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! ❤️

Bringing Down the Duke was definitely a top read in 2019 for me, so I was anxiously awaiting the follow up!

A Rogue of One’s Own brings us more backstory for Lady Lucie and Lord Ballentine (both introduced in the first novel.) I loved the way their characters were developed throughout this story and the history between the two made it to be different than Duke. I loved seeing more of Annabelle, Hattie, and Catriona and seeing their movement for Women’s Rights progress.

The inevitable drama that happens was believable and fleshed out well. I loved alternating perspectives throughout, it helps get in the heads of both main characters and truly understand motives and etc. I also loved the random break from Lucie and Tristan where we get in the heads of two sneaky characters out to sabotage any chance of romance.

My only complaint was the length of the book. Once I reached 80%, I was ready to see everything come to a close.

I ended up giving this book 4 stars and cannot wait to read the 3rd installment!!!

Thank you to Net Galley and Berkeley Publishing for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

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.

I loved the love story, but really struggled with Lucie. While I understand that she was meant to be dealing with personal insecurities and past experiences, I had a hard time liking her and was frustrated with her for most of the book. The love story was great. The cause is so important, but found that the book was more about the cause than the rom com I was expecting.

I really enjoyed Bringing Down the Duke last year, and A Rogue of One’s Own was just as fantastic. What I like about these books is that though they have a historical setting there is a very modern feminist message.

Lucie is a formidable woman, cast out because of her radical suffrage ideals. She has no trouble making it on her own, and resigned herself to life as a spinster, acknowledging that taking a husband could be construed as a bit hypocritical. I liked that this book sort of took on the whole “having it all” idea just in a historical setting.

While Lucie is certainly a trailblazer in some respect Tristan is even more so. Yes, he is a bit of a playboy, and I did think he’s intentions may not have been entirely honorable, he respects Lucie. And she certainly believes in her and her ideals. I also liked that this book did a good job of showing that while many women, especially historically, were basically sold off into marriage, their arrangements weren’t always what the men wanted either.

What kept me from giving this book a 5 was the handling of the gay character. That whole storyline just didn’t sit well with me, and honestly, I think the book would have been better without it.

If you enjoy historical romance, and smart feisty women this book is for you!

Lady Lucie has decided that her suffragists need to stage a coup against Parliament! One way to accomplish that is to buy a publishing house and Lucie does just that. What Lucie doesn't anticipate is that Lord Tristan Ballentine owns half of the publishing house. Lord Ballentine would gladly give over reign to Lucie on one condition - a night in his bed.

From the beginning I enjoyed the banter between Lucie and Tristan. There was such great chemistry every time they were on the same page. I love how strong and confident Lucie was and that she didn't back away from a challenge - especially not one put forth by Tristan.

Both Tristan and Lucie have such deep hurts inflicted upon them. They both seem in charge and in control, but they've been hurt badly in their past from people that were supposed to love them unconditionally. When Lucie and Tristan show their vulnerabilities to one another - I loved them even more!

While I did enjoy the romance aspect of A Rogue of One's Own I do feel like it was a very slow start to their relationship. I understand that Lucie is a suffragist and working on her movement is very important to her, but I still felt like there was a lot of inner monologue from both her and Tristan. There were some aspects of the book that didn't really work for me or felt off. While I enjoyed the romantic aspect of the book - enemies-to-lovers is definitely my favorite trope - I do feel like there was a lot of other stuff going on in the book that took away from it some.

I'm looking forward to Hattie's book next!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

3.5 stars rounded up

In an effort to gather support for the British suffragist movement, the leader, Lady Lucinda “Lucie” Tedbury has finally bought into a publishing house, hoping to use the publications to further their cause. Lucie is passionate about women’s rights and won’t let anyone or anything stand in her way. But her well-ordered plans hit a road block in the shape of Tristian Ballentine, Viscount Ballentine. A man that has been the bane of her existence for years and apparently her new publishing partner.

Tristian is an unrepentant rake, who wants Lucie and is not shy about using her desires to obtain his own – but there is more to Tristian than meets the eye and the reader will be surprised by his depth. Tristian offers Lucie a deal – he will let her have control of the publishing house – if she is willing to spend a night in his bed. Lucie is no wilting violet and is willing to “sacrifice” herself for her cause – but is it really a sacrifice and when Tristian needs saving, will she be willing to surrender her power to save him?

I thought this was a well-written, nicely paced novel. Tristian and Lucie are complex characters and have an undeniable chemistry. The book is very history and fact heavy and at times I felt the “romance” got pulled under by the strong political current. I loved Tristian and despite being a man-ho, I found him to be easy to like, but Lucie was a little harder for me to warm up to – I like strong, empowered heroines, but sometimes they are a bit too much and that was how I felt about Lucie, I admired her dedication to her cause, but she did come across as a bit caustic. Overall, I enjoyed this story and would recommend it. It is the second book in the series, but it could easily be read as a stand-alone title.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by the publisher.*

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was funny, romantic, and still stood out against the rest. I was hesitant that the second book in the series could be as good as the first was, but Evie Dunmore surprised me.

This enemies-to-lovers installment in the series was witty, sexy, and funny. I was truly charmed by all of it, and really enjoyed my time with the book.
Lucie and Tristan were steam with a little bit of forbidden love, and that was like catnip to me! I couldn't get enough of them!
As always with the series, it has a huge focus on women's rights, and that is always nice to see in historical romances, as for a long time it wasn't the case. These books are empowering in a way that was unexpected for me, and I love the series a lot.
Please check this one out! I am intentionally being vague, because I feel like the less you know, the more enjoyable it will be for you! If you enjoyed the first book, Bringing Down the Duke, I think you will enjoy this one as well.

This is hands down one of my new favorite historical romances. A whip-smart, sizzling enemies to lovers affair with strong female driven characters, a rakishly handsome anti-hero, and villains you love to hate!

A lively and entertaining novel with lots of steam! I loved every second of it! This is the second book in the series, but can be read as a stand-alone.

Blurb: Lucie has been working hard for the suffragist cause with her fellow female friends and bought a major publishing house to help move along the cause. Little does she know, her childhood archenemies has also bought shares in the company and the two go head to head trying to take control.

The banter and steam is off the charts between these two and I was rather surprised I enjoyed a historical romance for once. Most of the historical romances I’ve been reading as of late are either cheesy or unbelievable, but this is neither. The characters are downright adorable, the plot is action driven, and I really fell in love with this whole group of women.

Most of all, Tristan won me over hardcore. There’s really something to be said for a book boyfriend who is both devoted and continuously enraptured over a life time. The reveals in this book are downright swooney and my heart was physically hurting because I was deeply invested in this love scandal. A delicious and exciting romance that is page-turning and binge worthy!