When You Wish Upon a Rogue
Debutante Diaries #3
Anna Bennett
St. Martin’s, May 2020
336 Pages
Historical Romance
Provided by Publisher’s Rep via NetGalley

⭐⭐⭐⭐🌙 4.5 Stars

The cover blends well with the others in the series and is rather pretty. I do like the sort of foggy background so that things are only suggested. I also like the almost playful expression on the young woman’s face, as it really suits Sophie.

Sophie Kendall is in a tough situation. She’s the second daughter of a gentleman without a title who has gambled and drank away his modest fortune. Her older sister, Mary, had scarlet fever as a child and has been “sickly” ever since and doesn’t go out in society much. Her parents have arranged for her to have one last season and then she is to marry a marquess, Lord Singleton, a man with a large fortune and an eye for the ladies, especially Sophie. He’s agreed to pay off Mr. Kendall’s debts in exchange for Sophie’s hand in marriage. They don’t call it the “marriage mart” for nothin’! Poor Sophie has a difficult time even staying in the same room with the man when he comes to call on her. Yet he’s handsome, titled, and wealthy. What do you suppose is wrong with him?

It’s really probably not so much what’s wrong with him as his timing. He’s too late! She’s already been kissed by the man who makes her stomach flutter and her body tingle and her heart beat faster. And he’s an earl, so he has a title, too. Unfortunately, he’s got money problems of his own and he hates society, so he can’t rescue her and her family. But she’s sure going to try to rescue him! And fall in love in the meantime!

The season seems to fly by and Sophie’s deadline approaches all too fast, Friday night by stolen Friday night until they argue and the lovers part. The night of Sophie’s engagement party the two happen to overhear a very private conversation that reveals another secret and saves the day much to everyone’s confusion. Well, to society’s confusion, not to the readers. We understand what’s going on since we’re in on the secrets behind the scenes. This was thoroughly enjoyable, and I recommend this to all historical romance readers who like to see the lovers pull it off in the end!

Reese and Sophie are so great together! I LOVED Reese and all of his demons. Sophie thinks she has to save her family from financial ruin but is drawn to Reese. Sophie faces a true battle of responsibility vs love. Reese faces a battle with his demons that only Sophie can help him win. Bennett throws in some curveballs for sure that make the book a shocking but good read. Passion, tension, reality, strong women, and haunted hero makes a 4 star read!

**Side note: Sophie is a very nice girl but I would not be able to forgive as she did with one character**

The Earl is an insomniac who finds he is able to sleep when Sophie is with him. She agrees to spend the night (sleep only) in exchange for using his storefront for underground meetings. Story is kind of implausible but the hero & heroine are likable enough to make it work.

Sophie, the main character in this book, is a delight. She runs the Debutante Underground, which is basically a place for women of all ages and stations to meet and discuss questions and problems. She is devoted to her family, and resolved to marry well to save them from financial difficulty. And she is compassionate - to women she meets, and to Reese, who needs her to help him recover from his past. Reese is a great character too - a good match for Sophie :)

I enjoyed seeing Sophie and Reese's friendship develop- this was a satisfying romance. My thanks to netgalley for letting me read and review it!

The air of mystery drew me in almost immediately with this book, which in the reading slump I was in, says a lot of good things just in that statement. The secret society, the late night meetings between a man and a woman not betrothed, and then factoring in the money her family assuredly does not have but needs desperately - it all makes for a wonderful melodrama. While I felt the story had a bit of the "unbelievable" element, I think sometimes readers need that. We want to believe anything could happen, and in this story, they most certainly did happen.

Miss Sophie Kendall is unwed but won't be for long. With her family in financial ruin and the only thing saving them is her marriage to a wealthy marquess, Sophie has given up on her dream of a loving marriage. Until the night she is searching for a new space for her secret ladies' group meetings and stumbles across a man in the darkness. Henry Reese, Earl of Warshire, is plagued by nightmares and can hardly sleep at night. When he visits a property he owns in the middle of the night and finds an intriguing young woman there, it's as if his prayers have been answered. She makes him a tea and soon he falls asleep, and from there he makes a deal with her - he will allow her to use his shop to hold her meetings, rent-free, if she would stay him a few nights a week, to help him sleep. Eventually she agrees, and thus ensues a courtship that can never be. For Henry is poor, and while Sophie may be the answer to his prayers, he is not what her family needs.

This book was one I had a difficult time putting down, because I felt myself drawn deeper and deeper into the drama. There was never a shortage of it! And the romance gave me tingles, although of course, I had to remind myself that this isn't exactly how things happened back then or now. A young woman wandering around, meeting a young, handsome man, and then being invited back to his home a few nights a week just to help him sleep, only to fall in love with him. This is not a thing that happens. And then the whole situation with her sister Mary just really turned me off, as it not only was silly but didn't really make any sense. It fixed the conflict that Sophie and Henry had been facing the whole story, but I didn't get why Mary never tried to save her sister. She was really quite a terrible character, and I'm finding this continues to be common with siblings in romance books lately. Makes me glad to be an only child, not gonna lie! Sophie and Henry were a lovely couple, a romance that most people dream about, and it was a lovely escape for me.

Anna Bennett is always a joy to read, and I look forward to her next book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Goodreads for providing me with an e-arc and physical ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was invited to read When You Wish Upon a Rogue by Anna Bennett on NetGalley and between the author and the description I decided to go for it. This sounded like the perfect lighthearted romance to try to break my reading slump. A couple days later I got an email that I’d won a giveaway I had completely forgotten about and they sent me a gorgeous physical copy!

I started reading this one in the middle of the night to try to fight anxiety before falling asleep. I’d read I Dared the Duke by the author a few years ago and loved it. At 5 pages in I already knew I’d love this one too. Her writing is so elegant. It draws you in and doesn’t let you go. Anna Bennett is so incredibly talented, I look forward to reading more of her books. I’ll also say that these romance novels seem to get steamier with each new year of releases. There also seems to be more and more valuable character development which is great to see.

I’ve recently realized there’s a thing I do when I really love the characters of a romance novel: I stop reading it right before the Big Fight. I put it down for something like 3-6 months and then come back to it. I think it’s my brain’s way of creating distance so it doesn’t hurt so much or maybe of keeping it from being over. Honestly I want to break the habit because it keeps me from fully experiencing the book. These characters were so full of life and of love that they really came alive for me. There was so much more to this story than the romance as well. Again, the character development really blew me away - especially for Reese. I loved the dual perspectives as well.

Overall, highly recommend, this one has made Anna Bennett one of my fave romance authors.

Fun and entertaining. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline. I just really enjoyed this book from start to finish.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor.

Highly entertaining, sweetly clever, fun and action packed adventure filled with engaging and exciting charters, witty dialog, heart racing twists and undeniable passion. A great read from beginning to end.

Sophie Kendall is not the typical woman of Regency England. He greatest joy is leading meetings of the Debutante Underground and working on an advice column called The Debutante's Revenge. The women meet to discuss matters that are not allowed in normal society and come from all sorts of situations. When the amount of attendee's outgrow the usual meeting place, Sophie goes on a quest to see about an abandoned building nearby. She is scared by a grumpy man who says he owns the property. At first, he doesn't want to rent out the building, but after Sophie brews some tea to help with his chronic insomnia, they come to an agreement.
Henry Reese has become Earl of Warshire after the death of his older brother. This haunts him as well as the men who died after he had to leave his regiment .
Sophie is attracted to Reese, but she cannot let herself get wrapped up in a romance that can have no happy ending. She has been pledged to marry a man of wealth and power by her parents. They are in dire financial straits due her fathers many bad habits and decisions. Sophie does not love her intended, but feels she has no choice.
WHEN YOU WISH UPON A ROGUE is the third in the Debutante Diaries series, but it stands very well on its own. Anna Bennett is a new to me author to me and I'm very impressed with her style. She captures all the atmosphere of the Regency era. At the same time she shows that women could form their own alliances, even if they had to keep it on the "down low".
Sophie is loyal to her family to the point of being willing to sacrifice her future for them. Her sister Mary is a minor character, but seems like some of the ladies of the era and even later who wanted to play the invalid.
Reese comes across as rather grumpy and haunted at first, but the author slowly reveals his more tender side. The author mixed some spicy scenes with others of great sweetness. That makes this story even more appealing.
If you want a tale that will pull on your heartstrings and cause you to swoon a little, pick up a copy of WHEN YOU WISH UPON A ROGUE.
A big thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me a chance to read and review this marvelous book.

I really enjoyed this book Sophie and Henry were two people both dealing with family troubles. They met under unusual circumstances and kept their budding friendship hidden. It wouldn’t obviously be proper for a lady promised to another man hanging around another. Henry knows it isn’t right either but her company seems to be the only light in is troublesome life. He is suffering from survivors guilt stemming from the war. He is also trying to deal with his brothers death. This was a story about two people that meet and fall in love knowing there isn’t any hope for a future. They still decide to share the time they can together until Sophie has to walk away to her betrothed. I couldn’t put the book down as I was was waiting for the HEA for the two. . I received an ARC from St Martian Press via NetGalley. This review is honest and based solely on my own opinions.

When You Wish Upon a Rogue by Anna Bennett is somber tale Of a man struggling with war, choices, and responsibilities. At the same time it is about a young woman making hard choices for her family. I loved the characters and the story. But even more I enjoyed thee way the characters choose wha is best and consider the consequences of their actions and take responsibility for the outcomes they create. Thus is more than just a romance. It is thoughtful, well written and supports moral thought.

The book took me by a pleasant surprise. It was well written, very romantic and not boring at all. Anna Bennett is a talented author, that has a gift to picture the characters in so many versatile ways. This book took me for a wonderful historical romance adventure!

Great historical drama with wonderful characters, from the beginning i loved how they interacted with each other

When You Wish Upon a Rogue by Anna Bennett is a historical romance novel I could not stop reading. Her words flowed so easy. I felt like I was there facing it all with the protagonists. The characters became my best friends. I rooted for them the whole way. From the beautiful yet secretive young lady to her dark and strong hero, they made a captivating team. Both were intelligent. Their personalities were different. Hers was more kind, his was more gruff. But they both made this story come to life.

Sophie is stuck marrying a man whom she does not love to make sure her family is okay. Then, while looking for another meeting room for her mysterious club, Sophie meets a man. One that intrigues her just as much as she intrigues him. It almost had tiny bit of the Beauty and the Beast feel to the story but it wasn't at the same time. Sophie strikes a deal to help the man sleep. He lets her use his store room for her meetings. They end up liking each other more as they spend time together. But Sophie is promised to another man and soon she is to be married. The ending was just as action-packed as the start. I loved reading this novel and recommend it to all.

When You Wish Upon a Rogue is a sweet without being sappy and addresses the topics of grief, loss, independence, and loyalty without getting preachy or too self-righteous. Sophie is a strong heroine who has been trained her whole life that family comes first, so when her heart is telling her one thing and her head is telling her another it appears she will have to choose between her happiness or her family’s welfare. True to form, Ms. Bennett gives us a third option that is hinted at throughout the novel but doesn’t become clear until it becomes VERY clear, which is probably my one issue with the book. Rather than allowing Sophie to “rescue” herself, Ms. Bennett gives her an out; yes it works well for everyone involved but I feel like it was rather forced at the end rather than simply discovered and discussed earlier in the novel, which would have allowed for a beautiful epilogue for all the characters involved.
Despite that, I did enjoy When You Wish Upon a Rogue. Ms. Bennett does a lovely job of exploring the relationships between both Reese and Sophie and Sophie and her best friends, while illustrating how vital it was and continues to be for women to have time for themselves. She never gets preachy about it, but she illustrates it beautifully. The need for women to love and support each other is a timeless message, and although Reese is the classic “night in shining armor,” in many ways it is Sophie who is the true heroine and I love that.
Reese is broody, moody and grumpy but lovable all at the same time. He is all male to Sophie’s 100% female, and they play off one another beautifully as they learn to love and trust one another with their various issues. All in all, this is a lovely, sweet, fluffy romance perfect for an afternoon escape. The perfect blance of sweet and spicy.

2.75/5. This book didn't work for me on so many levels.


Plot summary. He is an insomniac, cantankerous earl, who recently came into his title following the death of his brother, forcing Reese (a major) to reluctantly abandon his war duties and the men under his command and return to to England to fulfil his ancestral obligations. Sophie is being pressured into accepting the marital proposal of a marquess, whose wealth holds the key to getting her family out of the dire financial sinkhole that her father's spending and drinking has placed them in. She worries the marriage will end her furtive role in running the Debutante Underground group, where women from all walks of life meet to exchange knowledge and information too taboo or improper to be spoken out loud in drawing rooms. Reese catches her trespassing on his business property. Instant attraction ensues. She somehow becomes his sleeping aid. He persuades her to continue to lend her presence to cure his insomnia in exchange for the use of the building. They struggle to contain their lust. They fail. Lust prevails, but love is hindered by her family obligations and his feelings of guilt. They of course help each other overcome their respective obstacles. HEA.

Firstly, the title is misleading. The hero was no rogue but just a tortured soul whose prolonged self-flagellation got a bit tiresome towards the end. The premise was so improbable, I really found it hard to suspend my critical thinking. So much didn't make sense. How did he track her down just from her surname alone? How could he think it's safe for her to meet him at his abandoned building at night?

There was really little adherence to propriety in their conduct right from the start. There was absolutely no point of having a 'no contact' clause in their arrangement, because for her to be spending alone time with him in his building, sleeping in his manor, her virtue would already be compromised beyond any redemption. However, neither balked at the idea, taking to it like it was the most normal thing for a lady and a gent to be co-sleeping in such proximity, even before libidinous thoughts got in the way.

I also hate the fact that they slept together - twice - in the knowledge that she will still go ahead with her marriage to the marquess, who was only guilty of being a man of his time. Never mind their feelings for one another. How about common decency and integrity? Also I just don't get why a wealthy and handsome marquess would want to enter a marriage with a mere, penniless baron's daughter, whom he did not even appear to feel that much attraction for. Why would he think she is a worthy wife for him, when there are plenty of titled ladies in better financial and social positions than her? (view spoiler)

The whole Underground movement for women was rather silly. For them to risk scandal and social ostracism in order to get together and read and discuss a weekly advice column and gleam some illicit information about sex and other taboos, it seems somewhat trivial. At least make it worthwhile by instigating social changes and the likes.

The conduct and language lacked the authenticity of the period for me. The plot was weak. Then there are the plethora of coincidences. There's two degrees of separation between everyone. It was enough to get my eyeballs rolling wildly. Overall, not impressive but on a positive note, it was a very quick read.

This was a sweet yet at times spicy read that definitely keeps the reader hooked!! Anna Bennett is an amazingly talented author with a beautiful gift. Her storyline is extremely well written and her characters are so completely relatable even by todays standards that you cant help but fall in love with them. This book is a must read with a wonderful HEA. I was given this book to review by Netgalley. All opinions expressed here are my own and given voluntarily.

This is a great close proximity romance novel. This book is a great read if you like historial novels by Anna Bradley or Sabrina Jeffries.

Once upon a time in Anna Bennett's When You Wish Upon a Rogue, three young ladies vowed to record their first London seasons and to fill in the gaps of their educations.

She knows what she wants.

Miss Sophie Kendall is happiest arranging the secret meetings of the Debutante Underground, a group of women who come together to discuss the weekly advice column The Debutante’s Revenge. What makes Sophie most unhappy is her impending march down the aisle to a man she does not love. But her family’s finances are in increasingly dire straits.

He makes an offer she can’t refuse.

Henry Reese, Earl of Warshire, hasn’t slept in weeks. Desperate to escape his manor house and its haunting memories, he heads for one of his abandoned London properties. There he meets a beautiful, intriguing woman—trespassing. Reese is far less interested in Sophie’s search for a secret meeting spot than he is in her surprising ability to soothe his demons. So he strikes a bargain with her: his shop in exchange for spending one night a week with him.

Is this love for real—or just a dream?

Sophie never expected this to happen. But she cannot deny the fire Reese sparks in her—and soon their shared desire burns bright. Sophie is irrevocably promised to another. But maybe these two ill-fated lovers can find a way to risk it all—all the way to happily ever after…

This is a short regency romance with no cliff hanger. It is the third book in the series, but can be read as a stand alone. Lady Sophie Bennett hosts secret meetings of the Debutante Underground and facilitates discussions about topics most debutantes are unfamiliar with! Trying to find a larger meeting space she runs into Henry Reese, the Earl of Warshire. Henry is suffering from PTSD due to war activities and recurrent nightmares. Sophie offers him a special blend of tea and he falls immediately asleep, much to his joy. Later, when the tea alone does not work Henry makes her a deal. She can use his building rent free in she will make the tea and then remain behind so he can fall asleep one night a week. From there the romance develops.
While not the most believable plot, the story is entertaining and well written. The world and characters are both well developed and appealing. I found it to be a page turner! I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others. I received an ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Anna Bennett’s When You Wish Upon A Rogue is a sparkling, enchanting and captivating historical romance that brings to a poignant and magical end her latest terrific series, The Debutante Diaries.

Miss Sophie Kendall is feeling the weight of duty and responsibility weighing heavily upon her shoulders. With her father an inveterate gambler who is just a game of hazard or a drink away from plunging the entire family into penury, it is up to Sophie to make a suitable match – preferably with a rich and titled aristocrat who will rescue them from near destitution. With Lord Singleton being lined up by her father as a prospective bridegroom for Sophie, the future for her looks bleak. But luckily for her she can, for the time being, find solace in her friendship with her best friends, Fiona and Lily and in organizing meetings for the Debutante Underground, a group dedicated to women who meet every week to discuss the latest advice column, The Debutante’s Revenge. With the organization growing in number, Sophie needs to find an alternative venue for the group to meet and when she stumbles upon an empty tailor’s shop, she thinks she has found the perfect location – until she finds herself startled by the owner, the reclusive Henry Reese, Earl of Warshire, who is going to change Sophie’s life in more ways than one…
As the youngest son, Henry had always been free to follow his destiny and to make his own way in the world.

As a soldier, Henry had been more used to warzones than ballrooms, but when his brother dies in a tragic hunting accident, Henry finds himself having to step up to the plate and return back to England to take his brother’s place as the Earl of Warshire. Unfortunately, Henry is plagued by ghosts and demons which preclude him from falling asleep. Henry cannot remember the last time he had a restful night. But could the young woman he found in his uncle’s old shop provide him with the cure for his restlessness and insomnia? After fixing him a tisane, Henry has the first good night’s sleep in weeks. Seeking out Miss Kendall again, he comes up with a shocking proposition: she can have the shop, if she spends one night a week with him.
Sophie cannot believe her ears! If word gets out about Henry’s suggestion, she could be ruined. Yet, saying no to him quickly proves absolutely impossible. As Sophie begins to spend every Friday at his imposing manor house, it is not just Henry’s sleep patterns that improve. As the two begin to open up to one another, a tentative friendship is forged that quickly gives way to a love that simply cannot be denied. Yet, theirs is a love that cannot be for Sophie is promised to another man…

With each passing week, Sophie and Henry’s feelings for one another intensify, but with a future for the two of them seemingly impossible, will they manage to find a way to be together? Or will Sophie’s duty to her family end up losing her the love of her life?

Anna Bennett’s When You Wish Upon A Rogue is a dazzling historical romance sprinkled with heart-pounding intensity, delicious wit, powerful emotion and red-hot passion. A beautifully told tale of illicit desire, past demons and healing from the past, Sophie and Henry’s love story will tug at the heartstrings and hold readers spellbound throughout.

An outstanding historical romance from an immensely talented writer, When You Wish Upon A Rogue is another must-read by Anna Bennett.