*ARC provided by Forever via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
A Good Rogue is Hard to Find is the first book from Kelly Bowen that I've read. I liked the synopsis so much I requested a Netgalley widget link by e-mail! I'm so glad I took a chance on this. I haven't felt this much conflicted regarding a book.
The rogue's life has been good to William Somerhall: He has his fortune, his racehorses, and his freedom. Then he moves in with his mother. It seems the eccentric Dowager Duchess of Worth has been barely skirting social disaster-assisted by one Miss Jenna Hughes, who is far too bright and beautiful to be wasting her youth as a paid companion. Now home to keep his mother from ruin, William intends to learn what's afoot by keeping his friends close-and the tempting Miss Hughes closer still.
. . . UNTIL HE MEETS HER
He's tall, dark, and damnably intelligent-unfortunately for Jenna. She and the duchess are in the "redistribution business," taking from the rich and giving to the poor, and it's going great - until he shows up. But even as William plots to make an honest woman out of her, Jenna will use all her wiles to reveal just how bad a rogue he can be . . .
I've been trying to break my historical romance addiction streak (that has been going on the past two years) but Kelly Bowen has got me hooked right back. The plot is similar in that they have very opposing views from the start, but once the duke, William, realizes Jenna's cause was worthy, he aids her in every way he can. Jenna was such a strong character, and I loved how she gave as good as she got. The exchange between Will and Jenna was hot, and made the book very enjoyable to read.
The supporting characters were also remarkable. The Dowager Duchess of Worth was also very fantastic, and I loved her crazy remarks. She was so bloody brilliant, I wanted to read more about what she thought. Heath, Will's best friend, also seems to be intriguing that I'm just so excited to read the third book, You're the Earl that I Want.
Of course I knew that Will would come around, so in a sense it was predictable, but I loved the slow burn towards the ending. It was nice that he used his head, and didn't have any qualms about wanting Jenna as his duchess. I think he would make a splendid duke.
I'm disappointed that the issue with Luke in the end was not addressed. It wasn't clear to me -- that I actually went back and reread that chapter -- but I think that he did betray Jenna. They wouldn't have done that to a horse willingly, I think. (If you've read the book before and could clarify this scene for me, I'd be very grateful!)
However, the major reason I couldn't fully get behind this book is that even though Jenna was doing it for a good cause, I keep thinking if they could have found a solution in another way. I think swindling, even for a good cause, was wrong. It's like the Robin Hood moral dilemma, and I wasn't very comfortable with it. So that's an issue that I keep thinking about.
I enjoyed A Good Rogue is Hard to Find so much that I didn't realize I was nearing the end. And when I did reach the last page, it was one of those few moments that I wished it had an epilogue! That doesn't happen too often for me.
Readers, do you like (romance) stories to have an epilogue if it's a standalone book (or a book in a series that can be read as a standalone), or would you rather prefer to just imagine what happened to them in the future?
Happy weekend :)
Cheers,
