The owner of a castle dies, having forgotten he’d taken charge of an orphan years ago. The new heir gives her a month to find a husband and move out. Her old crush shows up, but she wants nothing to do with him, whereas he realizes his mistake and wants her now.
This is an earlier book than most I’ve read by this author. It’s not as fabulous, but you can see the underpinnings of the technique and humor she would develop in her later series. Definitely worth the read.
3.5 pushed up to 4/5

Another great book from Erica Ridley! I adore her characters, their chemistry and the banter that has me laughing along with them. I can't wait for the next book!

Romancing the Rogue is a fun take on a "setting someone up only to want them yourself" Cyrano type of plot.

What set this book apart other than Ridley's customarily competent storytelling and sizzle and sass is that the core romance is born of friendship.

A great read.

Rebecca and Daniel are great characters in another really good period romance from Erica Ridley. I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

Miss Rebecca Bond was nobody’s fool and she was desperate and destitute. She had lived for five years virtually unnoticed in Castle Kaynor and she had come to think of it as home but now she was worried about losing her home. Few people even remembered an orphan named Rebecca lived in the castle. Including the Earl of Banfield himself who was very sick. He had allowed Rebecca to stay at the castle when her parents had died in an accident. Rebecca had a head for numbers and had become the Earls secretary even if he didn’t know it. After all this time Rebecca had felt like she had a home again and then the maid told Rebecca the old Earl had died. Then the new Earl- Allan Hambly - came out of the old Earl’s bedroom Then Rebecca told him that she was his niece and the old Earl had let her live at the castle and she asked if she could continue to live there and he told Rebecca they had to find her a husband and she needed to get married and she had three months. He would put up a diary of five hundred pounds that would go to her husband once Rebecca married him. Rebecca knew she was just a problem to be solved to the new Earl. What Rebecca wanted was her freedom not a husband. Daniel had once been Rebecca dear friend and she thought they could be even more but when Daniel became Lord North Barrows changed and broke Rebecca’s heart. Daniel became the Rake of London. Daniel knows Rebecca deserves an apology but Rebecca refuses to accept the apology. Daniel loves Rebecca he always has but Daniel had responsibilities in London and Rebecca deserved the country to be herself. Rebecca had been the one woman to treat him like a man not a title. Rebecca now wanted Daniel’s help to find a husband.
This was a fun light hearted romance that I really enjoyed. I liked the plot and the pace. I like how Daniel seem to lose all his poise when around Rebecca. This was a short read. This kept my attention from the beginning to the end. I didn’t really understand why the new Earl couldn’t let her stay in the castle she didn’t bother anyone with the old Earl was alive. I was happy to see Daniel and Rebecca together. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I recommend.

Always a win for Erica Ridley. I really love the story of people that fell apart and end up together again in the end. It's a favorite trope of mine, as I can attest that it can happen in real life! I think the miscommunications here were a bit much but did add to the story. I really enjoyed it and, as always, can't wait for more.

The Dukes of War series was my first introduction to Erica Ridley. This novella is quite a bit different from that series, but no less enjoyable. Rebecca and Daniel were childhood friends before he left her behind. She learned how to "haunt" the castle while he went to London to learn how to be a viscount. He accepts the visit to Castle Keyvnor for the reading of the will of Lord Banfield, but does he have an a!tentative motive? This is a delightful story of what happens when different worlds collide. A quick read and worth the time to read.

I simply adore Erica Ridley's books and this one did not disappoint. I thought that Rebecca was a bit hard on Daniel throughout the book instead of just following her feelings and rekindling the flames they once shared.

I love reading regal books and about the ton. Erica Ridley is so good at writing some of my favorite historical romance novels. This one has to be my favorite. Daniel and Rebecca's story was timeless. I went back in time to take a front row seat and watch this tale unfold and steal my heart in the process. Fantastic read. Book gifted to me by NetGalley.

Every time I pick up a book by Erica Ridley, I always think of one of my favorite CDs - "Classical Music for People who Hate Classical Music" which have a sampling of masterpieces that makes one fall in love with classical music.

That said, if I am book curator, I will put all of Ridley's books in one shelf and marked them as "Regency Romances for People Who Hate Regency Romance." Her stories are so easy to read with lots of laugh out loud funny moments interspersed with Murphy's Law occurrences, it is really hard not to enjoy them.

Case in point is " Romancing the Rogue," the story of Rebecca Bond and Daniel Goodenham, childhood friends and almost sweethearts but were separated by events beyond their control. And now that they have a second chance to rekindle their friendship and perhaps romance, Murphy's Law just put their world upside down once again.

Whether you are going to the beach or the mountains this summer, Romancing the Rogue will be good reading. The book is Rated T for Teens. There are no sex scenes in 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.

Romancing the Rogue hit all the right spots, and I loved the forbidding castle in which Rebecca felt so at home.

I have heard of Erica Ridley, but cannot recall reading any of her novels before. If this book is anything to go by, I shall be looking forward to reading more. An excellent short story and my thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers.

I voluntarily read an advanced review copy of this book

I have read multiple books by Erica Ridley and have fallen in love with every one of them. The only thing with this book is that it starts very slow. Once it picks up there is no stopping this romantic story.

Overall this book was good. I really liked Daniel and his road to redemption and I loved that Rebecca did not make it easy for him.

Rebecca Bond is a Spectre. A lone girl in a haunted castle forgotten for the most part. When her guardian (who doesn't even remember she is there) passes away, her future is in question she has no money & no relatives. Where is she to go?
The New Lord Banfield Also didn't know of her existence. Within minutes of meeting her, he has decided her future is to marry and quickly. He has daughters of his own to worry about.
He offers her a dowry and the chance to choose her own husband.
Notice is sent for the previous Lord Banfield relatives to come to the reading of the will.
The relative that Rebecca wishes to see the most, is the one she fears to see equally as bad Lord North-Barrows. Daniel. Once a friend, but no longer. Rebecca had no choice but to turn to Daniel, her childhood friend who shunned her at the most inopportune time. But she needs help. She may find a husband, but she needs to learn how capture a man.
I will not give spoilers! But great story!
Erica Ridley paints a vivid picture of a gloomy castle by the sea.
Haunted by ghosts & forgotten wards alike.

I did feel that the story ended rather abruptly. I turned the page expecting something more, but nothing.
The writing was great, I was completely involved in the lives of the characters. I wanted the best for them.
I think that Rebecca is someone I could be friends with.

I didn't like the abrupt ending but I loved the story. But I always want more if it's really good!
I would give this 4 or 4.5 stars. I wish it had just a bit more at the end.

One of my favorite authors though so I will be reading her next book.

This was a cute and sweet novella with a lot of confusing emotions. This is the second novella I've read by this author (I've yet to read any of her full novels) and so far I am not overly impressed. The characters were likable, but also quite strange. Rebecca was almost alone for so long, yet she hasn't gone crazy? I feel that the plot could have been more interesting and did not really see a point to many of the actions in the story. I'm still hopeful for this author's full novels because almost as a rule I don't enjoy novella very often.

I should start by saying that I haven’t read an Erica Ridley book that I don’t like, and this one’s no exception. It’s an unusual setup and it took a little bit for me to buy the idea that Rebecca had essentially lived like a ghost in the mansion for so many years. Ridley made it believable, though. I thoroughly liked Rebecca. She has a sense of humor, talent, brains, and strength. She’s in a crap position and she knows it, but she keeps fighting for better.

I didn’t like Daniel much at first, mostly because he’d been an ass before the book started and I was irritated with him before I ever met him. He owned it, though, and by the end, he’s redeemed himself. He’s realized what he lost–and it’s not only Rebecca.

4/5 stars

This is the second book in the Gothic Historical Romance series, but each stands completely on their own with no cross-over. Instead, there is mention of at least one character from the Dukes of War series.

My heart went out to Rebecca – orphaned twice – by her parents and now by the old earl, her guardian these last few years. I wanted her to find friendship, companionship, and true love. Enter Daniel – a young man who has allowed title and family to come between them before – will he make the same mistakes again? Add in a few ghosts in the castle and it was totally my cup of tea!

I loved that in this story both of our main characters have been shown to mature and learn from their pasts. They each long for the other, but are reluctant to dive in too quickly. They each have a fear of rejection that must be laid to rest. Ms. Ridley does a wonderful job of building their past and their present to allow them to regain the trust that is needed to bring them to where they both always wanted to be.

This was a feel happy story that had me smiling for hours after I closed my Kindle.

Note: while I was given this book as a gifted ARC via NetGalley, my opinions are my own and are given freely.

I've never met a book by Ms. Ridley that I didn't like and this is no exception. She puts the romance in historical romance.

I loved this book, it was well written, funny, witty and fantastic characters.

Gotta say that the story in there is quite original too, it is not very often that you have the 2 soon to be love birds know each other from childhood and then do something really bad to his best girl friend (it is girl friend and not girlfriend, since they were kids).

This is a lovely story or redemption in a way and it was so well done. There were really touching moments in there and I can honestly say that I did not put that book down till I finished it all in one go.

Erica is a wonderful writer and I am going to recommend this book very highly as I hope you get as entertained as I was.

I cannot wait to read more from her and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did!