Cover Image: Two Rogues Make a Right

Two Rogues Make a Right

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Member Reviews

I adore Cat Sebastian novels. This book was almost a sole focus on the relationship between Will and Martin. It wasn’t action packed and there wasn’t drama - it was just a wonderful story of two men that had gone through so much and went from friends to lovers.

Martin and Will were friends since they were young. Martin has always been sickly and was emotionally abused by his father. He has no real life experiences that could help him live on his own. When Will finds him almost dead in his brother’s attic he takes Martin to the country to recover. Martin hates feeling like he has no choices and that he has to rely on Will for everything.

Will was in the navy and had his own horrible experiences on a ship. He has loved Martin and knows him better than anyone.

The relationship that builds between them is so sweet. They know each other’s weaknesses and faults. They support each other and talk to get past struggles. There are misunderstandings and problems along the way. This book just made me happy.

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Really sweet M/M Regency romance. Enjoyable storyline with interesting, well written family dynamics, fleshed out side characters, and nice friends to lovers progression between the leads, without being predictable. Was throughly excited to find out there were others in the same series to go back and read as well.

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So this was basically the textbook definition of a comfort read. Conflict rises only to be cut through in the next chapter (or two), and playful discussions and sweet banter abound. Sebastian gives just enough detail about the two main characters that I cared that they got their happy ending, but not so much that I was fretting or thinking about them when I wasn't reading. And hey, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Could a smidge more depth have elevated this book? Certainly, but as it's written it's exactly the kind of light, pleasant, no stress read I needed at this moment. And if that's what you need too, then look no further.

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I couldn't get through it. I found it boring and insipid. There was no chemistry. I do not wish to read more from this author.

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Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

Rating: 3 stars
Rep: mlm mc with chronic illness, bi/pan mc with PTSD.

I adore queer historical romance and Cat Sebastian is one of my go-to authors for this genre, I've read most of her work so I was highly anticipating this new release!

"Two Rogues Make a Right" is book 3 in the "Seducing the Sedgwicks" series. I would 100% recommend reading the previous books before this one, I read them a good 2 years ago now so my memory was a little patchy and some of the stuff in this book made no sense to me because of that. The beginning especially was really odd, I genuinely thought my arc copy was missing a chapter because I was so confused.

I really liked the writing style, it was super fast-paced and I read this in a couple of sittings. My favourite scene was by far the tattoo scene towards the end, so sweet! I also really enjoyed reading about the characters from the previous books.

I can't speak on the disability rep, but I will say that I found Martin to be really reckless and uncaring about his health for a good 85% of this book. Martin was a strange but endearing character, I couldn't make heads or tails of him to be honest! But I really loved Will, he was my favourite for sure. I wasn't really a fan of their romance though, I don't know whether it's a "me" issue as I'm not a lover of the friends-to-lovers trope, but I wasn't feeling their relationship.

Overall, while this wasn't my favourite by this author, I still highly recommend checking out Cat Sebastian books if you're a lover of historical romance with LGBTQ+ characters!

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Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. The plot doesn’t have a lot of excitement but it’s still gentle and lovely to read. Like a warm hug. A teeny tiny bit of angst from the transition of friends to lovers but other than that it’s just soft and caring relationship development.

It should have a content warning though for: addiction (opium), discussion of child abuse in the past (If you read Hartley’s book you already know this), main character with a long term illness (consumption). There are possibly more but those are the ones that stood out to me.

Thank you HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC!

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This book was like a warm blanket and a nice bowl of beef stew on a cold day. It was very comforting.

It was not nearly as steamy as some of Cat Sebastian’s other books. It wasn’t totally chaste, but the focus was more on the emotional bond between Martin and Will. I wouldn’t describe either character as a rogue, so the title may be a little misleading.

Some of the reviews that I read of this book mentioned that there was no plot. That’s not exactly true, but the plot was mostly the day to day lives of two men who found happiness and healing together in the country. There was no real conflict to speak of, with the exception of Martin struggling a little bit to find his place in life. Even still, I don’t think that the thin plot was a bad thing in this case. Not all books need to revolve around a mystery to solve or a great conflict. Sometimes it’s enough to be warm and fuzzy and cozy.

This was the third in a series, and I do feel that I would have been lost if I hadn’t read the first two. It’s not that the story was dependent on the previous books. It seemed to assume that the reader had already been introduced to the characters and knew their background. There was not really a lot of exposition. There were some Ben and Hart cameos but I was expecting to meet some of the other Sedgwick brothers, as a way to set up the next book, but that didn’t happen.

Overall, I liked this book, and I think that I will like it more after reading it again. I instantly loved the books in the Turner series, but I have found that the Sedgwick books needed a little time to grow on me. I liked the first two Sedgwick books when I first read them, but I didn’t love them. I appreciated them much more the second time. That may be because the characters and the settings are (for the most part) more gentle and mellow and I had just finished the Turner series, which had bolder characters and intrigue.

The only thing I didn’t like about this book was I didn’t really feel that the HEA for the characters was secure. Martin had struggled with poor health his whole life, and it seemed like he may have had a shorter life expectancy because of it. Obviously there are no guarantees in life and anytime a book ends there would be no way of knowing that a character wouldn’t drown or get struck by lightning or become very ill. He had some bouts of illness in the book and he was in good health at the end, but I wasn’t sure what his long term prognosis was. Will and Martin both seemed to be a little fragile and had been dependent on each other since they were children. I was a little concerned about the prospect of Will losing Martin at a fairly young age. I didn’t feel that Will would have been able to recover from that loss. Martin had previously done a poor job of taking care of himself and his family treated him like an invalid when he was younger, so it’s possible that his lifestyle kept him sickly. I chose to tell myself that Martin saw great improvement in his health with a good diet, fresh air, and vigorous exercise. Maybe I was just deluding myself. But Will didn’t seem like he would he would be ok if anything happened to Martin, so I didn’t like the uncertainty.

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Enjoyment: 4.5/5
Execution: 4.5/5
Actual rating: 4.5/5

This is the soft countryside romance that I needed during this time, the ultimate comfort read. This is 304 pages of slow burn friends-to-lovers, sharing a bed, soft touches and kisses, and oh my gosh I loved it. There is minimal plot, which I did miss, but at the same time, reading this book felt like taking a nap in a sunny meadow.

Although most of Cat Sebastian's books work as stand-alones with background connections and chronicity between the books, I definitely recommend reading the other two Sedgwick brother books before you get to this one, as they offer a fair bit of background and certain plot points are mentioned multiple times throughout this book. This is Will and Martin's story; Will is the brother to Ben (It Takes Two to Tumble, book 1) and Hartley (A Gentleman Never Keeps Score, book 2), and Martin is the childhood best friend, who had a role in book 2 as a minor antagonist. When Will finds Martin near death's doorstep, he whisks him away to the countryside to care for him. Martin is ashamed to have the man he loves nursing him back to health, and he keeps trying to push Will away before he wastes his life on him, but Will is obstinate and stubbornly loyal in his love. Both characters have their own demons; Will is struggling with a past opium addiction and PTSD from his time in the navy, where Martin is dealing with a chronic illness and incredible guilt over his late father's heinous crimes, but their love grows slowly and patiently as they find their way to each other's side time after time again.

If you're a Cat Sebastian fan, or just a fan of soft historical romances, you do not want to miss this one. We have lovely demi and bi/pan rep, a whole host of loveable, quirky characters, each with their own unique flaws and strengths, gentle humor, and an achingly sweet love story.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Full Review to Come: I loved this book, however, I wish it came with a Content Warning. It dealt with some really heavy topics, and with the current Pandemic anything that involves illness needs a content warning. That said, Will and Martin were just perfect for each other. They've been friends for as long as they can remember and having a romantic relationship develop out of their platonic one felt natural. As Friends to Lovers is one of my catnip tropes, I was really looking forward to this book, but I don't really think this is a true Friends to Lovers. Yes, they started out as friends and eventually became lovers, but it is more about realizing that they were already in love with each other than it is about friends falling in love. The love was always there, so I think we need to create a new category for this book.

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This book needs tags. #friendstolovers #slowburn #onlyonebed #hurtcomfort #mutualpining If that’s not enough to sell you on this book, I don’t know what else to tell you? (What about the grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one? Does that help?)

Two Rogues Make A Right is the perfect character-driven romance. Will and Martin are friends but come from very different stations in life. They have faced different challenges in their life, Will has mental health issues and a past opium addition, while Martin has consumption. When the story opens the two friends are together again after a separation, with Will nursing Martin back to health in a small country cottage. They struggle together through the winter with both their feelings for each other and with their own demons.

The majority of the conflict in this novel is internal, and it’s all written with beautiful finesse. I beyond believed that Martin and Will were in love by the end of the novel, and I ended up in happy tears at how gorgeous their feeling are. I spent most of the story desperately wanted to smoosh them together, because they belonged in each other’s lives, dammit!

Ms. Sebastian deals with many sensitive topics will aplomb. Martin’s demi-sexuality was wonderful to see on page. Ace spectrum characters are not abundant in mainstream romance novels and I adored seeing it in this story. Will’s statement that “he was susceptible to everyone’s charms” made me chuckle in sympathy.

There’s a domesticity to this story that I adored. Life is lived in the small moments, and it’s okay to find happiness with simple things, especially when those things are shared with someone you love.

I vastly enjoyed seeing bits and pieces of Ben and Hartly’s HEAs in this story.

My heart was deeply moved by this story. I could see parts of myself in both Martin and Will and felt deeply sympathetic for them both and am very happy I got to share their journey with them. This novel cements Ms. Sebastian’s place in my mind as one of the best writers I have ever had the privilege of reading.

**ARC received from the publisher through NetGalley, all opinions are my own**

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I was lucky enough to read a galley of this, and I assumed that, like most romance novels, it wouldn’t matter that I hadn’t read the first two books in the series.

I WAS WRONG.

I read in another review that you had to read the first book to really grok what was happening with the characters here, so I did. And it was SO GOOD.

So when I casually mentioned that I had read It Takes Two to Tumble on IG, my buddy came screaming into my DMs that the next book was her absolute FAVE and she couldn’t wait for me to read it. After verifying that I did, in fact, need to read A Gentleman Never Keeps Score before reading THIS GALLEY, I read it. And it was SO GOOD TOO!!!!

So now, FINALLY, here I am reading this book. It’s really true, that to grasp all the angst and drama of Will and Martin, you need to read the first two books, even though they are both only side characters in them.

But this was SO GOOD. You would think, perhaps, that reading 3 m/m historical romances in a row with grumpy/sunshine pairings that you would get bored. YOU WOULD BE VERY WRONG. I would argue that all three ARE grumpy/sunshine pairings, but they are each so different from each other. Sebastian takes such good care with her characters, teasing out the hard bits, the imbalances of power in a relationship, and shows us a path forward where, thank goodness, love does really conquer all.

I can’t decide if I want there to be more books in this series - there are two other brothers mentioned, though neither have made an appearance in any of these books. The Sedgewicks are pretty freaking perfect.

This book also features one of my favorite literary tropes of Magical Cottage in the Country - featuring lots of tea and reading and making out, which is the greatest??? And Only One Bed, of course!

So anyway, I realize that this is almost a whole series review rather than Just This Book, all I can say is that this is fabulous and you should definitely read it (but seriously, read the other two books first!). I loved it.

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Another great love story from Cat Sebastian! Will and Martin's relationship relies on the balance of caring for someone and accepting care and help back. The story follows both men as they figure out how to love each other and what they want out of life.

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I didn't like this, but it's a testament to Cat Sebastian's writing talent that I even finished it--she really is excellent, so I want to be clear that this was a mismatch between me and the story, not a bad book and you might well love it (though I would definitely recommend reading the first two books on the series first.) This was just a lot of tropes I don't care for...not a big fan of friends-to-lovers and hurt/comfort is not my jam. Can occasionally enjoy a book with no plot, but I have to LOVE at least one of the characters, and here I really didn't. Will was okay but Martin was a dull stick, and the burn was so slow that I really just couldn't feel the chemistry between them at all.

All this to say, I didn't like it, but you might love it if these tropes work for you. But if you're new to Cat Sebastian I would recommend starting with the Turner series over this one.

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Unsurprisingly, I loved this book! I love Sebastian's writing and how she captures the thoughts and feelings of both main characters. Sebastian does slow burn so well, and she continues that talent in 'Two Rogues.' I genuinely have nothing further to add, I just really enjoyed this book. If you've enjoyed Sebastian's writings before, you're sure to love this latest installment of the Turners.

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I haven't read the other books before this (I wasn't aware this was a series when I requested it) so I feel like I was missing some backstory, but despite this I enjoyed this book a decent bit. Martin and Will both had great character arcs and very unique voices. And I loved Daisy, and wish I got more info about her. I did get annoyed around the end at the lack of communication. There was just alot of conflicts, one after the other. After the third time one of them decided the other was better off with out them and left, I was kinda over reading the same conflict and them kiss and make up again.

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I adored the previous two books, so I might have cheered when I got to read this one's ARC.

Will's story is just as good, and Martin - I finally understand Martin! They're such dorks, aside from the trauma that's shaped their fears. Honestly, the biggest dorks. Don't tell anyone, but I shed a few tears during the last several chapters.

We get to see Hart again! And Ben! And Daisy's just perfect.

If you've enjoyed the earlier books, absolutely read this one, too.

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This is a lovely book about finding home. It is also a romance but it is primarily a novel about finding where, and whom, is home.

Martin was a hard character to like and what of the best things Cat Sebastian manages to do in this book is make me care about Martin. The moment when he asks Daisy to teach him how to do laundry is a pivotal moment. It is the moment, even though Martin doesn't realize it, where he realizes that he needs to, he wants to take care of himself and Will. His eventual journey to finding a career was deeply satisfying. One other thing I liked about Martin was that I felt he was demisexual and it was nice to see a protagonist like that in a romance.

Will, of course, is the best. Will has a shorter growth arc but doesn't need to make the long journey that Martin does. He is steadfast, trustworthy, competent, and loving. He, too, is looking for home given his upbringing.

If you are looking for lots of sex scenes, this book is not what you are looking for. I felt sex really took a backseat to these two characters, in part, because of Martin's demisexuality. But if you are looking for a book about finding home both in a place and in a person then this is the romance novel for you.

I got misty-eyed at the end of this. It was a very satisfying journey even if it did start slowly.

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No one writes love stories like Cat Sebastian. This friends to lovers tale is wholly engrossing, despite being very light on plot. Her characters seem so genuine and their dialogue sparkles -- Will and Martin charmed me completely. If you've read any of Cat Sebstian's other books, you're sure to love this one. If you're new to Cat Sebastian, what are you waiting for? This queer love story is the balm the world needs right now.

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Is this my favorite Cat Sebastian yet?? I would not have expected to love this as much as I did, as hurt/comfort is not particularly my jam, and extremely low plot/tension romances can feel like a slog, but I just loved this. I think it's because it digs into stuff that felt so real: that loving someone has a kind of pain attached to it, that there's something mortifying about being known, that there are doubts that come with hoping your love hasn't steered someone away from a "better" path. That all of these things can be real and yet we still choose love and it's beautiful! All that and the romantic gesture at the end is just perfect perfect perfect.

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Two Rogues Make a Right is the third book in the Seducing the Sedgwicks series by Cat Sebastian. Will Sedgewick has been searching for his friend, Martin Easterbook, for months. He’s relived to find him, but Martin is gravely sick, so Will does the only logical thig possible and kidnaps his friend in order to save Martin’s life. As Will nurses Martin back to health, years of love and longing come to the surface. But can there be a way for these two to find the happiness they deserve?
This was only my second Cat Sebastian book, but already I can see that she’s an author that I am going to be seeking out repeatedly. Sebastian manages to write sweet, steam, and heartfelt historical romances that have storylines that include at least one queer main character. These diverse heroes and heroines are refreshing updates to the typical historical romance plots.
Recently I’ve been getting into cozy mysteries, and this book felt like what I would term a cozy romance. For much of the book Will is taking care of Martin in a small cottage in the English countryside. The passion is set at a low simmer as Martin recovers, but the pining is very strong. The angst is also very low and aside from the two puttering around the cottage not much else happens. Usually this lack of external conflict is problematic for me, but Sebastian is such an excellent author that I was happy to spend the entire book with just these two in their little bubble.
My only minor issue is that these two spent a lot of time being very maudlin and self-deprecating while not communicating with the other. There were many times that I wanted to shake one or both and tell them to just speak plainly. The level of pining and obtuse communication was almost like reading a Jane Austen novel. Their genuine fear of exposing their love is completely understandable, I just wanted them to be honest with each other since they are literally the only two in the room.
Overall, if you’re looking for a sweet and steamy slow burn romance with diverse characters this book will be right up your alley. This was a really heartwarming and engaging book to read, and I am always a sucker for a close proximity romance. Fans of Sebastian will be pleased with this latest entry in the novel, though I would suggest reading the others before this one to get a better understanding of the series.
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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