The Rogue is Back in Town by Anna Bennett, book three in her Wayward Wallflowers series, is Juliette’s, the youngest of the Lacey sisters, story. She stands her ground when scoundrel and rogue Sam Travis tries to oust her and her uncle from their town house. Sam is only doing his older brother, the Marquee’s, bidding as he attempts to once again end their rift. Julie’s attraction to Sam grows and surpasses what she thought she felt for the Marquee. However, the brothers are not really all they seem to be; as one is only polite in the public while the other is truly kind and caring. With both brothers wanting her, Julie needs to decide between passion and respectability, between a rogue and a marquee. Whatever shall she do?

I really enjoyed reading this book but struggled with the pacing at a few places. I did love how Ms. Bennett created Juliette as a strong, single woman, especially for the times, who stood her ground for her family. Also, she did an excellent job showing the growth, changes, and realizations of Sam, as well as describing Nigel's true colors. I can definitely recommend this book to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

THE ROGUE IS BACK IN TOWN (The Wayward Wallflowers: #) Anna Bennett

JANUARY 2, 2018; 352 Pages (St. Martin's Paperbacks)
Genre: historical romance, fiction, series, romance

(I received a paperback copy from the PUBLISHER via NETGALLEY)

Rating: ★★★

Second son, Sam has messed up again and forced his older brother's hand. If Sam wants to have a home and money he must evict a man from his brother, Nigel's property. When he goes to the home he discovers that the man is an older man with his niece. As he tries to get them to leave he falls for the niece, Julie.

Julie thinks she loves Nigel, but discovers that he wants her for a mistress not a wife. She discovers that Sam, the rogue is the one worth giving her heart to.

I really enjoyed the first two novels in this trilogy but this one really fell flat. Everything seemed forced in this book. While, I can buy that roguish Sam turns into a prince, but how they come together is quick and less romantic. However, hating Nigel and loving Julie's uncle saved the book for me and I liked it. I was sad to hear that Charlotte and Alec didn't get a book...unless there is a spin-off.

This book started slow, however it turned around and came back up to speed.
Sam and his brother does not have a great relationship and when brother asks him to do one thing for him. He doesn't know if he can go through with it.
Juliette is a wallflower that lives with her uncle. She is in between a rock and a hard place at the moment, but she will stay true to herself to keep he status.
There was lot of drama in this book and in the end it is all a HEA.


** I receive a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Lord Samuel Travis has gone too far this time. When his brother the Marquess tosses him from the house, there is only one way to get back in his brother's good graces… do exactly as he is told. Given the unpalatable task of evicting an old man from a house his brother owns, Sam didn't reckon with a fiery grand-niece flatly refusing to obey. Getting to know Juliette, Sam realises there is more going on than meets the eye… and he might just be the honorable one out of the two Travis brothers after all.

This was a really enjoyable book, but for one thing. Sam's brother didn't get a proper comeuppance for being a complete scumbag. Seeing a villain brought low is one of the great satisfactions in reading a book sometimes, and goodness knows Nigel deserved it for his abominable behaviour. The omission of a properly satisfying resolution here unfortunately means I have to knock an otherwise excellent read down to four stars.

Most enjoyable end to the Wayward Wallflowers series, which involved three sisters and their struggles to find a place in the world. The third novel has an intriguing element -- the relationship of two brothers. One, a fine marquis and the other, a scoundrel. We see Juliette Lacey butt heads with the rogue, Samuel, while trying to stave off eviction. The road to happiness is not smooth (that's why it's a great read) and we learn much about appearance vs. reality, with Juliette finally reaching beneath the surface to find her true love. She is a naive heroine, capable of great love but also foolish choices, which made me enjoy the book a tad less than I otherwise would have. The creation of a great villain saved it for me, and I enjoyed seeing all three sisters live HEA. (I received a complimentary copy of this book on NetGalley. Review is mine.)

What a great read. A story about Sam, who has to prove himself responsible, and Julie, who has to realize what true love is. Throw in an eviction notice and a past love interest and this romance starts to spice up. I couldn’t put this story down and read well into the night. Loved it!

The Rogue is Back in Town is third in the Wallflower series. It seemed to be as much about the relationship between Samuel and his brother, Nigel, as it was about Samuel and Juliette. From the very beginning you realize there is just something not right about Nigel sending Sam to remove Juliette and her absent-minded uncle from the home they have lived in for years. Nigel is a moral, upstanding member of the community, while Sam is a reprobate. After being on the continent, Nigel hoped Sam would have come home a better person. But, it seems he is just as bad if not worse then he was before leaving. Sam took the loss of their father a year earlier quite hard.

Immediately, you respect Nigel for wanting to help Sam, but yet, Nigel’s ‘lesson’ for Sam is kicking out tenants from their home. So, once at the Juliette’s uncle’s home, Sam moves in with made up reasons to make sure the uncle does not get upset. Still, something is lacking in the explanations. It is not Ms. Bennett’s writing. She did a good job of making sure we knew Sam was ‘skating on thin ice.’

As lovely Juliette tries to take care of the situation without disturbing her sisters, she just continues to make things worse. Juliette had thought herself in love with Lord Carrington, even sharing a passionate kiss on a moonlight terrace one night. But, once she meets Samuel, she begins to see what is truly taking place. Yes, there are some decisions she makes weakly and suffers the consequences of those, but Ms. Bennett brings together two people who really want the same thing and realize their original dreams were not what is important in life.

This book is very different from the first two and that is what makes it an interesting read. It is light-hearted and enjoyable.

Lord Samuel Travis, brother of Marquess of Currington, is famous for being a rake.
He had been sent to the Continent for 6 months, but when he arrived in London he was already involved in scandal.
Tired of the unruly life of his younger brother, Nigel expels him from home with a mission: to make the residents of a certain house in London, whom he had inherited from his father with the title, leave because he had a great offer of sales.
Without a choice, Sam goes there.

Residents of the house are Lord Wittmore, known for being an eccentric man, and his youngest niece, Miss Juliette Lacey.
Juliette and her sisters, now married, were raised by Uncle Alistair after their parents died in a carriage accident.
He was the only one in the family who was willing to keep the three sisters together.
That house, where he had lived for more than twenty years, was everything to him. There, he had the memories of his wife, aunt Elspeth.
When Julie knows from Sam that they would have to move, she would do anything to prevent her uncle's unhappiness.

She wanted proof that Sam was telling the truth.
This would take time because he could not go back to his brother's house. He would have to send a message.
The two decide to enter into an agreement until everything is cleared up. Meanwhile, Sam would stay with them, and pretend to be an assistant for Uncle Alistair's research.

As the days go by, Sam and Julie feel that the attraction between them increases, but Julie has some secrets kept, and when Sam discovers them, the whole situation about the house and the inheritance can change.

The plot has an interesting mystery and characters that made me feel sorry or disgusted. And it gives the main male character the opportunity to redeem himself.
The pace is good.
Great reading to start the year.
4 stars

The Rogue is Back in Town is the final book in the Wayward Wallflowers series and goes out on a high note. I have loved reading about each of the 3 Lacey sisters on how they went from wallflowers to finding their true love. Juliette is the last and the youngest and is holding out on finding a husband because she wants the love and passion that her sisters have found themselves. For now, she lives with her uncle in the old townhouse and is in no hurry to find such a man. How she meets Sam puts and interesting twist on a cute meet when he comes to evict her and her uncle from their premises.

Samuel Travis has returned to England and wants to build a relationship with his brother Nigel. Nigel tells him he can start by doing his bidding by removing the occupants from a property he owns. Sam didn’t really have much choice in the matter considering he was thrown out of the house and was told not to come back until the deed is done. Sam pushes his way into Juliette’s home and plans to wait it out until she comes to her senses and leaves. Juliette has no intention of giving up her home and plans to prove the home is hers. Things heat up a bit when those fighting words spark an attraction between Sam and Juliette and neither one of them want to fight or deny this chemistry.

Juliette strives to be independent and wants to work this problem out for herself and not get her sisters or their husbands involved in the present situation. She also finds herself in a bind being torn between two brothers. She originally fancied herself in love with older brother Nigel, but it turns out that Sam is the one that sparks her to life. Over the course of the story she sees a difference between the brothers. How they are both seen by society and what they truly are like night and day. Juliette needs to decide who she really wants and how to convince him of that.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and how easily it flowed. It captured my interest and I just couldn’t put it down. It had all the right elements of a good story, from the villain to the eccentric uncle, small cameos from the sisters, and a sensual romance for the main characters. It was a delight to read and I recommend it to historical romance readers they would absolutely enjoy it.

I have loved this series so much and the Lacey sisters have truly been an entertaining exceptional lot. I think now that we have come to the youngest sister, we have more fun than ever.

I mean it is not every day that a guy comes to your door to evict you for no reason! Yes ok, he may be cute but that is so not done! In this case, I can say that I do feel really bad for poor Sam to be put in this position by his horrible brother! The brother is a despicable human, made my skin crawl due to the fact that not only of what he tries to do to Juliet by attempting to evict her and the uncle but how he treats her in general!

Sam may be a bit of a wild one, but at least you know from the get go that he is not a horrible person. How two people can be brothers and so different is mind boggling!

But I digress, Sam meets Juliet and there are sparks flying!

Did you really expect anything else?

The sisters are certainly not meek little things and Juliet is amazing!

Sam is not so bad, I liked him and I very much enjoyed their clashes...

Honestly, the book is truly funny, entertaining and I finished it in one sitting! I could not put it down and the smile I had on my face barely left my face (except when I wanted to beat Sam's brother with a stick!!)

I am going to highly recommend it and I hope you enjoy The Rogue is back in town as much as I did!

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

This was a cute wallflowers and rake romance with little twist thrown in. Juliette and Sam were fun to read about and didn't seem like fit but when they got to know each other, they were perfect for each other.

At first, I didn't realize the whole evil plot that was to push Juliette into becoming a mistress. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I had to look over the events that happened to really understand the whole picture!

I liked that Sam was willing to become a better person for Juliette, and was willing to work for her. I have not read the previous books in the series but am curious about the sisters and their love stories.

I guess a rogue needs love too. Mostly the rogues are lords or earls, here he is a second son with no money. What a wastrel.

Juliette lives with her uncle. In the two previous books her sisters found love, now she is alone and her uncle wants her to marry too. And he does seem to be loosing his marbles, like there were any left.
But I like Juliette, even if she fancies this guy who ugh, you will see.

Sam is the rogue. And yes he is a rogue. There is this incident with someone's aunt and, oh man, Sam! You need some direction in your life.

They meet when he is sent to throw her out of her home. But he stays, they talk, they flirt, they fall for each other. There is some drama with the brother that wants her out of the house of course. Other than that it is a story of these two, and about uncle Alistair. I do like him.

Conclusion:
A fun story.

A lovely Regency romance! The characters are so trapped or advantaged by society's views of them that the story almost has the feel of an unreliable narrator. What stands out for me is the mystery of the uncle's lifelong research and the way that science scholarship was discussed and legitimized in this time period.

Heartwarming and surprising! I really enjoyed this story with several twists and turns. Lord Samuel Travis is the second son of a Duke and has always been at odds with his older brother. Now that there father has died, Sam returns home but soon his brother is fed up with him due to his debauchery. He gives him one last chance to redeem himself by throwing out the tenants of a house he owns so that he can sell it. Well as things often goes, the residents of the home, Miss Juliette Lacey and her uncle are not what he expects and he is persuaded by Julie to give her some time. Then the fun starts or rather the confusion begins!! The characters and dialogue kept me entertained and I did enjoy the storyline. Seeing the emotions build between Sam and Julie had humor and strong attraction with Sam determined to do better for himself. In the end, Love does find a way but you will be delighted at the path it takes to get there!!

The Rogue is Back in Town by Anna Bennett follows Lord Samuel Travis’ quest to get back into his brother’s good graces following a major indiscretion involving Sam and an older prominent member of society. His brother asks him to clear out the tenants of a forgotten property belonging to his brother after their father’s death. Sam finds that Miss Juliette Lacey and her eccentric uncle have lived in the house for many years and are more difficult to kick out than originally though. So begins the story of Sam and Julie.

Julie refuses to believe that her uncle is not the true owner of the house and asks for a few weeks to look for proof of this fact. Since Sam has no where else to go, his brother had specifically told him not to return until the property was vacated, he remains as a house guest under the guise of helping the uncle organize his research. Julie and Sam very quickly realize their passion for each other and share many steamy love scenes. Julie also had feelings for Sam’s brother, until she realized that by threatening to kick her out of her home, he was trying to manipulate her to do his bidding. There is an interesting little love triangle that plays out in this book.

The first part of the book was very interesting and funny, I laughed out loud at some of the witty dialogue between Sam, Julie, and her uncle. However the second part of the book went rather quickly through the story and seemed a bit rushed and unfinished. There were many questions left and plot holes that just did not seem very realistic to me. First off, Julie is said to be very close with her two elder sisters who both married very well. If that is the case, then why exactly is she left alone to manage a household and an aging (and clearly a bit crazy) uncle? I would think that her sisters and their husbands would get her a chaperone seeing that she is unwed and living alone with an elderly uncle. I would also think that her family would have a nurse or someone else hired to help care for the uncle, or if he refused care, to assist with his research. It just seemed odd that Sam came knocking on the door threatening eviction and Julie literally had no one to help her with anything.

Another unrealistic example was the quick passion between Julie and Sam that led almost immediately to them getting undressed. This seemed like something Sam, who was a notorious rake, would do – but not Julie who is supposed to be stressed out about being evicted and homeless. Speaking of which, the answer to her problems would be to find a document that states that they have a right to live in the house. However, she does not seem to really be making any effort to look for said document throughout the book, and seems to give up her home rather quickly at the end. And for a notorious rake, Sam seems to rapidly fall in love with Julie after a few days. Their romance is very passionate and I really enjoyed reading the steamy scenes, but it seemed more like lust than love to me.

The novel ends on an okay note. On one hand, Sam starts to make a name for himself and is slowly getting out from requiring his brother’s money. On the other hand, the reader realizes what a terrible person the brother is, and the book ends without a satisfactory ending for him.

Overall, this book was an enjoyable read. I got through it quickly because the conversations were so funny and the romance was fun to read. I do not think it is Anna Bennett’s best work, I think the other two books in this series are much better. But for a quick and fun read over a weekend this book does the trick.

~ Harshita

Love triangle is one of my least favourite tropes and this is it.
The first half of the story was good, I managed to read till the end because this is the first book I've read by Anna Bennett and I actually like the way she writes, she has humour. It's such a pity that I didn't like the character of Miss Juliette Lacey, what a hussy! Her resolutions to her predicaments were not well-thought. I abhor Nigel, for a Marquess and a brother to Sam, he's utterly despicable. Lord Samuel Travis, has at least some redeeming qualities.

The 3-star rating is for the first half of the story, the author and the lovely book cover.

This is an eGalley from the publisher. This is my honest opinion.

I loved this, Anna Bennett has a natural ability to write a story that grabs you from the first page. This is the third book in the Wayward Wallflower series and I loved it. There is a little humour in the story which for me, makes this book that little bit more, I love chuckling.
The chemistry between Sam and Juliette is fabulous. I couldn't put this down, did I say I loved it.

I rec'd a copy from Netgalley and I voluntarily leave my own thoughts

youngest sister juliette gets her happily ever after in the third installment of the wayward wallflowers series, the rogue is back in town. kicked out by his brother and asked to evict a family from a rundown home his brother claims to own, samuel travis thinks nothing of the task. that is, until he is faced with juliette lacey and her determination not to leave the house she has always called home.

frustrated at first, sam is quickly beguiled by juliette, she is a woman who will forever keep him on his toes, but who clearly enjoys the hint of wickedness in sam's manner. from the first they flirt and bicker. and soon they can't stop thinking of the other. and then staying away from each other proves to be a problem.

but the bigger problem is sam's brother. the marquess of curringham proves to be quite the villain. he does his best to turn sam and juliette against each other. using insinuations and half-truths to mask his true intentions. in the end, he either wants juliette to be his mistress or the house vacated. and when juliette refuses to accede to his demands, he will do his best to make life uncomfortable for everyone.

sam, proves himself to be a true hero. not just in his steadfast regard for juliette and her beloved uncle. but also in his willingness to put her first. he turns his life around in part because juliette deserves better. but it's not just that, he wants to be the better man for her. and in a million small ways he proves it throughout the course of the story.

the conflict here isn't about sam and juliette's feelings, it's whether or not they can overcome all the obstacles in their way. and the tension ramps up in ways that highlights the depths of their feelings for each other. and it's oh-so-romantic.

**the rogue is back in town will publish on january 2, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/st. martin's press in exchange for my honest review.

In “The Rogue is Back in Town”, we get the story of the youngest Lacey sister, Juliette. Julie initially shows some remarkably bad taste, by fancying herself in love with a really nasty bounder. Fortunately for her, the bounder has a better brother, and Sam is a keeper. It takes him awhile to find his direction, but once he does, Julie and Sam are ready to set the world (and the sheets) on fire.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was rooting for Sam to turn his life around from the start. He just seemed an overall better guy than his brother. I loved the devotion Julie had for her Uncle.