I’ve been looking forward to The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett since the moment I learned about it. I love all of her contemporary romance and adult historical romance so there was no question in my mind that this was going to be right up my alley.

This book starts out with a bang of an introduction to Theo, the daughter of an American treasure hunter. I loved Theo – she’s smart, adventurous, resourceful, and willing to do whatever she needs to in order to protect those she loves…no matter how angry she is with them. As I got to know her character, it was clear that despite her father’s love for her, he never really trusted her to travel the world in the same way he did and that was a huge frustration for her. When she finds herself stranded in Turkey with no word from her father and no money, she has to figure out what she’s going to do next. Enter Huck.

Huck added another layer to Theo’s story, and I loved it. He grew up with Theo and just happens to be the last person she knows who saw him. He also happens to be the boy she grew to love and suddenly disappeared from her life with no warning so to say there are some pent-up feelings might be an understatement. I thought Huck was a great balance to Theo’s personality and where she may have just jumped headlong into a situation, he was the one to force a pause to figure out if that is the right course of action. I adored the nickname Huck had for Theo too. The tension between Huck and Theo made for some great banter and while it took a while for them to face it, I loved that they finally discussed what happened.

Outside of the relationship piece, there is a mystery for Theo and Huck to get to the bottom of. When Theo hasn’t heard from her father as planned and Huck unexpectedly shows up with his journal, she decides she needs to follow his tracks to find him and figure out what is really going on. Hot on his trail to find the magical ring of Vlad the Impaler, Theo and Huck find themselves surrounded by magic and murder and end up relying on each other to get out of the scrapes they find themselves in. There is a lot of action in this book and I loved how Bennett allowed these characters to trek across Turkey and Romania to build out the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I don’t want to give too much away so there’s not too much more to share. Just know that there’s magic, danger, swoony bits, and of course a mystery to solve in this book and if you don’t have this book on your TBR list, you’ll want to add it now. I loved every minute of this story and can’t wait to see what Bennett writes us next!

I really enjoyed this historical fiction with a fantasy twist romantic thriller. Non-stop action, solid historical artifact mystery, romantic tension and snarky banter made for a very fun weekend read. Good twists, interesting settings and history, and compelling villains add nice dimension to an already good plot.

This was a curious departure from Bennett's YA romances. It was a very fun Indiana-Jones-like treasure hunt, although I wish there had been a bit more to it - there was otherwise lots of running around. The romance was very cute, but I think I prefer how Bennett structures her contemporaries.

I have loved everything I've read by Jenn Bennett and this was no exception! The history flavor combined with the fantasy were a definite departure from her usual contemporary stories, but it really worked.

I loved the characters, especially Theo {Theodora} and Huck {Huxley}. I really connected with Theo, she is such a strong bad-ass character. I love the way she sticks up for herself when needed, especially against Huck and her father. And I completely relate to her feelings of being left out or left behind.

Huck is also pretty awesome. The way he is so protective of Theo. And his nickname for her is actually pretty awesome in my opinion, as it has evolved into a term of endearment.

I have a bit of a harder time with Fox. He's more of a peripheral character and doesn't show up in person until towards the end, but decisions that he made on behalf of both Theo and Huck are pivotal to the story. And I get where he's coming from in one sense, but he is completely off the mark in another.

But the story line is fantastic in my opinion, I love the plot especially the climax. The story moved quickly, kept me engaged, and I just wanted more! I can't wait to see where Huck and Theo end up down the road.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through Net Galley and the publisher {Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing & Simon Pulse} in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was fine. There wasn’t anything wrong with it, I just think it wasn’t quite for me. I have a feeling that teen!Savs, in love with the Brendan Frasier version of The Mummy, would have absolutely loved it. As it currently stands, adult!Savs found the book a smidge predictable and the heroine a touch too impetuous. That’s okay.

I think I’ve already stumbled across the best comparison I can make—this book feels like a teen version of the 1999 The Mummy, but where they’re looking for Dracula loot rather than mummy loot. My favorite part is a section about two-thirds of the way through the book where our hero and heroine are travelling through the Romanian countryside. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that before, and I don’t know a lot about Romania, so it was enlightening. Overall, a good book to read in the lead-up to Halloween.

Thank you to Simon Pulse for providing me with a copy of The Lady Rogue in exchange for an honest review!

The Lady Rogue tosses together some of my favorite things — The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice & Virtue, supernatural elements, a bickering ship, a developing relationship between father & daughter, and adventure. It was as if this book was made just for me. Granted, it’s not exactly like Gentleman’s Guide to Vice & Virtue, but it does have the ~protags constantly finding trouble on their adventure~ aspect.

Anytime I read an adventurous book, I get in a huge mood to play a video game such as Tomb Raider or Uncharted & I’m totally okay with that. I’m 100% here for characters charting unfamiliar territory in order to get to the treasure. Our main characters, Theodora & Huck are even throw into multiple chase scenes; all in attempts to deter them from their victory.

Speaking of Theodora & Huck, I absolutely adore them. Although their constant bickering can get stale, I still found myself rooting for them throughout this entire read. I even caught myself with a cheesy grin due to their ridiculousness & absolute adorableness.

When life gives you ghosts, make ghost lemonade?


There’s a lot of issues with Theodora & her father; one being that he lays restrictions on her out of protection, and appears to favor Huck more. Anything that deals with a father/daughter relationship, especially anything drenched in angst, really pulls on my heartstrings.

I found myself very content with the ending. This was my first Jenn Bennett read & I’m so pleased with her style, that I can’t wait to see the cute that lies within her contemporary work! The Lady Rogue isn’t getting talked about enough; if you’re into adventure, family dynamics & ships that won’t stop bickering, this book is for you.

I am a huge fan of Jenn Bennett’s contemporary novels, so of course I was excited to check out this new historical fantasy by her, The Lady Rogue! At first, I was intrigued by the books cover, and then I read the summary, and KNEW I would have to check out the book. I am so glad that I did!!

There were so many things that I enjoyed about this book, and one of my MOST favorite things were the characters! The main character, Theodora, is pretty great, and is obviously more than capable of taking care of herself during a time when women normally aren’t allowed to do so. I love her curiosity and ambition. When her father goes missing and she’s reunited with his long-lost protégé, Huck, adventures ensue.

Theodora and Huck are probably my most favorite part of this book. They are SO cute together, and their relationship is so well written. I love them both! There are a few interesting secondary characters in the story as well, but, Theodora and Huck are my favorites, obviously!

I very much enjoyed the storyline for the book, especially the journey to find Theodora’s father. While I’m not the biggest fan of Vlad the Impaler, or reading anything about him, (so cruel), it did make for an interesting story. And if there’s one thing that I’m pretty bummed about with this book is that it’s a standalone novel. Normally this doesn’t bother me, but I would love to follow Theodora and Huck on even more adventures. Who knows, maybe a sequel will pop up one day in the future. (We can hope, right?!)

Overall; The Lady Rogue is the first fantasy book that I’ve read so far by Jenn Bennett, but it definitely wont be the last! I enjoyed both the storyline and the characters, (the characters were seriously the best), and I wish this book had a sequel so I could read more! I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more books by Jenn in the future, and I will most definitely be checking out the books that I haven’t yet read by her!

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
A rollicking adventure with a fun, witty protagonist. Made me think of a young, female Indiana Jones!

Continental Europe, 1937. Theodora is the daughter of archaeologists, adventurers, and treasure-seekers. And she is just as feisty, quick-witted, and adventurous as they are. As such, Theodora is none too pleased when her father stickers her in a hotel in Turkey instead of allowing her to go out into the Turkish countryside with him on his latest hunt: to find a ring made of bone that supposedly belonged to Vlad the Impaler aka Dracula. When family friend Huck shows up in Theodora's hotel room unexpectedly, she jumps into action: her father is in danger, and all they have to go on is his coded journal. With the journal's help, a Merlin-like witch, a timid pair of twins, and other ragtag helpers, Huck and Theo will have to avoid some frightening goons, a man with a wolfish dog, and others out to get them AND find her dad because this ring seems to be more than just a ring....

Think Indiana Jones, and you have the right style of this fast-paced adventure! It's an enjoyable read, and because it's Jenn Bennett, you know the romance will leave you weak in the knees! I loved this book!

*Thank you Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for providing me with this eARC through Netgalley.

1.25 / 5 stars

*Dnfed at 50 percent.

The Lady Rogue follows a young Theodora and Huck on their journey to find the mysterious and allusive ring of Vlad the Impaler. This pair must face high stakes when they discover that Theodora’s father is missing and in danger.

This is definitely one of my most disappointing reads of the year. I saw some good potential in the beginning, but ultimately this book fell completely flat. The writing was pretty good at the start of the novel, but over time it began to grow very weak. The action scenes were so poorly written and filled with unrealistic solutions included for the sake of quick and easy convenience.

I also found all of the characters to be boring and mostly unlikeable. There was basically nothing interesting about either of the main characters. I don’t ship it.

All of the actions scenes repeat. I felt like I was reading an endless loop of the same things being done in minimally changed ways. Also, the writing was not very consistent. I feel like this story is trying to be a combination of three different time periods.

The romance takes over and basically destroys the plot in this story. The plot randomly appears for a few pages before it disappears for a couple of chapters again. I was very excited for this novel because of the description, but it just did not deliver the great plot that could have happened. Overall this novel was boring and uneventful; I could not be bothered to finish it.

"Vlad Dracula’s war ring. Made from human bone and blood. Cursed. Powerful. Mine."

When I read the synopsis to this story, I’m pretty certain my face resembled that of someone who was either incredibly excited, or of someone who had just stubbed their toe. I was very excited, to say the least.

Three things immediately stood out to me about The Lady Rogue: Vlad Dracula (Tepes), Carpathian Mountains (Transylvania), and Magic. I absolutely HAD to read this book.

Jumping in, The Lady Rogue immediately spoke with reminiscence of The Historian, the Stalking Jack the Ripper series, with a definite Sherlock Holmes”y” vibe only with more YA angst and a heavy dash of sarcasm. Sarcasm definitely holds my affection. Yet, even sarcasm cannot cover up that this book is more about the romance between Theodora and Huck than the rest of the plot itself. For this reason, I found it difficult to invest myself fully in what was taking place.

Characters definitely need to undergo relatable situations for readers to connect. It’s why we love to read, no? Those characters also need a context, which I think was definitely there, but just not enough. When I found myself in the middle of a novel that I thought would be about more historically-based Vlad Tepes, and got only a glimpse into Transylvanian history, I was disappointed. Don’t misunderstand me--this is a good book. Much of it was enjoyable, and the banter is real. It just wasn’t at all what I was hoping for, and it didn’t really do the historical aspect of the story justice for me.

Magic does present itself throughout this story, but it is minute and localized. When it was present, it was very enveloping and really highlighted the idea of Vlad III having a magical ring with rather horrific abilities. It’s entirely fabricated, but a creative way to unite Vlad to his nickname “Dracula” (dragon).

Overall, this was a good read. Maybe I became too excited and set my expectations for something that just wasn’t the focus or point. This book ended in a way that does set up for either a sequel, or a companion read to follow.

Vulgarity: Moderate
Sexual content: Some discussion of previous sexual relations, kissing,
Violence: Moderate

My Rating: ★★★

I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
While I have had the author on my to-read list for a while, Lady Rogue my first Jenn Bennett. I have now moved up the rest of her books! I *really* enjoyed the history and setting of Lady Rogue - an older and somehow less frightening part of Europe that we just don't get to read enough about in today's culture. The plot moved along quickly and the characters are fully developed. I expect there to be a sequel as this should be wildly popular. I give it a 4.25 stars out of 5.

Theo has been left in a hotel room while her father is off having adventures. Again. This time, he's been hired to track down a ring that once belonged to Vlad Dracula, and Theo is left in Bucharest with a tutor who can't stand her. But this time, Theo's father doesn't return on schedule. Instead, Huck Gallagher - the former love of her life and the boy who has all the respect Theo wants from her father - shows up in her hotel room, claiming that they're in danger. What ensues is a sometimes scary, sometimes romantic, always engaging trek from Bucharest to Brasov on the heels of an artifact that may contain more magic than either Theo or Huck can believe.

This book was exactly the right blend of lighthearted and serious, managing to explore both the angst of a teenage girl navigating a forbidden crush and the desire for her father's approval, AND the terror and intrigue of hunting down a magical artifact while being pursued. I got major vibes of Ally Carter's <em>Not If I Save You First </em>but with a heaping tablespoon of Dracula thrown in. It's the kind of vicarious adventure I needed right now, with just enough danger to keep me eagerly turning pages but not enough that I ever REALLY doubted it was going to be okay. The romance, too, is very well-handled: you KNOW they like each other, but are they going to stop being too stubborn to just kiss already? And who has time to think about romance when you're trying not to die - or is there maybe no better time? It's a cute, sweet romance that never actually overpowers the plot.

I don't know that this one will stand out as a read-it-over-and-over favorite, but it was certainly engaging, I am already imagining how to recommend it to my teens at work, and if Jenn Bennett decided to write more books about Theo and Huck's artifact-hunting adventures, I would definitely pick them up.</p>

In Brief: A fun and well-paced quest through semi-imaginary fantastical history, with exactly the tone I want from a vicarious adventure.</p>

2.5 stars I wanted to love this but I never quite got on board. Everything moved so fast from set piece to set piece, and I wasn’t particularly connected to the protagonists or the mystery (it took me two months to read...). I think this is a rare instance where this would have been more fun as a movie; I also think it would have been more believable if they were college age/adults. It got more interesting in the last quarter but it all felt so surface and jumpy like I said. I don’t know. I wanted to enjoy it more than I did.

I've decided that I now need a sequel to The Lady Rogue.

This book was the perfect blend of The Mummy movies (the originals with Brendan Fraser, that is) and Kerri Maniscalco's Hunting Prince Dracula. The kind of historical fiction story embedded in legends and cursed objects and magic, requiring plenty of adventuring and mystery solving. And a dash of romance for good measure.

On the surface, The Lady Rogue is a mysterious adventure story as Theodora Fox, daughter of a well known treasure hunter, sets out to find the object that may very well be the reason her father is missing. And, of course, she's not traveling alone. Nothing like a bit of romantic tension when your ex shows up and tags along. From the beginning I was intrigued. The action is near constant throughout the entire book, which you'd think would become excessive. The characters (and reader) need a chance to breathe after all. But I was hooked more than anything. There's never a dull moment, the tension is always high and rising, and the characters are ones that I wanted to read about.

Theo was the perfect young treasure hunter. She's naturally curious, intelligent, observant, and not afraid of the unknown. If you're a fan of Audrey Rose from the Stalking Jack the Ripper series, you'll love Theo. I don't necessarily want to meet the protagonist of every book I read but I'd want to meet her.

And her best friend turned almost-boyfriend turned ex, Huck, was exactly the counterpart she needed. I loved that he didn't conform to the story's needs or Theo's, that he had his own interests and wasn't a slouch when it came down to it. He was definitely borderline bad boy/rogue and I was living for it.

It's obvious how much they care about each other despite misunderstandings in their past, and while those feelings start coming to the surface again, they knew their priorities. This book is not a romance and I loved it all the more for it. Too often romance subplots take over young adult novels and while I do love a good romance, I want a story to go with it which is exactly what Bennett provides here. This time the plot came first and the romance was truly the subplot it was supposed to be.

I also appreciated the touch of magic amidst the historical events unfolding. I didn't feel like I was reading a history book, I felt like I was living history. The Lady Rogue grounds you in the cities, the countryside, every stop the pair makes in their search for Theo's father. One thing I often struggle with in historical fictions is the author's need to share every little fact they dug up about the time period, and I didn't get that here (thankfully) though to be fair, this wasn't fully historical fiction either.

To be perfectly honest, I'm struggling to review The Lady Rogue. I enjoyed it quite a bit and loved the writing style, and the ending had the right amount of closure to ensure no loose ends remained, but open enough for a future sequel. And I would very much like a sequel, friends. I really would. This book was the entertaining adventure with a historical twist and a dash of romance that I didn't know I needed, but I'm happy to say that you definitely need it in your life too.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE JENN BENNETT! This book was adventurous and a great read! I have read many books by her before and I think that this book is no different. I think it was a great story and I I love Huck and Theodora. This story was a reread if I have ever seen one!

The Lady Rogue was so much fun! Set in Turkey and Romania in the 1930s it follows Theo, a 17 year old waiting for her treasure hunter (Indiana Jones-type) father to return from his attempts to find a (possibly cursed) ring once owned by Vlad the Impaler. But instead of her dad, Theo's estranged best friend Huck shows up instead and her father goes missing. Theo and Huck try to find both her dad and the ring, encountering sketchy priests, witches, a one eyed wolf, and more along the way. They also travel on the Orient Express, which is so, so fun - this book is really atmospheric and brought its setting and time period to life. (There were times I thought Theo's language/thoughts seemed a little too contemporary, but it didn't bother me.) Bennett interweaves Theo's dad's journal into the narrative, so we get a feel for his personality as well as some of the history (some real, some made up) of the era. I really liked both Theo and Huck, and their tentative romance was really well done, and really, well, romantic. I also loved Theo's character arc. If you want to read a book with great banter, a kickass heroine, and an engrossing adventure, definitely pick this one up.

i've read jenn bennett's contemporaries, so the lady rogue is definitely a little bit different than her usual work. but that doesn't mean it's less enjoyable. set in the 1930s, this historical ya folllows theodora fox on an journey to find her missing father with her annoying, yet charming ex, huxley gallagher.

this sets off a hunt for vlad the impaler's ring across the carpathian mountains, and the exotic settings and magical atmosphere, the dangerous men on their tale and unresolved feelings hanging between theo and huck and you have the makings of one heck of a road trip.

there is a lot that happens here, so if you like plot-driven stories with a lead who takes no prisoners and a slight hint of romance and magic then you are in luck.

**the lady rogue will publish on september 3, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/simon and schuster children's publishing (simon pulse) in exchange for my honest review

With this being my first Jenn Bennett book I didn’t really know what to expect. I can understand why she is so well loved in the book community. Her writing is really easy to follow and that is showcased here.

The world building here was my favorite part of this whole novel. I liked how I felt like I was on this experience with Theo and Huck. What I didn’t really enjoy was the relationship between Theo and Huck romantically and the ending. I was expecting so much more for the ending.

Overall, it was a good book but not anything that’s going a favorite for me.

This was an exciting read! I have read some of Jenn Bennett’s other books so it was nice to see her write something different. I really enjoyed all the characters and since this is a Jenn Bennett book the romance was delightful and steamy. Can’t wait to read more from her.