Loved both stories. They are equally well written and interesting to read. Any story with Hestia Wright grabs my appeal. And Deb Marlowe is as fabulous as always in bringing characters to life and making the reader root for them all.

An Unexpected Encounter

I really enjoyed Lisbeth and Edmund's story!

We start the story with Hestia observing a young woman and a little girl all by themselves in the museum. She approaches the woman, Lisbeth about keeping an eye on the little girl. The little girl, Aurelia, turns out to the be the ward of Edmund, Lord Cotwell. With a little fibbing on Aurelia's part, Lisbeth gets becomes her governess.

In the course of Lisbeth working for Edmund, they fall in love. But Lisbeth doesn't think she is good enough for Edmund. Can he change her mind with a little help from his minx of a ward?

This was a great additional to the Half Moon House series!

A Waltz in the Park

Miss Adelaide Stockton has to act the prim and proper miss in public to try and make society forget the scandal of her parent's marriage. She didn't count on the one person to see through her persona being a scoundrel. Try as she might, she just can't stop thinking about him.

James Vickers is trying to bring down his father. The key to that just might be with Adelaide's aunt. As he tries to find answers, he finds himself getting closer and closer with Adelaide who happens to be the wrong type of person to fit in with his plans.

Can James get revenge on his father and find the love of his life?

This was a great quick read. Marlowe has a way of quickly drawing you into her stories and giving you the satisfaction of a full novel with her novellas. I loved seeing Hestia again!!

An Unexpected Encounter
Rating: 4/5

I really liked the plot to this novella because I found Lord Cotwell to be an adorably shy and awkward guy. He was refreshing to me because he wasn’t suave, he wasn’t drop dead gorgeous, he wasn’t smooth with the ladies, he was just an average joe with a kind heart who loves doing mechanics. He said all the wrong things at the wrong times even though he means well. The plot was nice and sweet and I wished it was a full fledged novel instead of a novella but I enjoyed it immensely nonetheless.

A Waltz in the Park
Rating: 3/5

I didn’t like this novella so much. I unfortunately found it boring and so tedious to read as I didn’t feel a connection with the main characters and pretty much that really from me regarding the second novella. Nothing much to say except it was boring for me.

Overall, these two novellas does make me more interested in reading more works from Deb Marlowe because in both novellas the protagonists weren’t the atypical characterization expected from historical romance.

I have read previous books, that have just been released by this Author, and they were enchanting. These however, show a true to formulation on how to write a story in a hurry. No depth of character, nothing that would have truly happened in this time period. I am truly sorry that these books are categorized Historical, when it should be contemporary! The females don't need the dumb male, the dumb male is saved by the female! Why is the publishing word, trying to shove this formulation for Feminist down our throats? Authors, your name is on the book, you should insist on being one or the other. In a true Historical book, we learn some real History in a story telling method, that makes it fun, or interesting to learn, in my case both are achievable. The problem is, I always pre order these books!
Thanks!
Carolintallahassee.wordpress.com

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley to read in exchange for a fair review. Encounters With a Rogue is an anthology of 2 of Deb Marlowe’s Half Moon House Series novellas ... An Unexpected Encounter and A Waltz in the Park. The hero’s in these novellas end up being every thing you want a hero to be, but what I love most about this series is that the heroines save themselves with a little help from famed courtesan Hestia White. They are able to reach their HEA with the heroes on an equal footing and not as damsels in distress. I very much enjoyed reading the stories of Lisabeth Morton and Baron Cotwell and of Adelaide Stockton and James Vickers. That waltz in the park is now one of my favourite romantic gestures ever.
Sweet not Steamy this is a wonderful series and I’ve enjoyed reading each book.
#NetGalley #EncountersWithARogue

Deb Marlowe’s Half Moon House Series includes 3 books and 7 shorter works, novellas and short stories. Encounters with a Rogue (2017) is a repackaging of two of the novellas, The Unexpected Encounter (2013) and A Waltz in the Park (2015) as a single e-book. Each novella has, as its main characters, caricature Regency heroes (and villains) that despite little further character development, act at times in ways that are jarringly unlikely. Readers who prefer their historical romances to reflect the setting and era will find facts about Regency London included sparingly. However, for fans of historical romance who read mainly to escape, both novellas serve as easy reads with dialogue that flows well through familiar plots to predictable endings. Of the two, I preferred The Unexpected Encounter; my experience with A Waltz in the Park suffered more for not having read the first book in the series. I would not describe either as a standalone work, one does not provide background for the other. Without this background, other readers may also find the roles and motivation of two shared characters – Hestia and James – puzzling. I strongly recommend reading each of these novellas in its series sequence. I did not and my rating reflects this gap.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book for free via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

An Unexpected Encounter

Tall, practical girls might not be worth much in man's world, but Miss Lisbeth Moreton knows she's worth more than the squire's prized heifer which her stepfather wanted to trade her for
To change her fate, she's run off to a date with destiny at the British Museum. Her would-be swain James Vickers never shows, but an unexpected encounter with Hestia Wright has her talking to Aurelia, a young girl who has lost her parents. Edmund Banke, Lord Cotwell arrives & Lisbeth finds herself as first governess to Aurelia & then housekeeper to the Cotwell household.
The attraction between Edmund & Lisbeth is apparent & grows throughout the story
A lovely read, I enjoy all of the Half Moon street books & this is no exception

A Waltz in the Park

James Vickers once believed honour and family duty to be his life's work. Now he knows better--and he's appointed himself as silent witness to his father's sins. His greatest goal is to act as the continuously pricking thorn in his lordship's side--and scandal is his greatest weapon. He has no use for an innocent young miss.
Propriety is Miss Adelaide Stockton's most important asset. She must be all that is prim and proper if she's to live down her parent's misdeeds and have any hope of catching a husband. She’s been given the nickname The Celestial & she must avoid scoundrels like Vickers at all costs.
Yet fate has thrown them together--and given each a key to the other's ambition. A bargain is struck Another lovely read.
It was great to have these two short stories together, James features in both & how he changes is followed through both stories. Of course Hestia has to appear & her generosity knows no bounds. The gift of a hair comb to a young man gives us further insight into her past. Charming stories which I highly recommend
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book