Thank you Forever Romance for the gifted copy of When a Rogue Meets His Match!

Meet my first five star historical romance of 2021! I adored When a Rogue Meets His Match so much! Starting Elizabeth Hoyt’s books last year was my favorite new-to-me author discovery. I’m working my way through her Maiden Lane series and love them so much. Since the world is crap right now, all I want is to dive into historical romances. When a Rogue Meets His Match was exactly what I needed.

I will say, I read this one before reading the first book in the Greycourt Series and I felt like you could read it as a stand-alone. But reading it made me want to read Not the Duke’s Darling soon! I’m so curious about Freya and her backstory now.

Marriage of convenience is my favorite trope ever, and any HR that starts with a heroine being forced to marry someone she thinks she hates is bound to be a winner in my book. I loved Gideon and Messalina so much, they had so much chemistry and their interactions were delightful. There’s some grumpy vibes, a little adventure, some steamy steam steam and a hero that buys his wife an entire library. I mean...*swoon*

If you’ve never read anything from Hoyt, I highly recommend trying her! Her books are the perfect mix of banter, steam, and some grittiness. Her Maiden Lane series feels a little more intense than Lisa Kleypas, but not as intense as Kerrigan Byrne (if that helps) The real world might be garbage, but at least I can escape into the amazing world Elizabeth Hoyt created.

Received in exchange for a honest review.

This book was really entertaining. Messalina was stubborn and a great match for Gideon. She gave him such a hard time and no matter what she handed out to him he took it with stride and met her blow for blow. These to were a hoot. They seemed like opposites with how Gideon was brought up but they were more alike than it seems. They both were loyal, strong willed, stubborn and would protect those they love. They are fiercely loyal as well. And when they love they love with all that they have.

Gideon had a rough rough life. He is trying to be his own boss but to do that he needs to deal with Messalina’s uncle. A conniving evil man. He also needs to get Messalina away from him and show her she is safe and he loves her. So he makes a deal with the uncle and gets to marry the woman he loves. Only Messalina isn’t in on this plan and she does give Gideon a hard time from the very beginning. From the wedding to the shopping she does not let up. Along the way she does learn more and more about the man she married and see he isn’t a bad person but someone who had to do not so great things to survive.

She sees that he is smart and gruff. His employees are ones that he protects and is keeping from being on the streets. They may not be perfect but they are protected and he is doing right by them. This gets Messalina realizing there is more to him than meets the eye. The bathtub scene was awesome. The banter between these two is great. So sassy and entertaining. His protection of her sister as well was heartwarming. And his dilemma where he does the right thing and they thwart her uncle was great.

Messalina is smart and cunning. She has a revenge streak that rivals men and uses this on Gideon. Only it does backfire big time and instead of driving him away it brings them closer and she sees that this man who seems to be rough and bad is really protective, loyal and kind. He does what he needs to to protect his employees an make sure nothing happens to them. He helps her and her sister stay away from the uncle and even helps her brothers out.

The romance was a slow burn. These two will kept me entertained and smiling. Especially when she first brought him shopping. How he protected her when attacked was amazing. He will do anything for her. A truly great story from beginning to end.

What a unique story. We find our hero IS NOT an entitled nobleman (nor really much of a hero) and our heroine is in no way a quiet or bidible lady.
They marry and clash until they begin to realize that their feelings are not as acrimonious as they've come to believe. A Definite must read!
Thank you Elizabeth Hoyt, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

I liked this one even more than the first book in the series. Tropey goodness from start to finish: enemies to lovers meets arranged marriage meets Beauty and the Beast meets class differences (the hero is working class). I really enjoyed how much the hero forced the heroine to rethink and examine her class privilege, but she had an effect on him too in allowing him to tap into true feelings. This suffered a little from So Much Drama at the end (two different murder plots!) but overall, I’m officially a Hoyt fan and will go back to read some of her older titles.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When a Rogue Meets His Match is a hate to lovers/marriage of convenience romance. Messalina Greycourt must marry Gideon Hawthorne for protection and freedom from her uncle. Only problem is Gideon is her uncle’s fixer. Will his last deed for her Uncle destroy the attraction that is growing between them?
The banter and the chemistry was perfect in this book! I loved how quickly Messalina fell for Gideon's charm! I also liked that Messalina always had a plan b in her backpacker to make sure no harm came to her sister, especially when dealing with her uncle.

I thought this was a very unique concept. The idea of a "fix-it man" marrying his employers niece had me intrigued and I was not let down. Gideon is an absolutely fascinating character. He is a self-made man with a hidden heart of gold. I love his employment of nontraditional individuals to run his house. Messalina on the other hand is highborn and thrust into a world she is unfamiliar with. To her credit she blends in seamlessly, which is a credit to her upbringing. I really enjoyed this book & look forward to the next.

I'm pretty new to historical romance, but I can definitely tell I am starting to appreciate the genre more and more!
I read the first in this series, and was so impressed with how accurate and detailed the descriptions of the time were, and I knew I needed to read the next in the series.

I loved the backstory in this, where classism plays such a central role. Gideon is a rogue through and through, yet he is still incredible insecure of his place in society. I loved how Messalina slowly becomes aware and falls for Gideon more because of it. His backstory is so well done and I loved how it got integrated into the book! And the gift he got her at the end is just...PERFECTION!!

My only gripe is that there is a lot of separate plotlines happening at once, that are slightly confusing. Especially regarding the Duke and Messalina's sister, I got slightly got confused.

Messalina Greycourt has been trapped by her uncle, the Duke of Windemere. Forced to marry Gideon Hawthorne, her uncle's henchman, Messalina will do anything to save her sister from the same fate, even bargain with the devil. Gideon wants out from under the Duke of Windemere's thumb and has almost succeeded, until the Duke dangles the one thing he never thought he could have, Messalina. Together, Gideon and Messalina decided to try and make the marriage work, but both have secrets and someone is trying to kill Gideon.

I wasn't sure that I believed that Gideon and Messalina could work together, but I was very much proven wrong. The romance was steamy and a tiny bit sweet. Gideon has fallen head over heels for Messalina but doesn't know how to express it or what to do with it. Messalina is slower but her fall is sweet.

I actually really liked spending more time with Lucretia. I do want to know more about what happened with Aurelia, that seems to be the turning point and it's one big mystery.

This was quite different from the first book in the series. It didn't add much of anything to the overarching mystery of who killed Messalina's sister. Gideon gets to marry Messalina in exchange for doing a dirty deed for her uncle. Little did Gideon know when he agreed to the deal that what he would be asked to do would devastate Messalina.

Gideon was quite tame for a violent, bad boy type. He wasn't as bad as he initially seemed, but he wasn't all that good either. He was nice enough but not enough to make a woman like Messalina swoon. I expected more from him. He was the one acting abysmally and barely had to do anything to win her back time and again.

Messalina was described as being stubborn and strong willed, but her actions proved the opposite. She never stood her ground for long. None of the men in her life treated her fairly. Instead of finding a way to outsmart them she'd give into their demands. I didn't understand her feelings for Gideon. She didn't know him that well and fell in love with him quickly.

Elizabeth Hoyt gives us a rough hero in When a Rogue Meets his Match. Victorian romance with tough characters and sentimental heroines. For a hot summer's night when belief is suspended and tough heroic figures are wanted.

I loved chatting with Elizabeth about this series, her inspiration for this book and why this book worked for me.
I will be featuring this book in a future episode.

I am a huge fan of historical romance books and I must say that this book was very well written. I loved how it was in dual perspective so you could catch a glimpse of what each character was thinking and how they felt at the time. There is even a POV of Messalina’s brother, which made me want to know more about him.

This is my first time reading a book by this author and I will be reading more from her. I felt the story of Messalina and Gideon flowed smoothly from the beginning to the very end. If you enjoy reading such books by Eva Devon you will enjoy this book very much. She has a way of incorporating the right amount of danger and love into this book. So much so that it had me turning the pages wanting to know what was going to happen next.

Messalina Greycourt is a headstrong, smart and highly stubborn woman. She lives in fear of her uncle, who was a malicious man. He craves power and money over everything. I was really hoping something would happen to him and still do. She was such a strong woman and pretty much played the cards she was delt in life. She played them well too. She had plans on escaping her uncles grasp by fleeing anywhere she could to be out of his sight and out of harms way. I really loved her devotion to her family she clearly loved them especially her sister.

Gideon Hawthorn is a man who would do anything to get what he wants. He’s a ruffian with a depraved mouth. He grew up in the slums of London and fought his way out. He has plans on how to make it into the aristicratic lifestyle and working for Messalina’s uncle is part of that plan. His determination to better himself and show a kind of softer side of himself to Messalina drew me in to want to know more about him. He seemed like such a kind person even with his gruffness.

These two characters were so much fun and intriguing to read. They both were married by the will of her uncle and both had alterior motives. They wanted financial security but Gideon wanted something more. I really enjoyed watching their feelings for each other grow and change. I felt for her and kept telling her to run for the hills but wanted her to stay to just see what would happen. I got excited when she would catch herself thinking about staying because she was starting to want to stay and then reminding herself that fleeing with whatever she got out of her deal with Gideon was the only thing she should do.

With Gideon I felt like he was learning to open up and trust Messalina with his deep dark secrets. He had many skeletons that he didn’t want to share but she pried herself in and the end result had all my feels in full effect. He was fierce to protect her from her uncle and anyone that might interfere with his plans for her. It was easy to see that he had wanted her for a long time. There are some great action scenes sprinkled through this book along with some steamy romance that will captivate you. Very well written book and a quite enjoyable read.

~ Brooke

Rags to riches story that captivated me from the beginning. Elizabeth Hoyt knocks it out of the park with this and look forward to reading more books from her.

I loved this story that captivated me from the first page. A rag to riches story with a tortured H and his band of unfortunates, a compassionate h , if somewhat naive, and a darstardly villain. Add in some angst, and some steam. A beautiful romance although I don’t think the villain’s motives were adequately explained. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

I'd be remiss not to say that Elizabeth Hoyt is one of my favorite authors. There's a true energy she brings to her characters that has them leaping off the page. Gideon and Messalina are no exceptions to this rule. I found them and their rollercoaster of a story extremely intriguing and couldn't put it down until it was finished - and I'd gone back to read my favorite bits!

I have to mention Gideon first, he's my favorite version of a hero in romance books - an anti-hero. What is it about these men who are so grumpy and acerbic? You just want to see them change their ways. And I don't think anyone could have done it besides Messalina. We find out his literal and figurative scars have shaped his personality as he worked to leave the streets of London behind. But he won't be able to do that until he can quit his job as Fixer for the Duke.

That Duke happens to be the horrible uncle to Messalina and her younger sister. After losing her parents she's had to deal with the mean Duke and protect her sister. She's well aware of Gideon, thinking him a willing lackey to the Duke and his opinions. So when that Duke shares that she'll be marrying Gideon, she couldn't be more upset.

Gideon on the other hand is not exactly unhappy, learning that he can have Messalina for one last peculiar errand, he agrees only to have the spunky Messalina getting him to agree to give her half her dowry if they fake this marriage. He thankfully, uses this time to show her that when it comes to her, his grumpy ways dissolve into love and tenderness. So much so she starts having second thoughts about fleeing after they get married.

There were a few surprising parts and a few that make the best of romance books shine. It was a perfect mix for me. I loved seeing their love come about as the outside world worked to butt in to their growing happiness.

I've read the precursor to this book, but this one can easily be a standalone. I can't wait to see what's next from the Graycourt Family! This one is a must read if you love those bad boys as much as I do.

These opinions are my own and freely given.

What an enjoyable historical romance! I am always a fan of the grumpy hero who only shows his tender side to the heroine and Elizabeth Hoyt got it exactly right with Gideon Hawthorne. This is my first book by the author, but it certainly won't be my last. When a Rogue Meets His Match is book two in the Greycourt series, but it can be enjoyed as a standalone. I didn't read book one prior to jumping in and though I was able to figure out what was going on easily, I think there would have been a lot more depth to the story and characters if I had.

The romance between Messalina and Gideon was really great, but I did wish there was more insight into why Gideon loved her so much. Messalina's change of heart felt much more realistic because it was so gradual. Plus, who could resist after hearing some of the swoony things Gideon said? *sigh* A lot of time was spent on the progression of Gideon and Messalina's relationship, so the overall pacing of the story felt a little slow. There was also some predictable drama towards the end, but it wasn't dragged out and resolved itself very quickly. I did feel that one of the twists was unnecessary though and didn't seem to add much to the overall story. The secondary characters were wonderful and I really hope that Messalina's other siblings also get books in the future (especially Lucretia)!

CW: death of sibling/family member, anxiety, violence/knife fighting

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

A classically wonderful, big drama, high-stakes historical romance. I read this in one day and was completely absorbed. I’m a sucker for a hero who rises from the streets of London and has the literal battle scars to prove it. *fans self*

Gideon Hawthorne is all but done working for the Duke of Windemere as his fixer. Until the duke makes him an offer he can’t turn down. One last job and he can have HER. Marry HER. The very woman who has captivated Gideon since he met her, the duke’s niece, Messalina Greycourt.

Ohh, what could possibly go wrong (perfectly right!) here?

If you love big drama and big romance feelings, you definitely want to read this one. Elizabeth Hoyt does this soooooo gloriously.

Oh. Also. This book has a section that caught me off guard and had me sobbing. I should have expected it because the breadcrumbs were perfectly laid but somehow my brain didn’t latch on and oooooof. Tears. In no way does this book shy away from the tragic conditions and forced choices of London’s poor.

Thank you Forever and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

When the Greycourt children lost their parents years ago, they were left in the care of their horrid uncle, Augustus Greycourt, Duke of Windermere, who himself is childless. Messalina Greycourt plans for the day when she and her younger sister can escape and live out from under her uncle’s control; however, Augustus has other plans and marries her off to his henchman, Mr. Gideon Hawthorne.

Gideon Windermere has done unlawful and brutal things for the Duke. He wants to leave his employ but it’s been near impossible. The Duke will let him go and is giving him his niece and her sizable dowry in exchange for one last job.

When a Rogue Meets His Match is the second story in the Greycourt series. I read and throughly enjoyed the first title, Not the Duke’s Darling, two years ago. While I was entertained by When a Rogue Meets His Match, it was missing some of the aspects I most enjoyed in the first book, such as the Wise Women society.

Gideon is truly an anti-hero. He’s rude, crude, and unlawful. He’s agreed to and IS PLANNING ON committing a horrible act, hiding it from Messalina. He’s trapped her against her will. Yet, Messalina sees something that most do not, a kind and caring side of Gideon. Messalina plans to escape Gideon as soon as she gets her money, but starts having second thoughts immediately after they marry. She’s very confused by her feelings for most of the book.

Ms. Hoyt rides the line between a forced marriage and reluctant romance. Hawthore wants Messalina, but sees her as a prize and victory against the upper echelon. Strong-willed Messalina sees the good in Gideon and feels all sorts of tingling things when they are together. She’s a stereotypical heroine who falls for the bad boy. Their romance is filled with starts and stops, as each carries big secrets and personal dreams they do not share with the other. When a Rogue Meets His Match relies heavily on predictable plot lines, yet there is a surprising twist near the conclusion.

When a Rogue Meets His Match ends rather abruptly, with a quick conclusion. The book includes the bonus novella, “Night of the Scoundrel” by Kelly Bowen, which began at the 70% mark in my e-ARC. I did not read the extra story.

Overall, I enjoyed When a Rogue Meets His Match, but felt it was a bit predictable and the ending came too swiftly.

My Rating: B- Liked It — But I had a few small issues

Elizabeth is one of my go-to authors. I love her books. She never disappoints her readers. Messalina and Gideon are wonderful characters. She dislikes Gideon immensely because he is her vile uncle's henchman. Gideon has his own motives for and ambitions where Messalina is concerned. When she is forced to marry him she vows to make him as miserable as she is. Can she keep her vow to resist him or will he wear her down and prove that he can be trusted to keep her safe and happy.

This is another wonderful story that Elizabeth is known for. I could not put it down. Do not miss this one.

A disreputable gentleman. An unwilling heiress. A match made in heaven?

When we meet Gideon Hawthorne for the first time in When a Rogue Meets his Match, the second Greycourt novel by Elizabeth Hoyt, he is a man who is full of mysteries. He is the man the Duke of Windemere turns to to fix any problem the Duke believes he has. What Gideon wants most in his life is to change his circumstances and he does that by agreeing to an unknown task in exchange for Messalina Greycourt’s hand in marriage.

Messalina on the other hand detests Gideon because he works for her horrible uncle. Since her parents’ deaths, she and her siblings have been under the thumb of her uncle, the Duke of Windemere, a man without a conscience. By agreeing to the marriage to Gideon, and having him promise that he will give her half her dowry so she can leave England, Messalina is thrust into a world she is unfamiliar with and will make her question her upbringing and how she sees the world.

Both Gideon and Messalina will need to learn to trust the other and their hearts to find and understand the truth. Is Messalina only a spoiled society lady? Is the best that Gideon can be an employee with a secret? They will face obstacles that will test the truth of who they have become. Will they open their heart to the other person?

Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. This story and the twists and turns the story creates and solves also poses many other questions about the Greycourt family. I hope in the following books, the answers to my questions will be solved. I can’t wait to read more about the Greycourt family.