Third book in The Wayward Wallflowers series, The Rogue Is Back in Town is a good light reading, very enjoyable although personally I didn't liked it as much as the previous books. Don't get me wrong I had a great time reading, but I simply wasn't as hooked as with other ones.

Our main characters definitely don't have the best start, and the circumstances they're in hardly provide room for our heroes to fall for each other. But there's an immediate attraction and despite appearances there's more to them than meets the eye. While Sam is tasked with evicting Juliette and her uncle from his family's property; this is not something he takes pleasure in doing, but he has to in order not to be left out of his own family.
Now of course Juliette wouldn't just go, and so as he tries to bide his time hoping that they leave, they start spending time together and become allies in trying to figure out a way so she and her uncle don't have to leave. And besides working together, they also start to develop feelings for each other, and this was one of my favorite things from the book; how their relationship starts to develop.

I sure wasn't a fan of Sam's brother Nigel, he may be one of the reasons I couldn't completely connect with this book; also the heroine Juliette was a a bit too naive. But I repeat those were personal issues and overall I consider this book to be a great read for fans not just of this series but of historical romance or romance in general.

Second sons are notoriously too naughty or too nice. They always seem to be making up for the fact that they weren’t born first. It’s no different for Lord Samuel Travis. Always the life of the party, he’s a constant disappointment to his older brother. Their father was often there to mend the gap, but since his death, the brothers can’t seem to find a common ground. After one humiliation too many, big brother gives Lord Samuel a seemingly simple task, evict tenants in a crumbling town house.

The last unwed Lacey sister, Juliette, is making the best of life with her eccentric uncle in their slice of heaven. When Lord Samuel Travis bangs down her door claiming to be there at his brother’s instruction, Julie is shocked beyond belief. She had believed the house she’d spent most of her life in was owned by her uncle and wants proof that he doesn’t. Until that proof appears, Sam sets up house in the guest chambers because in truth, he has no where else to go.

At first, I really didn’t like Sam. I thought he was a spoiled brat who was used to getting his way. Gradually, Bennett brought to light what one could perceive as flaws were actually the best part of the man. Yes, Sam is a rogue of the first order, but he was forced into the position of naughty brother by his sadistically perfect older brother. Once he finds the woman worth putting it all behind for, his character seems rather charming.

As for Julie, I adored her in the previous two novels and found her even more amazing in this installment. She is completely selfless and maybe a little stubborn. When confronted with a man she can’t help but crave, she puts up a good fight and makes every challenge interesting.

Delightfully batty, Uncle Alistair, plays a huge part in this novel. His true nature is touched upon in the first two books, but we get a look at his brilliance and logic as he befriends Sam and shows his love for his niece.

There are so many aspects of this book I adored. Without giving any spoilers, I love how Bennett gave both Julie and Sam their own character building metamorphosis bringing the tale of the Lacey sisters full circle. While this may be the end of this series, I know Bennett has more stories to tell and I will be happy to devour every one!

I received this book for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Anna Bennett’s The Rogue is Back in Town finagled her way into the trope of lust conquers all. There was a lack of emotional buildup between the main protagonists, as well as just plain lack of believability throughout the entire novel. The displacement of reality in the writing (stemming from Juliette—the heroine’s—circumstances as a sister-in-law to members of the peerage while living in destitution) made this an extremely slow read that I had to force myself to finish. There were so many head shaking moments due to breach of etiquette for the time period in Juliette’s behavior that it tarnished the story.

Stories are great when they have action and heart and development in characters that allow the reader to root for or empathize with a fleshed out human. Unfortunately, when a book falls short on these stabilizers, it is redundant and boring.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I DARED THE DUKE, the second book in the WAYWARD WALLFLOWERS trilogy is one of the best books I've read this year, so I was so excited to dive into the last book of the trilogy when it became available here. I did like THE ROGUE IS BACK IN TOWN but it lacked some of the wit and depth that I so loved about I DARED THE DUKE. Enjoyable, but not my favourite. Still, a good and satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, I'll miss these characters and I'm looking forward to see what this author writes next. :)

Anna Bennett goes out with a bang in the final of the “Wilting Wallflowers” trilogy. Juliette Lacey just wants to help her uncle organize his research, so as to prove his worth to the ton. Lord Samuel has been given a final chance by his brother, the Marquess of Currington, to wipe his slate clean. All he has to do is evict Juliette & her uncle and reclaim the property. Sounds easy enough. When he lays eyes on Juliette and experiences her passionate rebuttal, Sam is smitten and begins to question whether there is more to his brother’s request. A stolen kiss on a balcony has haunted Juliette and now the Marquess of Currington has sent his brother to throw herself and her uncle from their home. She had hope for more from that kiss. What are the Marquess of Currington’s true motives? Filled with betrayal and hope, this story will leave you breathless!

This was an uneven read for me. I really liked the characters and was instantly on-board with their romance from their first meeting. I loved Julie's uncle and watching the three of them interact. I did not really like the rest of the plot though. It all seemed heavy handed to me with the ridiculous villain and Julie's intensely silly actions. The end seemed really thrown together for me as well, Overall I had a good time reading this one and was glad I was given a copy in an exchange for an honest review. I am not sure if I will read the first books in the series or just wait to see what the author comes out with next.

I love this series by Anna Bennett and I loved this book. I really enjoy the London Hearsay it is a special touch. All Sam wants to do is mend fences with his brother and take possession of a town house. Miss Juliette Lacey’s was a wallflower and she now wants to be the toast of the town. Julie likes Sam but she may have kissed his brother once upon a time. I really enjoyed Julie's character in the book.

I thought this was a lovely fun story to while away the afternoon. Sam is a rogue who loves his family and wants to make amends and realizes that love and hard work goes a long way in personal happiness. Julie is the quintessential good girl (mostly) who looks after her uncle and patiently helps him get along in life. When these two meet it is fireworks but she has a past with Sam’s brother Nigel, the marquess. Now she is conflicted in who she is more attracted to, Sam the bad boy or Nigel the good marquess. Is Nigel as upstanding as he portrays? What I liked about the story is Sam’s progression from a rogue who only wants his own pleasure to wanting to help others by helping himself.

what is a rogue? They are womanizing,gambling, and debauchery committed by a male member of the human race Lord Samuel Travis is considered one of these. He has spent a lot of time on the continent and has recently returned. Miss Juliette Lacey is the last of the three Lacey sisters who is not married. She spends her time taking care of her Uncle Alistair.
This is really quite a neat story. Julie has agreed to go to a ball and she meets Nigel, a marquess. He kisses her her and she think she cares for him. But as time goes along and he does not pay her a call, she realizes he doesn't care. The descriptions are wonderful and the dialogue follows along nicely. There are a few twists to the plot but it is so good. Poor uncle is afraid when they are evicted. Julie and Sam meet and feelings are off the charts. A marvalous tale of love finding a way. Beautifully written, easy to read, and evenly paced. I loved this book and can hardly wait for the next .
I received this ARC from Net Gally and reviewed it voluntarily.

By order of his brother, the marquess, Samuel must evict Juliette and her uncle from their home or he will be thrown out to the streets and have his allowances cut off for being a rake and a disgrace. But Juliette is willing to fight for her rights and won’t give up. This is a story of fight at first sight, but she doesn’t know that he’s only the messenger; the ruthless marquess whom she kissed once at a party is the one to blame.

Julie lives with her uncle Alastair who suffers from (I suspect) early stages of senile dementia. She needs proof that Sam’s brother is the actual owner of the house they live in so she demands that the brothers show said proof. In the meanwhile she won’t tell her uncle and be a cause of distraught. Julie is very protective of her uncle, but with her sisters unavailable at the moment, she is very much alone.

Sam realizes that it would be better if Julie and himself worked together for the common good, that they both would have a place to live in. For the time being he asks her to give him shelter for he has nowhere to go. Of course she doesn’t know about this fact so he convinces her to live in the same house. Little does he know that this is the first step to his own reformation. His days as a rogue are over.

So Julie finds a way for Sam to live with them without having brows raised at them, he will be uncle Alastair’s assistant and will help him organize his work in order to present it before the Royal Society of Sciences. It is the work of a lifetime so the task will be neither easy nor short-lived.

Julie and Sam’s brother, Nigel, had that one kiss once, and she felt quite overwhelmed by it, but he never called on her afterwards… how will he react when he knows that he is about to have that woman out on the streets? Her wrath will fall onto him when they meet again! Will Sam get the blow just by standing in the middle of them?

This is also a story of two men wearing masks, the elder brother has a perfect mask and the younger wears the face of a rogue, a rake, someone who you wouldn’t trust at first sights. But the thing with masks is that they hide the real faces, none of them is what they seem. And it will be up to Juliette to describe truth from fake. And the reader will do the same along with her. But probably just as with our lovely, fierce, strong Julie, we will see the truth at first sight, what will be the task then? She and we will have to demonstrate that we were right from the beginning.

Although the year is not over yet I think I can say that this was for me one of the best new historical romance novels of the year. It’s not the best but it comes as close as it can. It is not only an incredibly beautifully written sweet love story between a man and a woman, but also a story about love for what it is important in life, the family. Juliette has a family she wants to protect at all costs; Sam’s family, his only brother, is estranged and severed and he longs to make peace just because he promised his late father, and because he’s alone in the World. This is important because it’s both their strength and their weakness, and unless they consider themselves a family, they won’t be able to create one.

The bed scenes are sweet and sexy but I must remark the almost-first-kiss. It is one of the best and sexiest almost-first-kisses I’ve ever read about; usually they would make me feel frustrated (as one or both the characters would feel) and wanting more, but it left me wanting more though not frustrated. That isn’t an easy thing to achieve. And the other particular thing I must remark is the fact that the male character realizes his feelings earlier than expected and before his female counterpart does, although of course the feelings were there from almost the beginning. But having a man’s feelings so sure and decided so early, when usually he would be confused for many chapters, is something that I find pleasantly refreshing.

Sam was my favourite character. I loved Julie and uncle Alastair very much, don’t get me wrong. But I felt a connection with Sam almost immediately. Perhaps it is because his brother had him kicked out of their home like a dog in the first chapter and from then he begins his path to redemption. But I did love him, and I did want to protect him. He had so much to deal with and it would mean a revisit of his own past and the reasons why he’s a rogue, how did he end up like this. Given that past he should have been careless and cold and hard hearted but instead he’s caring, lovely and supportive to the last breathe, you only have to look at how he helps uncle Alastair in his endeavours when everyone says he’s a madman. And he supports Julie despite the fact that at some point it seems that she’s chosen his brother…

I could go on forever commenting the different things that I liked about this novel but instead I prefer to get myself all of Anna Bennett’s books and read them.

Oh, and there’s one thing, or rather one person I really hated and that was Nigel. I hated him so much that I think he was perfect as a ruthless antagonist/nemesis. So just because of that I should like him but I loathe him instead, and I can’t help it. Aunt Elspeth would approve.

The story line had promise, but I wasn't impressed with either Sam or Juliette. He was too quick to change from a rake and she was idiotic with her choices not to contact either of her brother-in-laws with as serious of a situation that they had. Bad choice to wear the earing's, which was a sure sign that she accepted Sam's brother's offer. I also didn't like how the ending came about. There was no epilogue that wrapped up any of the problems still in effect.

I do not normally read books like this one, but I agreed when the publisher asked me if I would. In this story, Juliette Lacey, who is caring for her ailing uncle, is living with him in a house her uncle is sure he owns. However, Samuel Travis has been sent by his brother Nigel, who also is sure he owns the house, to evict Juliette and her uncle, so he can sell the house. What follows is a mixed-up tale of two people who seem to be working at odds but may really be working to figure out what is going on in their own lives. Juliette hopes to make her family important, and needs the house to help her in that endeavor. She finds Lord Samuel Travis a desirable man, though he is a known rake. As things progress, Juliette finds herself in a quandary. She has shared a kiss with Sam’s older brother Nigel and now must contend with this and with Sam, to figure out how she can work her life out to possibly include Sam, while continuing with her own game plan—and contend with his brother’s manipulating offers/desires that include her.

This is an okay book, if you enjoy these type romances. I kept reading the book, though, as I said, I normally do not read this sort of book, mostly because I agreed to read and review it. The characters were all well done, though none impressed me. I am not sure whether I liked the character Juliette or the way she handled things. The two brothers presented an interesting contrast, though nothing stuck out about either of them. If you like this sort of romance story, this book will appeal to you—or if you have read and enjoyed others in the series. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

Thanks St. Martin's Press and netgalley for this ARC.

Wish it were longer or maybe it just felt like it flew by. Ferocious, funny, and full of heart

2.5 Stars

I am a bit sad, that this didn't work for me.
Look this is okay. It's not terrible or horrible or anything. It's just kinda too fluffy for me.
I honestly didn't expect anything else. It's in line with the series.
So I am not sure if it is just me. You know, after reading two romances with some heavy subjects, maybe I wasn't in the frame of mind for a lighthearted historical romp?
But then there is also the fact that I couldn't connect to either MC. I didn't get their chemistry or attraction for most of the book. I found some of the drama a bit annoying but mostly very predictable.
This though it is quite well put together, not badly written and all, just didn't gel with me.
Might be a case of me not feeling it right now or maybe ever.
I think, if you looking for a light-hearted historical romance and don't mind a wee bit of cliche, give it a go.

The Rogue is Back in Town by Anna Bennett

⭐️⭐️

Probably three stars for the first bit of the book and maybe two for the rest.

Lord Samuel Travis is given the task of clearing tenants out of one of his brother's properties in order to get back in good graces with said brother. He is surprised and delighted to find Miss Juliette Lacey and her eccentric uncle living at the property. Julie and Sam must fight their attraction to each other if they both want to get what they want.

So their meet cute was great and they were adversaries (something I love in a romance) for all of two seconds before they allowed their attraction and lust to take over. Their first kiss seemed out of place and too soon after they met. And shortly after that Juliette threw propriety to the wind and let Sam have liberties with her. It just made the love story hard to believe and made it seem like they were more in lust.

The best part about the whole thing was the uncle.

I enjoyed half of this book.

Unfortunately, The Rogue is Back in Town left me disappointed. What makes it even worse is that I really enjoyed the first half. Quirky characters, Rogues finding enlightenment, and heroines showing their love and dedication to family put a smile on my face. What follows is sex…and getting to know one of the most despicable characters I’ve read about in ages. Luckily for our heroine, the douchewaffle that is despicable isn’t the hero. Unlucky for us, we still had to deal with a storyline that clearly showed the heroine’s stupidity, naivety and ignorance.

Look, I’m the first person to say that I prefer my books to have sexy times in them, but this was way OTT. The heroine couldn’t keep her hands off the hero, and he wasn’t one to miss an opportunity for a bit of slap and tickle. It did not convince me that they were in love, only that they were attracted to each other and decided to act on their lust. She was a little too eager to jump into bed and, for a rogue, he fell in love too quickly.

I did not enjoy seeing the conflict play out and it actually turned my stomach. Sure, I know there are evil, greedy and manipulative people out there, but I hate having them get away with it. I would have preferred that Lord Douchewaffle ended up with his name sullied and reputation in tatters. I know, I'm delusional looking for fairytale endings in every story. I know, I'm silly believing that every love story should have good conquering evil. But, I can hope and dream (sigh).

It didn’t sit right with me that the heroine was practically left unchaperoned and the sole carer for her elderly and mentally unstable uncle. Both of her elder sisters (who married well) left her vulnerable and easily manipulated. For such a “close” family, I found it hard to forgive the sisters and their husbands.

I am sorry to say that The Rogue is Back in Town wasn’t a winner for me. Don’t judge on my review alone, please take the time to check out other reviews and you may find that it works perfectly for you.

***Four stars for the first half and two stars for the second half - 3 stars overall.***

Stacey is Sassy, received a complimentary copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.

The Rogue is Back in Town the third novel in The Wayward Wallflowers written by Anna Bennett and published under St. Martin’s Press, is a Historical romance which takes place in London, Fall in the year 1818. Samuel returned to London determined to mend the rift with his older brother Nigel, to do this the only thing he had to do was take possession of a townhome that once belonged to their father…simple enough. However, once he arrives at the derelict townhome and met one Juliet Lacey, Sam knew that this mission was anything but.
I never read the previous novels in the series. Maybe the bases behind me not enjoying the story as much if I had a little backstory. Not to say this book couldn’t be read as a stand-alone because it most certainly can. It just that the reference of what transpired between Juliet and the Marquess was thrown up several times during this novel that I felt I was left out on a grand secret. Too, this book was rather slow at the beginning and didn’t really pick up until about the middle. The chemistry between the two characters I didn’t really feel the attraction. If it wasn’t for the loveable and eccentric uncle this might have been a one-star review.

a wonderful intriguing romance with a dash of spice. Good solid book

Sam and Julie get off to a very rocky start. I love how protective Julie is of her family. The love story that develops between Julie and Sam is a delightful read that will have you eagerly turning the page to see what happens next.

I really enjoyed this book from Anna Bennett. It's the first of hers that I've read and after I read this I went to find the first two books in the series to read. The Rogue is Back in Town is the story of Sam and Juliette. Juliette is one of three sisters who had been dubbed a wallflower. Sam has been sent by his brother to evict her and her uncle from their house. Sam is determined to aid his brother in the hopes of repairing a rift between the brothers. What I really enjoyed about the story was the humor that was spread throughout the story. Juliette has real spunk and doesn't give up her house easily. There is heat that builds between her and Sam but it's the humor that I don't see as often in historical romances that made this book stand out for me and want to read more from Anna Bennett. The characters are fun and draw you in. There's no need to have read the other books first but there are minor references to the other sisters and that's what the other books in the series center around. Overall, light, easy, and humorous read that I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.