Review - - A Rogue of Her Own

A Rogue of Her Own

By Grace Burrowes

Publisher: Grand Central/Forever

Release Date: March 6, 2018
Reviewed by Janga

Lucas Sherbourne is a wealthy commoner with aspirations to a marriage that will add blue blood to his family lines. He feels obligated to achieve what his grandfather failed to do. He is in London to look for a bride, and thanks to his recent truce with his neighbor, the Duke of Haverford, he is tolerated if not welcomed into tonnish circles. Charlotte Windham captured his interest as he observed her at Haverford’s house party (No Other Duke Will Do), and every glimpse of her in London confirms her intelligence, her originality, and the fascination she holds for him. When an opportunity to rescue her from a pugnacious, pertinacious suitor presents itself, Sherbourne acts. It is then that he first decides to offer her a “sensible proposal.”

There are three Windham brides, but Charlotte Windham is uninterested in making a fourth.  As the “sole remaining marital project” among the Windhams, she is weary of countering the efforts of her family to find a match for her and even wearier of dodging hopeful suitors eager to claim the hand of a Windham. She has also had a surfeit if the jealous gossip that surrounds her. Lucas Sherbourne’s proposal catches her by surprise, but his osculatory expertise almost convinces her that marriage to him might be worth the sacrifice of her freedom. But Charlotte has a cause dear to her heart, and marriage would mean losing her freedom to spend her time and her funds as she wishes. Consequently, Charlotte determines to say no to the eminently kissable Mr. Sherbourne, but a farewell kiss interrupted by the Duke and Duchess of Moreland changes her plans.

A week after Charlotte and Lucas are discovered in that farewell kiss, they are married by special license in the Moreland formal parlor with only six members of the Windham family present—Charlotte’s uncle and aunt (the Duke and Duchess of Moreland), the duke’s heir Westhaven and his countess, and the duke’s eldest daughter Maggie and her husband, the Earl of Hazelton. Immediately after the wedding, the newlyweds leave for Sherbourne’s home in Wales, and their real adventure begins as they come to know each other and discover an unexpected compatibility that encompasses, but is not limited to, the chemistry that made that “farewell kiss” necessary. Burrowes skillfully weaves the threads of Charlotte’s cause and its highly personal genesis and Sherbourne’s colliery into the story of their marriage.

Grace Burrowes is a wonderful storyteller with a particular gift for creating characters who fully engage her readers, but Charlotte and Sherbourne are special even for Burrowes. Their story held great promise in No Other Duke Will Do, and it exceeded even my high expectations in A Rogue of Her Own. I loved this book!

Charlotte is delightfully herself throughout the story—smart, compassionate, witty, and independent. Lucas is his own man with a clear understanding of who he is and what he wants. I love the fact that even before they recognize that they are in love, they appreciate one another’s strengths. Theirs is not a marriage-in-trouble story but rather a marriage-in growth story. Maggie’s marital advice to Charlotte is almost a forecast of their journey: “Marriage is an adventure for two. Look for the good in him, the same as you would with   any friend. Give him your loyalty and the benefit of the doubt, find things to laugh about together, and don’t worry if the early days are a bit bumpy. That’s part of it.”

I’ve been a Grace Burrowes fan since her first book, and reading this latest in the Windham saga just reminded me of all the reasons I find her books so rewarding. I love the interconnectedness of her world. Part of the fun of A Rogue of Her Own is the appearance of or reference to various and sundry Windhams. Elizabeth and Haverford feature most prominently, but the family is present in many ways. I love the family dynamics of Burrowes’s books. There are some difficult relationships, but I especially enjoy the genuine affection that ties siblings together and the way that affection expands to include spouses and children. I enjoy dialogue that makes me smile, and Burrowes always provides that. There is a wonderful exchange in this book centering around the word torrid. Charlotte introduces the topic: “If the right people came upon me in a torrid embrace with the right sort of man, I’d be ruined.”

Sherbourne responds, “Have you ever been in a torrid embrace, Miss Charlotte?” Charlotte admits that she has never even spoken the word aloud, and a bit later, after a kiss that becomes

“intimate, wandering past playful, to curious, then bold . . . to thoughtful, then on to daring,” there is this exchange:

            “That’s a taste of torrid, a mere sample. A lovely sample, I might add.”

            “You torrid very well, Mr. Sherbourne. May I prevail on you to ruin me.”

             “I would rather not ruin you. . . . I am far more interested in marrying you.”

A Rogue of Her Own is the conclusion to The Windham Brides, a series within the larger Windham series. I think it is the best in an excellent quartet. If I tell you that upon finishing this book, I went back to The Heir, Burrowes’s debut novel and the first Windham book, and then reread the full series, twelve novels (including the four Windham Brides books) and four novellas, and enjoyed every story as much as I did the first time I read them, you may understand what a delight I found this last book to be. In fact, a second reading kicked my rating from a 4.5 to a full five stars. If you like historical romance that blends a little sizzle, more than a little laughter, and some substantive issues with a love story that is as much about genuine liking, understanding, and appreciation as it is about lust, I think you will fall in love with this book too. I highly recommend it. And I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Burrowes has more stories of the Windhams in store for her readers.