This one had the makings of a great female led adventure. Unfortunately, the MC was not everything she could have been. Very “bratty”, for lack of a better word. Constantly contradicts her own knowledge, makes poor choices, and is generally really selfish. Disappointed.

I've seen a lot of reviews of this title comp it to INDIANA JONES, and, honestly, I could not agree more. (Which is a fantastic thing!! It contains much of the acclaimed movies' action, adventure, heart, and humour -- anything that reminds me of that series is bound to be a winner, in my eyes)!

With a title as compelling as "THE LADY ROGUE," I knew it was going to be great. And I LOVED it!

Theodora and Huck's banter was top-notch, and the added element of their shared (romantic) past added a layer of angst and tension that really drew me into their relationship.

The setting was incredibly atmospheric -- I'm a sucker for historicals, and the Romanian setting is one which I haven't seen much of in YA literature, but absolutely loved learning about. Not to mention, legends and folklore and magical objects are just my cup of tea, and this title had all of 'em (and more)!

If you're looking for a dark, fierce and immensely engaging YA tale, THE LADY ROGUE will undoubtably reel you in and keep you flipping 'till the very last page!

3.5 stars

I've familiar with Jenn Bennett's contemporary world, so I was excited to see her branch out into the fantasy world. Her writing is very engaging, but I felt it was a little under developed as a plot. It felt like I was reading a YA Indiana Jones with the Vlad the Impaler (aka Count Dracula) fable. Lots of adventure, but again I wanted more !

I’m gonna start this review by saying that I haven’t read a YA book in a while, and this felt like a throwback for me. Not that it was bad writing or anything (tbt the days where I would read anything with a bit of fantasy in it and absolutely love it!) but it did have a bit of a younger-audience vibe. Theodora is a teenager who travels with her Indiana-Jones-esque father, but since the death of her mother they’ve been distant, and he never lets her actually treasure hunt with him. While on one of these adventures, Huck shows up, and things get… well, really messy.

Something that I liked a lot about this book was that there wasn’t any shying away about how much it must suck to travel all over the place in these types of situation. Huck and Theodora get stuck walking through a field, in a snowy forest, and in bad situations all around. They both complain, but they both also suck it up and work through the situations (and their rocky relationship). I loved the little interlude they had with the Roma people, and while I did cringe a lot at how Theodora acted, I think it was also pretty funny.

One thing that I normally have an issue with in fantasy novels is how the protagonist reacts or deals with the ‘great power’ that theyre presented with in the novel, but I actually really liked how Theodora handled it. I think that in the situations she was in, her actions were really the only possible ones to use, and her sacrifice for using it is realistic. The plot, while a little bit lackluster in some areas, was good in others, and overall I was pretty engaged in the story.

I’m not sure that I loved the book, but I definitely didn’t dislike it. The interesting concept, along with realistic characters and situations, made this book a 3/5 in my account. If you’ve read this, let me know what you think!

The file formatting made the book illegible. As that is no fault of the book's content, I'll rate a neutral 3 stars.

This was okay. Nothing overly special here. Felt a lot like Indiana Jones, but with a leading gal and an attractive boy sidekick her age. The Dracula pieces of the story are not vampire-like at all; but instead focus on the actual Vlad Dracul, human, who did exist. Good enough but nothing spectacular.

If you want to go on a treasure hunt you will find The Lady Rogue has something for you. If you're hoping for blood, gothic overtones, and vampires this is NOT the book for you. Those looking for an intriguing mystery are also likely to be let down. While there is a mystery here, and it should be the focus of the story, it's not that entrancing. This is more of a girl coming into her own teen book than anything. The love story is meh as the chemistry between the characters is missing.

Overall this was a very disappointing read for me. I would perhaps try another book by Jenn Bennett in the future. There was enough here that with some good editing, focus on mystery writing, and a less snowflake-like heroine; I could see Bennett telling us some interesting stories. Sadly The Lady Rogue isn't up to par; especially in the high saturated teen fantasy genre.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

3.75 ( I received an e-arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

I have been reading this book for a while, I even managed to read one of the author's YA Contemporary books and really enjoyed it. I believe this Jenn Bennett's first YA fantasy and also mixes historical fiction as well as a murder mystery plot. Her writing is always fun and witty, yet in a second become emotional. Thea is a smart and stubborn main character, who is trying to be taken seriously by her Indiana Jones esque farther. 1930's Eastern Europe, childhood crush coming back into the picture, espionage, history, and Dracula related mythology. The last little bit went a little of the rails but overall it was a very good read.

Was a resale good attempt on a YA historical novel. It had an interesting premise and I felt it was executed well for a first try. I enjoyed the characters’ banters and their relationship. They’re journey was entertaining and thrilling. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading this authors other work

This was definitely an interesting take on the Vlad the Impaler story. I loved that it was not a direct retelling or a story that had an obvious plot. It was captivating from the start. However, the excitement quickly died down for me past the midpoint, and I rushed to finish, just wanting it to be over.

Such a great adventure!

I absolutely love books with strong female characters, and The Lady Rogue had a great one!

I never get tired of reading Dracula inspired tales, so when I saw this book I knew I had to read it. Thankfully it did not disappoint!

Captivating prose, excellent villains, and tons of action made this an excellent read! Additionally, the action-packet plot blended beautifully with the historical fiction, and I love Eastern European history and folklore.

This book had everything, including a little romance, and I would happily recommend it to all sorts of readers! An easy 5 stars for me!

I enjoyed this book so much! It's such a fun romp, it's historical, but not too far away from the now, and so there was some familiar technology, but still a great atmosphere, and it was a great combo to read! Plus there was the whole adventure with Vlad the Impaler's ring.

There were two main relationships in this book. Maybe three, but it was kinda intertwined with the other two. Because it's a triangle between Theodora, Huck, and Theodora's dad. And the one between Huck and Theodora's dad was the background, because we're in Theodora's head, so her relationship with Huck, and her one with her dad, were the ones that she focused on!

Throughout this book, we travel to a lot of different spots in Romania, and it was great to see these various towns and cities. There was a lot of rich history, and with all the adventure going on, there was never a dull moment!

I loved how we got a bit of fantasy with this book, it was faint, but at the end, there was just a little bit more. It added just that extra bit of oomph in the end, and made it so satisfying to read, because there was just that extra bit of conflict because of it, that was so great to read!

Loved this book, it was such a great read, and I enjoyed everything about it!

I really enjoyed The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett. At first, I had a hard time but I pushed through and it was pretty good! Full of action, mysteries and a little bit of love. I loved reading a book set in Eastern Europe as it was a first for me. Thank you NetGalley for a free ebook copy.

Jenn Bennett is a queen of contemporary, and, incidentally, one of my favorite authors, so I was quite looking forward to seeing her dive into historical fantasy.

I'm still not sure what I think about this.

On one hand, you have two great main characters. Theo and Huck are well developed and have quite the history, which makes their relationship entertaining and interesting to read about. Both of our leads are witty and quick on their feet, and I really enjoyed reading their banter. However, I'll be completely honest here, it's probably my least favorite pairing of Jenn Bennett's. It wasn't bad at all, it just didn't make me swoon as much as her contemporary work did.

There's also a beautiful setting. The story starts off in Istanbul and then travels all the way to Eastern Europe - more specifically Romania -, and the descriptions, without being too heavy, made me feel like I was right there with the characters. This is not a very popular setting to begin with, so it intrigued me quite a bit.

On the other hand though, I thought the plot was a little weak. For the most part, I think Jenn Bennett concentrated her efforts on the romance, and while I did enjoy it, I wanted more of the actual storyline. I feel like the story kicked in only in the second half of the book, and that's the part I enjoyed the most. Still, the outcome was a little bit predictable and fell short for me.

Also, on a completely different side note, I don't really feel like this was fantasy at all? There were a few fantastical elements sprinkled here and there throughout the book, but it's only really at the end that we go into full fantasy mode. I know fantasy isn't Jenn Bennett's usual genre, but I just didn't really feel like I was reading a fantasy novel. For some, that might be great, but I have to admit that I was a little let down by that.

Overall, I did enjoy it, but I was also a little bored with it. I wish this would be a series because I see so much potential in these characters and their story!

I was really excited when I saw that Jenn Bennett was writing a YA historical fantasy, and this book did not disappoint! I adore her contemporaries and always love her characters. This genre shift wasn't any different. I really liked Theodora and Huck but wasn't totally in love with them. (Like I was with Bailey and Porter of Alex, Approximately.) Maybe it was the excitement of the journey and the constant threat of danger, but I didn't get to know them as much as I wanted to in order to feel really connected to them.

The aspects of the journey and the dangerous nature of their adventure were what made this book really exciting. I never knew what was coming next and what other interesting people they would meet along the way. It was really easy to read "just one more chapter..."

The historical elements were great - especially when magic was blended in with history. It felt like it could all be very real, leading me to have a mindset similar to Huck about it all. The setting, pacing, and writing style were all really good. I have some Romanian ancestry, so this book made me want to travel to Romania even more! The descriptions of the journey were lovely and transportive. There might even be some train travel in my future...!

Theo and Huck were fun main characters - and good thing, because they were the focus of over 90% of the book. There was a fairly big cast of supporting characters, but they all had quite small roles. The villain could have been a bit more present for me to really see how awful he supposedly was - murder aside, I suppose. The ending was left pretty wide open, so it was fun to imagine what adventure these two sweethearts will get up to next!

Full of adventure, with a pinch of magic and a dollop of teenage longing, The Lady Rogue turned out to be a fun read! I liked the chemistry between Theo and Huck; Theo seemed a bit spoiled at first but once the adventure got going we got to see the smart but “act now, questions later” side of her that really drove the story. I truly appreciate that she was trying to be her father’s rescuer - she was brave and clever in a way that you always want your heroines to be. I do wish we had gotten a little deeper into the magic in the story, though perhaps that is left for a second book? Wondering if this will be a series!

This was a really interesting book! I loved following the characters around and discovering new places! The writing is just as good as Bennet's other books and I'm super excited to see what's next for her!

So... here's the thing. I really loved all of the books I've read by Bennett so my hopes were so high for this one - and I'm just not sure it was able to meet them.

Thanks so much to Simon and Schuster Canada and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.

This story follows Theodora, her father, Richard Fox and her love-interest turned heart-breaker, Huck. When Richard is tasked with finding the real bone ring once worn by Vlad the Impaler - aka Dracula - he sets up Theo in a hotel room in Istanbul with a tutor and takes off. Shortly after, she is ditched by her tutor who takes all the money and runs off with a musician, leaving Theo alone in Istanbul. The arrival of Huck signals that all is not well - Theo hasn't seen him in a year after he took off - and now he brings news that he has been working with Richard, who has now disappeared. As the two set off on an adventure to find Theo's father, truth's - both between them and centuries-old - arise.

Now, you might be reading this synopsis and thinking to yourself, "Wow, that sounds pretty similar to the sort of thing that Kerri Maniscalco does with the Stalking Jack the Ripper series - of which there is literally a book called Hunting Prince Dracula." If you're thinking this, then, well, you'd be right. Of course, there are differences between the two, Maniscalco's is more about murder-mysteries, Bennett deals with mysteries more generally, etc. But there are similarities - in fact, it was in large part the fact that the synopsis reminded me of one of my favourite series so much that I requested this one for review. All I'm saying is that comparisons are inevitable - and I'm not sure I'd pick Bennett's over Maniscalco's.

While I really liked the setting and general atmosphere of the book, as well as the characters, I just found that not a lot was really happening. Which might seem strange given that, actually, quite a lot happens in this book. It just felt as though the mystery/mission sometimes took a backseat to the romance. I liked the characters and their dynamic, but I wanted more from the plot than what I got.

I won't spoil the ending but I will say that when we finally did get there, I wasn't sure how it was going to play out. There wasn't really much else left to reveal and, at one point, I had 40 pages left to go and I thought to myself, I'm not sure what the big finish is going to be. It just felt like the threads of the story slipped away a bit towards the end.

Overall, this was still a good book, but if you are looking for something along these lines in terms of Dracula, historical fiction, and romance, there are better options.

I have loved Jenn Bennetts books so was excited to hear she had a fantasy coming out.

Theodara’s dad is a traveling treasure hunter, and she has always gone along with him. But shes been left behind. Her dads protege and Theos past love shows up with the information that Theos dad has gone missing. Together they must track down the ring her father was hunting in hope it will lead them to him.

This book feel a little short to me. The characters are hard to relate to and the story seems a little everywhere.

*3.5 stars*

I had pretty high hopes for this one as it's has a historical setting in Eastern Europe! It follows Theodora and Huck as they are on the run, trying to crack secret codes left by Theodora's father and using the hints he leaves to try and find him. Since I love both historical settings and adventure, this seemed right up my ally!

Theo was a great main character in my opinion! I loved how strong willed she was and how much attitude she could give when needed. I did have a few issues with the romance in the story. Theo and Huck have a history, and it made it hard for me to connect to their relationship when the majority of it started in the past, but there's not flashbacks to give insight as to how their relationship started.

If you're looking for something fast-paced with an entertaining set of characters to follow, I'd recommend this to you!

I've always enjoyed Jenn Bennett's romance, something that surrpises me every time. So when I heard she was writing a historical fantasy, I was intrigued. I love history, I love secret societies and magical artifacts, so I was excited to get my hands on this book. A lot of The Lady Rogue felt like a rehash of her contemporary romance in a historical fantasy setting, but it was still on the whole enjoyable.

I feel like Bennett has a fairly good formula going when it comes to her main characters and romances, and The Lady Rogue is no exception. There's Theo, an adventurous daughter of a treasure hunter, and Huck, an Irish boy that her father took in years ago. They have History. They rekindle their history on a wacky adventure together. So, fairly typical Jenn Bennett, and I think people who are primarily romance readers -- and not so much fantasy readers -- will really enjoy this. However, as someone who's not usually a fan of romance, I felt like the romance between Theo and Huck took precedence over a lot of the actual treasure hunting and adventuring plot, which was mildly disappointing because I was really excited for the treasure hunting. They do have a great dynamic, though, with lots of fun between them--it was the Drama that I wasn't too fond of.

One thing that I couldn't help but notice throughout the book was that it still entirely felt like I was reading a contemporary novel--Theo's voice didn't feel historical, and neither did her father's in the journal snippets we were offered. For me, it's always a bit jarring whenever I'm reading historical fiction and the characters sound too modern, and I feel like The Lady Rogue encountered that particular pitfall. Of course, this is something that gets better with practice, and Bennett has three good contemporary romance novels under her belt, and only one historical fantasy -- so I'm sure if she continues to write along this manner it'll improve.

As for the plot: I'm always up for a nice, good romp spouting historical facts, but I felt as if a lot of the plot points relating to the actual hunt for Vlad's ring was set aside to focus on the romance. I did find all the lore and history behind Vlad the Impaler really interesting, because he's a very vivid character in history where most people know the folklore and not the truth. The Lady Rogue gives a lot of the truth, despite Vlad's ring being entirely made-up. There's a lot of very well-researched history in this book, which I appreciated. (Most of which I recognized from And I Darken by Kiersten White, in fact. We love YA historical fiction in this house.)

I do feel like Jenn Bennett fans or romance fans would enjoy The Lady Rogue, because a lot of the plot has such an atmosphere of classic romance. But if you're going in for historical fiction or a good history based fantasy that draws on lore and artefacts, it may be best to go with something like The Gilded Wolves or City of Brass.