I adored Lorcan and Daphne's story!! It was so much fun watching them navigate their "marriage" inside the Grand Palace on the Thames. SO much fun!!

A good historical romance that I would recommend to fans of the authors previous books!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher

How To Tame A Wild Rogue is the 6th installment in Julia Anne Long's Palace of Rogues series. It makes for a pretty good standalone. I found this particular novel to be a better "intro" for anyone who hasn't read the series than my first attempt with After Dark With The Duke, and made me really want to start the series from the beginning in earnest. The plot of How To Tame A Wild Rogue hooked me immediately and the writing was so charming and witty.

Our story kicks off on a dark and stormy night, when the dangerous privateer and former smuggler Lorcan St. Leger spies a woman escaping out a 2nd floor window. Escorting the lady, Lady Daphne Worth, out of the storm and to the exclusive Grand Palace on the Thames, Lorcan and Daphne must pose as husband and wife in order to secure their lodgings.

Lorcan is immediately alluring and intriguing. I loved his directness, whether towards Daphne or Captain Hardy or anything else. It balanced out Daphne's restrained pride in a good way.

Daphne is a bit of a mystery to start with. We know she's a lady caught in a desperate situation in which she is trying to take control of her future by jumping out a window in the middle of a storm, but we have to unravel her story piece by piece.

About midway through is the funniest scene I've ever read in my life, and some pretty funny scenes involving everyone else too. I was crying in laughter!

While I did enjoy the side characters and their side plots, I really just wanted more of Daphne and Lorcan. They had such sizzling chemistry and appeal that I really wanted to dig deep into that and their relationship. Although I couldn't get enough of Dot and Ben. They were adorable!

Overall, this is the perfect novel for those looking for a charming, witty historical romance with great chemistry and a side cast of great characters to flesh out the story.

This is by far my favorite JAL book in that it is sooo simple in plot yet both MC's sincererity as they fall in love is beautiful to witness. Below are just some of my quotes comments made in our live-reading thread in my discord book club.

"I haven’t read a hero who so genuinely falls in love without knowing he is falling in love but doesn’t fight it and just sinks into it. It’s so pure. Ugh I already can’t wait for when I do a reread of this."

"It’s just a swoony sweet book that’s leaves you a big sigh and heart eyes and smiles. That’s the best way I can describe it."

"I just loved reading a hero falling in love and not fighting it. Just letting it happen, even if it meant he was ignorant that it was happening to him."

Oh, how I loved this book. I read the previous book and this one back to back, and it was a sublime reading experience. Both of them are excellent. But then, I think I've said that about most of the books in this series.

Lorcan St. Ledger may be one of the best villainous heroes in any romance I've ever read. He was born in one of London's worst slums, and rose to wealth (and some respectability - harder to achieve) after being a notorious pirate. The heroine, Lady Daphne Worth, is also one of my favorites, for the sheer guts it took for her to work for her living and help support her too-proud father, and then to climb out of her window to escape a marriage that she didn't want. And the ending of the book - it was like the author saved the best for last.

Revisiting the denizens of the Grand Palace on the Thames is always a treat, especially Dot and Mr. Delacorte. I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher Avon and Harper Voyager via NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

Lorcan and Daphne’s adventures lead one into a story woven with mystery and love. Can Daphne help Lorcan overcome his mistrust of people?

How to Tame a Wild Rogue by Julie Anne Long is part of a series called Palace of Rogues.  I do have to warn you that this novel may cause your eyes to get wet and your nose to sniff.  (Yes, cry.) In each of these novels, the setting of the story is a wonderfully, interesting boarding house called Grand Palace on the Thames. It is ruled by two women and includes a set of rules and lots of interesting characters.  

Lady Daphne Worth has spent her life taking care of her brothers, father and house.  She was dependable, resourceful, and devoted to her family.  Her father was a gambler and lost most of the family money. Her fiance broke it off with her so he could marry the governess. Daphne hired herself out to a family member as a companion whose husband tried to take advantage of her.  She ended up climbing out of the window when she met Lorcan.

Lorcan was born in St Giles, one of the most difficult and awful places to live in London. He has led a life of questionable jobs, including as a privateer.  He came around a corner and caught a woman escaping from a window.  Together, they walk to the Grand Palace of the Thames hoping to each get a room.  Instead they are mistaken as a couple and ended up needing to keep the secret.  Meanwhile, the rain storm of the century happened and they are all trapped.  Slowly Lorcan and Daphne began to bond and it was clear that they are attracted to each other.  

The storm, the forced togetherness and the honesty all lead to a poignancy that pulls you right into the story.  I fell in love with the characters.  I have read other books in this series and not reading all the books did not take away the story.  This stand alone novel, How To Tame A Wild Rogue by Julie Anne Long was a lovely read.  SIGH…

I blame this book for starting my month long obsession with Julie Anne Long's books. The hero in this book is so swoony and I loved the setup of this book. I then went to read the read of the series previous books and I cannot recommend enough. I have a new favorite and reliable author, please read these books!

Steamy, romantic, exhilarating and every twist and turn in this mouthwatering story was delivered just right, penned to perfection, and kept me hypnotized cover to cover. I adored it.

I see the appeal of this one for sure -- the high adventure and high stakes are a staple for historical romance. However, this one just didn't click with me for whatever reason, I'm not sure why.

I like the relationship building that Long does with her characters. You do feel that the H and h build a relationship as opposed to insta-lust. I do like the steamy bits, and would take more always, but I try to rate a book off what is there-not what is not there. It was an enjoyable read.

Daphne and Lorcan are great. They're both smart and loyal and I loved reading them playing at being married while they learned about themselves and each other. And of course seeing the standard group from the previous books was fun.
Overall, I know this will be a story I come back to when I'm looking for a pick me up. I really hope there will be more in this series because I will eat it up.

I am obsessed with the Palace of Rogues series, and this latest addition is definitely one of my favorite Julie Anne Long books. I adored the dynamic of our main couple, but I also loved the way JAL included so many of our other series characters without bogging it down. Just so good. Can't wait to reread!

4.5 stars
Practically perfect and one of the most delightfully tropey historical romances I’ve read in a long time. My favorite of the series so far for sure!

I loved Lorcan and Daphne and the "snowed-in" premise but I knocked off a full star because of how much the book focused on previous pairings. These two are pretending to be married and have to share a room (with more than one bed, sadly), let us spend time with them and not so much on the marital woes of the other couples!

I liked this book a lot and have read some of the rest in the series and want to go back and start at the beginning.

I've been enjoying this whole series, although obviously some books more than others, but this latest addition to the series, featuring Lorcan and Daphne has jumped up to the top of list. Both the characters were fleshed out and three-dimensional. The author did a wonderful job of showing how each of the main characters filled the needs of the other; Lorcan needs to feel cared for, Daphne needs to be valued, and they both need to feel seen. Through the course of the book, you're able to see how good they are for each other and how well they each give each other what the other needs. It's just lovely to see it demonstrated instead of told. And they have great chemistry on top of it all.

The other thing I've enjoyed about the Palace of Rogues series and this book specifically is the supporting characters. And I love that we still get to check in on Delilah and Tristan and Angelique and Lucien. In this story, we get to see that no relationship is perfect, people in loving marriages can still argue or hurt each other, and that it can be worked through. The ending makes me hope that we'll be able to check up on Daphne and Lorcan in future books as well.

I picked this up and had to start over several times before I decided to DNF. There are too many characters and side stories to keep straight and I was just bored. Really disappointing as I had high hopes for this book.

Well, this is definitely my favorite of the series and that's saying something because I think I've loved them all.

Daphne and Lorcan are absolutely delightful. They're both smart and loyal and I loved reading them playing at being married while they learned about themselves and each other. And of course seeing the standard group from the previous books was fun.

Plot wise, it was fantastic. There's little to no outside conflict and all of the tension is their UST. The break up comes on a whisper, not a bang and the grand gesture is glorious. Also, this epilogue is the very best and everything I could have wanted for these two.

Overall, I know this will be a story I come back to when I'm looking for a pick me up. I really hope there will be more in this series because I will eat it up.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**

I reviewed this title for Fresh Fiction. To see my full review please visit: https://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=83174