I think this book solidifies my favoritism towards Brogan! I love this Irish man with a heart of gold!

Brogan is tasked to work on a case outside of the Dead Penny Society by the Dread Master himself. He's to try to uncover the goings on of a printshop run by a Russian immigrant and his daughter, Vera.

He has to take another name because he's a Penny Dreadful writer and the shopkeep isn't gift if them because of his past. How daughter, Vera, thinks she knows most of her father's past but it's deeper and more complicated than she knows.

I loved this book a lot! Brogan and Vera are one of a kind... Both immigrants to London and they both are looked a bit down upon from London society (as it was during the Victorian times). But they both love the city and they both love helping those that need it.

Vera had such a soft spot for the street children of the city and I love that she will let them earn a bit of money by working in the print shop. I loved getting to know Móirín (Brogan's sister) a bit more... She's such a spitfire!

I love, of course, getting to read the Penny Dreadful stories in between the pages of the main story.

An intriguing tale from Sarah M. Eden! The Merchant and the Rogue offers a glimpse into the rough sides of life in London in the 1860s, and of course includes Eden’s signature romance. This is the first book I’ve read in this series, but I don’t think that hindered my reading experience too much. The penny dreadfuls were very interesting, and I also found several of the side characters engaging. I wasn’t completely absorbed by the story as a whole, but fans of Victorian mystery and romance will find this book enjoyable. 3.5/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Fun addition to this series. I like series that tell new stories with each book but we get to see a little from characters from previous books and this accomplishes that nicely.

Summary: The Merchant and the Rogue is the third book in the Dread Penny Society series. Brogan Donnelly is the main focus in this book. He must try to fulfill a solo mission and though he is unsure of himself, he does a great job. In the path of the story he means Vera Sorokina.

I love how each book introduces us more intimately to one of the members of the Dread Penny Society. These are authors of penny dreadful novels. More importantly they are men who are trying to make a difference for the regular people in London. Sometimes the story takes them into high society but mostly the story is among the everyday folk that keep the city running. The 1860’s saw a burgeoning city running rampant with people barely making it from day to day.
The author inspires love for her characters, well for all except the evil behind the crime in the city. I really hope they can someday defeat the Mastiff.
I enjoy the penny dreadful stories that are stories within the story. As with the past two books, Mr. King tells a story called the same as the book’s title. Then the main character has a story interspersed with the action of the novel. Brogan’s story is The Dead Zoo.
This book can be read alone if you are joining the series mid-stream but as in most cases I recommend reading the books from the beginning of the series because each does build on the foundation of the previous book.

The Merchant and the Rogue by Sarah M Eden

Sometimes trust is all you need to save the day. And sometimes all you need is an open Sarah M Eden book that has a magic hand which grabs you by the shirt and transports you into the story. Yeah you read that right.

I am about to become the biggest conspiracy theorist there is and I am pretty sure none of my answers are correct. Sooooo spoilers possibly, probably not though because I am not giving any scenes away that haven't been established in the other two books. Ok as I am writing this I am the only one who would blow my own mind so I am Not gonna get into my thoughts. Because who wants to look dumb on Instagram. DM me so I can look dumb in private. 🤣

I absolutely am a fan of the Dread Penny Society series. I have been waiting for Brogan's story since book one and luckily I didn't need to wait long. I identify with a lot his characteristics. He is a great support, but he is also reserved about sharing how he serves. He doesn't need a spotlight to help. I say this phrase to describe myself but it applies to Brogan too, "I am the drummer in the band. I keep the beat to the song, while others become the lead singers." ( Never have I ever been a drummer but it's a good analogy.) Buuuut it's like Sarah knew, just knew that Brogan and I were going to be pushed to the limit of the stage. Even the drummer gets a solo every once in a while. Life lesson learned, Sarah.

In Brogan's words, "Again, I'm the reinforcements, not the hero."
-"Then be heroically reinforcing."

🎤Yeah massive mic drop Sarah. I get it. Well done.

Gosh I looove the culture of the London scene in this one. The mystery and intrigue. And of course, Vera is strong-willed and must learn more about what it means to trust and love when all things seem like lies on the surface.

Thank you to Netgalley for the #arc. This is my honest opinion.

Sarah M. Eden is now officially a "go to" author for me.

I've been in a MAJOR reading slump for a while now....even my favorite re-reads weren't helping. The Merchant and the Rogue, the third installment in the "Dread Penny Society", is helping to kick that to the curb. I DEVOURED the story this weekend...probably would have finished it in one sitting if "adulting" wouldn't have gotten in the way.

I love how each story focuses on a specific member of the Dread Penny Society while leaving enough breadcrumbs for other members of the club, leaving you anxiously waiting for the next story wondering who it will be about.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did not realize that this is the third book in the series. My apologies, but I did not read it. I saw great reviews, so for that sake I will give it 4 stars. This book takes place in London, my favorite place in the world, so that’s why I was drawn to this.,

Perhaps I will read the first two books in the series and come back to this one.

Thank you for the e-ARC NetGalley.

The Merchant and the Rogue continues the adventures of the Dread Penny Society, a group of “vigilante do-gooding authors” who help the poor and unfortunate of London in the mid 1800s. I enjoyed the delightfully unique characters Brogan and Vera and the way in which their romantic relationship developed. Their kindness to the London street children was touching. The use of the South London, Irish, and Russian vernacular phrases added authenticity to the story. I enjoyed the mystery of the main storyline, but did not care for the two interspersed Penny Dread stories that interrupted the flow of the main story. I found myself skimming these stories to get back to the main storyline. All in all, this was just a “good” not “great” read for me.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in e-book form from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

London, 1865
Vera Sorokina loves reading the Penny Dreadfuls and immersing herself in tales of adventure, mystery, and romance. Her own days are filled with the often mundane work of running the book and print shop she owns with her father. The shop offers her the freedom and income to employ and protect the poverty-stricken Londoners she’s come to care about, and it gives her father something to do other than long for their hometown of St. Petersburg. She is grateful for the stability in their lives, but she often feels lonely.

Brogan Donnelly was born and raised in Ireland, but has lived in London for several years, where he’s built a career as a Penny Dreadful writer. He has dedicated himself to the plight of the poor with the help of his sister. His membership in the secretive Dread Penny Society allows him to feel he isn’t entirely wasting his life, yet he feels dissatisfied. With no one to share his life with but his sister, he fears London will never truly feel like home.

Brogan and Vera’s paths cross, and the attraction is both immediate and ill-advised. Vera knows from past experience that writers are never to be trusted, and Brogan has reason to suspect not everything at her print shop is aboveboard. When the growing criminal enterprise run by the elusive and violent Mastiff begins targeting their area of London, Brogan and Vera must work together to protect the community they’ve both grown to love. But that means they’ll need to learn to trust each other with dangerous secrets that have followed both of them from their home countries.

Eden keeps me turning the pages with the mini dreadfuls we get. I have read the previous books so I knew what I was getting here. I love the idea of a group of people who write penny dreadfuls who solve crime on the side. You are getting the main over arcing storyline and two mini mysteries as you go and I loved them. I will say this is not my favorite of the series but it continues the story and I assume there will be another to complete the entire mystery. I do think the intro could have summarized the previous books a little sooner for those that have yet to read them but I would recommend to read them in order personally. I think Brogan is a great male lead who feels like a follower more than a leader. Vera was a strong businesswoman. They worked well together. This was a little light on the romance but I think that works to not take away from the mystery we are dealing with.

The Merchant and the Rogue is the third book in Sarah M. Eden’s Dread Penny Society series. I have loved this series since I read the first book and the third book is just as amazing as the first two!

I love how each book has its own set of characters and penny dreadful stories but we get to see characters from previous books again and the plots of each book all tie into the same overarching mystery. Each book solves some small mystery while diving deeper into a much bigger mystery. The Merchant and The Rogue shows that these smaller crimes we’ve been solving in the previous books are nothing compared to the storm we are entering. I’m excited to see where the story goes from here!

I love all the Irish elements in this story. The male lead is from Ireland and female lead is from Russia and it’s fun to see the Irish and Russian elements. I felt like Eden did a great job of balancing the two cultures and not letting one overpower the other. I love the Dead Zoo and Irish Folklore inspired penny serials included throughout the main story. I like how they parallel the main story and don’t take away from the main plot.

Lastly I love the variety of characters. It’s really refreshing to read about the street urchins and working class as opposed to high society. I love that the members of the Dread Penny Society come from all sorts of backgrounds, professions, cultures etc. The variety keeps things unpredictable and helps each book stand out from the rest of the series while still contributing to the main story told throughout the series. The DPS is such a unique series that still has all the elements of historical romance that I love.

I highly recommend this book! Reading it made me even more excited for the rest of the series!

The Dread Penny Society is always such a treat! Not only do we get the main story from both Mr. Donnelly and Miss Veras perspectives, which is intriguing in itself. But we also get to read the Penny Dreadfuls as they come out which are like short fantasy, mystery stories.
Mr. King has a very interesting story, and if you read Book 1, you will be very familiar with Mr. King. And we’ve got a new writer to read from! Mr. Donnelly, an Irishman, who’s story is about a detective working a case- and it’s a good one.

Sarah Eden’s story’s never fail to surprise me with their way of transporting you to the streets of London. I felt like I was there, reading the Penny Dreadful’s in the shop with Miss. Vera and the street urchins. Trying to uncover the mysteries and see how it all connects as Brogan does.
I really enjoyed learning more about Irish and Russian cultures and their history. I found those bits of information so I intriguing and found myself wanting to learn more! I always love historic events being incorporated into a story.

It is a truly beautiful written and intricately woven story. I love that the story feels complete, yet leaves room for more gaps to be filled in in future books. There are some exciting changes happening in the lives of the Dread Penny Society and you don’t want to miss them.

Thankyou NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the complimentary arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Content: clean
Romance: one kissing scene.
Violence: part of the Dread Penny society is fighting crime, so the mystery of the story has encounters with criminals. Some fighting- not gruesome or overly descriptive, arson, an explosion, threats, are all apart of the story.
Language: none.

Ready for another ride? This third Dread Penny Society novel is absolutely on par with others in the series. One of Sarah M. Eden's greatest strengths lies in her character-building, and she does not disappoint with "The Merchant and the Rogue". The story follows Brogan Donnelly, a Penny Dreadful author who receives a covert assignment directly from the Dread Master that requires him to "leave" the DPS. As the story progresses, we learn more of Brogan's (and his sister Moirin's) early life in Ireland, including the heartbreaking reason they can never return home. Brogan encounters shopkeeper Vera Sorokina while on his secret task and makes an uncharacteristically underhanded move to continue their acquaintance. As is often the case, falsehoods result in unpleasant consequences and Brogan must find a way to repair the damage. Villains old and new rear their heads throughout, wreaking havoc on both individual people and entire neighborhoods.

Secrets, lies, actions and consequences all feature strongly in this story. A parent's choices impact the lives of his entire family. Siblings deal with life-altering consequences from their shared past. A child must look beyond learned prejudice. We see financial hardship and struggle in the marginalized community, but we also see individuals coming together to bolster their neighbors of all ages.

I absolutely recommend this book -- though please do yourself a favor and first read the other two titles in the series. While each title is technically standalone, there is also a substantial plot arc that carries through the entire series. A reader will not understand the full impact of some events without that background. As with previous DPS novels, we get to enjoy three titles in one: there are two Penny Dreadfuls sprinkled through every few chapters of the main story.

Content: sweet. Other considerations: there is a fair amount of non-graphic violence, including an event at the end that culminates in the significant injury of a beloved character -- something we haven't yet seen in this series.

Many thanks to both Sarah M. Eden and the publisher for the opportunity to read and enjoy this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was my first read by Sarah M. Eden, and it was delightful! I loved the sweet, gentle romance between Brogan and Vera. I thought the structure of the book was very interesting, with the penny dreadful stories interspersed with the main storyline. There was a good mystery, intrigue and action, with a satisfying ending, though not entirely wrapped up. It does set up the next book in the series to continue this overarching mystery. I didn't read the first two of this series, and I do think you would get a fuller story of the side characters and the secret society that is at the heart of the story. That said, it can be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone!

I absolutely adore the Penny Dreadfulls series. It's brilliant and so well done. The idea of a group of writers of Penny Dreadfulls - ranging from wealthy upper-class members to merchants to former urchins - banding together to rescue as many of London's street urchins as they can is so fascinating, and of course endears us to the heroes who so obviously care for the children.

The characters are charming and sympathetic, the romances are swoony with strong, determined women who help the Dreads rescue urchins whilst falling in love with them.

Brogan's inner turmoil over having to lie to Vera, to Moirin, to his fellow Dreadfulls in order to complete his mission made him sympathetic. Vera's distrust of him once some of those lies were revealed was heartbreaking - especially as she already harbored an intense distrust of writers and those who lied. The way the story played out there was surprising and so well-crafted.

I also love the way the chapters are alternated with those of the Penny Dreadfulls by the hero and Mr. King, and how they relate to the overarching plot of the story.

This tale is no different, though the overarching plot has thickened. Now the Mastiff looms larger than in previous books. There is a difference, actually, in that this book doesn't end with a wrap-up of the conflict as the others do. This one leaves off mid-conflict, with the characters knowing there is worse yet to come.

I am eagerly anticipating the next installment! (Which, if you think about it, is exactly what a writer of Penny Dreadfulls would want.)

*Thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for providing an e-arc for review.

I believe this is my favorite of the Dread Penny Society books yet. Brogan is amazing and I love Vera. I also love how the overarching mystery is slowly ramping up, providing answers and yet more questions at the same time. I love the mysteries and how they play in the story.

The writing in this book is masterful. I enjoyed the penny dreadfuls that were shared alongside the story. They add so much to the historical timeline. It is one thing to read about authors and quite another to read their works as you read about them. It adds an additional layer to these fantastic stories and gives a glimpse of Victorian England unlike any other I've read.

The concept behind these books is fantastic and draws a reader in. They characters keep the reader invested in the story. The mystery makes it impossible to put down. The multiple layers are enough to keep me thoroughly captivated and enthralled in the story. It leaves me wanting more with each installment. While these can be read on their own, the series together supplies a rich world of storytelling that should be read in its entirety.

I received an early copy from the publisher and through netgalley. This is my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! This is the first dead penny book I have read and it was great. I can't wait to pick up the others. It's full of suspense and I couldn't put the book down! Would highly recommend

3.5 stars
This author never disappoints when it comes to historical details and cultures. This whole series is very creative and book 2 was definitely my favorite. For some reason it was harder for me to be invested in the main characters and I think it was due to jumping in and out of three story lines (because of the two penny dreadfuls). This is the case with each of the books in this series, but the side stories in this one were just not my type of story. All of that being said, this book is still enjoyable and if you liked the first two in the series, then you will probably like this one as well. The author is such a good story teller, that even though the penny dreadfuls in this book were not my taste, I think she made them more palatable than most authors could have.

Honestly, you can never go wrong with a book by Sarah M. Eden, she does it again in this book! I have loved Brogan from the moment I met him in The Lady and the Highwayman and it was nice to see him again. As well as all the other characters from the previous two books!

The third installment of the Dread Penny Society is just as enjoyable as the first two! This one focuses on Brogan, the fun and friendly Irish member of the “Dreadfuls,” who gets to go rogue and take a hit against the criminal ring in their blackmailing and forgery endeavors. There are more terrific characters to meet and more to learn about the society members and the criminals they are up against.

I love the addition of two of the stories from members of this writing society. I love how they are interspersed through the rest of the novel. This is how people would have read them—one little chapter at a time and life goes on while they wait for the next one. These ones each had a bit of the supernatural about them. Brogan’s was especially darkly humorous (that ending, LOL!).

The Merchant and the Rogue is a wonderful addition to the series. It ends with a setup for the next novel in the series. I’m looking forward to it with great anticipation!