This is a delightful regency romp full of suffragists, a handsome rogue, and blackmail. It also deals fairly frankly with spousal abuse. I think it is an ideal book for the modern historical romance reader. The prose is crisp, not overly flowery and the dialogue between characters is witty and innuendo filled dialogue.
I really enjoyed myself while reading this

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!

I was eager to return to the world of the Oxford Suffragists after Bringing Down the Duke helped with my pandemic-induced reading slump. This was ultimately a satisfying read, but it didn't charm me as completely as the first book.

First and foremost, though, I really enjoyed the two leads in this. Lucie is fierce and singularly focused on achieving liberation for women in her lifetime to the point that in a contemporary romance, she'd be depicted as a workaholic, and she won't let anything stand in her way, especially now that she has her own publishing house to release a damning report on the darker aspects of marriage for British women. Unbeknownst to her, Tristan has bought the other half of the shares to the publisher, intent on making his financial way out from under his abusive father's thumb. Newly returned as a war hero, he has a lascivious reputation that precedes him. He's every bit the archetypical rogue--painful backstory and devil-may-care approach that belies his intelligence and capacity for deeper feelings. Both have high stakes in the success of the publishing house, making their animosity only logical, but I enjoyed that they also had a complicated history as children. This shared history gave it almost a hint of friends-to-lovers, making their clashes that much more intense... and the chemistry that much more sizzling.

While that chemistry is evident in non-bedroom scenes, it feels curiously lacking in what should be some fairly steamy encounters. I classed its predecessor as medium steam, and this felt like a step below, which was a bit of a disappointment given that chemistry and both characters' relative open-mindedness to carnal relations. At one point, Lucie mentions that she has read some pretty erotic stuff, and Tristan asks what she likes about it... and that's never really followed up on? I would have liked to see more of Lucie taking ownership of her sexuality in keeping with her fierce approach to everything else. The other chemistry that felt off was the friendship dynamic. Perhaps it is because Lucie is the leader of the crew, but when she shared the page with her friends, it was most often while they were at work or working a social situation like the ball Annabelle and her now-husband host, with little of the casual affirming scenes of friendship that really fill out a romance. Annabelle is the one who comes closest to offering emotional support, but Lucie never really takes advantage of that. It does seem consistent with her character, but not seeing the whole suffragist squad supporting each other in casual moments was a bit of a disappointment.

Overall, though, I found the ending emotionally resonant, which landed this at 4 stars instead of 3. I'm a sucker for romances where the leads have a shared history, and their history intertwined well with the conflict and feminist themes of the book, so it ultimately worked for me. I will continue to seek out Dunmore's writing and this series.

I absolutely loved the first book in the series, so I was nervous this one wouldn't live up to my expectations -- but I was wrong! Lord Ballentine makes an appearance in the first book, which left me not liking him at all and worried about his being the male lead, but this book completely turned my opinion of him around. I already enjoyed Lucie's character in book 1, so it was no surprise that I loved her in this one as well. The two of them had great chemistry, and a sweet backstory which had me rooting for them right from the beginning. I would say this book has some darker elements than the first, but it also has some deeper elements in regards to the suffragist movement, so I think they balanced each other out.

I highly recommend this series, even if historical romance isn't your normal thing (it's not for me), and I can't wait for book 3!

*Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Evie Dunmore is the gift that keeps on giving. I am truly not the type to ever pick up a historical romance/fiction book. I've done it a few times (this series included) and have been pleasantly surprised, but have yet to really throw myself into the genre.

I'll admit, this took me longer than usual to sink my teeth into but once I got into it, I couldn't stop reading. I went to bed at 4:00AM last night and woke up for work at 9:00AM and have absolutely no regrets. Am I tired? Absolutely. Was it fantastic? Of course, it was. These books highlight the suffragists pushing day in and day out for gender equality, and Dunmore does a great job in building headstrong females who are in this cause for the long haul. Lucie and Tristan were a tease throughout the entirety of this and that is a song I would've danced to for HOURS. I didn't want this book to end and went to check if a third book was listed on Goodreads as soon as I was done.

This was charming, funny, empowering, and a little bit of a slow burn and I am 100% here for anything else she wants to throw out into the world.

Just finished my ARC in one day! I loved "A Rogue of One's Own" as much as I did "Bringing Down the Duke," (and maybe a little bit more!?) Ms. Dunmore knows how to sweep her reader up in a star-crossed romance and Tristan and Lucie have got chemistry for DAYS. There are plenty of steamy scenes to satisfy romance junkies (some I may have read multiple times...) and her blending of Victorian courtship and manners with the women's liberty movement is captivating in the plot twists it creates. Once again, I am ruined for real men (don't tell my husband). It will take me a few glasses of wine and couple of days to digest this second helping in the series. I eagerly await the third and fourth courses!

Now THAT'S what I call an enemies to lovers dynamic! The trope was used very well here, and Dunmore committed wholly to it instead of touting use of the enemies to lovers trope while only having her characters be enemies for ten pages.

I loved Lucie and Tristan as individual characters and their dynamic together. The writing flowed well, and the dialogue was well crafted. I really enjoyed this book!

I've finished with the book and all I want to do is swooooooooon! The author has managed to incorporate so many of my favorite romance tropes in one book: the head strong female, the misunderstood rogue, pride & prejudice and the secret affair that turns to love. The characters of Lucy and Tristan are perfectly done with rich back stories and with they look and dress done to the minute detail. I could see them crystal clear in my mind's eye as if I was watching a movie. They just leaped off the page for me. And all that denial, so funny.! I love it when a romance author is able to have the characters remain so clueless about their own feelings at the same as the reader understands that they are falling head over heels in love. its not easy to keep that balance of the reader knowing and not knowing but Dunmore pulls it off. I loved all the historical insight into British politics and the suffragette movement. The letters that Tristan and Lucy read are a great detail that really get to what Lucy and the women are fighting for. I also enjoyed all the Tennyson poetry and the appearance of Oscar Wilde(!) - i kept expecting the Pre-Raphelite brotherhood to enter at stage right. The author also manages to make the four friends at the heart of the story feel like friends and not merely acquaintances. The way they help Lucy woth her problems and stick up for her. I enjoyed the call c=back to the events of Bringing Down the Duke and the foreshadowing for the next one - I'm thinking Hattie and Blackstone????? I will be recommending this book EVERYWHERE once it comes out and promoting as one of the best books of 2020. The happy ending of Lucy and Tristan is well earned and Lucy does not have to compromise her ambitions and Tristan's mother escapes!
I loved it all!

I loved loved loved this book!!! I was a little nervous to read A Rogue of One's Own, I absolutely adored Dunmore's debut Bringing Down the Duke and was worried her sequel wouldn't be as good. Well I was worried for nothing, it surpassed all of my expectations. I love the way Dunmore talks about politics and the plight of women during that time and it doesn't get pushed onto the backburner after the first few chapters in favor of more sex scenes. That being said it is still a very steamy read. The one thing that bothered me was there was a seemingly inconsistency between this book and Bringing Down the Duke but then at the end it was explained and made me fall even harder for Tristan! I can't wait for Hattie and Lucien's book to come out next fall and I hope after that will be Catriona and Peregrin's book! Thanks for the chance to read this!

I loved the first book in this series and I loved this one as well. I enjoyed the history between Lucie and Tristan's characters and I love the side characters too. I also appreciated that Tristan was bisexual, I feel like I don't see that much in the heroes of romance novels. I can't wait for next book in this series!

DNF at 15%.
Just couldn't do it. I didnt like the writing style, didn't see any sort of plot, and could not follow what was happening at all..

I couldn't wait to read this sequel to “Bringing Down the Duke.” In the first book, I was very interested in Lucie and knew that I would enjoy what her story would bring and I wasn't wrong. As someone who has been called headstrong myself and has their own complicated relationship with the idea of marriage and expectations of females in relationships, I really related to Lucie and her struggles trying to balance not only working on the suffragette movement, but also the age old problem that most women have, which is being told that they need to be “likeable” to get their message across.

I read this 300+page book in one sitting! I could not put it down. I loved the little nods to Victorian customs, particularly the “Vinegar Valentines”

Despite the fact that this novel never once uses the word “feminist” (since I do not imagine it existed at the time), it is very much a feminist novel!

There is a scene between Lucie and Annabelle (the previous novels main character) which is a scene I rarely see in novels: it culminates in a fight that many women today face. Namely, can you be married and still be an independent feminist? Today the “argument” is more about choosing to be a “stay at home wife,” however in the novels context, Lucie worries that Annabelle is losing her academic drive. I was refreshing to see it addressed in the sensitive way that it was.

While it is not overtly or clearly stated if Tristan is a bisexual or not, I loved that this novel included LGBTQ+ characters in a Victorian setting. Oscar Wilde showing up for a cameo made me laugh, and as a lover of the Romantics and Tennyson, I loved all the call outs to the poets and their works.

My one little issue with this book, however, is that none of the characters seem to have any relationship with their siblings. They interact with their families quite a bit in this novel, and I expected there to be some tension or memories in regards to them seeing their brothers, but the sibling relationships play little to no role in this novel. Likewise, the characters relationships with their parents don't get a lot of closure. And I am not entirely certain what happens to one of their mothers (no spoilers).

I really enjoyed the ending to this: I found the resolution and compromise to the two characters relationship satisfying.

This book made me want to read Courtney Milan's The Suffragette Scandal again. This is not a negative (hey, spoiler alert - the five star review). It's because it is worthy to sit next to it on my shelf of favorites.

Complex, layered, emotional, and very, very (unfortunately) relevant to current events, this is a terrific follow-up to Evie Dunmore's awesome debut.

Yeah. I devoured it in a day.

I was given an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.

<b>A woman before here time. A redheaded rouge. Poetry. Cats. Another fantastic romance from Evie Dunmore!</b>

I think I have a new favorite author. I enjoyed the first in this series, but I loved this one so much!

The reformed rouge troupe is not usually one of my favorites, but Tristan is just so darn likeable. I love the historical work done in regards to Women's Rights. There's something that feels very contemporary about Lucie's work for the Cause.

I enjoyed the writing so much! Funny at times, tearing your heart out at others. The plot had a nice pace that keep me wanting more.

I can't wait for the next one in this series!

I received a free copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

BRINGING DOWN THE DUKE was one of my favorite books from last year, and hands down the best historical romance I've ever read. As you can imagine, Evie Dunmore's second novel was high on my anticipated reads of 2020. After reading it, however, I wasn't entirely sure how to feel about it. There were some things I really liked, and some that I didn't. I loved reading about the suffragist movement (Dunmore truly nails this aspect of a "feminist historical romance"), and the hero and heroine also had great chemistry. But I'm not a huge fan of the "virginal maiden falls for the womanizer" trope, which this book inherently falls into. I will say, Dunmore doesn't spend too much time focusing on this aspect, so I did appreciate that, but the hero proved mostly unlikeable until the end (at least in my opinion). Nonetheless, as far as historical romances go, this was still a fun and interesting read, if only for the history of the suffragettes. I know Dunmore is capable of writing some serious magic, so I will definitely continue reading all her future books, even if this one wasn't a particular favorite.