4.25 stars - Reviewed for Wit and Sin

Bianca Tate loves two things: her family and Perusia, her family’s ceramics business. When her father agrees to let a rogue with some paper-thin connection to a duke marry Bianca’s sister, Cathy, and have a quarter share in Perusia, Bianca is furious. Not only is Cathy in love with another, how dare her father give away a piece of her inheritance to a stranger known for his gambling? In a fury, Bianca helps Cathy elope with her beloved…only to find that she herself has to take Cathy’s place at the altar. She may have to marry Maximilian St. James, but she’s determined he won’t interfere in her life or her family’s business. Only Max turns out to be quite different than she imagined. Slowly Bianca finds herself thawing to the stranger she married as she learns that perhaps there may be more to the charming rogue than she first thought.

About a Rogue is so much fun to read! Max and Bianca have excellent chemistry and I loved watching Bianca in particular go from loathing her husband and all she believes him to be to falling for the real man beneath the rogue.

Max grabbed my heart from the first. He’s got a good heart, sharp business sense, and has had a difficult life. Learning that he’s possibly in line for a dukedom is the first stroke of luck he’s had in a long time. It’s not the possibility of a title, but rather the money promised if he becomes respectable that gives Max the leg up he needs to find the security he so craves. Perusia isn’t just a means to an end for him and I loved watching Max’s business acumen at work as he comes up with new ideas. He’s the perfect addition to the Tate family, whether Bianca wants to admit it or not. As for Bianca, there are a few Taming of the Shrew elements in the beginning of About a Rogue as she resists her father’s plans and Max’s charms. I understood why she was so angry, though because I had more insight to Max than she, I felt sorry for him. However, Max stays one step ahead of Bianca in often funny ways and I loved the sparks that flew between them. Bianca is fiercely loving in addition to incredibly talented and once she begins to see the true Max the story really takes flight. They are a dynamite pair and I loved watching their relationship develop.

About a Rogue is the first book in the Desperately Seeking Duke series and I cannot wait to see what Caroline Linden has in store for the other Carlyle heirs. Each story promises to be quite different and in this one I loved the backdrop of the ceramics business. From the artistry of it to Max’s ideas for expanding the business to Bianca’s gift for glazes and knowledge of chemistry, the Perusia part of the story not only added depth to the world and story, it was fascinating in its own right. I truly adored About a Rogue and will happily revisit Max and Bianca again and again.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Joan is a wallflower and about to be a spinster. She's tall, curvy, and the latest fashions do nothing for her. She first meets Tristan as a child when he comes home with her brother. Never invited back, it's years before she meets him ago. Tristan has issues with his aunt and cousins (they don't like him).
I liked this was a little bit of a slow burn. It was a bit of enemies to friends to lovers type of book. It was nice that Joan's parents loved her, even if her mother had certain ideas. I did like Joan standing up for herself more, that was needed.
I liked Joan's friends- Abigail and Penelope (and Olivia).
For Romance-opoly Sun track Courtship Row

My Once and Future Duke - Caroline Linde...

My Once And Future Duke is an outstanding historical romance by Caroline Linden. Ms. Linden has provided readers with a well-written book furnished with a spectacular cast of characters. Sophie has plans, support herself by gambling at the Vega Club and save enough to find a suitable husband so she can have a family again. Jack, Duke of Ware, finds himself bailing his brother out of trouble at the Vega Club, where he has to pay his brother's gambling losses. Jack and Sophie's story is loaded with drama, humor, sexy bits and a little suspense. I enjoyed this book from cover to cover and look forward to my next book by Caroline Linden. My Once And Future Duke is book 1 of The Wagers of Sin Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger. It does hook you at the very end leaving you eager to read the next book in the series.

I read a print copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Study In Scandal is a fantastic historical romance by Caroline Linden.  Ms. Linden has provided readers with a well-written book and furnished it with outstanding characters.  This is a fairly quick read, perfect for those with limited reading time.  Samantha fears her father but after 7 years she tells him she stole from him and let him believe the neighbor did it all that time.  Her punishment is to wed a man she fears even more than her father, so she runs away.  George is an artist and jumps into the river to save Samantha.  Samantha and George's story is loaded with drama, humor, sizzle, action and suspense.  I enjoyed reading A Study In Scandal and look forward to reading more from Caroline Linden in the future.  A Study In Scandal is book 6 of the Scandalous Series but can be read as a standalone.  This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.

“No, no! Don’t go.” She retreated to her bed as she spoke. “But why must I stay over here?”

“We hardly know each other, miss,” he said with affected affront. “Keep your distance, if you please.”

Mariah choked back a snort of laughter. “You’re afraid of me?”

“A wise man never underestimates a woman."

I enjoyed this one but the romance felt a bit insta with our hero kind of going all-in with the heroine from simple seeing her. The heroine is instantly intrigued with the hero but with the vast majority of their meetings taking place for only a couple minutes at a time in her bedroom at night, I didn't really believe in their life long connection. The heroine is the one who really pushes for them to be together but her infatuation had a twinge of rich girl rebellion for the wrong side of the tracks guy. 

The mystery, our hero is a spy, was a bit muddled as the circle of spies and their leaders wasn't flushed out quite enough, I struggled in the beginning learning who was who and what was what. Half-way through it becomes decently clear who the villain is and in such a way I think our hero should quit his day job, he was missing the picture for too long. 

My favorite part of this was the author's sneaking political commentary, the romance genre is the best at this. Had a different feel to it, probably due to its little older publishing date 2009, but the hero and heroine didn't have the amount and depth of interaction I typically hope for.