“We women are so critical of ourselves. We’re too plump, or too thin. Too tall, or too short. Our hair is too curly, or too straight. We live in a society that rewards conformity to a strict set of physical standards and an even more rigid set of rules for proper behaviour. We have these unpleasant thoughts running round and round in our minds. Wouldn’t it be revolutionary if we decided to love ourselves exactly the way we are?”
It is a truth universally known that, at some point in your childhood, you were in a supermarket and bored to death because your parents wouldn’t get their grocery list sorted out quicker. You then stumbled into the mass paperback section and found at least one, if not more, books with a half-naked man embracing a gorgeous woman in a flowy dress on the cover. What? That was just me? Oh. Okay, then.
Love is a Rogue was my first endeavour into historical romance, but it certainly won’t be my last. Lenora Bell takes us back to the 1830s in this one where a group of wallflowers have formed a secret society with goals that go against everything patriarchy expects of them. Lady Beatrice Bentley, called Beastly Beatrice by her foes, finds herself inheriting an old bookshop that would be perfect for the clandestine meetings for their society, if only her mother wasn’t so keen to sell the place. Enamoured with words and their origin, Beatrice is also working hard on creating an etymological dictionary that captures everything she loves about the written word.
The only thing standing in her way? A rogue named Stamford Wright who ticks her off like no other. When he’s not shamelessly flirting with every skirt he meets, he can be found nagging Beatrice and making her blush with all his sexual innuendos.
Thrown together by chance and circumstance, Beatrice and Wright soon find themselves entangled, not only in their business endeavours but also romantically. Too bad that giving in to temptation would go against every rule society has ever made about propriety. Which, of course, drives the two of them even closer together. Because what is sexier than a forbidden love affair?
This story swept me off my feet and transported me into a world of archaic rules that are impossible to adhere to, especially for women. I was in awe of how current most of these rules and codes of conduct seemed to be. Although this is set in the 1830s, the ideas that women are supposed to stay at home for the children, that women aren’t supposed to lead businesses or be able to own their own property still remain in some societies around the world. All the more praise thus goes to the women in this novel who find subversive ways to rebel against the patriarchy and reclaim their agency in their lives, whether that means forming a secret society that everyone thinks is a knitting circle, or falling for someone who is not of your station. This glimpse at how women reclaimed their power that was taken from them by marrying was fascinating. I also loved that there was no active rivalry between the ladies, but instead they encouraged each other’s ambitions. Beatrice’s friends support her in her effort to write her dictionary, and likewise Beatrice supports her friend who’s posing as a man to study law. Their friendships were effortlessly kind and heart-warming and it was such a reprieve from the usual cat fights.
Beatrice’s character will also appeal to all the bibliophiles in the world. You can often find her musing about the importance and sacredness of words, “Words are living things. They must be treated with respect. They’re born, they live and grow, and change, just as we do.” I loved how important books and words were to her and how she dedicated her whole life to making sure that the origins of them weren’t going to be lost over the years. Her mind was so fierce and stubborn and I adored her perspective.
Then we have Stamford Wright, the rogue and navy man that keeps on bugging her. With the steamy way Beatrice described him, I found myself in need of a fan because the chemistry between them just absolutely sizzled. This is for sure a hate-to-love romance because you simultaneously hate the toeing around each other while also wanting five hundred more scenes like that because it’s so entertaining watching them bicker and then unbiddenly thinking of the others’ lips. Beyond the chemistry, this book also had its humour going for it. There were multiple times where I couldn’t help but laugh out loud because Wright would fling a hideous hat into the street to Beatrice’s amusement and the scene where Wright is trying his hardest not to let Beatrice see how enamoured he is was making me tear up with laughter.
Basically, Love is a Rogue has it all with laughter, romance, and all the emotions. Whether this is your first venture into historical romance or you’re a long-time fan of Lenora Bell, this book will make your heart flutter!
Love is a Rogue is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of October 27th 2020.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Once upon a time in Mayfair, a group of wallflowers formed a secret society with goals that had absolutely nothing to do with matrimony. Their most troublesome obstacle? Rogues!
They call her Beastly Beatrice.
Wallflower Lady Beatrice Bentley longs to remain in the wilds of Cornwall to complete her etymological dictionary. Too bad her brother’s Gothic mansion is under renovation. How can she work with an annoyingly arrogant and too-handsome rogue swinging a hammer nearby?
Rogue. Scoundrel. Call him anything you like as long as you pay him.
Navy man Stamford Wright is leaving England soon, and renovating Thornhill House is just a job. It’s not about the duke’s bookish sister or her fiery copper hair. Or the etymology lessons the prim-yet-alluring lady insists on giving him. Or the forbidden things he’d love to teach her.
They say never mix business with pleasure. But when Beatrice and Ford aren’t arguing, they’re kissing.
Sometimes, temptation proves too strong to resist…even if the cost is a heart.
