This book was a DNF for me. I had a really hard time getting into it but I have heard it gets better! I had to put it down around 35%.

I felt like there wasn't enough conversation happening between the characters and I couldn't understand what was happening a lot of the time. I will admit it has been a long time since I have read a historical fiction so I think I was just having trouble getting back into this genre.

I liked Tristan a lot. I felt like he was a great character and had some good Bisexual representation going on. He was proud of who he is and didn't care what people thought.

This book wasn't for me (at this moment in time. I will definitely go back try to read this again because it was a good book but I just had trouble with it!) I think anyone who likes sexy bad boys and historical fiction will like this one!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is the second title in Evie Dunmore's League of Extraordinary Women series and is the story of Lady Lucie. Readers may remember her as the leader of the suffragist group in the first book of the series. In this installment, Lucie appears as a more well-rounded character. Her love interest, Tristan, is a seemingly irredeemable rogue with hidden depths. The story takes us from a London publishing house, to Oxford, to an opulent country house party. Overall, this is an enjoyable read and an engaging love story with strong chemistry. It is more overtly feminist and political than the average historical romance novel. There are some secondary characters and loose ends that are left hanging and it seems likely that these will be addressed in future books in the series, though this did make the novel feel very slightly incomplete. Overall, I recommend and look forward to future books in the series.

I really liked this one Tristan was a sexy brooding gentlemen and I loved how strong Lucie was as a character. I think my biggest problem is when I pick this book back up it takes time for me to get back into the old English writing and I found myself needing to go back a few times and reread sections. I didn’t think this one was as steamy as the first but it worked well I’m this book and I’m so excited to see more of these characters in book 3

A Rogue of One’s Own is an enemies-to-lovers romance between Tristan Ballister and Lady Lucie, who buy equal stakes in a publisher and then wrestle for who has majority control of the publishing company.

On the one hand, I really enjoyed Dunmore’s voice as an author! I found her writing compelling, and while I didn’t always *like* wither the hero or the heroine, I really value that Lucie and Tristan are complex & imperfect characters. Paricularly Lucie— we need more complicated women in romance!! Lucie felt real & stubborn & relatable in many ways, and I want more heroines who aren’t required to be perfect to find love.

On the other hand, there were some aspects of representation that I found problematic. I struggled with moments of biphobia, homophobia, and cultural appropriation I found in the story. Considering the hype about how this is a feminist book, it left me wanting more.

I received an arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I thought the first book in this series was a strong debut, and really liked so much about A Rogue of One's Own! I'm enjoying what I hope will continue to be a new publishing trend of historical romance novels about feminists like this and Scarlett Peckham's The Rakess, and of course Courtney Milan's The Suffragette Scandal.

Some caveats, though: First, the hero's tattoo is based on an Indian deity; a reviewer below goes into this in much more detail, and you should check out what they have to say both here and at more length on GoodReads. It bothers me that this didn't even strike me as potentially problematic upon first reading precisely because historical romance's history of exoticizing and co-opting other cultures has made me so used to seeing stuff like that--but at THIS moment in history, we can and should embrace opportunities to criticize and change and hopefully improve the genre going forward.

Ditto for the second caveat, which is for an Evil Gay Villain acting out of frustrated desire for the hero. I found this trope slightly less problematic here because I do think there's an argument to be made that living in a society which forces people to be closeted results in the kind of internalized homophobia that could realistically be part of what's contributing to such behavior (especially in an otherwise extremely entitled character), but of course the realism argument also only goes so far. We've all seen enough homophobia to not necessarily want more of it in our romance novels. Still, it was less of a problem for me personally because I read enough queer romance, historical and otherwise, that this is no longer the only kind of representation I see any more, and because I can enjoy some problematic things.

And this book was otherwise great! I loved Lucie and Tristan's romance and Dunmore's writing, which is why I'm still giving it a (qualified) recommendation and will definitely read the author's next title. It's also why I even wrote all this, if I'm being completely honest; if the book was bad I'd never bother, but I'm hopeful that conversations about problematic aspects of good books can ultimately help make both future ones and the genre as a whole stronger and better.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC of A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of my few DNF of the year, but only temporary because I may circle back when I’m in the mood for a book like this.

My biggest problem with this book was the lack of dialogue and interaction with the characters, I rely heavily on plots when it comes to books and this one just did not pull me in at all.

However, if you love descriptive characters and setting with a lot of historical details then you will love this book.

The first book in this series was good, but I felt like I did not need another book. I DNF at 40%, so this review excludes about 60% of the book where people have told me it does pick up a little bit.

I want to start by saying thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

In case you didn’t know, Bringing Down the Duke was one of my absolute favorite rom-coms last year and when I heard that a sequel was coming out I knew I needed to read it.

This book, like a lot of rom com sequels, can be read as a standalone. However, since I loved the first one so much, I would highly recommend reading it in order!

The story is told from dual POVs, (YAYYYY!!!) Lady Lucie and Lord Ballantine, as they begin as enemies. I am a sucker for the enemies to lovers trope, provided that it is done well and not an insta-love story. This one does an excellent job progressing their relationship at a natural speed and draws you into their story!

Another thing that is done exceptionally well is Dunmore’s ability to write in such a descriptive language that it makes you feel like you’ve stepped straight into 19th century London. This book is so much more than a rom com as the author brings forth the many issues that women during that time faced and really made me feel like I was fighting this fight right alongside Lucie and the suffragists.

Overall, this story is a well-written Hallmark worthy rom com. It tackles important issues and really makes me want to demand the third book right this minute! If you have not read Bringing Down the Duke yet, I recommend reading that one ASAP. If you have read that one, be sure to pick up A Rogue of One’s Own (out tomorrow, Sept 1st)

Evie Dunmore’s debut, “Bringing Down the Duke”, was my first ever historical romance – and it got me hooked on the genre! I was very excited to read the next book in her “League of Extraordinary Women” series after honing in on which historical tropes I like – and the ones I don’t. Fortunately for me, “A Rogue of One’s Own” features my favourite historical hero: a rogue (obviously lol). Sorry to Montgomery - the cold, stoic hero of the first book - but Tristan stole my heart with his roguish, rakish ways.

This book follows Lady Lucie, leader of the Oxford suffragists, and titular rogue himself, Lord Tristan Ballantine - who also happens to be Lucie’s childhood nemesis. The story weaves through their various clashes – professionally and personally – as Lucie attempts to gain control over one of London’s major publishing houses in order to further the Cause.

It seems like I am always going on about how much I love the rivals to lovers trope, but I’m not sorry about it. Dunmore flawlessly combines this trope with the added bonus element of ~history~ between said rivals. I loved how Tristan and Lucie’s tumultuous relationship was rooted in a shared history – it ramped up the tension between them ten-fold. And boy oh boy was there a LOT of simmering tension between them. Tristan immediately became one of my favourite heroes – he is anti-war, loves cats, recites poetry, and flaunts his sexuality (which, he’s definitely bi, right??). I also loved Lucie – hot-headed, marriage-hating, and also, cat-loving (very important to me it seems).

Overall, “A Rogue of One’s Own” was the perfect follow-up to Dunmore’s debut, and I have to say I liked it even better than the first! And it comes out in 2 days!! So get your hands on a copy if you can – it will be well worth it.

This historical rom-com uses an enemies-to-lovers trope to pit spinster and suffragist Lucinda Tedbury against Lord Tristan Ballentine, libertine and childhood tease. Lucie wants only to repeal the Married Women’s Property Act; Tristan wants only for his latest dalliance to be with Lucie. While I liked the witty dialogue and sexy times, I found they too often took a backseat to the obviously well-researched feminist struggle of the period. As a result, I didn’t quite believe the hero’s motivation and his character arc felt more convenient than realistic. But if you’re looking for witty banter and a strong feminist subplot, then this may appeal.

I loved Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore so of course I had to dive right into A Rogue of One's Own immediately upon receiving it. Dunmore is a fast favorite and an official auto-buy for me based on these first two books and if you haven't picked them up, you need to do so ASAP.

Lucie and Tristan's story is full of banter and I love it when authors can make you feel the push and pull of the character's feelings. These two are drawn to each other and end up making a bargain that will change them both. I love a great character driven story and Dunmore won me over. Lucie's drive is what makes her stand out. She will do anything for her cause because she's seen what happens to women first hand, and if that means she has to make a deal with Tristan, she'll do it. Tristan has been looking for a way out from the control of his father and now that he is no longer the spare, he'll do whatever he can to gain some independence.

Overall this was another great story by Dunmore. I know I talk mostly about the characters but the suffragist movement is what brings this story together and I love how Dunmore uses this piece of history to push the story and the characters forward.

Well that was delightfully entertaining!

Stepping back into the 1800’s is normally not my cup of tea, but Evie Dunmore wrote this in such a way that I couldn’t help but enjoy myself, and want more.

Lady Lucie is my kind of character. She is bold, strong, steadfast in her beliefs, and has an unbreakable amount of courage. She is quick witted, funny, and so endearing. I also loved Tristan, and the relationship between the two. I found myself reading until 1:30 am last night because I didn’t want to leave their world. I love when that happens!

I am so thankful for the women (and men) of the past like Lady Lucie and her friends, who fought for my right to be equal to the men around me. I cannot even begin to imagine what it felt like to be a possession, and have to constantly fight to be considered as more. I am also thankful for novels like this one that are written, in order for us to understand how far we have come.

I am equally grateful to everyone who fights for the rights of everyone, everywhere, every single day ❤️

This was such a fun book, and a great escape from current day events. Pick it up! ❤️

I am so sad to say I will not be finishing A Rogue of One’s Own due to problematic content. Thanks to recent reviews, I became aware of some plot points that I am not comfortable with. I enjoyed the first bit of the book that I read, but I am not okay with a historical romance making an LGBTQ character the villain or the use of Hindu deities. Having a colonizer hero is never okay in historical romance.

Originally reviewed on Forever Young Adult: http://foreveryoungadult.com/2020/08/17/a-rogue-of-ones-own/

LET'S GET IT ON with A Rogue of One’s Own (A League of Extraordinary Women #2) by Evie Dunmore

First Impressions

As with the first book in the series, I am in love. It’s playful and bright, the textures are unique and the little scene clues you in that these two have a bit of antagonistic relationship while still being playful. There’s even a cameo from Boudicca!

What’s Your Type?

Feminism, rakes with a heart of gold, rivals to lovers, smart heroines, indecent proposals, excellent romances

Dating Profile

(Former) Lady Lucinda Tedbury is utterly devoted to the Cause; so much so that she doesn’t even (mostly) mind that her family privately disowned her ten years ago and that Society barely tolerates her presence (while sometimes calling her the Tedbury Termagant behind her back). Lucie knows she’s outspoken, passionate, and more informed than most young English women. She wants what’s best for her fellow sex, and she will NEVER fall into the marriage trap (by which English law allows a woman’s person and property to be subsumed by her husband).

Tristan Ballentine—outrageous charmer, former soldier, secret poet, once a second son but now the (unwilling) heir to the Earl of Rochester—is also against marriage, but for very different reasons. After a brush with death during the war and his father constantly using his mother as a bargaining chip to force him to marry to produce an heir, Tristan is ready to leave England behind for good. But, before he goes, he needs to secure a secondary source of income that isn’t Daddy’s money.

Meet Cute

As a child, Tristan spent his summers at the Tedbury family’s estate with Lucie’s brother, and he subscribed to the Gilbert Bythe school of flirting: dipping hair into inkwells because he likes you. Once Tristan grew into his features—and women took notice—his cunning mind landed him into business deals with some unsavory sorts, so his father shipped him off to war in the Middle East. For her part, Lucie had written teenage Tristan off long ago after she caught him dallying with a married woman, which she found very distasteful.

In present day, Lucie is the leader of a growing suffragist movement, and, together, the women pooled their money to buy fifty percent of a publishing house in order to further their agenda about a woman’s right to vote. With the two other owners split at twenty-five percent of the company each, Lucie’s majority shares will ensure that she can print whatever the suffragists want, when they want. So imagine Lucie’s utter shock and dismay when she learns that the other owners recently sold their shares to the same person…and that she now co-owns her feminist publishing house with Society’s favorite rake.

The Lean

Time to invest in a hand-fan, because this book is so hot you will be swooning from the heat. Lucie and Tristan have IT in spades, and you will feel the burn if you venture too close. I dare you to read this book and not be captivated by these two. Lucie is so incensed when she learns that Tristan has messed up all her carefully laid plans that she storms in—to his private bedroom!—and says some things she believes to be true. While they are only her opinions, they still hurt Tristan’s pride. And though he did not intentionally “foil” Lucie’s plans for her publishing house, Tristan has his own agendas and is still nursing a childhood crush, so he offers her an indecent proposal: he’ll give her one percent of his shares so she can have majority ownership, but only if she spends a night with him.

(While this set-up may sound…crass, rest assured that it works within the context of the story and their mutual attraction, and it never feels like Tristan is taking unfair advantage of Lucie or that she doesn’t have the ability to say no. Consent and equal power within a relationship are what’s sexy!)

Dirty Talk

Everyone has their own personal threshold for sexy scenes, both in their vivid descriptions and frequency and placement throughout the story. I have read plenty of raunchier, copulation-packed historical novels, and while those have their time and place, this book hits my personal sweet spot. When it’s time for the deed, there are plenty of sexy moments and some tastefully naughty words, but first, FIRST, we get the exact right amount of unresolved sexual tension and emotional investment in the relationship to make the build-up and pay-off completely and utterly worth it. I had a HUGE-ass smile on my face because I was so freaking happy for the characters.

But to wet your whistle:

His free hand delved into her hair at the back of her head. She tensed, but his touch as careful. Confusingly careful. He let a lock slide through his fingers, and then another, slowly as though he were studying each pale strand before releasing it again, and a different tension entered her. She clamped her knees together to quell the urge to move. Her scalp was arming from the minute tugs of his fingers intimately combing through her hair, and the heat filtered down her nape, sank heavily into her breasts, low into her belly, down to her toes.
She gasped when his thump grazed her bared nape.
His lips moved softly against the shell of her ear. “My dear, it is a simple question: Do you want me in your bed, or not?”

Ms. Perky's Prize for Purplest Prose

I will declare that I unabashedly love Evie Dunmore’s writing. There wasn’t anything “too purple” about it for me. In my review of the first book, I noted that Dunmore managed to make reciting poetry sexy. Since Tristan writes poetry there ends up being a fair amount of discussion of it. If you’ve gotten to know me at all over the last few years through my reviews, y’all know I am NOT a poetry fan, but damn it if her books aren’t trying to force my hand. Just a few lines of a Tennyson poem in relation to our characters’ interactions had me gooey.

We Need To Talk

Okay, okay. This. Book. THIS BOOK. I was ALL about Bringing Down the Duke last year and have thought back on it often and fondly, despite only giving it four stars on Goodreads (though I mentally “grade” romance novels on my own internal adjusted curve, so four stars is actually quite fantastic). But as soon as I started A Rogue of One’s Own, I knew I was in for something special. Evie Dunmore has upped the ante, gone all-in, and taken every last bit of my money while still leaving me begging for more.

After the first novel, I asked for more of the suffragists’ stories, and, man, did Dunmore deliver. Lucie’s passion for equal voting rights was palpable and so easy to sympathize with because we are still fighting so many battles for this—and women’s other basic rights—around the world today. Lucie’s conviction made me want to get out there and do more. With all of her confidence in her ability to champion for voting rights, Lucie was still so relatable to less forceful person like myself. She still found herself, at times, insecure about many other aspects of her life.

I loved how we were given plenty of moments of continued female friendship between Hattie, Annabelle, and Catriona, who are all still very present in Lucie’s life. At one point, Annabelle and Lucie get into a fight over an embarrassing debacle at Annabelle’s ducal home, and the two have such a mature, honest apology/conversation that I wanted to squeeze my tablet in happiness.

Meanwhile, Tristan is a seducer with a smart mouth who makes some morally gray choices, but he’s also kind and intelligent and a little broken—though, thankfully, not so damaged as to completely self-sabotage everything good out of his life. There are enough reasons you can understand about why someone competent like Lucie would fall in love with him, and he’s in no way an alpha-hole or secret misogynist like SOME historical male protagonists.

And the plot twists and turns are SO well done! I was never pushed into sheer disbelief or tortured for the sake of titillation. Neither Lucie or Tristan are ever completely in the wrong; they just have different values and goals. Hell, even the length of the book was perfect. Reading this was such a worthy time investment. I never felt like it dragged once, as every moment served to advance something in the plot or relationship.

By the last few chapters I was unable to stop my perma-grin or prevent the happy tears from leaking out of my eyeballs as Lucie and Tristan got their much-deserved happy ending. And you better believe I devoured the tiny teaser for the untitled third book (featuring Hattie and Lucian) and then cried even more tears when I read that it’s not being released until Fall 2021.

Was It Good For You?

A-DOY. Guys, I am SO picky when it comes to romances, especially historical romances, as it is so rare for me to be completely happy with every aspect of the story. But I’d give Dunmore’s sophomore novel ten out of five shiny gold stars if I could. It has for sure secured a spot in my 2020 top favorites.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from Berkley. I received neither money nor peanut butter cups in exchange for this review. A Rogue of One’s Own is available September 1, 2020.

I really enjoyed this historical romance from Evie Dunmore! I was super excited to read this one since I loved Bringing Down the Duke. This book takes us on the journey of Tristan and Lucie. Tristan is definitely your rogue playboy whereas Lucie is an independent and passionate supporter for the suffrage movement. This book started off a little slow for me but picked up at the midway point and I really loved the second half as the romance picked up and these two navigated their feelings for each other. Tristan ending up stealing my heart once he realized he was falling for Lucie and the two of them together were just magic! I also really enjoyed the balance of romance and humor within the book. Definitely a great historical romance read for the summer!

"A Rogue of One's Own" is an enjoyable sequel to "Bringing Down the Duke." Like the previous book in this series, it follows another member of a group of women suffragists in 1870s England. This novel centers around Lucie, who appeared briefly in "Bringing Down the Duke." She is the partial owner of a publishing house and focused on women's rights. A childhood acquaintance, Tristan Ballentine, becomes another owner, angering Lucie and bringing them back into each others' lives. Tristan is a wealthy bachelor with a reputation, and they have a love/hate relationship. Their romance is one of antagonism, banter, and a battle of wits, and it is well done. My favorite part of this book was the character of Lucie, who lives life on her own terms and struggles with her independence, intelligence, and loneliness.

Is it possible I loved this even more than I loved Bringing Down the Duke? Yes, yes it is. Something about Lucie’s fierce independent spirit just spoke to me on such a deep level.

To Lucie, there is nothing more important than the Cause. Gaining rights for women: the right to vote, the right to move about freely as a man can, the right to not be treated as property if married.

Tristan, on the other hand, cares about very little save his mother and maintaining his independence from his father. He’s allowed his reputation as a rogue to run rampant through the streets of London, and across the UK.

Lucie and Tristan have known each other for years, and their interactions have always left something to be desired.

But then, by chance these two collide, and the results? Fireworks. But fireworks can be dangerous, and their connection has the power to explode both of their lives in spectacular fashion. Or, it could end up being the thing that saves them both from themselves.

A Rogue of One’s Own was the most perfect follow up to Bringing Down the Duke. Dunmore does such a fabulous job of transporting the reader into late-1800s Britain and making them feel as if they are walking right alongside the characters through their highs and lows.

While I really enjoyed most of the writing, the characters and the story in the book, as an Indian reviewer I can’t ignore the blatant disrespect of a Hindu god within the text and the use of my religion as an exotic plot point by a British colonizer.

3.5 stars

I'm still fairly new to the historical romance genre, but it's fast becoming one of my favorites. I love all the pining, yearning, and meaningful glances. A Rogue of One's Own definitely delivered on these fronts, but it was also a much more emotional and heavy novel than I was anticipating.

What I liked:
- Lucie and Tristan's banter. These two gave as good as they got and I loved their witty jabs and comebacks. It's a slow burn between these two, but I loved their shared history and that they knew each other as children.
- The information and insight about the Women's Suffrage Movement. It was enlightening and truly heartbreaking. It seems worlds away to how I am currently able to live my life, but it's hard to believe that it actually wasn't that long ago in history.
- The strong female friendships. I love this group of women and how they rally and come to each other's aid. It was especially wonderful to see Annabelle and Sebastian again and get a little update on how they're doing.

What didn't quite work:
*****SPOILER*****





- Some of the secondary characters were very cookie cutter and not really explored/fleshed out. The sexuality of one specific character was a plot point and I'm not really sure why it was relevant or necessary to the story. He was portrayed in a very contrived and negative way. The author did try to draw parallels to the similar challenges and constraints his sexuality and women's suffrage share, but it really left me more confused than anything.
- The use of Hindu deities. I do not know very much at all about Colonial India or the Hindu religion, but what occurs in the book was enough to make me question why it was necessary to include this in the story and why it needed to play such a pivotal role in the final conflict. After discussing it with a friend and hearing her personal perspective, I definitely feel it was unnecessary and in poor taste to have this in the book.
- The pacing of the book. It was a slow start for me and took a while to feel invested in the characters/story. Things definitely picked up in the second half, but I think that might be too late for some readers.
- I'm never a fan of the reformed manwhore and it took time for Tristan to win me over. He ended up being a great anti-hero though and my heart definitely broke for him a few times throughout the book. He also gave some pretty good grovel, so that's a plus too ;)
***** END SPOILER*****



Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I was rooting for Tristan and Lucie to find a way to overcome all the obstacles in their lives. I'm looking forward to Hattie's story next!

CW: death of a child/sibling, PTSD, depression, child and domestic abuse

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

3.5 stars!

Should I start with the bad and end with the good?

Cons:
The pacing of the book was relatively slow. I remember thinking that I could probably skip a chapter or two and not lose the thread of the story. On Kindle, I would say that I was invested at about 55% through.
The drama didn't seem all that dramatic. I didn't feel the angst. I think it was because I was trying to follow all the sufferage movement aspects of the book.
Lucie seemed irrationally angry at times. I couldn't quite pinpoint what she was so mad about other than she was a woman that wanted rights.

Pros:
LOVED our hero. I liked that he was described as irresistible and also had a little bi-sexual vibe going on. It made him seem more sexually fluid, and that worked for what the character needed to be.
Evie Dunmore is fast becoming an author that I would automatically buy from in the future. She knows how to weave a story, but where she excels is dialogue and banter. She also writes a fantastic sexy time scene. When reading romance, sometimes words get used that makes me go, "Ew!" So far, not happening in these books! Ding dong, well done!

Overall, I enjoyed it and am excited for book #3 next year!

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this as a follow up to the first book. The characters were smart and easy to like. The romance was believable and very well done. I would be happy to read more from this author. I bought myself a copy on preorder.