Dearest Rogue
by Elizabeth Hoyt
4/5
“One can’t live without falling now and again.”
Last year in 2018 I expanded my love of Romance and strayed away from my contemporary and NA genres and dived into the world of Historical Romance. I was a little nervous, because my 16 year old self wouldn’t be caught dead with one of THOSE romance books, because my naive 16 year old self thought only grandma’s read small romance books with fair maidens and sexy shirtless men on the cover... Oh sweetheart, if you only knew. Let’s just say historical romance and I are off to a good start. I’ve loved some, liked some, disliked some and downright tossed some out but I finally think I’ve started to narrow down and define what ones I would most likely enjoy and which ones I absolutely wouldn't, but really the only way to know is to read them. You figure out pretty fast if you’re going to like it or not, well at least that’s how it is for me. Dearest Rogue though goes on my top two Historical Romances, weird I know. I’ve only found two books so far that I absolutely can rave about, and this is one of them.
Lady Phoebe Batten is pretty, vivacious and yearning for a social life befitting the sister of a powerful duke. But because she is almost completely blind, her overprotective brother insists that she have an armed bodyguard by her side at all times- the very irritating Captain Trevillion. Caught in a deadly web of deceit, Captain Trevillion must risk life and limb to save his charge. But while they're confined to close quarters, Phoebe begins to see the tender man beneath the soldiers hard exterior.. and the possibility of a life she never imagined possible.
One of the first things I knew I didn’t like about Historical Romances was how soon some of the relationships tended to happen, which results in less tension and excitement, which is a deal breaker for me. I don’t know, but I just don’t tend to like to read about couples who have already gotten together, less fun? But to each their own! So anyways my historical romances will always tend to lean more towards slower drawn out relationships, which like I said can be hard to find in a Historical Romance, but I have found one! Dearest Rogue from the start focuses on not just the relationship between the two characters, but also the growth of the characters themselves. Phoebe is such a strong character and even with her disability she tries to live life the best she can, and even with an already positive outlook in the beginning of the book she still has room to grow throughout and you see her become even more accepting of her life, and I think that her relationship with Captain James Trevillion only strengthens that.
Lady Phoebe Batten is pretty, vivacious and yearning for a social life befitting the sister of a powerful duke. But because she is almost completely blind, her overprotective brother insists that she have an armed bodyguard by her side at all times- the very irritating Captain Trevillion. Caught in a deadly web of deceit, Captain Trevillion must risk life and limb to save his charge. But while they're confined to close quarters, Phoebe begins to see the tender man beneath the soldiers hard exterior.. and the possibility of a life she never imagined possible.
One of the first things I knew I didn’t like about Historical Romances was how soon some of the relationships tended to happen, which results in less tension and excitement, which is a deal breaker for me. I don’t know, but I just don’t tend to like to read about couples who have already gotten together, less fun? But to each their own! So anyways my historical romances will always tend to lean more towards slower drawn out relationships, which like I said can be hard to find in a Historical Romance, but I have found one! Dearest Rogue from the start focuses on not just the relationship between the two characters, but also the growth of the characters themselves. Phoebe is such a strong character and even with her disability she tries to live life the best she can, and even with an already positive outlook in the beginning of the book she still has room to grow throughout and you see her become even more accepting of her life, and I think that her relationship with Captain James Trevillion only strengthens that.
I also loved that James himself wasn’t a perfect hero and had his own issues he had to overcome throughout the book, and it just made them more the perfect for each other! Now, their romance was a perfect slow burn! James starts off as her bodyguard whom she resents and sees as the wall between her and a normal life, and James can’t help but be entranced by her beauty and down to earth personality that seems to captivate not only him but anyone she talks to, and he’s right! I loved her personality. She was so sweet and kind even to people who didn’t deserve it! This though makes James believe she is too good for him and he can’t possibly hope for anything more then what he already has, and so he does everything in his power to keep her safe and also to ignore the obvious connection they have, even if he has to be stubborn and arrogant. I loved the bickering between the two and the dialogue was just so funny at times and I could feel the tension slowly building and I was right along with Phoebe and literally shouted FINALLY when she realized she was in love with the Captain! Man oh man some of those tavern scenes were angsty as all get out!!!!!!!! And when they did get together I still enjoyed reading about them and the different struggles they had to go through to finally be able to be together, because don’t forget Phoebe is the sister of a Duke and James is just her ex soldier of a bodyguard, so be prepared for some A-N-G-S-T, and frustration, and romantic sighs because you’re going to be dealing with all and more!
The writing was another favorite part of this book for me. I really enjoyed how realistic it felt and how dedicated to the time period it was. I almost felt like I was sipping tea in the parlor with a bunch of ladies, fancy I know... But it really was an enjoyable part of the book. This book though is really about the romance between Phoebe and James, but the plot too was pretty exciting. It felt like you went on a ride with Phoebe and tried to escape the constants threats right along with her, and it wasn't just a cheesy steam filled romance that involved way to much smut and not enough actual dialogue, so call me impressed!
So if you’re wanting to dive into Historical Romance, but want a slower build and angsty romance you should check out this book. I’m telling you guys, it will make you want to discover more Historical Romance! If you have read this book and looooooved it then you should check out Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn. HINT: It’s my other FAV historical romance, and it’s a hilarious enemies to lovers romance that will have you laughing out loud!
The writing was another favorite part of this book for me. I really enjoyed how realistic it felt and how dedicated to the time period it was. I almost felt like I was sipping tea in the parlor with a bunch of ladies, fancy I know... But it really was an enjoyable part of the book. This book though is really about the romance between Phoebe and James, but the plot too was pretty exciting. It felt like you went on a ride with Phoebe and tried to escape the constants threats right along with her, and it wasn't just a cheesy steam filled romance that involved way to much smut and not enough actual dialogue, so call me impressed!
So if you’re wanting to dive into Historical Romance, but want a slower build and angsty romance you should check out this book. I’m telling you guys, it will make you want to discover more Historical Romance! If you have read this book and looooooved it then you should check out Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn. HINT: It’s my other FAV historical romance, and it’s a hilarious enemies to lovers romance that will have you laughing out loud!
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