It’s time for another discussion with Ely from Earl Grey Books. Today we are talking about A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore. This is the second book in the ‘A League of Extraordinary Women’ series and focuses on Lady Lucie and Lord Tristan Ballentine. Now enough of all this let’s get into talking about this wonderful book.
A Rogue of One’s Own (A League of Extraordinary Women #2) by Evie Dunmore
Pages: 448
Publish date: September 1st 2020
Publisher: Berkley
ISBN: 9781984805706
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD
A lady must have money and an army of her own if she is to win a revolution – but first, she must pit her wits against the wiles of an irresistible rogue bent on wrecking her plans…and her heart.
Lady Lucie is fuming. She and her band of Oxford suffragists have finally scraped together enough capital to control one of London’s major publishing houses, with one purpose: to use it in a coup against Parliament. But who could have predicted that the one person standing between her and success is her old nemesis, Lord Ballentine? Or that he would be willing to hand over the reins for an outrageous price—a night in her bed.
Lucie tempts Tristan like no other woman, burning him up with her fierceness and determination every time they clash. But as their battle of wills and words fans the flames of long-smouldering devotion, the silver-tongued seducer runs the risk of becoming caught in his own snare.
As Lucie tries to out-manoeuvre Tristan in the boardroom and the bedchamber, she soon discovers there’s truth in what the poets say: all is fair in love and war…
A Rogue of One’s Own:
Angel: We both really enjoyed the first book in this Bringing Down the Duke and A Rogue of One’s Own has been a book that we have both been really looking forward to reading this year. What did you think?
Ely: I was so nervous going into this one. I think most of the time with historical romance series if you like one you’ll probably like the others, but still! I really shouldn’t have worried because this was incredible and I loved every second of it. What about you?
A: I absolutely agree with you on everything here. Yes, there are some books that I like in historical romances series over others, but I haven’t come across one that I hated especially if I loved other books in this series. And this one was no different. I had so much fun reading it. The characters were fantastic, the romance was great and I just kept on reading. We talked about this before, but Lady Lucie and Annabelle, from book one, are two very different characters and I loved that we get to see the contrast between the two of them.
E: I know exactly what you mean there. I think that because of the way historical romances are usually more of a companion than a series, it means if you don’t particularly like one set of characters, at least you know you’ll be meeting another pair in the next book. They are very, very different characters and I loved seeing that. Here’s a nice tough question for you, which of them do you prefer?
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A: For sure and I think that is one of the reasons that I love reading historical romance, in saying that I haven’t read many that I haven’t really enjoyed. Ohh that is such a tough question. I think that Annabelle was a great character to start the series with. She was strong in her own right. But Lucie is loud and demanding and that is what drives this series even further. I think that Lucie needed to be the way she is throughout A Rogue of One’s Own because of the romance. What did you think of Lucie? Do you know who you prefer?
E: I love Annabelle, I think she’s great, but I also think she’s more of the typical protagonist you see in romance. You know she comes from more humble beginnings but she still has that strength to her. I haven’t seen a character quite like Lucie before, and I think that’s why I love her so much. She is unapologetically herself—she’s determined and feisty, but she knows she has her faults as well.
We get to talk about Tristan now, right? What did you think of him?
A: Could not agree with you more about Lucie. You sometimes see a character like that in romance, but you rarely see it in historical romance and that’s what made A Rogue of One’s Own even better. Lucie just felt very real, there are hundreds of years between us, but she was honest and her character arc was fantastic.
I mean yer we have to talk about Tristan. At first, I didn’t know what to make of him. It took me a little while to warm up to him, but as soon as those walls were broken I just fell in love with him. Tristan is a great mix of being sweet and mysterious. As well as a little devious. What did you think of him?
E: I wonder if I love Lucie so much because she’s so different from what I am. I mean, you know how quiet I am and I guess I’m more like Annabelle in that way.
I was kind of the opposite—I loved him from the very beginning. He is definitely mysterious, and honestly at times, just a plain asshole but there is a sweetness and a sensitivity behind him that I really liked. He definitely has his moments, but what HR love interest doesn’t? So I think we should talk about his sexuality, which I think is one of the most interesting parts of his character. We’ve been talking about this, but you agree that it kind of seems like he’s bisexual right?
A: That could definitely be the reason. It’s also fascinating what characters we click and connect too and enjoy reading.
I mean by chapter 3 I was hooked, so it honestly didn’t take me too long to love him. Oh, he has his moments for sure. Like a lot of characters and people really, he has had some rough patches in his life and this plays a lot on who he is. But I honestly love the combo of being an asshole and sweet haha. I absolutely think he is bi or not afraid to be with anyone. Obviously, at the time it wasn’t legal and there were serious consequences. So while it was explicitly in the book, there were moments for sure that really got me thinking about it.
This one also utilised one of my favourite tropes of ‘bargaining a deal with the devil.’ The ‘we will let each other be together for one night and that’s all we need’ – and we all know how that turns out. What did you think of the romance?
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E: He definitely had some rough patches there. I think it’s just such an important thing to see in historical romance. You obviously have more experience reading HR, and romance in general, than I do so how often do you really see bi characters?
I thought their romance was adorable. I love a good enemies to lovers romance as well, and that definitely played a part in this one as well. And I don’t know if you’ll agree with this, but this felt a little tamer than some of the other HR’s I’ve read. I feel like it was a little more subtle in the way it described the, as you call it, sexy times. Am I just imagining this?
A: On the top of my head there are a few that have characters that are LGBTQIA+ that I can think of, but it’s not something that is explored enough in HR. And I really do want to find and read more.
The romance is exactly what I adore. I love the tension when everything builds up and then they break. It’s just fun to read and watch it all play out. Oh for sure. I found it with the first one as well. I don’t mind either or in regards to the sex scenes. But if someone is just starting out, I think this is a great series to start with.
We have both talked about this before, we prefer regency historical romance and this is more Victorian? How did you go with those elements of the book?
E: You’re right, this would be a great series for someone looking to get into HR especially if they’re someone who has been reading primarily YA and is looking to branch out.
Regency is definitely more of my jam. I don’t even know why I guess maybe it’s due to my love of Jane Austen. Anyway, I don’t struggle so much with this series as I have with others for whatever reason. I think maybe it’s because of the suffragette angle? I love to read non-fiction books about the suffragette movement, and of course, about feminism more generally so I think part of the draw for me here is getting to learn more about that. How about you?
A: I totally agree with you, it’s perfect for those that love YA but want to try HR. The characters are young and the book explores things that a lot of people can connect with especially females.
A Rogue of One’s Own is very easy to read if that makes sense. It doesn’t complicate things. It doesn’t talk about things that might confuse the reader. Everything is there where you need it. This series explores the suffragette movement and I’m so excited to see where the rest of the series goes regarding that. I love when books get me to learn more. I love researching and know more and when something in a book catches my eye. It’s fantastic.
Are you looking forward to the next book as much as I am? While we don’t know much, we know it’s about Hattie and Mr. Blackstone’s.
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E: I think that’s a perfect summary of this book. While it does teach you about the suffragette movement as it goes along, it doesn’t go into complex explanations of different laws or philosophy or anything like that. At the same time, it’s obvious that Evie Dunmore has done a lot of research. She knows exactly what she’s talking about, and she wants to make sure that you do too.
I’m incredibly excited to read about Hattie, especially since she’s an artist. I think that will make for a really interesting story. I have to say though, I’m still dying to read Catriona’s story—I think hers might be a favourite when it finally comes around to her turn!
A: You can tell right from the start how much Evie Dunmore has researched and explored not only the genre but the history as well.
I just can’t wait for more in this series honestly. They are such a blast to read.
Well, thank you so much, Ely, for chatting with me about A Rogue of One’s Own. Ely and I try and buddy read at least a book a month. You can check out our last discussion on The Duke and I by Julia Quinn over on Earl Grey Books now.
Have you read A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore yet? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Let’s Chat!
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