Rogue Most Wanted

When Thea’s right to her inheritance is called into question, she is left scrambling to prove she is the rightful heir to her grandfather’s land and title. Having never set foot in London, much less its society, she is confronted with her complete lack of skills in proving her worth. But when her neighbor and friend extends her help in the form of her nephew and the promise of marriage, she steps up to do what needs to be done in order to win her case. Will was once cruelly jilted and has since refused to give his heart away again. He makes it clear to Thea that he does not want to marry her but offers her his friendship. But when she also admits to not wanting to marry him, he feels a pull and tug that is in complete odds with their agreement. This was a story about a woman fighting for her rights against a society that refuses to even listen to women. I enjoyed how Will was loyal in his friendship and support of Thea and how he brought her into his family. She had never experienced friends or family and suddenly she is swamped with them. Their total acceptance of her and her lack of social knowledge made me love them all. I enjoyed getting to know both Thea and Will. They each had a history that had clearly defined them and I admit, I saw the writing on the wall in regards to whose heart was going to get broken. Nevertheless, when it happened, my heart hurt for that character. This had some steamy moments but I never really felt the chemistry between the hero and heroine prior to their smexy times. I think I just needed to feel that they had a physical pull towards each other, perhaps watch them battle it and then yield to it a little at a time. Without the foreplay to a physical relationship I felt that Thea’s capitulation was out of character to a woman during this time. I also struggled with the pacing of this story. There were so many times when it repeated itself over and over that I soon began to skim. The lack of action or diverse drama kept this from holding my attention and also gave way to the repetition. This was my first book by this author and I was excited and held high hopes for it. While it is definitely well written with amazing secondary characters, unfortunately it failed to hold my complete attention. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lady Theodora Worth’s grandfather held two titles. He was Duke of Ferr-Colby, an English title, and the Earl of Eanruig, a Scottish title. Thea was to inherit the Earldom and her distant cousin, the Dukedom when Grandpapa died. When the greedy cousin decides to contest Thea’s claim to the title and the estate, she seeks the advice of her neighbor, Lady Stella Payne. If she can find the original title charter, she can prove her claim, but it seems Grandpapa was forgetful and a bit addled at the end, so he hid thinkgs to keep them safe. Thea cannot find his hiding place for the documents for the title and the estate. Lady Stella thinks that she should marry, and she knows the perfect man for her, her great-nephew Lord William Cavensham. It might work, but it will not be easy to get these two together. William and Thea are wonderful characters. They are clever, hard-working, kind, and caring. They like each other, but hold back. William was jilted when her was younger and Thea has lived pretty much alone and doesn’t want to marry in haste. Lady Stella and her friend Lady Edith are delightful meddlers. The new Duke is a greedy uncaring piece of work. The entire Cavensham family provides an army of support. The story is full of emotion, drama, uncertainty, and a fair dose of humor. It also has a mystery to solve, or more like a scavenger hunt, for the estate documents. The twists, turns, and surprises in the story hold you attention to the end. Rogue Most Wanted is an enjoyable read. I recommend it. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Lady Thea has spent the last 7 years taking care of her ailing grandfather until his passing. Now her claim to his Scottish title is being challenged by her cousin, who already inherited the English title. Thea needs to find the original charter, but had no idea where to look as her grandfather had started hiding papers different places and not telling Thea where he put them. When Thea gets charged to go before a peerage review group, she knows that this is totally out of her realm of knowledge so she goes to see her grandfather's friend at the neighboring estate, Lady Stella. Lady Stella decides that her nephew, Will, is the perfect one to call in to help with this matter and perhaps he and Thea will hit it off and become a couple and find the HEA they both richly deserve. This book had me laughing, cursing, burying my face and cheering. At one point, I was so involved that I yelled out loud at Thea and my family looked at me like I was crazy, but I was just deeply invested in the story and I think that is the best kind of book of all. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.