Sophie Kendall dreams of marrying for love like her two best friends and co-founders of The Debutante's Revenge column, but Sophie is at least happy running weekly secret meetings of the Debutante Underground. Unfortunately, that happiness will soon come to an end when she's forced to marry the handsome, wealthy marquess, whom she distinctly does not love, in order to save her family from penury.

Henry Reese, the rather unwilling Earl of Warshire, can't remember the last time he truly slept. At night he frequently haunts one of his properties, an abandoned tailor shop, in an attempt to escape his manor house and the memories that haunt him. He's not interested in Sophie's search for a larger venue for her secret meetings, but when she's miraculously able to soothe his troubled mind and help him sleep, Reese is willing to negotiate. So the two make a deal: Reese will allow Sophie to use his shop if she'll spend one night per week with him.

Sophie knows she's all but betrothed to another man and sets out rules to keep herself and Reese a respectable distance apart, but that doesn't stop the undeniable connection between them from growing ever stronger. But with Sophie's future all but set, it will take some maneuvering if she and Reese are to stand a chance at having a future together.

I loved Reese and his swoonworthy speeches even if they were a bit over the top at times. This was a light read while at the same time being very angsty. I liked that the attraction between Reese and Sophie developed from a connection to a true friendship before becoming more, I just wish Sophie had fought sooner and more for Reese and their future together. Things were left till the last minute and then resolved so quickly that it felt rushed and a bit unsatisfying. In that same vein, the lack of an epilogue left me feeling a bit deprived. The premise is definitely a bit implausible in terms of historical accuracy, but I liked that in this instance and found it refreshing. This was a good read and I enjoyed it; even if it didn't quite grab me like I wanted it to, Reese definitely made it for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The delight in this one was going back into this era for a bit makes for a change as well as a get away. The rogue in these times could make a heart race but watch out. The secret delight is the column that these gals where involved in. The forbidden it would seem is the fruit that is craved in this and the excitement it intales gives us the read we follow. Sophie and Reese are the ones that have us captivated in this with the temptation and desire building in them and us. Oh how does it end is what is in the back of mind and you go until you find the answer.

This was my first book by this author!(so yes I haven’t read the others in the series) I throughly enjoyed this sweet, dreamy book! Sophie was a great heroine who was sweet but felt the pressure of her family to marry for money. Reese was in the military & suffers from PTSD. He’s an Earl but it was supposed to be his brother. Reese is a swoon worthy sweet hero! I adored him so! It was such a delight to watch these two fall in love and come into their own! I look forward to reading the others in this series as well! I def recommend giving this book a read if you love sweet historical romances!

Henry and Sophie's story was very captivating. They had a great connection and it was great watching them fall in love while trying to keep it secret. The story line was well written and keeps you engaged in the story, and I loved seeing their HEA.

I really enjoyed the heroine, Sophie. This was a fun read. I enjoyed it!

Many thanks to the author, the publishers, and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Reese is all but broken. His past is eating at him and he is deeply troubled. Sophie is hiding her passion and is troubled about an up coming engagement. When they meet by accident they strike a deal that benefits them both. They had no idea how much they would change each other’s futures. Nice romance.

This was a perfectly good book. It wasn't anything groundbreaking, but it was an enjoyable read.

A lot of this is very surface level. There's a lack of development to the characters and romance. That's not necessarily a bad thing. And it's nice to have a book that doesn't require a lot of thought. I like the characters but it did stop me from getting particularly emotionally invested in them.'

I think that's all I have to say, sorry.

Another new-to-me author for me! This book is the 3rd and last book of the Debutante Diaries series. I haven’t read the first two, but this one can be read as a standalone. I love the author’s writing style, it’s quite pleasant and easy to read, the flow is smooth, and the story line is intriguing with surprised plot twists... However, there are certain issues with the reality and historical accuracies that make this book somewhat less believable in my opinion 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Sophie Kendall is part of the trio who runs the weekly meetings of the Debutante Underground, a space for women from all social backgrounds to freely discuss romantic relationships, love, and desires without fear of being ridiculed or condemned. While searching for a location to hold these meetings, she stumbles upon an empty building that belongs to Henry Reese, the Earl of Warshire...

Reese has been struggling with insomnia, grieving the death of his brother, his friends from the army, and the guilt from leaving them behind. His encounters with Sophie slowly helps him get back on his feet and deal with his inner demons. Their mutual understanding and love develop through the course of these “therapy” sessions. Unfortunately, as a daughter of a destitute baron, Sophie is promised to a wealthy marquess to save her family from ruin. So they have tried to make their precious time together as memorable as they could...

While I enjoyed the writing and the interesting premises of the story, I feel that some of the details seem to be a bit unrealistic and not quite appropriate for that time period. Nonetheless, it’s rather sweet, romantic, and steamy, and Reese is quite swoon-worthy 😅. If you’re looking for a light and easy-to-read historical romance, this should fit the bill!

*Special thanks to St Martin’s Press for gifting me the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

I have to admit I was a little bit wary when I started this book, because one trope I really dislike in novels of any era is one of the protagonists getting ‘magically cured’ of some physical or mental illness literally just by the presence of their love interest, and I had my suspicions that might be what happens here. I was very happy to be proved wrong.

Reese, Earl of Warshire, is lately returned from the Peninsula Wars and suffering from both survivor’s guilt and PTSD, both of which have combined to give him an insomnia which is absolutely destroying him mentally. But here’s the thing; although HE thinks it’s just Sophie’s presence which is helping, it’s obvious to the reader that Sophie is, all unknowing, actually conducting psychological therapy sessions with Reese which are helping him to deal with and move past his trauma. Combined with some herbal remedies (and yes, valerian really is a good natural remedy for insomnia) she does cure him, but there’s nothing magical about it at all. Even though he thinks there is.

Sophie’s got her own problems, with a family sliding rapidly into debt and the weight of rescuing them on her shoulders. Betrothed to a man she has no interest in whatsoever, she doesn’t want to fall for Reese, but as she gets to know him, it’s pretty much inevitable. He’s also the first man who’s really taken the time to get to know her, and she finds she likes the person she’s allowed to be with him, rather than the stifled version she’d have to be as the wife of her destined husband.

This is the third in a series about three young women who write a revolutionary feminist gossip column, but you absolutely don’t have to have read the others to thoroughly enjoy this. Sophie is a delight and Reese a good man struggling under an intolerable burden, and there’s a lovely cast of well-realised supporting characters who all have their part to play. Five stars for an excellent read.

This was one of those reads that everything just seemed to fit together beautifully to create a perfect storm of reading goodness. The storyline was fun and well written, the main characters were complex and lovable and the connection and chemistry between them was spot on. Sophie was clever, kind and sassy. I thought she was a really great character. She was definitely not your typical historical heroine. As for Reese, he was totally swoon worthy but also made my heart ache because of his troubles and vulnerabilities. This book offered up a wonderful combo of cuteness, sweetness and heartfelt emotion. I loved it!

When You Wish Upon A Rogue by Anna Bennett is the newest novel in the Debutante's Revenge Series. Sophie has watched her friends find love and marry, but knows that isn't in the cards for her, as her father has lost his family's fortune and it's up to her to make an advantageous match. She is to marry for wealth, not for love and is accepting of her duty, until she meets Henry Reese, the Earl of Warshire, who is haunted by PTSD after fighting for the King. He hasn't slept since returning from the battlefront upon the death of his brother and is in desperate straits when he meets Sophie, who helps him get the sleep he desperately needs.

Henry and Sophie fall in love, but it is ill fated, as she is set to marry in a short few weeks. How can they be together? This was a very enjoyable novel, although initially I was at a loss to see why Sophie felt such a connection to Henry. He was not very kind to her initially and was pretty gruff. Apparently she liked that!

Thanks to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Bennett continues the same delightful spin of the former student’s of Mrs. Haywrinkles school for young ladies. This time it’s Sophie, the last woman of the trio, who are secretly involved with writing the column, Debutante’s Revenge. The other two, Lily and Fiona have found their rogues.
Sophie is the head of the Debutante Underground which is a group of women that secretly meet every Friday evening, to discuss the recent article in the Debutante’s Revenge. The group has grown so fast that she needs to find a bigger place. (In comes the rogue), Lord Reese Warshire, the owner of a warehouse, where upon the advice of another member, Sophie comes to check out. As she is trying to peer through the dirty window, the door swings open and the story begins.

This is a wonderful book! Our heroine is in charge of a secret society of women who meet to learn about all the things society doesn't want them to know. They support each other and give each other sounding boards for the many woes women of the Regency Period experienced.
Unfortunately she will have to step down as the leader of the group since she is being forced to marry. It seems her father has made some money mistakes and she must save the family through marriage. But., before the fateful day arrives she meets our hero.
Our hero is an ex military man who is suffering from some intense PTSD. He can't sleep. Except when our heroine helps him. Now he needs her. She agrees if he will let her group use his storefront for their meetings. But their love story is on a time limit. Can he realize he needs her for more than a sandman before she accepts the other guy's proposal and will she accept him when he does?

Reese, Earl of Warshire, is just the kind of Regency hero I love. He has problems, is haunted with guilt over the deaths of his family and colleagues, and he is just ready to be saved by the love of a good woman.

Sophie is just a tad too good to be true, but in time-honored romance fashion, I was willing to believe that this proper miss would participate in a rather innovative sleep cure. While she is willing to sacrifice herself on the altar of matrimony to save her family, she isn’t totally willing to give up on love (and lust) for herself.


I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was completely captivated by this Regency romance with great characters and a well-written, emotional story that kept me glued to the book from beginning to end. I loved the attraction and undeniable chemistry between Miss Sophie Kendall who is happiest arranging secret meetings of the Debutante Underground and grumpy Henry Reese, Earl of Warshire who is suffering from PTSD, depression and sleepless nights. If you enjoy a heartfelt, can't-put-down Regency romance, don't miss "When You Wish Upon a Rogue", book three in the Debutante Diaries series by gifted author Anna Bennett. I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Well, this was all very improper, wasn't it? xD

I don't even mind; it's hardly as if one reads steamy Regency romances for the propriety.

Our heroine, Sophie is about to become engaged to a man she doesn't love but who could help with her family's increasingly dire financial situation. Sophie also chairs meetings of the Debutante Underground, a secret society where witches (women) meet to talk about shrinking men's manly parts (love and relationships and intimacy). While looking for a larger space to host the meetings, Sophie happens upon our hero, Reese. He's having trouble sleeping and she's got a knack for brewing a good pot of calming tea. He proposes a deal: he'll provide her with a meeting space if she'll spend one night per week helping him sleep.

... no, seriously, this is all so improper.

Some yes/no/maybe bullet points:

+ The settings were great. The shop with buttons! Reese's gothic manor house (total "Beauty and the Beast" vibes!), the garden with a dramaturgical concept, all the lanterns, the swing, the waterfall, the jewel-toned pillows, and the parasol made of rainbows. I was so THERE for the whole aesthetic!
+ Occasional moments of weird motivation aside (see -), I did enjoy the leads. Sophie was very no-nonsense and I liked her green thumb, and Reese was a good mixture of tortured and sweet.
+ The little "witch" subplot. I was très amused.

+/- There was such a refreshing lack of forced drama/miscommunication in this book. The overarching obstacle of Sophie having to marry for money aside, the H/h spoke their minds to each other, actually addressed issues head-on (?!), and just generally communicated well. How new and different! As a slight downside, it did make the action just a bit too uneventful at times.
+/- The language was decidedly too modern, and the phrasing somewhat too American, but it was consistent and well-edited, so I didn't really mind the anachronism as such.
+/- I haven't seen this many sentence fragments since I was a 13-year-old writing Buffy/Angel fan fiction and Microsoft Word's spelling and grammar check kept wanting me to correct them. That said, I kind of weirdly enjoyed them here for that same reason? In any case, be warned - there are a lot of sentence fragments!

- The instalove in this would put any YA book to shame.
- I side-eyed Reese's claiming ownership over Sophie in the later chapters. Not romantic.
- Like I said before, I can and will suspend my disbelief about propriety in these types of novels. That said, I do still expect some internal logic to govern them. The story is set in this particular time period for a reason, and its larger conflicts (arranged marriage, subversive women's meetings) are tied to it. Clearly, there are societal expectations on young women to behave a certain way, regardless of what the characters' views about that are. All this to say, I don't mind the leads frolicking on Reese's lawn, as long as they have a vaguely plausible way of hiding their assignations (which they do, for the most part), but I do mind motivations that don't take the setting into account. Such as Reese being wounded that Sophie can't be seen with him, or Sophie, while still engaged to the ever-so-proper Lord Singleton, deciding she's "beyond caring for her reputation". It's just a shame because I think that steamy Regency works best when it tries to function within the constraints that would have been placed on relationships at the time (... and still gets away with the sexy times).

All in all, though, this was a fluffy, fun romp with tons of lush imagery.

This is the third book in the Debutante Diaries series, and follows Miss Sophie Kendall. Sophie is in need of a location to hold her meetings where she discusses articles from the controversial newspaper, that her two friends (book 1 and 2) publish. She manages to find a vacant shop that turns out to be owned by Henry Reese, the Earl of Warshire. Henry is instantly captivated by Sophie, especially her ability to calm him since he finds himself traumatised by the death of his brother, his responsibilities and memories of the war. When he agrees to allow Sophie to use the building, he does so on the proviso that she will help him to sleep. Yet, the more time spent together, Sophie begins to wonder about her soon to be engagement, that may be the only way to save her family’s finances.
A lovely story with Henry, wearing his heart of his sleeve. Sophie is a sweetheart and was hard not to like. A truly sweet story, that will cheer up anyone’s day.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

When You Wish Upon a Rogue, the third title in the Debutante Diaries series will steal your heart away with a fairy-tale feeling and two people who shouldn’t, couldn’t fall in love – but certainly, most completely did – and they got their happily ever after as well.

Sophie is faced with what many women of her era faced, a loveless marriage arranged for the financial good of others not themselves. Her family is destitute, rather nasty, and has arranged for a marriage that would save them and sacrifice Sophie. Her future holds no hope of the happiness her two friends found recently. She has a few weeks yet, and within that time she must find a new secret meeting place for the gathering of friends to write their column. And she’s found the perfect place, unfortunately, that perfectly abandoned building is owned by a man who carries his own demons.

Henry never expected to end up with the title, he’d gone into the military and was, to this day, suffering from survivor’s guilt, the sights he’d seen in battle and with what today would have been diagnosed as PTSD. He cannot sleep. At all. To the point where his insomnia is threatening his health. As he discovers Sophie at one of his properties, Henry makes the surprising discovery that this young woman soothes him, allows him to relax enough to feel as though he could finally rest, sleep a full night. He strikes a bargain, one night a week, innocently, in exchange for the use of his building. What began as a bargain turns into love as this couple will get to know each other deeply, share secrets, a rundown garden that is coming to life again, and falling in love – even though that seems dooms since Sophie is betrothed to another.

When You Wish Upon a Rogue was everything I wanted to close out this trilogy (although I often hold out hope for just one more story). Sophie and Reese have a love story with a whimsical, fairytale feel that reminds me of Beauty and the Beast, right down to the garden, and that rose. Their story was a joy to read and become part of their world for a bit. As always with this author the story flows smoothly, while perhaps not totally accurate historically (I rarely find that any Historical Romance truly is) that didn’t draw away from a lovely romance that held my attention and had me wishing for more. You “could” read this on its own, but the complete series is such fun and gives a much broader story to enjoy – that choice is yours.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Engaging romance with wonderful characters. I love the idea of a group of women and their secret society that meets clandestinely to discuss romance and other things not necessarily suited for the times. It causes quit a stir in the ton when the newspaper published a weekly article telling women what they should expect from an intimate relationship. The men don’t like it! Go figure. One of the three women that put together the article for publishing and the only unwed of the trio is the earth mother Sophie. Such a lovely character and she comes into her own as the story goes along and she meets her beloved rogue, Reese. He’s tormented by several tragic events and Sophie comes to his aid in an unconventional way. The romance is the stuff of dreams and turns into a full blown affair even though Sophie is to be wed to another to save her family from financial ruin. This is a quick, entertaining read that doesn’t cheat on the storyline that includes a spicy romance, some intrigue and a few twists. Terrific historical romance!

When You Wish Upon a Rogue is the third book in the Debutante Diaries series by Anna Bennett. Although it can easily be read as a stand-alone, I think you will enjoy it even more if you read the previous books first.

Sophie Kendall is to be married to a man she doesn't love. He may be handsome, rich and charming but he isn't the kind of man that will allow her any independence. He especially wouldn't be happy if he knew about the meetings that she chairs once a week, The Debutante Underground. Sophie has to marry him though in order to save her father ending up in debtors prison and her family from being shamed.

Henry Reese, Earl of Warshire was at war when he was told that his older brother had died. He had to give up his commission to return home to take the place of his brother as Earl. He feels extreme guilt about leaving his men amongst other things and that guilt has stopped him sleeping. He is a shell of a man.

He and Sophie meet when she is looking at an empty property with the hope it would be suitable for her meetings. The property happens to be his and she is as shocked as him when they run into each other in the dead of night in the unlit place. Sophie has a soothing cadence and also offers to make him tea that should help him sleep. When for the first time in a long time he actually sleeps he decides to do a deal with Sophie. She could use his property if she would spend one night a week with him, nothing nefarious, to help him sleep. She agrees and so begins their wonderful relationship.

There is an instant attraction between them but Sophie tells him about her impending betrothal and they make a pact to not physically touch each other during their nights together. They know if they do that they will give in to the attraction. Instead, they spend their time getting to know each other and Reese finally enjoys at least one good night of sleep each week.

Of course, it isn't long until they are both wishing that Sophie wouldn't have to marry another man, but not being able to help out financially Reese knows that he can't ask her to marry him. If he did she would have to refuse. Will their one night a week visits stay platonic, will Sophie find another way to help her family without marrying the wrong man? Will she and Reese have their happy ever after?

This is one of those books that I had to read as quickly as I could to find out how it would end. There were some beautifully emotional scenes between Reece and Sophie and one notably sensual scene that I don't think I will ever forget. I shall never look at a particular flower the same way again.

Their relationship was lovely, even just as friends, but I just couldn't see a way that Sophie could get out of her betrothal. Let's just say that the possibility of it happening was via a way that I very much least expected. Talk about a shocker.

I enjoyed Reese and Sophie's story, and I love the Debutante Underground. The women have such wonderful camaraderie and have such a giggle together. Their meetings brought many smiles to my face.

I am more than happy to recommend this book.