**spoiler alert** Ok- so much to say. But first off: Lady Lucie is the leader of the Suffragist movement in Oxford and her entire life is dedicated to the Cause. She lives and breathes the Cause and would never abandon it for anything, or anyone. Lord Tristan Ballentine is a capital L Lothario. He is quite debauched and trying to let go the one woman he has loved for half of his life.
They are forced together when they both buy 50% shares in women's magazine. For Lucie it's to publish a damning pamphlet and for Tristan it is to have a place to continuing publishing his poetry.
This was such an interesting and new read for me I'm sitting in the literary afterglow. I went in not knowing a lot about the plot and I don't want to give too much away. However, if you're one to be open to the very serious- and sadly relevant- plight of women and the severely marginalized, then this is the book for you.
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There was a lot that struck me here.
The good: Loved loved loved that Lord Ballentine was sexually fluid. It's something that is never seen in a book so popular and it's done so well. A lot of his openness comes from the shear fact that he is incredibly good looking and attracts everyone.
I thought it was well placed and served the story well. By the end of the book he sees that there are a lot of social struggles in front of him that he ignores for himself. The fact that a man who only prefers men could never live openly and that a woman who can't control her life post-marriage could never fully become and stand for her Cause. He figures out that he is free in a way that a large majority of people aren't.
At first I hard time with Lucie's complete obstinance with not marrying Tristan. Then that made me think, why am I having a hard time with this? What does that say about me?
The setup and payoff of all HEA historical romances is marriage and babies. It's just become the norm and the longer I sat in it the more I realized that it's exactly the place we are now. Women have lost their rights and holding on to that last thin thread was the best Lucie could do to keep her Cause with her. It was refreshing to have a story where they get an HEA but it's completely on both their terms.
I give this one 4.25 stars. I rounded her up cause I couldn't stomach the 4.
The biggest issues I had were really just the flow and formatting. It's 50 pages too long and the story feels stretched for pages. Once they start having an affair the story gets cookin. Everything starts to speed up but we lose a little from the beginning- like all her friends and his poetry.
The other issue was the setup and lack of payoff. There was some but it wasn't what I hoped. It was really sweet to find out that Tristan gave Lucie her cat but I wish we had got to explore a little more of Tristan's poetry and the fact that Lucie was his muse for his first published book. We got a couple lines but it would have been nice to sit in it a little longer and learn more of where his craft came from. He also showed some signs of forming verses again when he starts sleeping with Lucie but nothing comes from it.
Cecily's story was lacking as well. She did a lot of really effed things throughout the book and blamed everyone else. I feel like the angry other woman trope is misused almost 100% of the time. This one had the potential for more. A lot of it wasn't Cecily's fault. She was obviously lied to and told the engagement was all but official. Her hopes were dashed and she reacted poorly. I just found it hard to understand her hatred for Lucie when she hadn't even seen her in 10 years and she was really young when Lucie left home.
But truly- I loved this book. I can't wait to keep reading whatever Evie Dunmore puts out. She can only keep getting better from here and it's exciting to keep reading this voice.
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Reviews with images
So cute.
Sometimes a little historical romance just hits the spot! I love this series because even though it’s historical it touches on issues that still feel relevant today. And who doesn’t love:- Witty banter- Polite insults- Gossip and scandal- Womens rights- Strong, independent FMC- Reformed playboys- Childhood enemies to adult enemies to lovers- He falls first.⭐️⭐️⭐️🌶🌶.5I’m giving this 3 stars because the romance took a little too long to get going for my taste but I still really enjoyed it and would recommend this book! Especially if you like a slow burn or are looking for something a little lighter on the romance side.
Top reviews from other countries
Marisol Barrera
Swoon worthy, tension filled Historical Romance
Reviewed in Mexico on November 22, 2021
Marisol Barrera
Reviewed in Mexico on November 22, 2021
A Rogue of Ones Own was a swoonworthy, tension filled, historical romance that captivated me since the very beginning. I absolutely fell in love with Lucie and Tristan, they were full of heart, full of soul. Lucie was an empowering suffragette who wanted a better world for us all. Tristan was a scoundrel with a heart of gold. The chemistry. The poetry. The banter. Boudicca. The mix between history, business and romance. I loved every aspect of this book. It’s definitely one of my new favorite historical romances, right next to Bringing Down the Duke. I can’t wait for Hattie’s story.
Read if you like :Historical romance •Enemies to lovers•Witty banter •A League of Extraordinarily Women series •Poetry •Oscar Wilde •Cats •Fierce strong women during the suffrage era
“Because when a woman happened to acquire a rogue of her own, she might as well make good use of him.”
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Bycicletire
This might be the best romance I have ever read!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 13, 2022Marta
Perfectly feminist historical romance with feisty heroine and swoon-worthy hero
Reviewed in Germany on November 8, 2021
Marta
Reviewed in Germany on November 8, 2021
The beginning is a bit slow but I found that it made sense in the end, as we get insight into our main characters and it allowed to understand them better later on.
Lucie was actually the kind of female character I expected to read about when I first started A League of Extraordinary Women, while I think that Annabelle’s story followed the typical historical romance scenario and roles the characters have in it, with a few twists that added to the originality and freshness. Compared to Annabelle who is the type of character who you feel and root for from the beginning, Lucie is flawed and, like in real life, it takes time and getting to know her for reader to warm up to her. Lucie says it the best herself in one of her conversations – her friend Annabelle possesses the rare combination of attributes that is not common in both men and women, and we cannot expect all women to possess it in order to deserve respect. I found that extraordinarily insightful because we often read about this young, beautiful, clever women who by possessing those attributes achieve their happy endings. But what about the less fortunate, who are not beautiful, young or clever enough, do they not deserve to be heard too, to be given voice and respect? I can’t express how much I loved that this book posed that question, and many others.
The star of this book for me is definitely the heroine, but I like Tristan as well. I found his story a bit of a cliché, as this type of family drama is often used in HR, but it added nicely to his arc and I loved his devotion to Lucie and how he saw her for the great person she is from the beginning.
This was well researched, emotional story that felt fresh and modern while respecting the time period.
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