Since when does a romance novel begin with the heroine peeing in a carriage? Since now I guess. In the first few sentences Messalina is peeing into the vessel between her legs. We get to know about her pee, urine, and piss. Suddenly a highwayman shouts for the carriage to stop and she hears a gunshot. Turns out Gideon casually kills him. Gideon is her evil uncle's Fixer. He's a murderer, money lender, debt collector, it's unclear what all he's done. He wants Messalina and her dowry. Her uncle orders her to marry Gideon with threats of imprisonment and starvation. Gideon says he's going to tame her. He manhandles her as she tries to attack him after he sets guards at her bedroom door so she can't leave. Then threatens he will marry her young sister if she doesn't marry him. He's also expected to kill her brother which is fine by him. Maybe she'll never find out he's the killer. Wouldn't that be great? There's something about a secret society of Wise Women and a fox. I don't know, I didn't get it in book one and I don't get it now. All this happens near the beginning. Messalina marries him with the agreement of no sex for a month. Then she'll get part of her dowry and escape. Oh yes, there's the dark old house with a secret locked room she's not allowed to open, few servants, and not a lot of food. If you like stories dark and gothic you might like this more than I did.

I am unsure of how to start the review for When a Rogue Meets His Match by Elizabeth Hoyt because this would be the first novel that I unfortunately came to the realization that this novel would not be given a 4 - 5 star rating.

Which is highly unusual for me because every single book I have read from Elizabeth Hoyt, I have always given her books high ratings because I love all of her books, well at least almost all, because this book was disappointing and is excluded from the high rating club.
The premise of this book was so promising too!

Because Messalina seemed like such a spitfire and would seem like the type of woman who wouldn't be so easily cowed by a man.

I was looking forward to the sparring of words between Messalina and Gideon, whilst it did happen somewhat, I was disappointed there were not more scenes where we can witness the battle of wits between the two unfold.

Had there been more, the angst or better yet the sexual tension with the two main characters would be tenfold which would then make the love dynamic make sense.

The speed at how Messalina cares for Gideon doesn't make sense. She has known Gideon to be her uncle's lackey since she was young and understands that he has had to do unspeakable things.

So, for her to go from hating him with her entire being to being hopelessly in love with him within a span of two to three weeks seems a bit ludicrous. This is especially compounded by the lack of exposition or of Gideon’s backstory in the first half of the book.

We only get to his sad childhood later in the book and by that time it's too late for us to understand the drastic change in Messalina. All we see at this point is that she fell in love with this man because he was kind (albeit strict) to his younger staff, likes puppies and is slightly more decent than she had initially thought.

But it doesn’t change the fact that he still forced Messalina into marriage; Yes, it was her uncle but he could have rejected the uncle’s offer which brings me to another point.

Gideon says that he has been enthralled by Messalina since he was a young man, roughly aged seventeen at the time yet we do not see flashbacks to why he loves this woman so obsessively that he was fully willing to force her into marriage.

It doesn’t help the romance aspect because I am left to believe that his obsession and his love for Messalina is purely physical and aesthetic, all because she is incredibly beautiful.

There is no talk of her personality, wit or any other aspect of her that he came to love outside of her beauty and this just makes the hero look even worse especially since not once in this book did he apologize to Messalina.

Not once!

And I am expected to just accept that Messalina forgives him and loves him all because he bought her a library when she found out he bedded her when confronted by Messalina’s brother so their marriage can’t be annulled.

That’s it?!

The cad just bought her a library and she is satisfied with that? Did she ever hate him? Because it doesn’t seem so by how easily her feelings for him sway. At least if the present came with a sincere apology as to what he did wrong and why it was wrong and why this will not happen again, the plot line would’ve been more effective and heartwarming.

But, there was no apology, no nothing, leading me to really doubt Messalina’s character as a supposed spitfire.

I just wished there were more interactions that really show Gideon in a better light to warrant the change of emotions from hate to love within a span of weeks.

On another note, the whole plot point where Gideon has to kill Messalina’s brother to fulfill the terms of the bargain between Gideon and the Duke of Windemere (the evil uncle) was concluded so easily and quickly and it was unsatisfying.

Unsatisfying, because we spent the majority of the book following Gideon being stressed out of his wits on how to murder his wife’s brother without her finding out and hating him only for it to be settled by some fake murder scenario.

And what is with the second side plot?

It came out of nowhere and didn’t flow well with the rest of the story. I truly am disappointed by When The Rogue Meets His Match because it really doesn’t seem like the author to write a story that lacked gravitas.

In conclusion, When The Rogue Meets His Match by Elizabeth Hoyt started out strong but the book lacked the charm her other books have.

Hello

Apologies for the late notice, but I have decided not to review this title. While I am certain it's obvious by now, I wanted to also clear this off NetGalley, so it's not showing as open for either of us.

Thanks,
Laura

I’ve been a fan of Hoyt’s work since I began my romance reading journey! Her books are filled with enthralling stories with rounded characters, and this novel is no different. The twists and turns alongside their developing relationship kept me engaged the entire ride! Definitely worth the read!

When a Rogue Meets His Match is my oldest NetGalley book and I’ve been meaning to read it for about 2 years now haha. It’s not that I didn’t like it, but I kept getting into reading slumps when I would be about to start it. FINALLY, I was in a historical romance mood and read this book in about a week. It was your basic marriage of convenience and enemies to lovers romance between the two main characters. Those are two of my favorite tropes, but the book itself was okay.

I’m not sure what it is, because I usually LOVE Elizabeth Hoyt’s books, but this Greycourt series just isn’t doing it for me so far.

In this story I really liked both characters. I felt so bad for Gideon because he SO wanted to get out of the evil clutches of Messalina’s uncle, but when he agreed to do one last job he never imagined that the bastard would ask him to kill Messalina’s brother. I also really liked Messalina in the story and felt bad for her because her uncle was such an ass.

Unfortunately feeling bad for both characters didn’t make the pacing of this story go well. I felt that the story was either very rushed at points and at other times it dragged, which was frustrating. I was also frustrated with the romance and didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped.

I will still read subsequent books in this series when they release in the hopes that the series gets better.

Gideon and Messalina's story is vivacious and entertaining. Elizabeth Hoyt definitely has writing historical romance effortlessly down to a science! When a Rogue Meets His Match is a delightful book that engages and ensnares its readers! Highly recommend!

WHEN A ROGUE MEETS HIS MATCH is the second book in Elizabeth Hoyt’s Greycourt series. And like the first book, it is almost completely forgettable. I’m really sad about this because Hoyt is my all time favorite historical romance author and I’ve read everything she’s published. Unfortunately, this current series is not clicking with me AT ALL. Neither character was likable, not even a little bit. I’m always up for a good enemies to lovers book, but I don’t like when the relationship revolves around using each other. I know, it says right there in the blurb what to expect! I may just have to hold off until Hoyt starts a new series, because this one hasn’t been for me since the beginning.

I didn’t expect to enjoy Hoyt’s When A Rogue Meets His Match as much as I did. Greycourt #1 wasn’t super-great and great is what I expect of Hoyt, The Raven and Leopard Princes being some of the first enthrallingly good romances I read when I returned to the genre. (Their only match, IMHO, is Duke of Sin.) I read When A Rogue Meets His Match in less than two days, partly because I greatly enjoyed the cross-class romance, reminiscent of Marrying Winterborne, and partly because it fell short, pun intended, in the conclusion department. To start us off, some blurbish summary:

Ambitious, sly, and lethally intelligent, Gideon Hawthorne has spent his life clawing his way up from the gutter. For the last ten years, he’s acted as the Duke of Windemere’s fixer, performing the most dangerous tasks without question. Now Gideon’s ready to quit the duke’s service and work solely for himself. But Windermere wants Gideon to complete one last task, and his reward is impossible to resist: Messalina Greycourt’s hand in marriage. Witty, vivacious Messalina Greycourt has her pick of suitors. When Windermere summons Messalina to inform his niece that she must marry Mr. Hawthorne, she is appalled. But she’s surprised when Gideon offers her a compromise: as long as she plays the complacent wife, he promises to leave her alone until she asks for his touch. Since Messalina is confident that she’ll never ask Gideon for anything, she readily agrees. However, the more time she spends with Gideon, the harder it is to stay away.

There’s much more to Gideon and Messalina than a deal: she gets a portion of her massive dowry; he, gets her. In a month. Until then, it’s a waiting-game which Hoyt develops beautifully into a relationship. Gideon and Messalina argue, laugh, share dinner and a theatre outing, social events: she polishes him and shows him the pleasures of life while he teaches her what it means to be poor and desperate, what it’s like to grow up a guttersnipe in St. Giles, to fight for your life daily. Not all is rosy and understanding to start: ” ‘You, madam wife, are sheltered.’ ‘What does that mean?’ she demanded. He turned and finally looked straight at her, the anger still blazing in his black eyes. ‘You’re an aristocrat.’ She was…not hurt. ‘You’re a cur.’ ” This is how it goes between them and it’s pretty delicious banter. Gentle teasing ensues, however: “Inside was a small table by the fireplace set with various dishes. Messalina stopped short. ‘Where did this all come from?’ ‘A very mysterious place,’ he murmured as he pulled out a chair for her. ‘It’s called the kitchen.’ ” (The betrayal scene is marvellous, btw, and has breath-holding stakes and potential emotional and moral consequences.)

Gideon and Messalina, in conversation, are engaging in a way Kester and Freya weren’t. Underlying their budding relationship are romantic suspense plots: the uncle is an evil man, whose cruelty is foiled by the end, but not ended. His Nastiness will be back and, frankly, I look forward to Uncle Augustus’s nefariousness in the next Greycourt novel. The novel’s resolution? Firstly, I saw how Uncle Augustus would be foiled a mile away, which is fine. The development, however, was truncated; Hoyt could have included one particular scene-encounter between Gideon and a fascinating, thus-far secondary character, Julian Greycourt, Messalina’s elder brother, that I was eager to read. Moreover, the actual villain of the piece, with one tiny, easy-to-read hint along the way, made for an abrupt, out-of-the-blue end. The HEA and dénouement did appease the savage-reader breast. In sum, I wanted more. With Miss Austen’s guidance, I would say When A Rogue Meets His Match offers “real comfort,” Emma.

Elizabeth Hoyt’s When A Rogue Meets His Match is published by Forever. It was released in December 2020 and may be found at your preferred vendors. I received an e-galley from Forever, via Netgalley, for the purpose of writing this review.

The second installment of this interesting new series from one of my favorite historical authors went down some twisted and dark paths but in the end I found I loved every second, even when I was crying my eyes out. Elizabeth Hoyt peaked my interest with her previous Maiden Lane series, where she took her characters into often dark territory as well, but in the end she brought them to such enchanting and unexpected HEAs that I couldn’t help but fall in love with her writing. Truly her gift of bringing readers right into the heart of her characters and their world is beyond compare and I have yet to be disappointed in anything I read of hers. This series revolves around the Greycourt family and the oldest sister is the lead and the heroine of her story today. Messalina has known for years that her uncle was a bastard out to destroy her and her siblings in every way he could both big and small, and when his henchman, Gideon arrives unexpectedly and demands her presence at her Uncle’s estate she knows her time of freedom is over. Gideon has watched Messalina far afar and coveted her for years and now he has found what he thinks is a way to gain her for himself and at the same time save her from her uncle. But Windemere is much more crafty they either of them suspected and soon Gideon has to decide if the price to gain Messalina for himself is too high or if the affection they have found together will hold them together. I was surprised by how much I like Messalina, thinking in the beginning she was going to be your typical damsel in distress driving me insane, but she turned out to be a great character in the end. She was strong, determined, sweet and willing to do just about anything that she needed to do to keep her family safe and happy. I loved seeing her stand up for what she wanted in life, sacrificing what she thought would be her future, but in the end finding something even greater to make her life complete as she feel in love with Gideon. Gideon was a curious character, an alpha male for sure, and one of the most broken characters I have read in a long time. He has had a terribly rough life but he is hopeful that a future with Messalina is possible if he can offer her a way to escape her uncle, but he has no thought to ever earning her love or affection, thinking he isn’t worthy of them. He has a lot of conflicting behaviors, but she is able to see beneath his gruff exterior to the caring and dedicate man underneath and begins to love him despite all of the dirty dealings of his past. When he decides that he not only wants to keep her, but wants to earn her love and respect, Gideon grows into an even better character and I loved seeing him embrace that change. The passion between these two was subtle in the beginning because Gideon was hiding his feelings behind so many layers and Messalina was unsure who he really was, but in the end the heat kept the story moving along beautifully. I can’t wait for the next in the series as there are a few siblings left to find love and adventure in this new great world by Elizabeth Hoyt. More Regency era magic that is nearly impossible to resist.

Gideon works for the Duke, doing all kinds of unspeakable things. He us charged with one last task before he gets his freedom, it's a task Gideon really does not want to do, but the reward is everything he's dreamed of: the Duke's niece, Messalina's hand in marriage. Messalina isn't exactly excited about the prospect of marrying Gideon, but he promises her he will not touch her unless she asks.

This was everything I wanted in an Elizabeth Hoyt book! Complex plot with plenty of mystery. Great nods to St. Giles Street and the Maiden Lane series. Longing, love, and plenty of steam in my romance. And the hero buys the heroine a puppy! I loved this so much and can't wait for the next one!

I received an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am a big fan of Romance books and I found this one to be a very enjoyable read. I will be looking for more books from this author.

Why does it feel like it has been absolute ages since I’ve read a Elizabeth Hoyt book!? I guess it’s because I’ve been missing her writing that I was excited to dive into this one. Hoyt is one of my favorite Historical Romance writers because of her ability to write such different characters and scenarios for her books and WHEN A ROGUE MEETS HIS MATCH is definitely one of those books that doesn’t follow a mold. I mean, the book opens with the heroine throwing pee at someone. It’s definitely a different kind of Historical book.

I found that the romance between Gideon and Messalina was very interesting. They don’t seem to be a match at all in terms of personality, but I think that was what made this book work. These two opposites don’t really go together, but through a promise, things begin to develop between them.

Gideon was a hero that I was a little slow to warm up to. He’s much more rougher around the edges and so, some of the things he said didn’t rub me the right way. But thankfully, Messalina has a good head on her shoulders and she handled him beautifully, proving that Gideon definitely needs someone like Messalina in his life.

I love Hoyt’s writing and felt like I had missed it a lot until I read this book, so I am excited to see more from her. I just wish that it didn’t take so long between releases. More Historical Romances like these need to be released!

Blue-blooded Messalina is saving her pin money. She's planning a secret trip to America with her younger sister—to escape the grip of their heartless uncle the duke.

But her uncle upends her plans. He forces her to marry Gideon, whom he plucked from St. Giles to do his bidding and hide his crimes. Gideon knows Messalina doesn't want him, but he's willing to bargain with her to secure her consent.

In one month, Messalina will have the funds to sail to freedom. But will Gideon's love convince her to stay?

This is another masterful historical romance from Elizabeth Hoyt. It's a "Taming of the Shrew" type love story between a hero and heroine who are tough on the outside and fiercely guard their hearts. If you like enemies to lovers stories, don't miss this one.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Oooooooh this was so not it, y’all. I thought this book started off really well, and I liked the overall premise. I think issues started for me when Messalina and Gideon had sex too early on in the novel. After that scene, the romance wasn’t nearly as interesting bc for me a lot of their sexual tension/chemistry just kind of vanished. The pacing in the second half was also too slow for my liking and it took entirely too long for the big climax of the story to happen.

I’ve really enjoyed some of Elizabeth Hoyt’s backlist in the past, so this was majorly disappointing for me. Definitely do not recommend this one, but her Maiden Lane series is really great.

**Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review**

This was an entertaining and sweet love story about a man who didn't trust easily and only (thought) wanted money and prestige, and a woman who is forced into marriage to a "brute" in order to save her sister from the same fate.  The marriage definitely starts out rocky and emotional. There are betrayals, scheming, passion, emotional tension (which I absolutely love in the romance), and in the end a happily ever after. The only downside is the evil uncle is not taken out, so clearly he will play the bad guy in the next book, which I hope is Messalina's older brother's story. Elizabeth Hoyt is one of my favorites and she tells such great stories with vibrant characters and beautiful romantic plots. Can't wait for more!

A man largely feared by polite society decides to take a bride from the elites so he can finish making his stamp on the world. He trades one of his shadowy favors for the hand of Messalina Greycourt--but for once, the price is perhaps higher than he can afford.

When a Rogue Meets His Match was the first Elizabeth Hoyt book to disappoint me. While I enjoyed the first Greycourt book very much, in the second book I did not feel the same connection to the characters and I loathed the pairing of Messalina with Hawthorne. It felt contrived and awkward, and there was little build up to the romance itself.

Enjoyable bordering-on-dark romance. The beginning g started off with a bang but lost its footing a bit in the middle with sanguine platitudes. Its ok to have a darker hero - they don't all have to be heroes in disguise.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was a lot better than the hot mess that was the first in the series but still not up there with this author's older books. So there's a mystery that will arc through the series - great. And the characters are engaging and actually have chemistry - swell. I suppose I was also partial to this because I'm a sucker for both enemies to lovers and marriage of convenience but this book worked for me and I'll probably read it again.

Messalina Greycourt is traveling by coach with her sister, when she is abducted by her lowlife uncle’s right hand man. She is taken to her Uncle Augustus’ home, where she is promptly informed that she will immediately wed Gideon, the very man who kidnapped her and brought her here. When Messalina informs her uncle that she has no intention of wedding his henchman, Uncle Augustus makes veiled threats toward Lucretia, her younger sister. Messalina now knows she is in a terrible spot, and may actually have to marry the man to keep Lucretia safe – at least until she can arrange a way for them to escape.

Gideon Hawthorne was born in the slums of St. Giles, and has done whatever it took to remove himself from that life. He was a champion knife fighter, then became a money lender. He was eventually hired by Augustus, the Duke of Windemere, to handle his dirty work. Now, after ten years of working for the duke, Gideon is ready to stand on his own. He has managed to invest in some coal mines, and wants to get away from the violent business and the vile duke. Augustus is an extremely clever and observant man, and he knows the one thing that Gideon wants more than any other – his niece, Messalina. When Augustus offers her in marriage, in exchange for one last job – a task which won’t be revealed until after the wedding takes place – Gideon agrees, never realizing the devil’s bargain he was making.

Messalina has no idea that Gideon wants her so badly, as she avoided him and her uncle over the years whenever possible. Now she has no choice but to talk with him, and try to understand his motivation for the situation she’s in. Gideon lets her know that he is determined to marry her, but he also promises her some time before they consummate the marriage. Messalina is determined to protect Lucretia, and has devised a plan for them to leave and start a new life elsewhere, so she agrees to the wedding. What she doesn’t expect is the softer side of the virtual stranger she married. Gideon takes her to his sparsely furnished home, giving her carte blanche to buy whatever she wants. He even agrees to allow Lucretia to live with them. It seems that the scarred man with the dubious past has a genuine affection for her, leaving Messalina confused and unsure.

While Messalina still intends to leave Gideon, she finds herself being seduced by his loving treatment of her, and they soon make their marriage a genuine physical one – and the relationship is decidedly steamy. Messalina begins to trust Gideon, and to think that she may not want to leave him after all. Then Gideon learns the final task he’s agreed to complete for the duke – one that is guaranteed to ensure Messalina will hate him forever. As Gideon struggles to find a solution, other suspicious and near tragic events happen. Now Gideon must not only find a way to save his marriage, but to save his and Messalina’s very lives.

WHEN A ROGUE MEETS HIS MATCH is book two of the GREYCOURT series, but it can be read as a standalone, as details of the years ago tragedy have been sparse thus far. A failed elopement and a tragic death tore three close friends and their families apart. I’m guessing that details will be revealed in the final book, with just bits and pieces along the way. I’m OK with this type of series, as long as each couple in their respective book gets their happy ever after. Gideon is the kind of man I didn’t expect to like – a genuine ruffian who has done plenty of horrible things in his life. Still, I admire him for trying to get away from that life and to become a legitimate businessman. I found his love for, and care of Messalina to be stellar, and I was pretty much ready to forgive him anything. Messalina was also a great heroine, and I loved seeing her soften and show a willingness to take a chance and forgive. Together they make an unusual, but fantastic couple with a dynamic sexual chemistry. I became totally invested in this couple, and their evolving romance, which was both sweet and hot, making for a truly satisfying read.