Romancing the Rogue

Romancing the Rogue by Erica Ridley is an absolute delight to read. #2 in the her exciting "Gothic Historical Romance" series, which, it can be read as stand alone. **It originally featured in the Anthololoy "Vexed", which is were I first encountered this fantastic read.** I also enjoyed it so much, when the opportunity arose, I purchased it as an individual read. Yes, it is that good! A quick read that is easy to read and the characters easily capture your heart. 188 pages, packed full of entertainment, an interesting and intriguing plot, as well as characters who are charming and need a second chance in life and love. "Romancing the Rogue" is the story of Daniel Goodenham, Lord North-Barrows and Miss Rebecca Bond. Daniel, unfortunately, shunned Rebecca years ago, he was the only man she ever loved and Rebecca was the only woman who ever treated Daniel as a man not a title. When the new earl inherits, Rebecca finds herself the "poor relation", about to be kicked out of her home. Enter, fate and Daniel.... Can Daniel, now win her forgiveness and win her heart? Rebecca is a strong, self reliant, and self sufficient lady with brains and intelligence. A very strong, likable and realistic character. Daniel, on the other hand, needed time to mature into the man he has become in order to realize what he really wants out of life. Together these two great characters find forgiveness, healing, the discovery that old wounds can heal to find HEA. Easy to read, the characterizations and the vivid descriptions added the emotionally charged moments to make "Romancing the Rogue" a really wicked, but delicious romp in Regency England. I was so captured by the characters, the scenery and of course, the plot, I couldn't put "Romancing the Rogue" down, until the very last page. This is one of those read you can re-read over and over again. Once again, Ms. Ridley has brought readers a perfect escape through the world of Regency England. I have never been disappointed in one of Erica Ridley's masterfully written stories, in fact, I always look forward to her next grand adventure. She is one of my favorite Regency Romance authors. Fans of Regency Romance, strong heroines, determined heroes, redemption, forgiveness, captivating characters, quick reads, and the thrill of romance are truly in for a treat. A definite must read Regency Romance! I strongly recommend picking up a copy of "Romancing the Rogue", for yourself, I don't feel your be disappointed. Rating: 4.5 Heat rating: Mild Reviewed by: AprilR

Miss Rebecca Bond has been living incognito in the haunted Castle Keyvnor for five years. When her parents died, her great-uncle the Earl of Banfield took her in, then promptly forgot her existence. She was left to roam the Castle as if she were a ghost, but she made herself useful nonetheless. Now that the old Earl has passed away, Rebecca is one breath away of losing her home; she has nothing: no money, no family, and only old clothes from her first and only season years ago. The new Earl, her uncle Allan Hambly is not so generous: he cannot take her in, so Rebecca will have to find herself a husband within the month! She knows no one, except for Lord North-Barrows, who humiliated her publicly more than once, but at least he will remember her… Rebecca wants to retain her independence, which seems an impossible task, she doesn’t really want a husband; she has been doing very well for herself, in spite of it all, thank you very much, but a husband she must try to entice. Daniel Goodenham, Lord North-Barrows, a known rake, will be able to teach her how to attract a decent man, she hopes. Daniel has regretted his appalling behaviour, egged on by his haughty grandmother Lady Octavia, and this sorry situation might be a way to apologise to Rebecca and rekindle the friendship they had had for several years before it unravelled disastrously for Rebecca. Daniel might be a viscount, but he is prone to put his foot in his mouth once in a while, and he so does love London, unlike Rebecca who has come to thrive in the small Cornwall town which has been her home for some years. And how I loved Rebecca; she is so cool! ROMANCING THE ROGUE was first featured in the Vexed anthology, and I have no idea how I manage to miss it. As always, Erica Ridley’s prose is loveliness itself, so lovely and a pleasure to read, and the dialogues are witty and fun. I felt the story had a lot of much movement, colour, and vivid images, everything was so easily visualised; I loved the description of Rebecca’s swimming attire! Rebecca is such a strong character, so much stronger than Daniel, who most agreeably surprised me in the end. After reading a few books – not by Ms. Ridley – that had so much sex in them, ROMANCING THE ROGUE was most refreshing: there is delightful flirtatious banter, affection, but most of all, this novella is the proof that one can write a fabulous romance without any sex and make it wonderful. And Erica Ridley made me cry. Again! I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

Romancing the Rogue, a Regency romance, is a quick read but full of substance. Rebecca has been living in the confines of Castle Keyvnor as a poor relation after her parents died. She had been roundly rejected by the only man she has ever loved and after her public humiliation is forced to take what life gives her and make the best of it. Despite her quiet existence, she has kept busy and actually been content. However, with the death of the Earl, her future is once more uncertain and to make it worse, the man who rejected her is one of the Earl’s beneficiaries. When Daniel arrives at Castle Keyvnor, he is filled with remorse for the hurt he has previously caused Rebecca and attempts to win back her friendship. However, the forces that caused the breach between Rebecca and Daniel in the first place still exist, and Daniel has face up to some hard facts. Despite the gulf that exists between Rebecca and Daniel, the feelings they have for one another surface once again, and they quickly find themselves falling back into old patterns of friendly banter. I loved the hero and the heroine and the development of the relationship between them . It was also most enjoyable reading a book that did not have lashings of explicit bedroom scenes. The story was able to stand up on its own. The conclusion was most satisfying and the story ended on a positive note, leaving me with a smile on my face.