3.5 stars rounding up

‘A Rogue of One’s Own’ is Evie Dunmore’s sublime offering to contemporary women readers who have always scrabbled for brave, against-the-grain heroines righteously pushing for justified causes—count me in there.

Meticulously researched and so unusual in pitching a narrative smack in the middle of a time period where a minority of passionate women who wouldn’t just standby and pay lip service to women’s rights, it’s easy to like Dunmore’s story just for the fascinating mix of politics, societal norms and business dealings alone.

In spite of this being a romance, the star of the show really, is Lucie Tedbury, a character so admirably ahead of her time: she is intentionally fashioned so that she soundly resonates with the woke, highly feminist crowd of contemporary society, and serves at the same time, a reminder of how far we’ve come in 2 centuries. Her struggles and her indefatigable fight for women’s rights inevitably raise the comparison of how we live today—not to say that inequality has been fully stamped out—but women’s rights to vote or even to matriculate (all the things she stands for) aren’t quite called into question any more in the civilised world.

Like a hard pole in the sand while the raging current flows around her, it’s empathy that will strike the female reader

Pinning Tristan down is a lot harder in contrast, in the way he seems to vacillate between the ‘useless’ fool who does things without a care and the sharply manipulative, intense, almost-crazed man with single-minded drive to get what he wanted. Admittedly, I’m not a fan of the ‘virgin and rake’ trope that’s still rampant in historical fiction and the irony is that it’s within this feminist historical romance that this has been written into.

Excellent second book. I loved this story and the feminist protagonist. Cannot wait for the next installment!

I really wanted to love this book. I LOVED Evie Dunmore's debut novel, but this one felt like it had way too much going on. From the fight for the publishing house, to being blackmailed by family members, to you name it, this book had it. I liked the two protagonists together, but the book as a whole just felt over worked. I will still await Dunmore's next novel! The preview at the back gave me hope that it will be better!

A truly wonderful read. Full of passion, romance, and lust, without compromising a woman's dreams for a better (and more equal) future. Lucie is the leader of the suffragette movement and not even a man can stop her from fighting for the cause.

I found A Rogue of One's Own to be empowering and a show of true strength, but I loved the romantic elements so much I immediately began reading it again.

Last fall when I read Bringing Down the Duke, I immediately decided that I would do whatever I needed to do to gain early access to the next installment in The League of Extraordinary Women series. Turns out I just had to repeatedly send emails to the publisher and continually gush about the first book in the series. So when my eARC of 𝐀 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐰𝐧’𝐬 𝐎𝐰𝐧 was granted, I started to panic...... what if I don’t love it as much as the first? What if I’m crazy and should take back all of my promises to “LOVE THIS BOOK NO MATTER WHAT” that I made in those emails to publishers.⁣
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Well, I can confirm that I did love it and definitely recommend it to everyone who read the first book (and even to those of you who didn’t because YOU DON’T NEED TO READ THE FIRST ONE TO ENJOY THIS INSTALLMENT.... although I totally think you’ll also love the first book.... wow I’m droning on now).⁣
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Our main heroine is Lady Lucy, who is leading the Oxford section of the Suffragette movement. We were introduced to Lucy in Bringing Down the Duke and having her star in this one was so fun. She is almost one track minded about “the cause” and her entire life revolves around it AND SHE IS HAPPY THAT WAY, OKAY!? I’m formally putting it forth for consideration that Lady Lucy is our resident enneagram 8 in this group of women. ⁣
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ANYHOOOOOO she decided (with the rest of the Oxford Suffragettes) to buy stock in a publishing house so they can print pro-suffrage information in ladies magazines helping secure the vote. Problem? Lord Tristan Ballantine. He grew up with Lucy and has harbored a crush for her for, well, forever, and has gained a reputation as a war hero and all around ROUGE. He also just bought EXACTLY HALF of the publishing house for his own plan (to save his mother from being institutionalized by his dastardly father) and now neither Lucy nor Tristan have full control and are having to learn to work together and battle it out for their causes.⁣
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A Rouge of One’s Own is a classic enemies to lovers trope that is highly satisfying. LOTS OF STEAMY SOUP to be had in this story, and also, an adorable cat named Boudicca (I don’t even like cats, I KNOW, but I loved this one). You may think the build up is slow at first, but its entirely worth it and helps to make the eventual relationship not seem cheap or rushed.⁣
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I already cannot wait for book three in the series and hope you all pick this one up and enjoy it as much as I did. 𝐀 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐧𝐞’𝐬 𝐎𝐰𝐧 is set to publish on September 1st. Thank you to @netgalley and @berkleyromance for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Such a delight! Loved the first book, so I was excited to read the second. Lucie is such a badass and Tristan is, of course, much more deep than we first think from his brief appearance in Bringing Down the Duke. Can't wait to read Hattie's story next!

I liked this even better than Bringing Down the Duke! Evie Dunmore has really hit her writing stride with the English Women's Suffrage movement setting, and I loved Lucie and Tristan so much as characters. It was interesting to be in Lucie's head as an established suffragette leader and get some more historical depth through her POV, and Tristan was a likeable romantic "roguish" lead right from the get-go. They had believable chemistry and history, and I felt that the plot pacing was nicely balanced as well. Can't wait for Harriet's story next!

Evie Dunmore does it again with Book Two in her "League Of Extraordinary Women" series, A Rogue of One's Own. If you enjoyed Bringing Down The Duke, you will INHALE this one! (Note: you do not have to read Bringing Down The Duke first, but I definitely recommend going back and reading it!).

It's 1880's England and Lady Lucie is an independent woman on a mission: to take over ownership of a London publication house in an effort to perform a coup on Parliament. She will not rest until women are treated equally in the eyes of the government and society. Everything is in order until she learns - at the last minute - that her lifelong nemesis, Lord Tristan Ballantine - has bargained for 50% ownership. A war hero with the heart of a poet, Tristan is famous for his exploits with women and caddish ways. Tristan has been haunted by his attraction to Lucie since he teased her endlessly as a besotted teen. Unwilling to let Tristan thwart her plans, she agrees to his wager: one percent of his shares of the publishing business for one night in his bed.

What I loved about A Rogue Of One's Own:
~This novel is perfectly timed with the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment in the U.S. giving women the right to vote.
~Evie Dunmore's writing is incredibly well-researched. I learned so much about women heroes of the Suffrage movement and the appalling laws and social norms of the time. Be sure to read the author's note!
~SPOILER ALERT! An original plot where the woman saves the man! Cue the fireworks!

I so enjoyed this unexpected romance, the second in a series. Evie Dunmore brings together captivating main characters, feminist history and real romance in unexpected ways. Love the setting, the history and the fun of this series. Bravo.

An amazing follow-up to Bringing Down the Duke. I stayed up all night reading A Rogue of One's Own. I liked this book better than the first one. Lucie is a strong character and doesn't waver from her political convictions even when she falls in love. I loved how committed she was to her cause of women's suffrage. I also liked Tristan as a hero. He is passionate, expressive but not domineering. It's rare to find an HR hero that writes love poems for a living. I like that he didn't start out stuffy or orthodox as many HR heroes do. He was likable from the beginning.
This book made me realize how good Evie Dunmore's writing is. The story develops at a believable pace, and the prose was enjoyable to read. I love the idea of an HR set in Oxford against the background of the women's suffrage movement. The concept is so unique, it drew me in. The supporting characters- Annabelle, Catriona, and Hattie- are strong in their own right. I can't wait to read Hattie's story next.
Overall, A Rogue of One's Own is the best historical romance that I've read all year (yet) and I highly recommend it.

NOTE: This ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I don't know if it was fatigue from everything going on in the world, or the heat outside, or what, but this book was absolutely 100% exactly what I was looking for this week. It was a shot of serotonin directly into my brain. It solved all my problems, cleared my skin, and got me to drink more water. I snuck it into work to read on my breaks. I couldn't put it down.

I'm recommending it to everyone I know, and will be purchasing my own copy because this is definitely a re-read.

Suffragist Lucie is about to close the deal to buy a London publishing house to further her cause. Only one man stands in her way: Lord Ballentine. Tristan, who teased her mercilessly as a child, and now has a reputation as a terrible rake, not to mention that he is the new co-owner of the publishing house, and not likely to be on board with her plans.

When Lucie approaches him to offer to buy him out, Tristan has a counter proposal: for one night in his bed, he’ll make her the majority owner. Lucie is insulted. Incensed. And not at all intrigued. Of course not.

Tristan made his offer impulsively, but now he can’t stop thinking about the woman he knew years ago. Even if her plans would derail his own.

Another complex and engrossing story from Evie Dunmore. Her Oxford ladies are a rebellious and lovable lot. I’m excited to read the next one.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review.

I am a forever fan of how historically accurate Evie Dunmore's suffragette romances are! Great tackling of the real social and political atmosphere of the late 19th century, and how those forces would make any strong-willed feminist think twice about marriage. Plus the chemistry between Lucie and Tristan is perfection.

Envie you’ve done it again! I love how you stayed true to Lucie’s character, but also made her feel like a real modern day woman, with modern day problems. And the rogue, be still my heart! I can’t wait for the next instalment!

Loved this one even more than the first book! Dunmore is truly a refreshing new author in the historical romance genre, masterfully pairing feminist discourse and history with swoony romance. Lucie and Tristan have great chemistry and both their POVs were enjoyable to read. A great enemies-to-lovers story that developed the relationship in a way that felt authentic and incredibly romantic. The friendship between the women also developed further in this novel which I loved to see. Reformed rogues are either hit-or-miss for me, but Tristan won me over by the end. I liked that Dunmore twisted that ending and created a compromise for Lucie to stick to her ideals while being with Tristan. I finished this in one sitting, so I need the next book ASAP!!!!

OMG I LOVED THIS BOOK! So this author will forever be an “auto-buy” for me. If you’re in the middle for a regency with sparkling with and fantastic romance, I highly recommend you read this one!

Second books in a series often fall flat in some ways, but this one held its own and was a great story of what a woman will go to to achieve freedom and love.

This book was a delight to read. It was even better than the first in the series. Dunmore has written the perfect mix of historical fiction, romance and feminist manifesto.

I loved both Lucie and Tristan from the beginning and the book crushes I had for them only grew with every page. Their love story felt so real and deep and the chemistry they shared was so undeniably hot. That combination made this book sexy and sweet in equal measures.

I enjoyed that historical figures were talked about by the characters and that Oscar Wilde himself made an appearance.

The author’s note at the end, giving context to the poetry featured in the book and the Women’s Suffrage Movement was a perfect ending to the novel.

I can’t wait to read the other 2 titles in this series!

CInnamon roll hero alert! Evie Dunmore's follow up to Bringing Down the Duke pairs a dashing rogue with a reputation with a crusader for women's rights in a swoony romance wrapped in Victorian politics.

A Rogue of One's Own takes on the Married Women's Property Act, which virtually eliminated a woman's freedom and made her a husband's property. Lucie and her cohorts are hatching a plan to buy a publisher to publish some of their findings, when Tristan invests and becomes part owner. He propositions her offering one night for one percent of company shares. And while that might sound like blackmail, it's actually Lucie who has the upperhand.

Dunmore's voice has more surety to it this time, and will undoubtedly appeal to a wide range of romance readers.

I absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS!! Getting to know Lady Lucie and Lord Ballentine's backstories, all the way up through how they interact with each other, woven together with their two opposing goals-- This book was a wild ride and I would do anything to be able to experience it again!! I'm very much excited to read Hattie's story next!