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Must Love Rogues #1
The Rogue and I
A Lady Ready for Battle
Miss Harriet Manning once made the mistake of falling completely, totally, and irreversibly in love with a duke’s son. It’s a mistake she won’t repeat twice. Truly. Especially since he abandoned her just when they were about to elope to Gretna Green. Five years later, Harriet hasn’t forgotten the way Lord Garret’s smoldering gaze and wicked sense of humor touched her soul. Still, there’s no way she’ll forgive the traitorous libertine, no matter how he stirs her passions. Now, Harriet is determined to show him she doesn’t care, and never did, by making merry right under his nose but a tragic turn of events at her cousin’s wedding has her wondering if just maybe, love deserves one last chance.
A Lord Who Lost His Heart
Lord Garret Hart, second son of a duke and now brother to the present Duke of Huntsdown, is never ever EVER getting married. Bachelorhood is for him. After all, women are the very devil. Especially one woman. Miss Harriet Manning is Garret’s own personal Medusa and she has turned his heart to stone. Indeed she has, but not before she absolutely ripped it to shreds, leaving him a complete wreck. Nothing will ever induce him to matrimony or nauseating protestations of boyish love again. But when he is forced into close proximity at his brother’s wedding with the woman who first taught him to dream and see the world as a wondrous place, sparks flash and passions explode. Still, Harriet is not to be trusted. She callously betrayed him once. So how can he ever allow himself another chance at love when love always seems to hurt so much?
Miss Harriet Manning once made the mistake of falling completely, totally, and irreversibly in love with a duke’s son. It’s a mistake she won’t repeat twice. Truly. Especially since he abandoned her just when they were about to elope to Gretna Green. Five years later, Harriet hasn’t forgotten the way Lord Garret’s smoldering gaze and wicked sense of humor touched her soul. Still, there’s no way she’ll forgive the traitorous libertine, no matter how he stirs her passions. Now, Harriet is determined to show him she doesn’t care, and never did, by making merry right under his nose but a tragic turn of events at her cousin’s wedding has her wondering if just maybe, love deserves one last chance.
A Lord Who Lost His Heart
Lord Garret Hart, second son of a duke and now brother to the present Duke of Huntsdown, is never ever EVER getting married. Bachelorhood is for him. After all, women are the very devil. Especially one woman. Miss Harriet Manning is Garret’s own personal Medusa and she has turned his heart to stone. Indeed she has, but not before she absolutely ripped it to shreds, leaving him a complete wreck. Nothing will ever induce him to matrimony or nauseating protestations of boyish love again. But when he is forced into close proximity at his brother’s wedding with the woman who first taught him to dream and see the world as a wondrous place, sparks flash and passions explode. Still, Harriet is not to be trusted. She callously betrayed him once. So how can he ever allow himself another chance at love when love always seems to hurt so much?
183 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 29, 2015
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May 26, 2024
Review from 2017
I've given this an A- for narration and a C+ for content at AudioGals, which means it's somewhere around 4 stars overall.
Eva Devon (who has also written as Maire Claremont) opens her Must Love Rogues series with The Rogue and I, a story she says in her author’s note is an homage to her favourite Shakespeare play, Much Ado About Nothing (which is one of my favourites, too). Many, many romances feature couples who bicker à la Beatrice and Benedick, but Ms. Devon has taken that one step further and the first part of her story follows the plotline of the play fairly closely, mirroring some scenes and adapting dialogue to fit characters of the nineteenth rather than the sixteenth century. I enjoyed spotting those similarities (such as, when faced with confronting the heroine, the hero says “Send me anywhere… anywhere but here”, while Benedick begs: “Will your grace command me any service to the world’s end?”), although I felt that sometimes the implied bawdiness didn’t quite fit the regency setting.
As the play is a well-known one, I think it’s probably pointless for me to try to avoid spoilers in this review. The plot of the book and the plot of the play do diverge after the half-way point, however, so I’ll keep those events under wraps as far as possible for the potential listener.
As in the original, the hero and his friends – and here, they’re his brothers – are not long since returned from war. The Harts – James, the Duke of Huntsdown, Garret, and Edward – have arrived at the country home of Edward’s betrothed, Miss Emmaline Trent, the daughter of a rich industrialist. Garret decries his brother’s desire for matrimony and also makes clear his disinclination to come face to face with the bride’s cousin, Miss Harriet Manning, the young woman with whom he’d fallen head-over-heels in love five years earlier, and who had broken his heart when she betrayed and left him. Interspersed with chapters set in the present day, listeners are privy to the couple’s first meeting and subsequent romance in flashback; their meeting in the present is simply dripping with sexual tension and laced with barbs so sharp they could wound at twenty paces.
Clearly, Edward and Emmaline stand for Claudio and Hero, while James is Don Pedro. To complete the set, the Harts have a bastard brother – John Forthryte – who is clearly resentful of his legitimate siblings; anyone familiar with the play will have an idea of what his role in the story is to be.
With a week to go before the wedding and feeling rather bored, James and Edward concoct a scheme whereby they will trick Garret into believing that Harriet is still in love with him, and with the help of Emmaline and her cousin, Meredith (fulfilling the role of Margaret), trick Harriet into believing that Garret still loves her. Each duo manoeuvres their chosen party into overhearing a conversation in which they state that Garret/Harriet is still pining for the other and that their very public verbal sparring is nothing more than a smokescreen to hide their true feelings. Fear that the other will deride them keeps them silent, so they can never, ever know how the other feels and the participants in the conversation swear each other to secrecy. As in the play, the scheme works and causes the protagonists to abandon their “merry war” – but their happiness is destined to be short-lived, when John’s machinations contrive to drive a wedge between Emmaline and Edward and destroy their marriage plans. This event leads to revelations about the end of Garret and Harriet’s affair five years earlier, when they discover that they, too, had been manipulated (this time, by the late duke, Garret’s father) into believing that they had been betrayed and abandoned by the person they loved.
It’s at this point that the storyline of The Rogue and I diverges from the play upon which it is based, and these truths, instead of bringing Harriet and Garret closer together, drive them apart – because Reasons – which, I confess, didn’t make much sense to me. I’m also not a fan of romances in which the HEA is arrived at through the prodding of secondary characters, which is what happens here. In fact, the best part about this last section of the story is the way in which Emmaline re-invents herself and takes charge of her life. Even when Edward and James acknowledge that they have been duped, Emmaline refuses to go back to the way things were and insists on making her own way under her own terms. I also liked that while John is the villain of the piece, he’s not quite as black-hearted as in the original and gets to tell his brothers some home truths they badly need to hear.
I do wonder how someone who is completely unfamiliar with Much Ado About Nothing would view this story, because the romance is not so much developed as it is a fait accompli. Shakespeare tells us that Beatrice and Benedick have a romantic history, but it’s just a line or two and the audience gets to see the present relationship played out; here the author constructs a backstory for Garret and Harriet, but there’s no real romantic development and the romance feels rushed. She writes the verbal sparring between the couple very well and there’s a nice dollop of sexual tension between them, but I still felt as though there was something missing.
Tim Campbell does a wonderful job here of capturing the spirit and humour of the story. In fact, this is the first time I’ve listened to him in a comedic romance, and I was very impressed by his comic timing. His pacing is spot on and his character differentiation is excellent; there are over half-a-dozen male characters in the story and each one of them is distinctly portrayed so there is never any confusion as to who is speaking. His interpretation of Garret is a real highlight; he’s every bit the slightly dangerous, sexy hero he’s written as, and if you like your romantic heroes to rumble darkly in your ears, then you won’t be disappointed!
In addition, his female voices continue to be among the best I’ve heard from any male narrator; there’s no falsetto, just a softening of timbre and a slight hike in pitch and as with the men, each of the ladies is clearly delineated and easily identifiable.
The issues I’ve had in the past with Mr. Campbell’s pronunciation and accent have almost all been eradicated, and while there are a few slips, they are few and far between – a few “larshes” instead of “lashes” and “ont”s instead of “aunt”s. I also noticed that he tends to pronounce “Miss” as “Miz” when referring to Harriet (I checked the text, and it’s definitely written as “Miss” and not “Ms.”) which was a little odd. All in all though, it’s a terrific performance; expressive, funny, emotionally nuanced, and once again proves him to be a very talented vocal actor.
The Rogue and I is fairly short – it comes in at just under six hours – and while I was entertained, the weaknesses in the story mean it’s probably not an audiobook I will revisit. That said, Tim Campbell’s performance is definitely worth the price of admission, so if you fancy a short, mostly fluffy listen, you might consider giving it a whirl.
I've given this an A- for narration and a C+ for content at AudioGals, which means it's somewhere around 4 stars overall.
Eva Devon (who has also written as Maire Claremont) opens her Must Love Rogues series with The Rogue and I, a story she says in her author’s note is an homage to her favourite Shakespeare play, Much Ado About Nothing (which is one of my favourites, too). Many, many romances feature couples who bicker à la Beatrice and Benedick, but Ms. Devon has taken that one step further and the first part of her story follows the plotline of the play fairly closely, mirroring some scenes and adapting dialogue to fit characters of the nineteenth rather than the sixteenth century. I enjoyed spotting those similarities (such as, when faced with confronting the heroine, the hero says “Send me anywhere… anywhere but here”, while Benedick begs: “Will your grace command me any service to the world’s end?”), although I felt that sometimes the implied bawdiness didn’t quite fit the regency setting.
As the play is a well-known one, I think it’s probably pointless for me to try to avoid spoilers in this review. The plot of the book and the plot of the play do diverge after the half-way point, however, so I’ll keep those events under wraps as far as possible for the potential listener.
As in the original, the hero and his friends – and here, they’re his brothers – are not long since returned from war. The Harts – James, the Duke of Huntsdown, Garret, and Edward – have arrived at the country home of Edward’s betrothed, Miss Emmaline Trent, the daughter of a rich industrialist. Garret decries his brother’s desire for matrimony and also makes clear his disinclination to come face to face with the bride’s cousin, Miss Harriet Manning, the young woman with whom he’d fallen head-over-heels in love five years earlier, and who had broken his heart when she betrayed and left him. Interspersed with chapters set in the present day, listeners are privy to the couple’s first meeting and subsequent romance in flashback; their meeting in the present is simply dripping with sexual tension and laced with barbs so sharp they could wound at twenty paces.
Clearly, Edward and Emmaline stand for Claudio and Hero, while James is Don Pedro. To complete the set, the Harts have a bastard brother – John Forthryte – who is clearly resentful of his legitimate siblings; anyone familiar with the play will have an idea of what his role in the story is to be.
With a week to go before the wedding and feeling rather bored, James and Edward concoct a scheme whereby they will trick Garret into believing that Harriet is still in love with him, and with the help of Emmaline and her cousin, Meredith (fulfilling the role of Margaret), trick Harriet into believing that Garret still loves her. Each duo manoeuvres their chosen party into overhearing a conversation in which they state that Garret/Harriet is still pining for the other and that their very public verbal sparring is nothing more than a smokescreen to hide their true feelings. Fear that the other will deride them keeps them silent, so they can never, ever know how the other feels and the participants in the conversation swear each other to secrecy. As in the play, the scheme works and causes the protagonists to abandon their “merry war” – but their happiness is destined to be short-lived, when John’s machinations contrive to drive a wedge between Emmaline and Edward and destroy their marriage plans. This event leads to revelations about the end of Garret and Harriet’s affair five years earlier, when they discover that they, too, had been manipulated (this time, by the late duke, Garret’s father) into believing that they had been betrayed and abandoned by the person they loved.
It’s at this point that the storyline of The Rogue and I diverges from the play upon which it is based, and these truths, instead of bringing Harriet and Garret closer together, drive them apart – because Reasons – which, I confess, didn’t make much sense to me. I’m also not a fan of romances in which the HEA is arrived at through the prodding of secondary characters, which is what happens here. In fact, the best part about this last section of the story is the way in which Emmaline re-invents herself and takes charge of her life. Even when Edward and James acknowledge that they have been duped, Emmaline refuses to go back to the way things were and insists on making her own way under her own terms. I also liked that while John is the villain of the piece, he’s not quite as black-hearted as in the original and gets to tell his brothers some home truths they badly need to hear.
I do wonder how someone who is completely unfamiliar with Much Ado About Nothing would view this story, because the romance is not so much developed as it is a fait accompli. Shakespeare tells us that Beatrice and Benedick have a romantic history, but it’s just a line or two and the audience gets to see the present relationship played out; here the author constructs a backstory for Garret and Harriet, but there’s no real romantic development and the romance feels rushed. She writes the verbal sparring between the couple very well and there’s a nice dollop of sexual tension between them, but I still felt as though there was something missing.
Tim Campbell does a wonderful job here of capturing the spirit and humour of the story. In fact, this is the first time I’ve listened to him in a comedic romance, and I was very impressed by his comic timing. His pacing is spot on and his character differentiation is excellent; there are over half-a-dozen male characters in the story and each one of them is distinctly portrayed so there is never any confusion as to who is speaking. His interpretation of Garret is a real highlight; he’s every bit the slightly dangerous, sexy hero he’s written as, and if you like your romantic heroes to rumble darkly in your ears, then you won’t be disappointed!
In addition, his female voices continue to be among the best I’ve heard from any male narrator; there’s no falsetto, just a softening of timbre and a slight hike in pitch and as with the men, each of the ladies is clearly delineated and easily identifiable.
The issues I’ve had in the past with Mr. Campbell’s pronunciation and accent have almost all been eradicated, and while there are a few slips, they are few and far between – a few “larshes” instead of “lashes” and “ont”s instead of “aunt”s. I also noticed that he tends to pronounce “Miss” as “Miz” when referring to Harriet (I checked the text, and it’s definitely written as “Miss” and not “Ms.”) which was a little odd. All in all though, it’s a terrific performance; expressive, funny, emotionally nuanced, and once again proves him to be a very talented vocal actor.
The Rogue and I is fairly short – it comes in at just under six hours – and while I was entertained, the weaknesses in the story mean it’s probably not an audiobook I will revisit. That said, Tim Campbell’s performance is definitely worth the price of admission, so if you fancy a short, mostly fluffy listen, you might consider giving it a whirl.
July 29, 2015
I remember seeing the Royal Shakespeare Company’s excellent production of “Much Ado About Nothing” at Stratford upon Avon in 1976, starring renowned British actors Judi Dench and Donald Sinden. You are probably asking what this has to do with my review. Well, Ms Devon draws inspiration for her book from that play…a story of misunderstandings, betrayal, deceptions and enduring love.
As I have come to expect from Eva Devon, THE ROGUE AND I, the first book in her Must Love Rogues series, is funny, emotional, romantic and sensual but also tinged with sadness.
The flashbacks that are interspersed throughout the first part of the book allow us to see Garret and Harriet as romantic young lovers with hopes and dreams before the pain of betrayal shatters their love. These flashbacks made it easy for me to understand the hurt and anger Harriet and Garret feel and why, whenever they meet, they engage in such biting verbal duelling.
“How ever did you survive without me to criticize you these past months? He asked cheerfully.
“Never doubt my ability to sharpen my wit without you about, easy target that you are.”
He tsked. “How sad that you must always be so sharp. “ He crossed towards her, his powerful legs eating up the short space. At last, he stood before her, looking down several inches, his dark eyes glinting. “Someone will soon clip your claws.”
Harry met that gaze and tilted her chin up. With a surprising gesture even to herself, she planted her hands on her hips. “Not before I scratch their face.”
The witty skirmishes between these two strong and stubborn people certainly provide plenty of laughs but also expose their vulnerabilities. It is these vulnerabilities that make Harriet and Garret such endearing characters.
Despite all this hostility, I could feel the sexual tension between them and it’s obvious they still have deep feelings for each other although wild horses wouldn’t drag the truth from them. Family machinations do more harm than good and it takes an act of malice to unite them in a common cause, allowing them to finally admit their love for each other. It does take Garret a little longer to realise how much he loves Harriet but his declaration of love is well worth waiting for…definitely sigh-worthy.
“You are the love of my life and I will never be content in this life without you. How can I live without my happiness anymore, my Lady of Shalot, my Harry.”
There is a secondary romance between Emmeline (Harry’s cousin) and Edward (Garret’s brother) but what happens on their wedding day is truly heart-breaking. I cheered Emmeline when she rises from the ashes stronger and more confident and Edward deserves every harsh word she throws at him. I loved Garret for believing in Emmeline even when his brothers refuse to.
I hated John, Garret’s half-brother, for all the heartache he caused but I was intrigued by his character and his motivations. I just wonder whether redemption is on the cards for him.
I was delighted by Garret’s words in the Epilogue which suggest more books to come…
“But none of them are at the end of their story, so happily ever after may yet await them,” Garret said brightly.
How I imagine Garret and Harriet –
Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson in
“Much Ado About Nothing ” (1993)
My Verdict: A great start to a new series. Definitely recommended!
REVIEW RATING: 5/5 STARS
**My thanks to Eva Devon for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review. **
This review is also posted on my Rakes and Rascals Blog:
https://rakesandrascals.wordpress.com...
As I have come to expect from Eva Devon, THE ROGUE AND I, the first book in her Must Love Rogues series, is funny, emotional, romantic and sensual but also tinged with sadness.
The flashbacks that are interspersed throughout the first part of the book allow us to see Garret and Harriet as romantic young lovers with hopes and dreams before the pain of betrayal shatters their love. These flashbacks made it easy for me to understand the hurt and anger Harriet and Garret feel and why, whenever they meet, they engage in such biting verbal duelling.
“How ever did you survive without me to criticize you these past months? He asked cheerfully.
“Never doubt my ability to sharpen my wit without you about, easy target that you are.”
He tsked. “How sad that you must always be so sharp. “ He crossed towards her, his powerful legs eating up the short space. At last, he stood before her, looking down several inches, his dark eyes glinting. “Someone will soon clip your claws.”
Harry met that gaze and tilted her chin up. With a surprising gesture even to herself, she planted her hands on her hips. “Not before I scratch their face.”
The witty skirmishes between these two strong and stubborn people certainly provide plenty of laughs but also expose their vulnerabilities. It is these vulnerabilities that make Harriet and Garret such endearing characters.
Despite all this hostility, I could feel the sexual tension between them and it’s obvious they still have deep feelings for each other although wild horses wouldn’t drag the truth from them. Family machinations do more harm than good and it takes an act of malice to unite them in a common cause, allowing them to finally admit their love for each other. It does take Garret a little longer to realise how much he loves Harriet but his declaration of love is well worth waiting for…definitely sigh-worthy.
“You are the love of my life and I will never be content in this life without you. How can I live without my happiness anymore, my Lady of Shalot, my Harry.”
There is a secondary romance between Emmeline (Harry’s cousin) and Edward (Garret’s brother) but what happens on their wedding day is truly heart-breaking. I cheered Emmeline when she rises from the ashes stronger and more confident and Edward deserves every harsh word she throws at him. I loved Garret for believing in Emmeline even when his brothers refuse to.
I hated John, Garret’s half-brother, for all the heartache he caused but I was intrigued by his character and his motivations. I just wonder whether redemption is on the cards for him.
I was delighted by Garret’s words in the Epilogue which suggest more books to come…
“But none of them are at the end of their story, so happily ever after may yet await them,” Garret said brightly.
How I imagine Garret and Harriet –
Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson in
“Much Ado About Nothing ” (1993)
My Verdict: A great start to a new series. Definitely recommended!
REVIEW RATING: 5/5 STARS
**My thanks to Eva Devon for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review. **
This review is also posted on my Rakes and Rascals Blog:
https://rakesandrascals.wordpress.com...
August 17, 2017
Based on Much Ado About Nothing, this book could be so much better than what it is. The humour is often too forced and slapstick, the characters wooden and superficial, the female characters were sexually forward and scandalous in their behavior yet no one were scandalised, the romance (both the initial and the reactivated) too abrupt and unconvincing.
October 24, 2016
Carol *Young at Heart Oldie* did such an excellent review and recap, I could hardly add to it. I would like to think that I would have seen the Much Ado About Nothing similarities without it being pointed out, but I have been discombobulated lately.
This is a marginal three stars for me. What made it was the secondary characters and the secondary romance. Edward, Emmeline and evil John were far more interesting as characters. John's dismissal of his legitimate brothers rang true for me and made me sympathize with his plight as well as his canny intelligence, and I never applaud the villain!
Emmeline, I want to see what she gets up to plus I want an epic grovel from those that wronged her.
This is a marginal three stars for me. What made it was the secondary characters and the secondary romance. Edward, Emmeline and evil John were far more interesting as characters. John's dismissal of his legitimate brothers rang true for me and made me sympathize with his plight as well as his canny intelligence, and I never applaud the villain!
Emmeline, I want to see what she gets up to plus I want an epic grovel from those that wronged her.
July 22, 2015
Too theatrical and unrealistic for my taste. The writing was also very dry..pages filled with description of customes and rooms and food and scenary. After 20% I started skim reading and finished it in three hours.
October 27, 2016
Eva Devon draws from the famed Shakespearian play-Much Ado About Nothing-and takes readers on a historical romp down a humorous and bittersweet road of love, loss, betrayal, deception, and redemption. Stubborn heroes, strong heroines, revenge-seeking relatives, and meddlesome friends all vie for your attention in this emotional and surprisingly sensual comedy of errors that takes a long hard look at honor, shame, and the politics of this era.
November 11, 2017
Loved it. It was either slow at first or I was still reeling from my last read that I wasn't focused enough, however it did pick up and loved the story and the characters. Once I got into it the story flowed at a pretty good pace.
June 17, 2017
Very Much Ado About Nothing, with Harriet (Harry) as Beatrice and Garrett Hart as Benedick.
July 6, 2015
This was a second chance romance. 5 years prior, there was a misunderstanding between Harriet & Garrett. Now, his brother & her cousin are getting married, so Harry & Garrett must reside in the same place for a week. They trade barbs with each other based on mutual hurt from the past. Meanwhile, they still love each other, but pride gets in the way. There are some machinations by family members and "friends" to either tear couples apart or get them back together, which affects Harry & Garrett, as well as cousin Emmaline and her betrothed, Edward. I loved this story & hope to see some of these other characters get their happy endings in future books!
June 19, 2017
Bad grammar and a premise doomed to fail. Much Ado is a classic to be emulated, not immolated.
Top Quote:
"If everyone were being truthful, she was more likely to be in trouble than out of it."
Top Quote:
"If everyone were being truthful, she was more likely to be in trouble than out of it."
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July 2, 2017
THE ROGUE AND I was perfectly delightful... or perhaps imperfectly delightful? The rogues may have been similar to many I've read before, but the ladies? The ladies are vibrant, intelligent, brave, strong-willed,and full of sass. They weren't meek, they faced opposition with heads held high and shoulders back. The story and characters were all well-written and fully developed, and the dialogue was on point. This book has it all. There is betrayal, mystery, drama, humor, romance and passion. I loved this book! Its the first in Eva Devon's Must Love Rogues series. I definitely want more! 4.5 stars
June 27, 2017
This seemed incredibly all over the place, until I found out afterwards that it was heavily based on Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare). However, even then it felt less like a comedy of errors and more like a clumsy mess. If you love Much Ado About Nothing, and know that it is referencing that work before you begin, then you might enjoy. But one core aspect of adaptations is they are meant to stand on their own. The enjoyable references aren't meant to be the saving grace.
Any salvaged stars came purely from some of the side characters (shout out to Carlyle), although when the side characters save the story, you know something is up.
All in all, enjoyable if you have the patience and/or really adore Much Ado About Nothing.
Any salvaged stars came purely from some of the side characters (shout out to Carlyle), although when the side characters save the story, you know something is up.
All in all, enjoyable if you have the patience and/or really adore Much Ado About Nothing.
September 23, 2021
Good
I wasn't sure this book would be even a little bit clean, but it was ok enough to flip pages . I'm glad because it is a very good story and recommendable
I wasn't sure this book would be even a little bit clean, but it was ok enough to flip pages . I'm glad because it is a very good story and recommendable
October 3, 2021
Ugh... the story here was interesting but hard to follow.
The author kept going back and forth between present and past -_-
Harriet and Garrett met 5 years ago, fell in love, planned to elope but it all failed.
Now they meet and because of the huge misunderstanding from the past, they still hate each other.
Well, not really! Everyone can see they have feelings for each other and their relatives are even plotting to reunite them.
I like it. At least when I could focus on the present time!
The past kept inserting itself, and I'm not talking a sentence here and there, or a sole chapter to remind us what they had, NO!
Each chapter had a ''Present Time'' and ''Five Years Ago''!
That was so annoying and it made me lose interest in the story.
I DNF around 49% right after Harriet went to Garrett's room and he proposed, then I skipped to the epilogue. The story could definitely have been better...
The author kept going back and forth between present and past -_-
Harriet and Garrett met 5 years ago, fell in love, planned to elope but it all failed.
Now they meet and because of the huge misunderstanding from the past, they still hate each other.
Well, not really! Everyone can see they have feelings for each other and their relatives are even plotting to reunite them.
I like it. At least when I could focus on the present time!
The past kept inserting itself, and I'm not talking a sentence here and there, or a sole chapter to remind us what they had, NO!
Each chapter had a ''Present Time'' and ''Five Years Ago''!
That was so annoying and it made me lose interest in the story.
I DNF around 49% right after Harriet went to Garrett's room and he proposed, then I skipped to the epilogue. The story could definitely have been better...
June 22, 2017
This was a cute book, but as I said in my notes, I would have liked it a lot more if there weren't mistakes.
Maybe the author needs to hire a better proof reader. (I'll do it, lol.)
I know I'm a "grammar nazi", but basic errors like there instead of they're or their REALLY gets on my nerves and ruins the enjoyment of a book. It makes me stop in my tracks and wonder what the actual sentence was supposed to mean.
OK, I'm finished my rant. Sorry Eva Devon, if you read this. I don't want to hurt anyone's feeling, but if you're getting paid to be a writer, PLEASE learn the difference between there, they're and their.
Thanks,
Maybe the author needs to hire a better proof reader. (I'll do it, lol.)
I know I'm a "grammar nazi", but basic errors like there instead of they're or their REALLY gets on my nerves and ruins the enjoyment of a book. It makes me stop in my tracks and wonder what the actual sentence was supposed to mean.
OK, I'm finished my rant. Sorry Eva Devon, if you read this. I don't want to hurt anyone's feeling, but if you're getting paid to be a writer, PLEASE learn the difference between there, they're and their.
Thanks,
January 5, 2022
The Beatrice & Benedick Shakespearian theme was a great idea. Sometimes the dialogue even had the feel of the lovers' epic fights. However, the theme fell apart in the middle with graphic sex scenes. Women and men--of this class-- not behaving as they did in this period in history. Well bred young women portrayed as sexually voracious. The language did not fit/comport with this period in history.
These periods in history--Regency and Victorian--are not being written to comport with the eras. Mary Balogh, Georgette Heyer, Mary Lancaster etc. can writr romances without soft porn.
These periods in history--Regency and Victorian--are not being written to comport with the eras. Mary Balogh, Georgette Heyer, Mary Lancaster etc. can writr romances without soft porn.
January 29, 2019
I would love to give this book 4 stars, but I apparently read it before and completely forgot that I read it.
So there I was, looking through my BookBub recommended books and I saw A Duke for the Road by Ms. Devon. Her name seemed familiar, so I checked my Goodreads list to see what I had read by her before. On my 'On Hold' list was The Rogue and I. The On Hold list is all the books that I have finished but are awaiting me to sit down and write an actual review. It's something like 80 books long right now, but I digress. There it was, staring haughtily at me, daring me to remember. I couldn't. I read the blurb. Ah, a retelling of Much Ado About Nothing, sounds right up my alley. Still couldn't remember. I must have read it, it's on my list and had definitely been in my Kindle app, but I had absolutely no memory of it. So I decided to read the first bit again. Surely I'd get a few pages in and remember! No such luck. I just finished rereading the whole thing. I know that I had read it before because I did remember one of the cooler twists at the end before it happened. But, there you have it. I read it, again. I enjoyed it, again. But it's clearly not that memorable in the long run. I do like the Shakespeare retelling, and I have my eye on the Twelfth Night version that appears to be book 3 of this series. I will probably read more of Ms. Devon, but I'm not expecting anything more than fluff. Who am I kidding? I love fluff!
So there I was, looking through my BookBub recommended books and I saw A Duke for the Road by Ms. Devon. Her name seemed familiar, so I checked my Goodreads list to see what I had read by her before. On my 'On Hold' list was The Rogue and I. The On Hold list is all the books that I have finished but are awaiting me to sit down and write an actual review. It's something like 80 books long right now, but I digress. There it was, staring haughtily at me, daring me to remember. I couldn't. I read the blurb. Ah, a retelling of Much Ado About Nothing, sounds right up my alley. Still couldn't remember. I must have read it, it's on my list and had definitely been in my Kindle app, but I had absolutely no memory of it. So I decided to read the first bit again. Surely I'd get a few pages in and remember! No such luck. I just finished rereading the whole thing. I know that I had read it before because I did remember one of the cooler twists at the end before it happened. But, there you have it. I read it, again. I enjoyed it, again. But it's clearly not that memorable in the long run. I do like the Shakespeare retelling, and I have my eye on the Twelfth Night version that appears to be book 3 of this series. I will probably read more of Ms. Devon, but I'm not expecting anything more than fluff. Who am I kidding? I love fluff!
July 5, 2017
What utter bilge.
Now I understand why this book was free. I did not get beyond the first paragraph where the heroine is described as one of the most "amused" of people to get people to think she is easy-going and cheerful in nature but the very next moment we are told that she has met the guy who took her virginity 5 years ago.This is Regency England,dear writer ,not your hood. A high ranking female who lost her virginity before marriage could never be considered acceptable anywhere except as fit for being a mistress.
Good this book is free.Just making the main characters aristocrats and having them speak American does not a bestseller make.
No publisher touched this book ,of course ,unless he too could understand the terrible grammar,pathetic and pitifully inadequate writing,so thanks for the free trial.1 para, enough is enough and sufficiently nauseating.
Zero rating.No reading this any more.Go back to school.author,and learn some English.AndHistorical facts about Society in Regency times.
Now I understand why this book was free. I did not get beyond the first paragraph where the heroine is described as one of the most "amused" of people to get people to think she is easy-going and cheerful in nature but the very next moment we are told that she has met the guy who took her virginity 5 years ago.This is Regency England,dear writer ,not your hood. A high ranking female who lost her virginity before marriage could never be considered acceptable anywhere except as fit for being a mistress.
Good this book is free.Just making the main characters aristocrats and having them speak American does not a bestseller make.
No publisher touched this book ,of course ,unless he too could understand the terrible grammar,pathetic and pitifully inadequate writing,so thanks for the free trial.1 para, enough is enough and sufficiently nauseating.
Zero rating.No reading this any more.Go back to school.author,and learn some English.AndHistorical facts about Society in Regency times.
October 4, 2017
The Rogue and I by Eva Devon
Must Love Rogues Series Book One
Garret Hart and Harriet “Harry” Manning had met, fell in love, and parted shortly after. That was five years ago and they parted as enemies. Now, the few times they meet...they slice each other apart with their words. Unfortunately for this couple...Garret's brother is marrying Harry's cousin. And even worse—in their minds—is the seven day house party they'll be stuck at together.
Of course, hatred disguises their true feelings of love. And thanks to a bored brother...they are thrown together. And no thanks to a mischievous half-brother...pandemonium reigns and tears any hope of love to shreds. Putting them right back into the war zone they started in.
I really enjoyed the story and the different characters. Great story line and the story flows easily.
**Sexual content and language
http://justjudysjumbles.blogspot.com/...
Must Love Rogues Series Book One
Garret Hart and Harriet “Harry” Manning had met, fell in love, and parted shortly after. That was five years ago and they parted as enemies. Now, the few times they meet...they slice each other apart with their words. Unfortunately for this couple...Garret's brother is marrying Harry's cousin. And even worse—in their minds—is the seven day house party they'll be stuck at together.
Of course, hatred disguises their true feelings of love. And thanks to a bored brother...they are thrown together. And no thanks to a mischievous half-brother...pandemonium reigns and tears any hope of love to shreds. Putting them right back into the war zone they started in.
I really enjoyed the story and the different characters. Great story line and the story flows easily.
**Sexual content and language
http://justjudysjumbles.blogspot.com/...
June 18, 2017
Beautiful story, well written, with depth, drama, and humour. Garrett and Harry are both interesting, intelligent characters, and she, especially, is very strong.
The scenes from the past were very romantic, on the boat and under the tree. Each of their reactions to hearing the other person loved them felt real. Lovely.
I laughed out loud imagining Garrett going to hide in the fountain, and at Harry behind the screen. Their bickering was also a joy to read, keeping the sparks between them.
Mix in the drama of Emmaline and Edward's marriage being called off because he thinks he sees her having sex with another man before their wedding, and all the bases are covered.
One of the most enjoyable Vitoria romances I've read in a long time.
The scenes from the past were very romantic, on the boat and under the tree. Each of their reactions to hearing the other person loved them felt real. Lovely.
I laughed out loud imagining Garrett going to hide in the fountain, and at Harry behind the screen. Their bickering was also a joy to read, keeping the sparks between them.
Mix in the drama of Emmaline and Edward's marriage being called off because he thinks he sees her having sex with another man before their wedding, and all the bases are covered.
One of the most enjoyable Vitoria romances I've read in a long time.
July 25, 2017
This book was an enjoyable read, though full of issues that kind of killed it for me. Aside from the beginning sounding like it was ripped straight from an AU fanfic, the grammar was atrocious. Nothing was consistent, and there were many common errors. For instance, Devon spelled "necklace" as "neckless," and can't seem to figure out that you are always supposed to put a comma before a term that acts as a direct form of address.
I also noticed the connection to "Much Ado", and once I figured this out, it increased my ironic enjoyment. I do like the differences that Devon added to make the story more enjoyable, like the father not throwing Emmeline under the bus.
To clarify, I enjoy this book mostly ironically, and wish the editor had slowed down and checked the CMOS.
I also noticed the connection to "Much Ado", and once I figured this out, it increased my ironic enjoyment. I do like the differences that Devon added to make the story more enjoyable, like the father not throwing Emmeline under the bus.
To clarify, I enjoy this book mostly ironically, and wish the editor had slowed down and checked the CMOS.
June 20, 2020
This is an entertaining story of Harriet and Garret. They had met five years previously, fallen in love, and planned to marry. His father, the Duke, refused to see his son wed beneath his station, and connived to make it appear that Harriet had accepted money to forego marriage to Garret. Harriet was left waiting for Garret to take her to elope. Garret goes off to war, and Harriet learns to hide her broken heart. They now spar verbally with each other. When Emmaline , Harriet’s cousin, and Edward, Garret’s brother plan to marry, Garret and Harriet are brought back together, Then something happens to cause terrible consequences for the brothers and the cousins. Can any of them reconsider their feelings for love?
October 18, 2017
Harriet Manning and Garret Hart were once in love, but due to the machinations of his father who disapproved of the match, they are now enemies. When they meet again at a house party, sparks fly.
This is a quick read, really more of a novella. The story is based on Much Ado About Nothing and follows it fairly closely, but the banter generally falls short of being as witty as the original. As some other reviewers noted, it's unusual when the reader likes the villain more than the hero (and his brothers), but I felt the same way. Neither Harriet or Garret were very likeable in my opinion unlike the half-brother, John, who was more mature in his dealings.
This is a quick read, really more of a novella. The story is based on Much Ado About Nothing and follows it fairly closely, but the banter generally falls short of being as witty as the original. As some other reviewers noted, it's unusual when the reader likes the villain more than the hero (and his brothers), but I felt the same way. Neither Harriet or Garret were very likeable in my opinion unlike the half-brother, John, who was more mature in his dealings.
February 24, 2018
Thankfully this was modern day words no ole English or no shorten Celtic talk, everything is understandable. Read like a short story, very quick, there was chapters of going back 5 years and some 4 years of when Harriett ‘Harry’ fell into a pond and nearly drown but was saved by younge man, second son of a hardcore Duke. There was no cheating at all, just a misunderstanding/misidentification of who was the girl in the bed, but never the main two ever cheated on each other. They fought like cats and dogs for a lie his father pulled 4 years ago. While secretly pinning for the other, they used anger. There was a few times POV was for Emmeline but the rest from Harry and Garret.
August 2, 2017
So many opportunities, too few reality checks, too much pride
These characters, each main quite well-developed, grind through their lives with a conviction that what they believe is all there is. Their behavior/'s deluded by inaccuracies and suppositions dog their life's journey. Fortunately, as in real life and, not surprisingly in novels as well, there are plot twists. Ms. Devon expertly guides her posse with expertise, humour and no holds barred focus on her ultimate goal. Loved this book.
These characters, each main quite well-developed, grind through their lives with a conviction that what they believe is all there is. Their behavior/'s deluded by inaccuracies and suppositions dog their life's journey. Fortunately, as in real life and, not surprisingly in novels as well, there are plot twists. Ms. Devon expertly guides her posse with expertise, humour and no holds barred focus on her ultimate goal. Loved this book.
October 22, 2017
You gotta just love these crazy characters. I don't know whose actions or inactions were funnier, the men or the women.
Thank goodness the women came to their senses and sorted out the mess made by some of the very gullible brothers and this all made for a great story.
I loved the humor written into this story, some of it very tongue in cheek too. Really enjoyed the whole book very much.
Eva Devon is a new author to me and I will be certainly be reading more from her.
Thank goodness the women came to their senses and sorted out the mess made by some of the very gullible brothers and this all made for a great story.
I loved the humor written into this story, some of it very tongue in cheek too. Really enjoyed the whole book very much.
Eva Devon is a new author to me and I will be certainly be reading more from her.
January 27, 2017
One of my favorite troupes.....friendimes to lovers. Harriet and Garrett were young and in love, ready to go to Gretna Green. But, there was a no-show. Several years later they are thrown together at a house party. The bickering and back-biting is there but with a certain twist in the air. Enjoyed!
June 16, 2017
As one reviewer said, the book is very shakespearian in plot line. Even the dialogues sometimes sounds like one. The characters you can easily find parallel from his plays but well build. And as she said, a good first book of a series. However, I did not find it that much compelling so as to immediately buy them. I will wait for them to come free or cheaper.
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