A princess in disguise is forced to live with a rogue in order to protect her from danger in this fun, sexy regency romance from Kate Bateman. In The Princess and the Rogue, Bow Street agent Sebastien Wolff, Earl of Mowbray, doesn’t believe in love–until a passionate kiss with a beautiful stranger in a brothel forces him to reconsider. When the mysterious woman is linked to an intrigue … linked to an intrigue involving a missing Russian princess, however, Seb realizes her air of innocence was too good to be true.
Princess Anastasia Denisova has been hiding in London as plain ‘Anna Brown’. With a dangerous traitor hot on her trail, her best option is to accept Wolff’s offer of protection–and accommodation–at his gambling hell. But living in such close quarters, and aiding Wolff in his Bow Street cases, fans the flames of their mutual attraction. If Anya’s true identity is revealed, does their romance stand a chance? Could a princess ever marry a rogue?
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This was my second book in the Bow Street Runners Series, and I found it to be an enjoyable tale. Princess Anastasia was a very strong, determined woman who was resourceful enough to take care of herself, in most situations. Sebastian Wolffe, Earl of Mowbray is a damaged war veteran who meets his match in Anya and finds what he needs for his HEA.. I ended the book smiling, just what I love.
Princess Anastasia Denisova has been hiding in London for over a year. In her past life as a princess she had all the riches money could buy, but not always the protection she needed. She finds herself making ends meet by caring for an aging Dowager and teaching manners and etiquette to the girls of her friend Charlotte’s establishment – a brothel.
This is where Anastasia – aka Anna Brown – meets Sebastien Wolff, Earl of Mowbray. He assumes Anna works at the brothel and they share a passionate kiss. Wolff and Anna soon find each other sharing close quarters when Anastasia is discovered to be living in London and a threat is made on her life. She must seek Sebastien’s protection – he does work at Bow Street after all – and stay with him at his gaming club until they figure out who to apprehend.
I really enjoyed the relationship between Anna and Sebastien. Their chemistry was immediate right from the beginning of the book. I always love a fierce and strong heroine and love that Anna chooses to try to be stronger so that she can never be taken advantage of.
The Princess and the Rogue was a great mix of romance and suspense. Although this book is part of a series I read it without reading the previous books and it completely stands alone as a romance.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
Princess Anastasia Denisova has lost her whole world and now she’s been forced to go into hiding across the ocean living under an assumed name Anna Brown. She becomes a lady’s companion to the Dowager Duchess of Winick. Anya encounters her companion’s great grandson Sebastien Wolff, Earl of Mowbray at a brothel where he propositions her and where she flat refuses for any amount of money.
When it seems Anya is in danger the Duchess calls upon her great grandson, a Bow Street runner, Sebastian to provide protection as they leave for the country estate to keep Anya safe. She soon finds herself in danger and the handsome agent for the crown becomes her close companion until the Russian spy is caught. What an adventure story filled with intrigue and romance as these two tempt fate as they grow closer. Will Anya’s secret tear them apart or will Sebastian let his pride stand in the way of his happiness? I have voluntarily read and reviewed these excellent story.
Sebastien Wolff, Earl of Mowbray, stumbles upon Anya in a brothel of all places. When he attempts to engage her services, Anya tells him she’s not a worker there. What she didn’t tell him was that she was the Russian princess Anastasia who went missing a year ago in Paris. When Seb foils a kidnapping attempt of Anya, he agrees to protect her at his Tricorn gambling establishment. Anya feels the undeniable attraction between the two of them, but refuses to tell him who she really is. When he eventually discovers her identify, he feels betrayed by her secrets. Can they finally get beyond the betrayal and confess their love for each other?
This is the 3rd book in the Bow Street Bachelors and I was looking forward to reading Seb’s story. I loved Seb. He was so loyal and competent although his constant scowling got a little old. As far as Anya is concerned, I had mixed feelings about her. She is supposed to be a smart young woman and yet she runs away from Paris with only her maid and a few jewels. Being a princess why wasn’t there guards or advisors or anyone who could protect her from Petrov? That was a big plot hole for me that there wasn’t anyone she could turn to for help. I absolutely loved the dowager. She was a hoot!
I voluntarily read the advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own.
Rating: 3-3.5 stars (lowered due to first half being too slow paced).
The first half of this book is very leisurely paced, folks. It wasn’t until 49%, things heat up with graphic steamy scenes between Sebastien and Anya, the main couple, and the princess on the run plot finally picked up, as well. By then, Sebastien started to have a reason to step up to the plate, despite stubbornly not handling Anya’s princess status overly well. It takes her life on the line and nearly losing her for good to make this former firmly committed to bachelorhood rogue to realize his life is meaningless without her.
There is a convenient, helpful, welcome twist at the end that wraps up the bad guy drama once and for all. Cameos of main characters from previous books lend support and a helping hand to bring this main couple to their destined HEA. Considering these books are linked to the same series it would seem out of place if that didn’t happen, IMHO. Anya’s willingness to do whatever it takes to escape her enemy’s evil clutches added quite a dramatic, dangerous flair to top things off.
Title: The Princess and the Rogue, Series: Bow Street Bachelors (Book 3), Author: Kate Bateman, Pages: 336, pub date: 12/29/20, stand-alone but part of a series, first half very slow paced, graphic smex scenes, some violence, evil villain, no OW/OM drama, relationship angst, pushing away, hero always has a reason to convince himself to walk away.
Book 1 – This Earl of Mine
Book 2 – To Catch an Earl
Book 3 – The Princess and the Rogue
(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review. There is no affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author, publisher, NetGalley, or PR firm.)
I’ve had such an enjoyable time with the Bow Street Bachelors series. And finally, it’s Sebastien’s time for romance in The Princess and The Rogue – even though he would stubbornly deny the existence nor the need for love in his life.
Ana is a princess on the run from a forced marriage proposal by a dastardly villain who is suspected of spying against her homeland, Russia. She has fled to London where she is hiding in plain sight as the companion to a lovely older woman – and a teacher of sorts to the ladies of a brothel, helping them to learn to read in order to provide a different life for themselves should they choose. It’s the brothel part of her hidden identity that will bring Ana into contact with Seb and does he ever get the facts wrong from the start.
Ana’s past is about to catch up with her and the safest place to be is, well, in the gaming hell owned by Seb and his friends. As Ana and Seb plot to catch a spy the sizzling attraction spark that first ignited between them steadily grows into something far more than attraction or lust. Seb is still wrapping his mind around the fact that he can in fact love someone – and watching that realization overcome this stubborn man was a fun experience.
The Princess and The Rogue is a fast-paced, funny, sultry, purely enjoyable romance which (I believe) wraps up the Bow Street Bachelors series. I had fun with Seb and Ana as they go after a spy and fall in love along the way. If you love a good, engaging Historical Romance then you’ll want to pick up this story and this series.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
This was just delightful, a fantasy tale of love, adventure and resourceful heroines with strong heroes beside them. I loved Princess Anya (Anastasia) and her determination not to be trapped into marriage or anything else she didn’t like. Rather than be dominated by a suitor more worried about saving his neck than her love, she escaped from Paris to London after she learns her brother has died at Waterloo, turning her life of privilege upside down. She works as a companion; her friend and companion works as a seamstress. They live next-door to a brothel (with the best meet-cute ever with the H, an earl, no less). Her life is not the glittering one she learned at court back in Russia, but she seems eager to seize life on her own terms. The story is a tad fantastical but, oh, so much fun. She is pretending to be plain Anna Brown, not a princess, until her past catches up with her. Meanwhile, she has to deal with the nephew of her employer — who owns a gambling den and is searching for a Russian spy — and decide what she wants out of life. Getting there is a rousing adventure, with an ending that is just so much fun and sets up the next book beautifully. Just a treat! (I received an ARC from NetGalley. Opinions mine.)
This has been a very solid series about the Bow Street Bachelors, three war heroes who returned to England and found new purpose working for Bow Street – helped out by the fact that they are now highly titled and very rich of course. Sebastian Wolff, Earl of Mowbray, is the last unmarried one of the three.
Princess Anastasia Denisova flees Paris after learning of her brother’s death at Waterloo, pursued by an unscrupulous prince who intends to force her into marriage – but not for the usual reasons. Prince Vasili believes Anya has evidence that he’s a traitor, and as his wife she could not testify against him.
Anya’s been in London a year, working part-time as a companion to a fearsome dowager duchess and living next door to a brothel in Covent Garden where she spends her spare time teaching the girls to read. And… this is where my suspension of disbelief fails a bit, because the ‘brothel madam with a heart of gold’ is just not a credible character for me any more. Read Sex and Sexuality in Georgian Britain and it won’t be for you, either!
I also found myself wondering why Anya was living in Paris with one female companion and not a single guard. If she’s so rich, why on earth had her brother left her completely unprotected in a city held by their enemies? And once I’d thought that, too many things didn’t make sense. Anya was in touch with her man of business in Russia. She could have ordered him to send her money, loyal guards, anything she needed. She was a first cousin to the tsar, for goodness’ sake! Living in genteel poverty in London was ridiculous and unnecessary and it was also utterly contrived for Plot Purposes.
I mostly liked the actual romance part of the story, though Sebastian needed to keep his mind out of the gutter a lot more. He spent half his time trying to think of ways Anya just HAD to be a whore so it would be ‘okay’ for him to sleep with her. Probably why it never occurred to him that she was, in fact, the princess he was looking for. Or maybe it just didn’t make sense to him either that she was living without money or protection when she could easily have obtained both. Anya as a character was actually great; strong-willed and determined, but she did several pretty stupid things for the sake of the plot, which is always frustrating.
I’m probably coming off like I hated this, which I really didn’t: Kate Bateman writes an engaging story with charming characters and her writing style is excellent. The pace of the story rattles along nicely and the sex scenes are well written. I just couldn’t buy into the setup and the suspense plot.
Overall, I’ll give it four stars. This has been an excellent series (though the first book was outstandingly the best in my opinion). I’m looking forward to seeing what Kate Bateman writes next.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.
Sebastien Wolff, Earl of Mowbray is the last of his group of friends to still be single. He believes there is no single woman who could get him to settle down. Enter Anna Brown, aka Princess Anastasia Denisova. Anna fled Russia after word that her brother Dimitri died in battle to escape Count Vasili Petrov, the Russian traitor who wanted to marry her for her money.
While in London, trying to keep low, Anna becomes a companion to the Dowager Duchess of Winwick to earn some money. The dowager just happens to be the great-aunt of Sebastien. Anna also spends time at her friend, Charlotte Haye’s, infamous brothel helping to teach the girls how to read, write and be a lady. One evening Sebastien enters the brothel looking for some fun and sees Anna. He decides that is the woman he wants. When Anna refuses, they end up kissing and the chemistry is off the charts. This begins the fun chase. Sebastien cannot seemed to get Anna out of his mind but he has no idea who she is until he sees her with his great-aunt when he agrees to accompany them to the country. When Anna’s life is threatened, Sebastien takes matters into his own hand and moves Anna in with him at his gaming hall. The more time these two spend together, the closer they get until they can no longer stop their attraction. During this same time, Sebastien enlists Anna’s help with the murder of a Russian man. As the mystery of the murder comes to a surprising conclusion, lots of interesting things comes to light…..and Anna and Sebastien find their perfect happy ending.
I loved this story. There was the perfect amount of suspense mixed with a great love story. I just loved both Anna and Sebastien. Anna was so strong and gave up so much for her freedom. Sebastien was fun because I love seeing an alpha man falling hard for the perfect woman. Overall, this was a great end to a great series.
Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings expressed are my own.
We get Seb’s story!!!!
Seb, a confirmed bachelor who refuses to be tied down to any woman of the Ton, decides to visit a brothel that is acclaimed to have the most beautiful girls in the city. His path crosses Anna while she is teaching the “girls” how to read. Seb mistakes Anna as one of the girls working there, after he learns he cannot buy her time for any amount of money he leaves. In the coming days Seb is unable to get Anna off his mind and he has to know who she is.
After Anna escapes from Paris she starts over as a companion to a dowager duchess who just so happens to be Seb’s aunt. When Anna’s past begins to catch up with her, Seb becomes her protector. This is not an easy job for Seb because Anna has a mind of her own and has no problem taking charge of any situation.
I absolutely loved Georgina in the first book and didn’t think that I would like another female character in this series more but I really loved Anna. She was strong and truly cared about those people around her. She is not your typical damsel and I love that about her.
I loved the banter from Benedict and Alex. They can see that Seb is in deep no matter how much he wants to fight it. And they give back to him all that he dished out in the first two books.
I really loved this book! If you are looking for a fun enemies to lovers type book I highly recommend this one.
This is such an outstanding book. It’s full of action, adventure, passion, intrigue, suspense, and surprises. I loved Anya’s personality and the rules she had for everything. Sebastian didn’t know what hit him when he met Anya. Such a spirited woman who won’t let anyone or anything stop her.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.
Princess Anastasia Denisova has been hiding in London as Anna Brown after her brother was reported killed in the war and Vasili Petrov is forcing her to marry him so he can have all she has as well as she can’t testify against her husband if he is charged for treason. She took as many jewels as she could to get her and her best friend Elizaveta as far away from Paris as she could and is now working as a companion for Sebastien Wolff, Earl of Mowbray’s great aunt. He, however, is unaware of any of this until she is almost kidnapped and he offers his protection unknowing who she is, just that she is lying. I enjoyed every book in this great series. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and this is my honest review.
What do you do when you realize the man you were kissing in a brothel is the nephew of your employer? Talk about an awkward moment! Especially when the man assumes you work there, never imagining you could be tutoring the prostitutes in reading.
Princess Anastasia “Anya” fled Paris after losing her family and having her own life threatened. Now in England, she takes a job as a lady’s companion and befriends the brothel owner, hence the reading lessons to the prostitutes. The ‘lady’ is the Dowager Duchess of Winwick, Sebastian Wolf’s aunt, and she suggests Seb act as Anya’s bodyguard as she travels to her home in Russia. Since Seb is a Bow Street Runner he is perfect for the job!
Kate Bateman combines intrigue, romance, laughter, witty banter, and wonderful Russian history into this well-written story. The chemistry between Anya and Seb is palpable and adds to the suspense of the story. Characters from the previous books in the series have cameos; Alex and Benedict have a ball watching Seb deny and then finally admit his love for Anya. Sebastian and Anya’s journey is definitely worth reading. You will be happy you did!!
I wish to thank the publisher and Net-Galley for a complimentary copy of The Princess and the Rogue. I voluntarily read and left my review.
First there were three Bow Street Bachelors, then there were two. And now there’s just one – Sebastien, the cranky one. He doesn’t believe in love and certainly doesn’t believe in marriage. It might be alright for his two best friends Benedict and Alex, but it’s not for him. Even if in his reflective moments he acknowledges they seem rather content with their wives, not at all like the “trapped men” he believes them to be. This love and marriage stuff is just not for him. He’s a handsome, sexy, unattached rogue and he wants to stay that way. The three of them provide service to the crown at Bow Street, and they are also partners in a gaming hell, The Tricorn Club.
Anna Brown is really a Russian princess, hiding from a dangerous traitor who wants to gain control of her fortune and possibly silence her from revealing who he really is. She and her maid escaped to London and are making lives for themselves, but their safety and security is about to evaporate.
Author Kate Bateman has done it again. When the princess and the rogue meet, Sebastien mistakes Anna for one of the ladies of the “house” where she is teaching the women to read. There’s a kiss – of course there’s a kiss! – and everything takes off from there. This is a delightful story, with wonderful coincidences that set up the next hot, steamy, sexy, passionate, dramatic exchange and allow the sparks to fly and tempers to flare and humor to erupt. There is intrigue and mystery and danger and love, just what we have come to expect and love about anything Kate Bateman writes.
I thoroughly enjoyed my adventures with all three Bow Street Bachelors and loved The Princess and The Rogue. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing an advance copy of The Princess and The Rogue via NetGalley for my enjoyment and honest review. All opinions are my own – I recommend this book, this series, this author without hesitation.
I enjoyed this story about the third Bow Street bachelor, Sebastien. He’s definitely feeling alone as his two friends have met and married their true loves and moved out of the gambling club apartments. He isn’t planning to meet the same “fate” having been burned in love as a young man. Until one day he meets a beautiful and annoying woman who wants nothing to do with him. . .
Russian princess, Anya, is on the run from a traitor who only wants to marry her, get her riches and then kill her off. Bow Street runner, Sebastian, helps her to lure the criminal out. I received an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my honest review.
Kate Bateman brings us the third and final installment of the Bow Street Bachelors series. Sebastien Wolff, the last holdout from love and marriage, finds himself embroiled with a beautiful woman who turns out to be a Russian princess! Anastasia Denisova is clearly in some sort of trouble. She is living under the name Anna Brown and serves as a companion to his formidable great-aunt. The unlikely pairing of a tough-guy ex-soldier and a princess gives the story an interesting dimension.
Sebastien and Anya were both well developed characters. The readers had been introduced to Sebastien in the previous two books in the series. He was gruff on the outside, but showed a soft heart in his relationship with his great-aunt. Anya might have grown up in luxury, but she is tough and pragmatic. She adapts to her new circumstances with intelligence and determination.
I enjoyed the Russian culture and language enmeshed in this story, especially the many Russian superstitions. The ending was particularly clever. The Princess and the Rogue was a solid read and I am sorry to see the series end.
ARC provided through Netgalley.
Here is why this book should be on your must-read list. There is a strong, take control actual Russian princess that is not so high on herself that does whatever it takes to keep herself and her bestie alive. There is a swoon-worthy, decent, hard-working war hero who has sworn off all ideas of love and marriage. There is a villain. A true villain that brings in danger and a sense of adventure. There is found family. The hero and his best friends are delightful on the page together. I love the camaraderie between them and his friends’ wives. All in all, The Princess and the Rogue has every element to pull you in and keep the pages turning wanting to know what will happen next.
I loved this book. Bateman’s writing is fun and easy. She has a way of dropping in tidbits of Russian culture and military history without losing the story, boring the reader, or making these details too much. I loved reading about the Russian food and language as it popped up. I loved the military background of the hero, Seb and his friends. I love that the heroine, Anya, didn’t wait for, or need, the hero to rescue her. She rescues herself over and over again. I loved the chemistry in the book….both between hero and heroine and the family and friendship aspect.
This book is the third in a series – the first two being about Seb’s two friends – and yet it reads as a standalone. This story had me instantly adding the first two to my TBR and puts Bateman right onto my must-read list. If you are a fan of Sarah MacLean or Joanna Shupe, I truly think you will love this book. A solid 5 star read.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for an ARC of this book. The opinions here are my own.
Princess Anastasia (Anya) was an intelligent and resourceful lady. She was determined to avoid marriage to a scoundrel, even if this means living in reduced circumstances and working for her living. Sebastian Wolf, Earl of Mowbray, is one of the Bow Street investigators, as well as part owner of the Tricorn Club. Their first meeting is unconventional to say the least, as is their next meeting. They are attracted to each other but given their circumstances, could anything come of it. This story has some amusing banter between Sebastian and his two friends, Benedict and Alex. It also has a misunderstanding, dangerous events and very passionate moments. This was an entertaining read. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I did not expect to love Seb as much as I did. What is it about a grumpy hero? And I loved Seb and Anya’s chemistry. This was a fun wrap-up to this series.
Princess Anastasia Denisova flees France after the death of her brother to escape a fellow countryman who won’t take no for an answer. Once in London, she becomes Anna Brown, a ladies companion. She enjoys her job with the Dowager Duchess and helping the women of the brothel next door learn to read.
Sebastian Wolf, the Earl of Mowbray, does not believe in love and that’s thanks to his upbringing. He encounters Anya at Miss Hayes’ brothel believing she is someone she is not. And when she hears his name she recognizes that he is her employers’ nephew.
When she learns the man who tried to force her into marriage is in town, she has no choice but to accept the protection that Wolff offers.
Thanks so much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC.