I loved about 95% of this book. There was a small irritation that annoyed me, necessary to a point, but the same argument over and over... but now for the good stuff. Nearly the entire book was excellent. I love historical romance with some mystery that makes me chuckle. One of my favorite tropes is Regency or Victorian females that dress as males to get things done - I eat that up with a spoon. It confounds the men in their lives and always leaves me giggling if written right, and this is so very right! A lovely book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC | Entangled: Amara for providing an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Writer and the Rogue was such a fun, witty, and daring book! Note, this is the second book of the “Debutantes of London” series, and I have not read the first book. With that being said, I feel they can be read individually or out of order.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Caroline leans into her boldness to do what she needs to to take care of her family; she blackmails the Earl of Rockford. Cue fake dating and an engagement with stipulations.

This book was such a fun read. Caroline is incredibly bright and though he father has his faults and landed them in debt, it’s Caroline’s gumption that will likely save the family name. She faces a lot of adversity when it comes to her home life… and her life as a pen-named writer. Sometimes those strongest get caught off guard and have second guesses, and we see that with both Caroline and the Earl.

The Earl’s circumstances and background aren’t what you’d assume. One might think he’ had a privileged life but he reveals a much more complicated story that has lead to his ventures to other countries.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The characters are complicated, snarky, and determined. I’m looking forward to going back to read the first book!

This one was a fun surprise!

The Writer and the Rogue is exactly the kind of historical romance I reach for when I want something light, witty, and just a bit rebellious. It’s got all the elements I enjoy—banter, a rogue with a mysterious past, and a heroine who is completely done with society’s expectations.

Our heroine is an aspiring writer who wants nothing to do with the ton or its silly rules. I loved how headstrong she was—smart, opinionated, and unwilling to play the part everyone expected of her.

"She was made of ink and steel, it seemed."

The hero, meanwhile, is charming in that rogueish way that could have easily been cliché but somehow worked. Their interactions were full of tension, flirtation, and just enough vulnerability to keep me invested.

The banter sparkled in places, and the romantic tension had me turning pages to see how it would all play out. I also appreciated that while the story stayed relatively light, it still gave the characters emotional depth—especially toward the end, where things came together in a mostly satisfying way.

That said, it wasn’t perfect. The pacing in the middle sagged just a touch, and a few of the plot twists were fairly predictable. The third act breakup was annoyingly typical of these kinds of books.

But honestly? I still had a great time with this one. It was engaging, entertaining, and just the right kind of escape. I’ll definitely read more from Lydia Drake, especially if she keeps giving us strong heroines and swoony rogues. In fact, this is actually the second book in a series of interconnected standalones. I plan on going back to reach book one, The Duchess and the Wolf.

The Pros:

Engaging Banter: The chemistry between the leads comes alive through clever, snappy dialogue.

Strong Female and Male Leads: A headstrong, relatable heroine who refuses to conform makes the story feel refreshing, and an observant, kind, and caring, yet mysterious and daring male lead.

Fun and Accessible Read: The book strikes a nice balance between romance, humor, and a hint of emotional depth—perfect for fans of feel-good historical romances.

The Cons:

Slight Mid-Book Lag: The pacing slows a bit in the middle before picking up again toward the end.

Some Predictability: A few of the plot beats follow expected romance tropes without much surprise and the third act breakup is predictably annoying.

Language: The language throughout the story is predominantly very good, however, there are times when the word choice took me completely out of the story as it did not fit.

Final Thoughts:
If you're in the mood for a light, romantic escape with a touch of sass and a heroine who knows her worth, The Writer and the Rogue is a solid pick. It’s not without its flaws, but the charm, chemistry, and breezy writing make it an enjoyable read. Perfect for fans of Regency romance who don’t mind a familiar trope or two when they’re delivered with heart.

Rating:
Overall, using my rating system, this book is a 3.75 out of 5, but I rounded up to a 4 Super Splatters out of 5 because I am in love with Gabriel.

Lydia Drake continues to impress me in her storytelling. Miss Caroline Devereux has been doing all she can to keep her family afloat. She has been using her writing to keep away creditors for the debts racked up by her father. But her latest move is extreme even for her. She decides to blackmail Gabriel, the new Earl of Rockford. She doesn’t want money from him but instead wants him to marry her.

I enjoyed this historical romance. I love that Caroline has found a way to make a path for herself. I laughed at her plotting her life as if it were a novel and thinking of the outcomes. I love that they both choose to be caught and blackmail isn’t necessary. You gotta love when he falls just as hard. I was a bit frustrated with all the meddling at the end but of course I wanted to get to my HEA.

This is the author's second book in the Debutantes of London series and it also is in the same world as her Renegade Dukes series. I like the crossover characters and am hopeful that I have correctly identified a few potential leads for her next story. (4.5 Stars)

Thank you to @NetGalley + @entangledpublishing for the E-Copy of this ARC.

I have never read Lydia Drake before. I truly enjoyed her writing style + look forward to more from her. The Writer and Rogue featured many fun tropes: blackmail, feminist heroine, and hot man swoons. Caroline was a great protagonist who had my admiration from the very beginning. She and Gabriel were destined to be together.
The Writer and the Rogue was a beautiful romance tale. Witnessing the main relationship go from initial enemies to begrudging friends to genuine lovers was enthralling.
My only complaint for this book was that it jumped a way from the historical time frame randomly, but otherwise a very enjoyable story.

#entangledpublishing #romance
#arc #regencyromance #netgalley #romancebook

An exciting, saucy, steamy story that keeps you turning pages to see what shenanigans Caroline gets in to

2.5

I unfortunately did not have a great time with this book. it felt like someone wanted to write a regency romance but had no curiosity for the time period or understanding of what made the genre work. chock full of anachronisms in terms of plot points and personality traits, but then certain things were kept in place for plot reasons (aka women having no rights but having to run the household). it felt like the Netflix version of persuasion (/neg)

I found the narrative voice quite juvenile. our MC is spunky and not like other girls, but still wholly unable to stand up for herself when it actually counts. so she ends up being rude to the guy she’s blackmailing who has never wronged her but can’t talk back to her dad who is gambling the family into debt.

the plot resolution was way too convenient and the regency society was way too accepting of a lot of things they wouldn’t be accepting of (meanwhile, the whole plot relies on that prejudice).

there were some funny and sweet moments but I probably would have dnf’d if this weren’t an arc.

Blackmail, balls, scandal. All can be found in this enemies to lovers historical romance. The time frame written about can be hit/miss for me but this one was a hit. Our main characters are in a battle of wits for much of the book until things change then they must battle other circumstances.

I liked this one. I loved the fmc she was spunky and made a way for her family no matter what. I was super impressed by her. The banter between her and the mmc was top notch and I laughed out loud more than once. I wasn't sure how I felt toward the end but liked the way it ended up coming together. Excited for the next in this series.

The Writer and The Rogue is the second book in the Debutantes of London series by Lydia Drake, and it’s a delightful Regency-era romance that I absolutely loved!

This was such a fun and sweet story. I loved Caroline and Gabriel’s relationship—their chemistry was amazing, and their back-and-forth banter made me laugh more than once! They were such a great match, and it was a joy to read their story.

I did feel frustrated at times—not with the characters, but with how society worked back then. It was shown really well in this book, and it’s sad to see how unfair things were, especially for women. But it also made me appreciate how some things have improved since then.

I was especially happy for Caroline. I admired her determination to hold onto her dreams, even when they seemed out of reach. She always did her best to take care of her family, even if it meant making some desperate choices. And Gabriel—watching him grow with her, support her, and fall in love despite the chaos—was truly lovely.

Overall, this was a fantastic read, and I’m really looking forward to reading more by this author! ^-^

~ Thank you to NetGalley, Entangled Publishing, and the Author for providing me with an ARC. I’m leaving this review voluntarily! ~

Whitty sassy independent FMC!

Very well done (not -cheesy) historical romance 🙌 loved this!

Perfect for fans of Bridgeton

Thank you entangled and netgally for a copy of this arc! I will definitely be buying a physical copy of this book.

I was really drawn in by the description of this book, unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations. While I liked the two main characters well enough I found the pacing of the book a bit uneven and the third act conflict a bit of an eye-roll.

ARC READER:
I finally had a chance to read this book. I have to say I'm not typically a historical romance type reader, but I really really enjoyed this! The story of Caroline and Gabriel kept me interested from the very beginning. This has so many twists and turns, the perfect amount of humor and romance. Overall just a really entertaining story. It is an interconnected stand alone, and I did not need to read the first one to understand the story in this one. However, this one was SO GOOD that I will be going back and reading the first one and continuing with this series.

There’s just something about a regency romance that speaks to my soul.

There was: scandal, family dilemmas, a STRONG fmc, a dang handsome mmc, angst, fake dating, and so much more.

To say I loved this book would be a vast understatement. It had just the right amount of spice (I’d say on the pepper scale, a 1.5) to add to the overall vibe of the book.

I’ve always thought I would have thrived in London in the 1800’s but I forget how utterly viscous the ton could be!

Anyways, thank you to Entangled publishing & NetGalley by proxy for an ecopy of this book!

I am a sucker for heroes named Gabriel and this Earl is totally sucker worthy. Both protagonists were very well written. There was emotional depth and the romance played out really well too. This book is a compelling read. My only peeve was the 3rd act breakup. I would have rather seen them married and fighting the scandal than, what was written. Anyways, the breakup was well written so it was a very small peeve on my part.

#netgalley #TheWriterandtheRogue

Gothic writer blackmails earl into marriage. Earl is inexplicably charmed by blackmailer.

For a book with a blackmail meet cute this was very low angst. The MCs are compatible and both have lives outside of the relationship. I really liked the mutual blackmail "oopsie!" moment. The dark moment seemed a bit overwrought for such a nice couple, but all's well that ends well!

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

Lydia Drake is a fairly new writer to me, but so far, I’ve really liked her stories very much. After The Duchess and the Wolf, The Writer and the Rogue is the next story in the Debutantes of London series.

But you can read the stories of this series as a standalone perfectly. In this story we meet miss Caroline Devereux. She is desperate, because she tries to keep her family afloat with her writing. But as a female, it is hard to make some money in these times. So, when she finds a letter in her late mothers affairs, with some incriminating information about the Late Earl of Rockford, she decides to blackmail the latest Earl into marrying her.

Caroline didn’t realize that the Earl wouldn’t go down without a fight. So, their arguing and tricks to trap the other party are more than funny. They keep their antics up during the whole book, which provides us with a wonderful story. so, in all, five out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

There’s always something a little enjoyable about a woman being able to earn a living in a period novel, especially one way she can manage to help her family out as well. Even if she does tend to get taken for granted and just wants to be able to write in peace.

Miss Caroline Devereux is one such lady, although feeling like she’s at her wits end she thinks it’s a good idea to blackmail an Earl. What follows is an enjoyable battle of the wits and inevitably someone is going to fall in love. But hey, that’s what we are here for. It’s enjoyable, and fun, and with just a touch of the gothic mysteries that Caroline herself writes.

It really was just an enjoyable read.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

The Writer and the Rogue, the second in the Debutantes of London, is an absolute wonderful edition in this series. These two love interests go toe-to-toe in their witty banter and smolder. The Duke's ability to love all of her had me swooning at his adoration.

Fans of this genre, let this book charm you! It is fun, flirty and full of love.

Thank you, Entangled Publishing, LLC | Entangled: Amara