Theresa Romain's latest historical romance follows in the footsteps of others, with characters outside the aristocracy and a bit of a mystery. It's charming but not quite what I'd hoped for, in fact it took me a couple of weeks to finish. There's still a lot to love, however, so let's get into it!


LADY ROGUE is loosely connected to Romain's previous two "Royal Rewards" novels, which focus on the theft of a great sum of newly minted gold coins and the search for the coins and the thieves. The book opens with Callum Jenks, an Office of the Police (Bow Street Runner) finding out that one of the masterminds of the theft, Sir Frederic Chapple, is going to get away with the crime. This wouldn't be so bad except that Callum's brother was killed in the line of duty. Callum's family, as we learn, is closely knit, and between his work and helping his family grocery, he doesn't have much room in his life for anything else. Romance readers will know that he does, of course, have room for love. *wink*

Lady Isabel Morrow was widowed over a year earlier, but has recently discovered a secret room in the home she shared with her late husband. It's not a spoiler to tell you that Andrew Morrow hired a talented painter to make copies of great works and sell those to the wealthy, while keeping the originals for himself, in the secret room. Who knows what she would have done if not for the Duke of Ardmore's decision to sell one of his paintings (a fake) to a notorious crime lord to settle his debts. Would Angelus know the painting was a fake, revealing Morrow's crimes? Complicating matters, Isabel is taking care of Andrew's young ward, Lucy, who is ready to enter society and hopefully marry. So now Isabel hatches a plan to swap out the fake painting with the real one, thus saving Andrew's reputation and avoiding a scandal that would ruin Lucy's chances to make a good match.

Isabel met Callum when he was investigating her late husband's "accidental" death, so naturally she asks the Officer of the Police whom she banged in Vauxhall one night to help her break into a duke's house. Who wouldn't?

That's the basic set-up, but the plot meanders around a bit. The heist takes place in around the middle of the book, and I'll admit to not knowing at that point why there was another 50% to go. Don't worry, you soon find out. The romance was, dare I say, too realistic to be compelling. The two of them are friends, but the central barrier to their relationship is their class discrepancy. There's a lovely discussion near the resolution of the book about the various amounts of privilege they each possess, one as a wealthy woman, one as a man. The general consensus seems to be that they can each try to make each other happy and maybe that would be enough.

One of my favorite parts of the book is Jenks & Sons Grocers. Romain clearly spent time researching, and I could smell the onions hanging from the ceiling, could hear the dry beans in their bins, could imagine the odd newness of tinned meat. These scenes, as well as the time Callum and Isabel spend walking the city and talking about life and police work made the book something different and fresh.

However... there's a reveal at the end of the book that yanked me out of my happy place and pushed me into "why is this necessary" territory. We know from the beginning that Andrew Morrow most likely committed suicide, but we don't know why.



If you're stopping here, I'll give you the content warnings: murder, child/sexual abuse, racism (not from any of the central characters, but directed at a secondary character).

SPOILER





SPOILER





SERIOUSLY DON'T READ FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED





SORRY I WILL WORK ON FIGURING OUT SPOILER TAGS BUT NOT TODAY





Morrow had been forcing Lucy to sit naked, posed like his secret stolen paintings, while he masturbated. Lucy had been abused by her parents prior to becoming Morrow's ward... and she shot them both. Morrow took her in and decided that he could get away with abusing her further. Then she threatened to tell Isabel and he killed himself. None of this was necessary to the plot, and it was, frankly, startling to read at 95% of the way through the story. It's immediately, I mean IMMEDIATELY, followed up with Isabel and Callum's big joyous reunion and professions of love and so on. I had whiplash.


Anyway, I still enjoy Romain's books for a number of reasons, but that ending left a sour taste in my mouth and I don't want other readers to go into the book without knowing what to expect. ( )

Isabel was not looking for scandal. It just found her twice. Callum did not plan to end risking his reputation and heart. It just happened. Can this tantalizing duo, give love a chance as they race to right a wrong? Lady Rogue is an intricate tale of love, lust and intrigue. What began as an affair quickly spirals into something beyond their control. Love.

( )

Lady Isabel Morrow, widowed 18 months previously, needs help. In Lady Rogue, she has discovered that her husband had been selling forged paintings to his list of exclusive clients. She has to do something to correct this immediately.

Isabel has no care for herself, but her ward may be ruined by the revelations. Lucy Wallace, originally Isabel’s husband’s ward but now Isabel’s is someone Isabel cares for very deeply.

It is bad enough Andrew Morrow committed suicide all those months ago, but now she finds out he’s a criminal? Should the forgeries become public knowledge, Lucy could be ruined. No one will want to marry a young girl who is associated with a criminal. The scandal of forgeries on top of the suicide would ruin her chances to make a successful marriage.

Callum Jenks is the officer who investigated Andrew Morrow’s death. Summoned by Lady Isabel, he arrives to find that there is no case to investigate, she wants him for something quite different.

It turns out Isabel wants Callum to help her steal the forgery sold to a Duke, and replace it with the original. Isabel feels that this is the moral thing to do. The Duke is using the forgery to pay off a debt, the forgery may be discovered.

While replacing a forgery with the original isn’t your typical theft, neither is it quite legal. Callum declines at first but Isabel must do something to change his mind.

Heat And Intrigue Galore

In her shock after the suicide of her husband 18 months ago, Isabel had a brief one-night affair with Callum. When they meet again the spark is very much still there.

In some ways, this was an impossible relationship. The attraction was undeniable but the difference in their stations was difficult, to say the least. I enjoyed the way the author managed the attraction and the difficulties of such a relationship, juggling both with success.

I will definitely be happy to read more books by Theresa Romain.

Reviewed for LnkToMi iRead in response to a complimentary copy of the book provided by the publisher in hopes of an honest review. ( )

Crime and punishment!

A young widow discovers a dreadful secret about her dead, art critic and art aficionado, and society scion husband. A certain Bow Street Runner Callum Jenks finds himself embroiled in an art heist that rather confounds all.
When widowed Lady Isabel Morrow and Callum meet again, after one brief moment of bliss at Vauxhall gardens some months prior, events take a strange turn, and a regency romance with an interesting twist is born.
Isabel is determined to protect her ward from being sullied by the truths about her husband's art dealings and will go to any lengths to ensure that will happen. And that's where Callum comes in. Mind you reignited passion also plays a part.
I really enjoyed the dance between Isabel and Callum, adding spice to an already captivating read.

A NetGalley ARC ( )

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley to Read in exchange for a fair review. Lady Rogue by Theresa Romain is loosely tied to her first two Royal Rewards novels and can be read as a stand-alone. Widowed Lady Isabel Morrow has discovered that her art dealer dead husband had a habit of selling copies of paintings and keeping the real ones locked in a secret room. When she hears the Duke of Ardmore is about to sell one of the fakes to a notorious Crime Lord to settle his gambling debts, she decides to switch out the fake for the real in order to avoid a big scandal and destroy her wards chances on the marriage mart. She enlists the help of Callum Jenks a Bow Street Runner whom she met during the investigation of her husbands death. Wonderful characters and dogs, stealthy capers, several mysteries with unexpected twists and a satisfying HEA make for a very enjoyable read. Medium Steam, publishing date April 24, 2018 #LadyRogue #NetGalley ( )