his own snare.
As Lucie tries to out-maneuver Tristan in the boardroom and the bedchamber, she soon discovers there’s truth in what the poets say: all is fair in love and war…
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So, I did read an early copy of Evie Dunmore’s A Rogue of One’s Own which came out yesterday. And due to wider conversation about this book and things in it that are actively harmful, I find it difficult to review it in any substantive way.
I have to admit that I did enjoy this book overall. Lucie is a wonderful character and her devotion to women’s rights and the suffrage movement are fantastic. I wanted to fist-bump Lucie several times throughout this book.
The romance worked well for me as well. It has an enemies-to-lovers feel to it, although Tristan has nursed a tendre for Lucie for many years. These two bicker and fight and have to find a way to work together. And this leads to a delightful romantic tension.
But (and this isa a BIG BUT) Tristan spent years hiding from his father (who is awful) in India. And to commemorate his time there, he got a blue-skinned, four-armed figure tattooed on his chest that is inspired by Lord Shiva.
And when I first read this book, I thought to myself “Why?” But I definitely didn’t pay enough attention to it and what it would mean to those of South Asian descent. Despite the fact that this comes up repeatedly in romance.
This tattoo plays a critical part later in the book when someone accuses Tristan of ruining her, but cannot describe the tattoo accurately – because why would a tattoo of a person ever have more than 2 arms?
I also had some other issues with this dramatic reveal because Lucie seems to have no qualms about ruining her cousin by calling her a liar. I am not saying that the cousin didn’t deserve to have her false claims denied, but the entire plot point seemed problematic on several layers.
I don’t think the tattoo nor the way that the aforementioned situation was resolved were particularly necessary. This story had a strong foundation and didn’t need either of these things. In fact, it would’ve been stronger without them.
Ultimately, we have got to start doing better with issues of race, cultural appropriation, etc. When people tell you that something hurts them, we need to listen and accept what they are telling us. And do better moving forward.
A Rogue of One’s Own was a wonderful and witty story! It was poignant and real with exceptional characters full of depth. I loved the emotion, drama, and the animosity between Lucie and Tristan. It was an exciting and fresh read!
Delightful, funny, entertaining, could not put down, fabulous characters, this book has it all.
I loved Evie Dunmore’s Bringing Down the Duke and this book continues with her The League of Extraordinary Women series with the story of Lucie and Tristan. As much as I loved book one I liked this one even more.
I loved that Lucie is not content with societal norms placed on women at that time and constantly pushes the boundaries. That is until she meets Tristan who completely knocks her off kilter. This book is a delight
Lady Lucie has decided that her suffragists need to stage a coup against Parliament! One way to accomplish that is to buy a publishing house and Lucie does just that. What Lucie doesn’t anticipate is that Lord Tristan Ballentine owns half of the publishing house. Lord Ballentine would gladly give over reign to Lucie on one condition – a night in his bed.
From the beginning I enjoyed the banter between Lucie and Tristan. There was such great chemistry every time they were on the same page. I love how strong and confident Lucie was and that she didn’t back away from a challenge – especially not one put forth by Tristan.
Both Tristan and Lucie have such deep hurts inflicted upon them. They both seem in charge and in control, but they’ve been hurt badly in their past from people that were supposed to love them unconditionally. When Lucie and Tristan show their vulnerabilities to one another – I loved them even more!
While I did enjoy the romance aspect of A Rogue of One’s Own I do feel like it was a very slow start to their relationship. I understand that Lucie is a suffragist and working on her movement is very important to her, but I still felt like there was a lot of inner monologue from both her and Tristan. While I enjoyed the romantic aspect of the book – enemies-to-lovers is definitely my favorite trope – there were some aspects of the book that did’t work for me and felt off.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
A few notes from my perspective on the book –
There were a few scenes that implied and hinted at characters being bisexual or gay that I’m not sure really added to the story. Either way it shed these characters in an unfavorable light. Perhaps they will be discussed in the next book?
Colonial India and the Hindu religion were discussed in a way that certain readers (South Asian/Indian) may take offense. As an own voices, South Asian reader this topic felt off and I’m not quite sure it was really needed in the book? A Colonial India that is romanticized doesn’t align with the history that I was taught growing up.
That being said, I did still enjoy the relationship between Lucie and Tristan very much and the last quarter of the book had a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming.
I’m looking forward to Hattie’s book next!
3.5 stars
I’m still fairly new to the historical romance genre, but it’s fast becoming one of my favorites. I love all the pining, yearning, and meaningful glances. A Rogue of One’s Own definitely delivered on these fronts, but it was also a much more emotional and heavy novel than I was anticipating.
What I liked:
– Lucie and Tristan’s banter. These two gave as good as they got and I loved their witty jabs and comebacks. It’s a slow burn between these two, but I loved their shared history and that they knew each other as children.
– The information and insight about the Women’s Suffrage Movement. It was enlightening and truly heartbreaking. It seems worlds away to how I am currently able to live my life, but it’s hard to believe that it actually wasn’t that long ago in history.
– The strong female friendships. I love this group of women and how they rally and come to each other’s aid. It was especially wonderful to see Annabelle and Sebastian again and get a little update on how they’re doing.
What didn’t quite work:
*****SPOILER*****
– Some of the secondary characters were very cookie cutter and not really explored/fleshed out. The sexuality of one specific character was a plot point and I’m not really sure why it was relevant or necessary to the story. He was portrayed in a very contrived and negative way. The author did try to draw parallels to the similar challenges and constraints his sexuality and women’s suffrage share, but it really left me more confused than anything.
– The use of Hindu deities. I do not know very much at all about Colonial India or the Hindu religion, but what occurs in the book was enough to make me question why it was necessary to include this in the story and why it needed to play such a pivotal role in the final conflict. After discussing it with a friend and hearing her personal perspective, I definitely feel it was unnecessary and in poor taste to have this in the book.
– The pacing of the book. It was a slow start for me and took a while to feel invested in the characters/story. Things definitely picked up in the second half, but I think that might be too late for some readers.
– I’m never a fan of the reformed manwhore and it took time for Tristan to win me over. He ended up being a great anti-hero though and my heart definitely broke for him a few times throughout the book. He also gave some pretty good grovel, so that’s a plus too 😉
*****END SPOILERS*****
Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I was rooting for Tristan and Lucie to find a way to overcome all the obstacles in their lives. I’m looking forward to Hattie’s story next!
CW: death of a child/sibling, PTSD, depression, child and domestic abuse
*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*
3.5 stars rounded up
In an effort to gather support for the British suffragist movement, the leader, Lady Lucinda “Lucie” Tedbury has finally bought into a publishing house, hoping to use the publications to further their cause. Lucie is passionate about women’s rights and won’t let anyone or anything stand in her way. But her well-ordered plans hit a road block in the shape of Tristian Ballentine, Viscount Ballentine. A man that has been the bane of her existence for years and apparently her new publishing partner.
Tristian is an unrepentant rake, who wants Lucie and is not shy about using her desires to obtain his own – but there is more to Tristian than meets the eye and the reader will be surprised by his depth. Tristian offers Lucie a deal – he will let her have control of the publishing house – if she is willing to spend a night in his bed. Lucie is no wilting violet and is willing to “sacrifice” herself for her cause – but is it really a sacrifice and when Tristian needs saving, will she be willing to surrender her power to save him?
I thought this was a well-written, nicely paced novel. Tristian and Lucie are complex characters and have an undeniable chemistry. The book is very history and fact heavy and at times I felt the “romance” got pulled under by the strong political current. I loved Tristian and despite being a man-ho, I found him to be easy to like, but Lucie was a little harder for me to warm up to – I like strong, empowered heroines, but sometimes they are a bit too much and that was how I felt about Lucie, I admired her dedication to her cause, but she did come across as a bit caustic. Overall, I enjoyed this story and would recommend it. It is the second book in the series, but it could easily be read as a stand-alone title.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by the publisher.*
4.5 stars. Evie Dunmore once again displays her writing skills with this second book in the League of Extraordinary Women series. This time we have a prickly heroine matched with a roguish guy with a sweet side.
Lacy Lucinda is from the aristocracy, but is estranged from her family. A leader in the suffragist movement, she is a fierce and focused worker. Her efforts to purchase a printing house for the suffrage work is thwarted by Lord Ballentine, her childhood nemesis, war hero and known rogue. Lucie and Tristan are an unlikely pair, but things are revealed in the story that demonstrate that they may have more in common than it seemed.
Tristan was a yummy hero; a man with a sad past and a romantic heart. He was devious, but sentimental. He was just the right guy to soften Lucie. She undergoes a lot of soul searching and re-evaluating her perception of herself. The story had a somewhat unusual ending, but it fit the situation.
This was a very compelling story and I loved the relationship between Tristan and Lucie. There was, perhaps, a little too much suffrage information at the end (it’s clear Dunmore is passionate about it), but overall, a great story. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
ARC provided through Netgalley.