Delightful, romantic historical fiction. I enjoyed Gone with the Rogue very much and think anyone that loves a good historical romance novel will too. ( )

Full review appeared at Reader's Edyn on 05/03/20

Julia had her life figured out. Married to a good friend for convenience, everything seemed to be working out fine. But a freak accident on a ship suddenly took her husband’s life. He would never know his son and she would be stuck under her father-in-law’s rule for several years to come. Threatening to take her son, his only heir to the Dukedom, Julia is forced to live properly without the slightest hint of scandal. But her inquisitive nature and strong spirit often have her walking a fine line between behaving as she’d like to and keeping just below the Duke’s radar. Living in his household with his staff proves most difficult. Still, she wishes no ill will toward the Duke, just her freedom. It’s a dream she will never attain until one fateful day when she overhears information that could change everything for her and her son. Springing into action, she sets out to find the evidence that will provide her freedom. But when Garrett Stockton happens along and finds her caught in a tree, suddenly taking risks becomes a regular occurrence. The rake tempts Julia to distraction. But with her son at risk, she cannot afford to completely lose herself in Garrett, despite how much she longs to. With little time to produce the proof, she enlists the aid of Garrett and together they work to uncover the mystery that surrounds the Duke.

Garrett is completely caught by the spirited beauty as soon as he discovers her up in that tree. A self-made success, he only stops in town for short periods before the sea once again beckons him away from dry land. But Julia quickly replaces the call of the sea with a siren call of her own and when she seeks his assistance, he has little choice but to help her. He wants much more from her and would do anything to be able to call her and her young son his. Discovering the evidence doesn’t prove to be too difficult, but deciphering it might prove impossible. Should Julia’s plan fail, he is not above absconding with her and her son out to sea to escape the dastardly clutches of the scheming Duke. But proving to Julia that his rakish days are behind him and that he is fully committed to both her and her son is going to be a challenge like he has never undertaken before. The risks are great, but the treasure to be obtained is worth the risk because losing Julia is not an option.

Picking up several months following the previous book, Julia is now keeping an eye on the school for girls. With Brina traveling for short spells and Adeline now living in the country with her husband (for now), the responsibility lies with Julia. Brina, however, returns with some news of her own, leaving Julia shocked while trying to be supportive and understanding. What I completely despised about this scenario is that Adeline and Lyon are absolutely NOWHERE within this book! What the heck? It’s the three women who started the school and brought about this series. All three are so different in nature and add something of value to the friendship, so for one of them to be completely absent was disheartening. I loved Adeline and Lyon and was looking forward to a chance to reconnect with them. Because of this awful turn of events, I took the rating down to a 4. This was my biggest problem with the book. For those of you who don’t read the series in order for some reason, it likely won’t affect you one iota. But for me, as one who tries to read in order whenever possible, I was very nearly heart-broken by Adeline and Lyon’s absence.

Much like the first book, Garrett knows exactly what he wants almost immediately, but Julia has several reasons to put him off. Her reasons are valid, of course. She is completely under the control of the Duke and her fear of losing her son keeps her from acting as she would if she were truly free in her widowhood. Given the fact that I am aware of Brina’s deep love for her departed husband, I would hazard a guess that in this respect, the third book will likely follow a similar course. What I did enjoy was Julia’s love for life and respect for living creatures. A respect that Garrett whole-heartedly shares. Had she not been full of so much spirit, she would never have been caught up in the tree, and would likely never have crossed paths with Garrett. Conveniently, when Garrett stumbles upon her, he is considering seriously courting a woman. And so the seduction begins. I also liked that Garrett is a bit of a rebel within the ton. Accepted but still somewhat shunned for making his own business a success, he tends to live life on the edge, taking risky chances, but seemingly always coming out on top. Also enjoyable is the kitchen disaster in which Brina and Julia decide to try their hands at cooking and baking, having never in their lives done such before. In my own estimation, that scene played out just about as real as it would have had it truly happened.

This book was an enjoyable read, but not quite as enjoyable as the first book in the series. Would I still recommend it? Absolutely. But I believe that many who start with the first book will have a similar feeling like my own in seriously missing Adeline’s presence. As far as the sexual chemistry, the passion was present and the couple of scenes in which anything actually occurred were respectful. Slightly tamer than the first book, I would say. Even those with delicate sensibilities would likely take little to no issue with the passion within these pages. I’m extremely curious to see what direction Ms. Grey takes with Brina in the next installment. As I recall, with the previous series I read from Ms. Grey, I adored the first book, enjoyed the second book, and felt the final book was the best. So far I am leaning toward similar feelings in this series. So perhaps the next book will be the best. I do not know, but I aim to find out. Despite my upset at the lack of one of the main characters within this series, I still found this book a pleasant experience. Ms. Grey did create a world in which I fully immersed myself and found a beautiful escape for a while. Julia and Garrett were a joy getting to know as they navigated through and uncovered a web of deceit all while finding the passionate love they each craved within one another. Even Chatwyn was a fun bit of willful child peppered throughout the story. I kind of wish he had a few more scenes as he was quite skilled in stealing them. For those of you who enjoy regency romance with a tamer side of romance, this is the book for you. Spirited widow, a reformed rake, strong-minded child, nefarious Duke, and even an aging rescue dog or two; this book is sure to immediately engage its readers from beginning to end.

Kindle version provided by NetGalley/St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review. ( )

😡Gone With the Rogue (First Comes Love #2) by Amelia Grey 19/2/20 28 Apr 2020 r
St. Martin's Press

27/4

3

Risking a second chance!

A brilliant beginning had me on the edge of my seat waiting for more. Julia Fairbright is a widow laboring under the demands of a harsh father-in-law whose never forgiven her for marrying his son.
Her authoritarian father-in-law, the Duke of Sprogfield, a stickler for stringent etiquette and behavior forms, who relished the good opinion of society, a standing he basked in, has threatened to cut Julia off from her son if she ever deviates from his tyrannical demands around her code of behavior. Julia knows that he is not the honorable figure he presents to society and needs to find the proof that will give her leverage for her and her son to live independently.
Garrett Stockton meets Julia under unusual cumstances. He is immediately drawn to her, and as they see more of each other their regard deepens. Garrett is determined to pursue her and he does so by being the stalwart rock she can depend on.
There are some amusing situations that include the cooking episode with Julia and her friend Brina, which also serves as a comment on the expectations of what women in society should do.
An enjoyable story that surprisingly lost some of its energy as the story progresses. I'm unsure why because plenty of situations arise that should've been more charged.

A St. Martin's Press ARC via NetGalley ( )

Gone with the Rogue is a sweet Regency romance, the second book in the First Comes Love Series and works just fine as a standalone, but I don’t think I will go back to read the first book or continue on with the series. The description of this book promises a lot more than it delivers.

Julia was in a loveless but amiable marriage and pregnant when she was widowed. Now she lives with her controlling father-in-law with no hope of escape to live a life of her own. Garrett is a second son who struck out on his own rather than live off his brother and is now the successful owner of a shipping company. He is not quite accepted into society and has the reputation of a rogue.

Julia is literally up a tree when they meet and he rescues her. Sparks fly. So it’s the perfect set up for romance. However, a physical relationship doesn’t translate into passion, professed love doesn’t translate into trust. None of the characters are as large as they could be, so the story has a rather small, confined feel to it.

It could just be me. As I said, this is a sweet story. The characters all fit well into the roles assigned them. I just expected more action, more evil, more passion, more something. Thanks to St Martin's Press via NetGalley for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. ( )

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Gone With The Rogue, by Amelia Grey, will be available at booksellers on 4-28-2020. Rogue is book 2 in Ms Grey's First Comes Love series. Although a second series book there are different characters so it's a fine stand-alone story. There's only a tad bit of reference to the first book and that explains how the three ladies came together, became friends, and entered in an endeavor together. I read book 1, The Earl Next Door, in May of 2019, so the reminder was nice for me. I was able to concentrate on this couple without my mind being diverted. ,

Lady Julia Kitson Fairbright is a young widow with a 4 year old son to worry about and fuss over. Her father-in-law is a Duke and insist on keeping her under his thumb upon threat of taking away her child. She's desperate to keep him appeased until she can get away. She's spunky and not sure of her own strength, it's never been tested. She has a meet cute moment with Garrett Stockton, that's important to me in my romance stories. The attraction is so fast and strong that it reminded me of being struck by lightening. The odds aren't good but it sometimes happens. Rogue is an interesting study in testing your limits, knowing your self, and finally deciding what you want in life. Goi.ng after it is the journey. My con with Rogue is the use of such strange names, some I wasn't sure how to pronounce so I made it up. That was distracting and I thought unnecessary, although I understand all men are not named Sebastian.

#AmeliaGrey #Netgalley #StMartin'sPaperbacks #GoneWithTheRogue #FirstComesLove #Romance #historicalromance ( )