As one-third of the private investigating firm King & Co, Daisy Hamilton is used to going on dangerous missions, but her latest should be simple enough: stop a young heiress from eloping. Daisy's plan is foolproof. She'll pretend to be a highwayman, hold up the coach, and bring back the wayward lovers before the night is through. But when she mistakenly holds up the wrong coach, Daisy comes face-to-face with the one man she never wanted to lay eyes on again.

Not only is Lucien Vaughan a Duke, war hero, and one of the most eligible bachelors of the ton, he's also the man who broke Daisy's heart five years ago when he kissed her and promptly dismissed her. Lucien is hellbent on seeing his love-struck nephew marry the woman of his dreams and is determined to foil Daisy's plan as they follow the couple. He's not above a bit of seduction if that's what it takes, but Lucien has carried a secret torch for Daisy for years, and when it seems she may feel the same, Lucien realizes it'll take more than pretty words to win her over.

I say this after every Bateman book, but she really can't miss. This series has been very fun, and I loved getting to know our characters more. Daisy is my kind of FMC. She's feisty, scrappy, and a smidge stubborn. She's the type who's more likely to stab you than kiss you, and it made for such a fun dynamic between her and Lucien. The banter between them was so entertaining. I loved watching them push each other's buttons and rile each other up. I liked how protective Lucien was of Daisy, but knew when to step back because she could take care of herself. The plot turns into a marriage of convenience, which I wasn't expecting, but I'll never say no to. Daisy's refusal to see what was right in front of her when it came to Lucien's feelings got a little frustrating, but I enjoyed how it all worked out.

I had no idea this was part of a series when I dived in, so let me start by saying I did not read the other books, but this works as a standalone, as I didn't really feel like I was missing any context. I also plan on buying the others, since I enjoyed this one so much.

This story gets you right from the start, straight to the point, jumping into the action. It's just the right amount of story telling to get you involved without going off topic. It's a romance focused solely around Lucien and Daisy so you don't get scenes really without them or side plots, and I liked that. It was a nice quick romantic read. Just what I needed.

The banter was great. I love how he fell first and so hard. Calling each other by thier last names was great. There's something about that in enemies to lovers that just hits right. I loved the feminine undertones and the strong female lead, and how he wouldn't have her any other way.

My only negative about this was that the ending felt a little anticlimactic, but it was still good.

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s and NetGalley for the ARC!!

This book was a fun, lighthearted read with plenty of witty banter and a few laugh-out-loud moments. Kate Bateman has a knack for crafting humorous situations, and the road trip setup provided some entertaining antics. However, while I enjoyed the humor, I found it a bit difficult to fully connect with the characters or feel invested in their romance. The chemistry felt a little forced at times, and I didn’t quite fall in love with the story the way I’d hoped.

If you’re looking for a quick, amusing read with a hint of adventure, this one might hit the spot. It’s enjoyable but didn’t quite leave a lasting impression for me.

This one releases July 29th! Thanks NetGalley for the early copy!

A good old fashioned historical romance with all the tropes you know and love. Road Trip With a Rogue is charming, sexy and comforting like a strawberry and vanilla cupcake! Historical romance readers will fall in love with Daisy and Lucien.

Daisy is your typical hellion spinster thumbing her nose at convention by working at King and Co. Her latest assignment is to stop an elopement of two crazy young lovers. When the carriage she is chasing is accosted by highwaymen she intervenes to help and discovers she is actually following the wrong carriage. Enter Lucien, a dark and brooding scarred war hero, Duke, her brothers best friend….and the star of Daisy’s most lascivious fantasies after a sensual kiss five years earlier. When he volunteers to help her catch the elopers we get the gold standard of historical romance content. Witty banter, an inn with only one bed, kidnappers, a heroic rescue, being caught by a ton gossip, a lavish soirée and a perfect grand gesture.

I devoured this book and absolutely recommend it!

At this point I’m starting every review of a Kate Bateman book with “wow that was a book written by Kate Bateman!” which sounds so incredibly obvious but it’s its own genre in my brain at this point.

The hero will always fall first in such a way that the heroine will never believe it if he comes out and says it straight so he’ll spend the entire book trying to convince her ~slowly (but surely) so she doesn’t bolt. There’s a perfect scene where Daisy wants to know what it’s like to bed a man who’s in love with her and Lucien’s kinda like 🤨

The grand gesture paled a bit in comparison to book one’s, so I finished this book completely ~whelmed. It was good, but not my favorite and was perhaps just a bit too sweet or nice for my current tastes. Lucien was thankfully a bit grittier than most heroes I’ve been reading lately, but he still didn’t necessarily surprise me.

I’m craving Big Emotions at the moment and unfortunately this didn’t quite do it for me, but it was still rather wonderful. If you’re looking for a low-angst road trip moment, this will be perfect for you.

Also I really love the clinch on the cover. A+

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5 🌶️🌶️.75*/5

*Probs closer to 3/5 pepper I was just a tad unaffected by the end.


I received an eARC from the publishers. All opinions are honest and my own.

An intriguing story. Not enemies to lovers but star crossed lovers from afar who have to find there way to each other and trust in love.

A delightful read.

This installment kept me entertained all day, finished in 1 setting. Daisy and Lucien brought a lot of baggage with them to get to their HEA, neither grew up in loving homes and had no idea what love looked like or what it entailed to actually love someone. It was a journey of discovery for both of them. Only part missing was an epilogue, those are my favorite parts.

5 Stars! Loved this book! I read it in one day, I just could not put it down! This is the 3rd and, sadly, final book in ‘Her Majesty’s Rebels’ series and can be read as a standalone but I loved this entire series and recommend reading in order. The main characters are Daisy/Dorothea Hamilton & Lucien Vaughan, the Duke of Cranford. I loved both of them so much. The witty banter and love/hate relationship had me smiling throughout. Highwaymen, chasing an eloping couple, kidnapping, hot flash inducing sexy times & an HEA ending plus so much more! This is just skimming the surface. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book and this entire series! I’m always up for a Kate Bateman book and you really can’t go wrong with her work!
*I received this book at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. I love Kate Bateman’s books—the characters, the plots, and quite frankly, the overall writing. I was sad when this one ended. I highly recommend it.

Daisy, the last of the three friends to found King & Co. who hasn’t found a husband, isn’t even looking for one. Sure, she’s long had a crush on her older brothers’ friend, Duke Lucien Vaughn, but she’s haunted by his rejection when she was coming out. She attended a party meant to serve as a send-off for him and her brothers before they went to war. It was a hedonistic party, and she wasn’t supposed to be there, but since it was a masquerade, she felt safe from detection. Of course, the moment Lucien spotted her from across the room, he knew exactly who she was, and he was furious. He grabbed her and pulled her to his office. There, he berated her foolishness and said she should be grateful he’d found her. Then, he kissed her and pushed her away, and she interpreted that to mean that he wasn’t interested in her. Over the years, she’s relived that kiss repeatedly, but has used the memory of him pushing her away as a reminder to keep her distance. If only she knew, he dreamed about her whenever he ran into difficulties during the war.

Daisy takes on an assignment with King & Co. She has promised to halt the elopement of Violet to Peregrine, and the best way to do that is to intercept their carriage on the way to Gretna Green. She’s looking for a carriage with a crest of a lion, and stakes out a place in the road to intercept it. However, brigands stop the carriage, and she’s forced to do what she can to stop them. Imagine her surprise to discover the carriage actually carries Lucien, who insists that she ride with him in pursuit of the lovers. He gives her little choice in the matter, and we quickly find out that he has a secret: Peregrin is his nephew, and he’s following them to make sure they arrive in Gretna Green unscathed. He knows Daisy will be furious with him when she finds out, and she is:

“Fury was bubbling through her veins, but Daisy pushed it down, conscious of not making a scene in such a public place, even as she wanted to scream at him like a fishwife. Then fillet him like a fish.”

But Lucien wants to spend time with Daisy. For some reason, he has decided she is no good for him, or perhaps, he’s not good for her, but he can’t fight the attraction he feels. Daisy hates him for how he embarrassed her, but she secretly still desires him. As they travel together, the heat between them simmers. But Daisy wants to marry for love, and she doesn’t believe Lucien will ever love her. The reader, of course, knows that he will.

The banter and, in general, interactions between Daisy and Lucien are riveting. The reader knows, long before Lucien or Daisy, that they actually make a perfect match. So, it’s rewarding when they acknowledge it as well. But Lucien and Daisy, ever the rebels, each in their own way, can’t get married in the “normal” way. And that’s fun too. Daisy’s best friends Ellie and Tess, along with their husbands, play a role. The girls help Daisy to recognize that love isn’t just visible through words, but through actions. And as Daisy lists Lucien’s actions, she realizes his actions are all of the ones she’d look for from someone who loves her.

ARC REVIEW (thanks NETGALLEY!)

This was cute. I wish they had more of a backstory and more flash back scenes though. Plot went a little sideways once the road trip was over. I would read more by this author

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this ebook.
There are few things I enjoy more than Kate Bateman’s books and this one did not disappoint. I devoured it on a single plane ride and am excited to reread it.

One thing Kate Bateman nails on the head every time is banter and chemistry, which for me are the ingredients that make romance books so enjoyable to read. This whole series was amazing, and "Road Trip With a Rogue" was the perfect ending. I can't wait to read her next series, whatever that may be!

Kate Bateman has done another outstanding job with Road Trip With a Rogue. This is the third book in Her Majesty's Rebels series. I was extremely fortunate to receive an ARC from Netgalley. Daisy Hamilton, the third partner in the investigation firm of King and Company, has taken on a case to prevent two young lovebirds from eloping and marrying at Gretna Green. On the wsy there, she is waylaid by highwaymen and encounters Lucien Vaughan, Duke of Cranford, during the hold-up. Together, they try to catch up with the two runaways. Daisy has had a love infatuation with Lucien since she was 18. Lucien has been to war and has the scars and memories to show and bear. He, too, has always had Daisy on his mind, whether during war, or while suffering the consequences of war, and she is the only person he looks forward to sharing a life with. This is an amazing story of two people who care deeply for each other, not realizing the depth of emotion the other also carries. This story was especially worth reading for because of the absolutely amazing ending. A must read story!

A perfect end to a perfect series. I've been looking forward to Daisy's book since the beginning of Her Majesty's Rebels, and this book was absolutely worth the wait.

The pace of the book is established immediately, opening with Daisy on the case, hired by the father of an heiress, to stop an elopement, and encountering her brothers' friend (and her longtime foil/object of desire/one time kiss) Lucien on the same route. What the reader knows (from the book description) that Daisy does not know is that Lucien is the uncle of the groom whose elopement Daisy is attempting to stop. Daisy begrudgingly accepts Lucien's assistance in catching up to the lovebirds quicker, and from that point we are on a fast-paced, nonstop route of adventure, romance, and comically frequent delays that fall into their path throughout the trip. A few moments of more stressful mishaps do occur, but not so much as to take away from the general caper quality of the story.

The true star of the story is the chemistry between the two romantic leads. Daisy and Lucien embody one of my favorite tropes: mutual attraction that doesn't realize it is mutual attraction. The back and forth of flirting, longing glances, physical contact, and romantic flashbacks lends itself to a perfect swoon worthy pairing. Another element I appreciated with the story was Lucien's continued acknowledgement of Daisy's talent, skills, and intelligence. He is a man who deeply admires this woman, and it's wonderful to watch as he realizes that he has to convince Daisy of just how much he adores her, and immediately gets to the task of doing so. Daisy, meanwhile, is on parallel journeys of believing in herself not only as someone who is helping to run an investigative business, but also as someone who can match the man she admires. Her self-worth is something she works for, but ultimately earns independently, with it being strengthened by Lucien's love and admiration, but not dependent on that.

I cannot wait to start this series all over again. A true treasure from start to finish.

This is a wonderful new historical romance that pulls you in immediately and moves at a clipped pace.

I’ve never read this author’s work before, so I was hesitant going in, but I shouldn’t have been. The writing was is well done, and I wasn’t missing out on too much by starting the series with book 3 (though yes, I did feel like I was missing some of the context).

The story has so many of my favorite tropes (brother’s best friend, age gap, second chance) and microtropes (only one bed, only one horse, touch her and die). It’s dual POV, which I also always appreciate.

I like both the FMC and MMC in equal measure. The FMC, Daisy, is no shrinking violet, and I like that she eschews convention, yet never falls into the pitfall of being “not like the other girls.” The MMC, Lucien, is tall, dark, scarred, and handsome, with sarcastic humor and a long-simmering secret love for the FMC. They make a great histrom couple.

My only qualm would be that I think that the book could have done with more meat on its bones. It’s a quick read, and more background could have been added, such as additional scenes in the past featuring the main characters.

If you love historical romance, you’ll find this a familiar but welcome new story, but if you’re new to the genre, the fast pace and tropes make it a good entry point.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! all thoughts and opinions are my own ✨

what a great ending to this series. road trip with a rogue was fun, flirty, tender, and witty—everything that makes for a solid historical romance. this instalment follows daisy as she races against the clock to stop a young, impressionable couple from eloping. on the way to scotland, she encounters lucien vaughan, the duke of cranford, in all of his smug, stoic glory. various shenanigans ensue.

bateman did a nice job of establishing the banter and tension in this novel. though daisy and lucien’s relationship moved relatively quickly, surprisingly, it didn’t feel rushed whatsoever. you could tell that they delighted in verbally sparring with each other and genuinely enjoyed the other person’s company.

the last third of the book fell a little flat—it seemed like the author had run out of ideas and was just coasting on the prospect of imminent scandal to keep things moving. i would have liked to see a bit more of daisy and lucien readjusting to life in london after the events of their impromptu road trip. also, a bit more of tess and ellie, because when it comes to female friendship, you can never have too much.

but aside from those minor criticisms, this book was a pretty good time! i’ve always enjoyed daisy as a character, so it was nice to get in her head and watch her love story unfold. sidenote: lucien vaughan? yeah, that’s a man right there. i can’t even blame daisy for succumbing to his charms, because she lasted a lot longer than i would have 🧎🏻‍♀️

Daisy and Lucien's story was oh so delightful! I knew that Daisy's paramour would have to be equally as feisty and headstrong as she was or it would never have worked.

I loved the premise of the book, how Daisy had been hired to stop a young heiress from eloping and how Lucien was secretly doing all he could to make sure the two young lovebirds made it to Gretna Green and were married. I was intrigued with the events of the past that have now made Lucien someone that Daisy wants to stay far away from. Too bad her plans are foiled, and she is stuck with Lucien in close quarters for almost a week.

Daisy is very quick witted and quite progressive for a young lady of the ton, and also quite headstrong which Lucien was very quick to challenge at every turn. It was wonderful that these two could verbally spar and challenge each other's mindsets, which was so refreshing for Lucien that Daisy was probably the one woman in London who didn't fall at his feet with just one look.

It took me a bit to warm up to Lucien, he took their enemies to lovers' storyline a bit far for my liking, and a few times he just annoyed me. In the same token, when the rubber met the road at the end of the book and it was so obvious to everyone but Daisy that Lucien was head over heels in love with her, her obstinance and stubbornness went on for a little too long for me and I wanted to shake some sense into her. But overall, their finally hot the happily ever finally they truly deserved. I'm not sure if we'll be gifted with anything more from this series since there are just the three ladies, but if we don't I'll be a bit sad since we only got to see Daisy and Lucien together and happy for the merest of seconds before the book ended, so I would really love to see more of them, and how their married life is doing and how many children graced their lives. So, if you read this Kate, we want more!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Kate Bateman has done it again! A truly satisfying conclusion to a very fun series. This time with action, adventure, hijinks, and highwaymen. And it wouldn’t be a Bateman book without the MCs having the best spicy times of their lives! Thanks to St. Martin’s for the ARC.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

What a whirlwind! I absolutely LOVED Daisy’s Fire. She was a force to be reckoned with and honestly I want to be like her one day - stubbornly independent, strong, kind, loyal, funny, and beautiful!

The banter between her and Lucian made my toes curl and the butterflies in my stomach go crazy! Their chemistry was off the charts from the word go and I am obsessed! Not to mention the wonderfully dashing rogue of a man - Lucian - could just about make any woman swoon with a flash of his smile!

I don’t want to give spoilers, so I’ll just say this - they are an enemies to lovers that everyone will fall in love with! There’s one bed. Multiple days in a coach together. Secret pining. Who hurt you. Forced proximity. And the absolute best side characters you could ask for.

AND THAT ENDING 😍

Just. Obsessed. Thank you Net Galley for this ARC!!