Perfect read. Well written with the perfect amount of character development.

Rereviewed as reviews aren't showing

ONE FOR THE ROGUE - Manda Collins

GREAT FINALE - 4 stars

#4 in the Studies in Scandal Regency Romance series

Plot - 4 stars - Gemma is following in Aunt Celeste's footsteps as a geologist in search of rocks and fossils (which apparently are plentiful on the shores at this time). Although not invited to the males-only conference at the estate nearby, she is visited by some of the members to view her collection. When a prize is stolen and someone killed, she and Cam decide to do some investigating on their own.

Writing - 4 stars - I was caught up in the story quite quickly despite the fact that I've only read one of the previous books in this series. There were a few moments when I felt confused, but for the most part, this could be a standalone.

Characters - 4 stars - Gemma is another strong-willed woman in pursuit of an education, despite the traditions of the day. She has a strong family loyalty to the other women in the group, and she's just as clueless as they were about social niceties and conventions. Lord Cameron seems to have been a part of this group previously since everyone refers to him familiarly right from the beginning. He is also interested in geology, and now he's discovered that he's also interested in Gemma. They are cute together, sharing their interests as well as a romantic attraction.

Title - 4 stars - A clever play on words.

Cover - 3 stars - Typical characters on the cover, but in an atypical pose that represents Gemma's unconventionality. The colors are blah, however, and don't really draw the eye.

Overall - 4 stars - A very enjoyable finish to what has been a somewhat unusual series. I liked the fact that the female characters are different--feeling right at home in their unusual thoughts about education and going right ahead to become experts in their fields, no matter what. But they're not obnoxiously forward about their ideas, just determined and wanting to live their best lives. In this book, Gemma gets involved in a murder. Because she's not convinced that the local magistrate will care about her geological find, she pursues the matter herself and puts herself in a bit of danger. I was certainly kept entertained throughout the book, culminating in an exciting scene towards the end. The relationship between Cam and Gemma is sweet, and I liked their interactions. Although I only read one of the previous books in this series, I enjoyed this one and will go back to read the others and fill in the blanks.

This is the conclusion of the Studies in Scandal series and its heroine is geologist Gemma Hastings. In one of the previous books, it has already come to pass that Gemma and Lord Cameron Lisle have had negative interactions and don’t view one another fondly or even amicably.

Despite their dislike for one another, they have a strong mutual interest in geology. This sets a foundation for them to work together, collaborate, and forge a friendship.

Unlike her three companions in the series, Gemma’s letter from Lady Celeste was left unfinished. How is Gemma to solve her challenge?

That solutions gets much more intense in its finding when a dead body washes up in a favored digging location, trying to steal a famed fossil from Gemma and the property. This story involved Lady Celeste and her life more than the others do, I felt. It is central to the mystery of this famous…infamous?…fossil. Many things are revealed and come to light in unraveling this mystery. Together, Cam and Gemma join forces to protect her fossil and find the perpetrator trying to steal it. Along the way, an attraction grows.

Neither ever wanted to marry, but Cam knows it is expected of him eventually, given his position. For Gemma, it’s unnecessary and only a roadblock to her profession.

I really enjoyed the mystery of this book and Gemma’s “challenge”. I think I liked this aspect more than the actual romance, but I did like the fact that Cam showed he was a stand-up guy by trying to make up for his brush-off of Gemma and her knowledge in the field. He didn’t just brush off her pain at that behavior, he continually is trying to make amends for it until Gemma is convinced of his view of her in the geological field.

One for the Rogue is the final book in the Studies in Scandal series by Manda Collins. This final book does a great job of wrapping everything up with the four scholarly women of Lady Celeste's estate. The focus is primarily on the journey of Gemma, a geologist, and her hate-love relationship with Lord Cameron Lisle, a fossil hunter and head of a scientific paper. You do not need to have read the other books in the series before reading this one but, it does help you understand the beginning dynamic between these two characters.

Gemma was chosen to live at Lady Celeste's estate due to her passion for geology. She is still struggling with trying to figure out what her place is within the house. She has watched as the other three ladies have solved their mysteries and found their happily ever afters. Gemma has determined that she will never marry and has her eyes set on the prize of discovery. When she discovers a large fossil on the beach one diary morning, she can't help but wonder if this was part of Lady's Celeste's plan for her. However, she is not the only one to take note of this fossil, and before she knows it Gemma is deep into a murder mystery and a dangerous game of cat and mouse regarding this famous fossil.

Cameron takes it upon himself to protect Gemma after the murder takes place because he feels responsible for getting her in this position. He was attending a geologist meeting and invited two of the attendees to visit the estate which was known for Lady Estate's fossil collection. He felt comfortable doing this because his brother, Ben is married to one of the other scholarly ladies, Sophia. He did not anticipate what would happen next and how it would put Gemma in danger. Gemma and Cam have disliked each other since the day they met but there is no denying the chemistry between them. When they are caught in a scandalous situation, they become betrothed even though that is what neither one of them wants. Yet, the more time they spend together...the more they realize maybe this commitment won't be such a bad idea after all.

I liked the dynamic between Gemma and Cameron but, I felt like the two of them falling in love felt rather quick and forced. One minute they're fooling around and kissing which forces them to become betrothed, and the next they're determined to keep this commitment and stand by each other. Now I can understand time moving quickly especially under intense circumstances but the way that they both changed their views on marriage and commitment didn't feel fully real to me.

The circumstances which Gemma and Cam find themselves in are very intense indeed. There is a sense of danger and foreboding through out even amongst all the passion. Manda Collins finishes this series strong with One for the Rogue providing context for the new developments between Gemma and Cam while also returning to the roots and strength of the friendship and sisterhood between Ivy, Daphne, Sophia, and Gemma. I really enjoyed these four women and their scholarly representation during a historical time of well known sexism for educated women. I'm glad their legacy will continue as more young women come to learn and have adventures at Lady Celeste's estate. Who knows maybe one day Manda Collins will write about the next generation of scandalous scholars.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

This book was so entertaining. I was drawn into the story from the beginning and was involved until the end. The characters were complex and interesting. I found the story to be well paced and engrossing throughout the whole book. I was invested in the couple throughout the book and felt all the emotions through both the highs and lows of the story.The side characters were such an integral part of this story as well. This is the love story i needed to read at this time. If you want an entertaining and well written book this is it for you

Gemma was not the most likeable character that Manda Collins has created, and I didn't find myself pulling for her. However, that being said--the other characters provided balance, particularly in the hero, Lord Cameron Lisle. This seemed like a enemies to lover book -- as the two find themselves placed together time and again. Their attraction is palapable and their romance is engaging. I found the story fun to read.

This was the first book I read by Manda and I enjoyed it. The writing style was smooth and the characters developed nicely. The relationship wasn't overly quick to build which I like and the historical content was good.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is book 4 in the Studies in Scandal series. I had it on my kindle for awhile but couldn't bring myself to finish it. I finally did and it actually turned out to be a fairly decent read. The story picked up so wasn't moving to slow and I did think it was a good ending for the series. It does a good job of wrapping up the stories of the four heiresses after they find what their benefactor left for them.

One for the Rogue by Manda Collins is a romance with mysteries and sweet somethings that makes this book a page-turner. I can't wait to read more from this talented author. I do recommend this book to any book lovers of romance.

I'd have liked this more if I was a fan of romantic suspense. I do love a good romance about women in the sciences, especially hist roms with women in STEM, so yay! Also Cam and Gemma are quite likeable. I feel like the enemies to lovers aspect of this book was a bit too far of a reach, though. I also might have liked it more if I'd read the first three books in the series first, but as I didn't it just fell a bit flat for me.

TBR — I hope to revisit this title, wonderful premise!

I received an advanced reader copy (ARC) from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Manda Collins never fails to please. Her characters are wonderfully drawn and as usual, this is a wonderful page turner.

Good characters but the plot was lacking. I enjoyed it but I didn't love it. Still, this was a fun read perfect for romance lovers!

At first I wasn't sure about this book, but then it grew on me. The book starts out on the slow side, so if you're thinking about putting it down, give it a couple more chapters. Cam annoyed me at first, but once he started to realize the error of his ways, along with how amazing Gemma was, my opinion of him grew. I loved Gemma from the start, but she felt a little one-dimensional at times. Once her character was allowed to grow into a person, I really found myself rooting for her.

One of the best parts of this book is it features early women in science, specifically Paleontology. Being someone who loves history and wants to pursue Anthropology, that made this book extra interesting. With historical romance we often see members of the aristocracy that, while unique, don't necessarily break barriers. That this series featuring women excelling in their fields at time when that was very hard makes it all the more compelling. It also gets me on the train of thought of imagining telling people in Regency/Victorian England about the modern understanding of genetics and evolution. Needless to say, I imagine they would be shocked.

Review of “One For The Rogue” by Manda Collins

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars 🌟🌟🌟

I was rather wary of starting this book, because my experience with the author’s writing style was not something I could gush over. However, the idea of a h who is interested in fossils in a period where such things were heard of few and far between and a H who starts out as an enemy but turns into the significant other – I decided to give it a try.

However, just as the previous book I read of this author, I struggled and unlike the first one, ended up not finishing the story.

The story starts off nice enough, with Gemma facing all the struggles of being “a woman in a man’s world”, starting from having issues surrounding a topic she is an expert in, mansplained to her to not being taken seriously when she was trying to engage in a discourse on the subject matter. The H does support the h in her passion for fossils and hence is quite likable. There’s also a murder surrounding the discovery of a much coveted fossil find. It all sounds so fascinating.

But somehow the author for me manages to take all these highly interesting plot lines and make it all rather ho-hum. The intensity that could be so much a part of these plots/subplots somehow gets lost in the author’s writing style.

Readers who like their romance to be light and fluffy will most likely enjoy this one but I cannot comment on how it all culminates in the HEA, as I did not finish the book.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Unfortunately, this was one I chose not to finish. My apologies for the late notice. As I don't want my low rating to appear on the site and potentially impact the choices of other readers, I wait until after a title has been published/no longer able to be downloaded.

Inadvertently, I waited much longer than intended to give feedback for this title.

I look forward to the next title through your company!

Thanks,
Laura

What girl wouldn't fall in love with a sexy rogue. It would be hard not to. A rogue interested in her brain and her beauty is hard for even single minded Gemma to resist.

I love everything Manda Collins writes. This book was everything you needed. Sassy, sexy, humorous, romantic and a hot-as-hell read. Believe, you do not want to miss out on this one.

Gemma and Cameron may study in the same field, but they have nothing but antipathy for each other - until it appears that someone is trying to steal an important piece of fossil evidence under their noses. Once they agree to work together, sparks begin to fly! A fun read in an enjoyable series.

One For the Rogue features an intelligent heroine who has a passion for a field dominated by men. This is what I most enjoyed about the story, especially because it makes the story relatable despite its historical setting. The romance packs a little heat and doesn't detract from the mystery of the story. There's a nice balance that makes this story a winner for readers who want a little of both genres.
*ARC provided in consideration for review*