He clawed his way up from the gutters of St. Giles to the top of a shadowy empire. Feared and fearsome, battered and brilliant, nothing shocks Lorcan St. Leger—not even the discovery of an aristocratic woman escaping out a window near the London docks on the eve of the storm of the decade. They find shelter at a boarding house called the Grand Palace on the Thames—only to find greater dangers await inside.
Desperate, destitute, and jilted, Lady Daphne Worth knows the clock is ticking on her last chance to save herself and her family: an offer of a loveless marriage. But while the storm rages and roads flood, she and the rogue who rescued her must pose as husband and wife in order to share the only available suite.
Crackling enmity gives way to incendiary desire—and certain heartbreak: Lorcan is everything she never dreamed she’d wanted, but he can never be what she needs. But risk is child’s play to St. Leger. And if the stakes are a lifetime of loving and being loved by Daphne, he’ll move any mountain, confront any old nemesis, to turn “never” into forever.
PJ's Thoughts:
If you read only one historical romance this summer, make it How to Tame a Wild Rogue by Julie Anne Long. That's it. That's the review. Okay, that's not the whole review but it could be. Because, this book? It's just that good.
I've said this before but it bears repeating. Julie Anne Long paints pictures with words like no other author I have ever read. Composers create stunning, immersive, soul-stirring masterpieces that send our souls into flight. Long does it with words. They challenge, entice, anger, seduce, empower, excite. They swirl her characters - they swirl me - into an emotional maelstrom then deposit all of us, still, spent, changed, in the gentle swirl of waves lapping the shore in sunset's lambent light. That is the power - and the beauty - of this book.
With her vivid descriptions and well-developed characters, Long immerses readers into the daily life at the Grand Palace on the Thames, a most unique boarding house. While Lorcan and Daphne are indisputably the most important characters of this story, they are surrounded by a richly-depicted and entertaining supporting cast. Forced into close proximity by torrential rains, secondary characters unerringly stir conflict, generate humor, and provoke thought, all helping to move the story forward. Some are recurring characters who readers slowly come to know over the course of the series while others are newly introduced. It's fun to discover new layers to those characters familiar to fans of the series but readers new to this world should have no issues jumping in at any point.
While secondary characters provide richness and texture to this tale, it's Daphne and Lorcan who are at the helm of the story. Oh, how I loved these two. A privateer and a lady. A chance meeting, a fake marriage. A sensual, self-made man used to taking what he wants. A prim and proper lady who puts everyone's needs before her own. A fiery, tender, sensual, unexpected, empowering, all-consuming, cross-class love for the ages. Is it any wonder I couldn't put it down?
Long never makes a misstep in this book. It is beautifully balanced, nuanced, and simply perfection from beginning to end. Lorcan and Daphne have become one of my favorite romance couples, not only from Long but from any author. Reading their story, for me, was an all-encompassing, visceral experience, one I would happily repeat time and time again.
