Kiss From a Rogue

Scandalous Ladies #2

by Shirley Karr

A woman of the night . . .

Her inherited estate is bankrupt, but Lady Sylvia Montgomery will never allow the townsfolk who depend on her to starve. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the plucky beauty reluctantly assumes the leadership of a smuggling operation—a mantle that fits her surprisingly well. However, the perilous enterprise may be more than one resourceful, genteel lady can manage alone. Luckily, help is on the way—in a most deliciously enticing masculine form!

A rogue in training . . .

Stripped of all familial responsibilities when his brother, the earl, returns from war, Anthony Sinclair has decided to become a rakehell. His pursuit of pleasure has led him to a village with a secret—and to an intoxicating lady involved in criminal activities. By rights, he should simply seduce the wench, have his way with her, then vanish. But the bewitching Sylvia has captured Tony's heart. And to win her love he will join her in turbulent and dangerously exciting waters where no true rake would ever venture.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Regency, British Literature, Historical

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 7, 2006

About the author

Shirley Karr’s love of all things Regency began in childhood, when her father’s Air Force career took the family to England for four years. Not only did they visit historic houses, museums, and castles galore, they lived in centuries-old housing. She currently resides in the Pacific Northwest with her husband (whom she met on a blind date and married five months later), son, and multiple four-legged family members. To unwind, she loves to make jewelry with gemstones and pearls, grow tomatoes, and go tent camping at the Oregon coast. She’s back after a fourteen-year break from writing, creating light-hearted stories of adventure and romance with a dash of spice, set in Regency England..

Reviews

[Anonymous 5 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an absolutely delightful read by a new-to-me author. I am always excited when I stumble upon a new author in this genre. Determined to save her estate from bankruptcy after her husband's death, Sylvia takes matters into her own hands and attempts to handle the situation in a most unconventional way. With his brother returning from war, Anthony no longer is tied down by responsibilities and decides to live his life with as much pleasure as he can. His pursuits lead him to Sylvia and he decides she will be the first of his conquests. Only when he gets to know her, she is so much more than that and she has quickly stolen his heart. He will do anything to win her love, and that includes joining her in her new business. This story had intrigue, suspense, danger, and drama, all intertwined in an enjoyable romance.
A fantastic story and I look forward to reading more by this author.

I received a complimentary copy from StoryOrigin and am voluntarily leaving my review.

[Alexandra G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lady Montgomery’s husband left her with a bankrupt estate after going down with his ship and all its crew. The war already claimed so many good men and now a storm ravished the village. Sylvia is desperate to find a safer alternative to the smuggling business she’s conducting so her people won’t starve. But for now it has to do. Even if the captain she’s doing business with, is a vile creature.

After stepping in for his brother who was away fighting the French, and then finishing his education, Tony Sinclair now finds himself somewhat lost. His life needs direction. A purpose.
His brother offers him a job, but the steady and predictable wasn’t made for him. He skips town and ends up in a quaint coastal village in Dorset. He gets mistaken for a revenue agent by Sylvia’s crew and gets captured. A deal is struck: he will pose as her husband and make sure the captain doesn’t pursue his indecent proposals to Sylvia.

Whatever could go wrong with a deal like that?
Smugglers, corrupt revenue agents, some piracy, some DIY, lavender & herbs, cheese, a cat, a gang of widows protecting Sylvia’s virtue and a motley crew of elderly men doing Sylvia’s bidding are the colourful characters making this a thrilling and captivating story. It’s a slow burn and our wannabe rake has to up his game (he really does), but there’s a reward near the end: a steamy discovery of lust and love!

(slow burn, forced proximity, open door)

[Renee Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is usually not a good idea to kiss the bride full on the mouth on her wedding day if you are the groom's brother. In “Kiss from a Rouge” by Shirley Karr Benjamin’s brother Tony does just that. Benjamin arranges for his directionless brother to get a job in an office however, Tony has a different idea, he wishes to become a rakehell. He takes on a cross-country walk with one of his best friends Alister and ends up in a small coastal town in Dorset where a lovely young widow has caught his attention. Little did he know that Sidney, Lady Montgomery has become a smuggler with the rest of her townspeople since most of the young men in town were either killed in a ship wreck with her husband or while off fighting against Neapolean. Tony finds himself in a fake marriage with Sidney to help protect her from the lecherous ship's captain who smuggles their French Brandy onto the coast. As Tony works to help the community he becomes closer and closer to Sindey and eventually falls in love with her. When she decides that the only solution to the town's problems is to steal a ship and he disagrees she sends him away. Does he find his way back to her? Can she save her small town from ruin? This is a cute story with some adventure thrown in for fun.

[Kate McMurray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend of mine sent me a box of romance novels she decided to get rid of in a book purge, and most of them are historicals from the late 90s/early 00s. I chose this one from the box pretty literally at random (closed my eyes, reached in the box, decided to read the first book I pulled out). I'm gonna do this for the next few books I read, I think, so I created a new shelf for these.

This was a pleasant surprise. New to me author, a Regency not set in London, smugglers with hearts of gold, likable characters. My one peeve is that the dialogue is too contemporary and some behavior is too modern. For example, the hero gets on one knee and produces an engagement ring out of thin air in a big splashy proposal at the end of the book, but that is such a modern convention that it's a distraction here... and where did the ring come from?!

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining

Overall, I'd give it about 3.5 stars. There's a few mistakes here and there, but nothing that really took me out of the book. Writing is well dine and flows. Character development pretty good, but I would have liked to see a bit more in Silvia and Tony.
I'll be going back to read the first book and next book as well.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok

This story had a lot of action and movement and characters with wide variety of dispositions and humor mingled throughout. There is also a hea. For me it was just silly and didn’t seem connected somehow

[Maureen Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read

I have really enjoyed the first two books in "Scandalous Ladies" series. Real story lines to follow with a lot of surprises.

[Lorna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

Feisty, fun, and with a hint of steam. Hijinks a plenty in this historical romance with fun characters and mayhem

[Joyce E Patton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book and good series.

[Ellen Pace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining Read

Great characters really good story line . The book was funny. I had to laugh out loud at times reading it.

[Hina Vohra · Rating 4 out of 5]

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

It was a charming story - highly implausible... but a fun read.
Or beloved heroine - a smuggler(not by choice), captures our wanna-be-rake hero in a sequence of events that made me smile.

Our 'rake' is an adorable young man - mid twenties- who has absolutely no direction in life... so he decides 'why not be a rake'. Unfortunately, or fortunately, his FIRST attempt finds him in love with our heroine (of course he doesn't realize he's in love until the very end.)

Our well beloved heroine is a young widow (early twenties) who has the livelihood of the town resting on her shoulders. When our hero asks after her, they (the town) mistake him for a revenue agent... which leads to his getting embroiled in the smuggling business...as her...husband?

Oh my, and now he needs to stay for a week at least... well that suits his purposes.. he is trying out the rake profession, and he can't seduce the delectable widow if he's not there now can he?

Now how to seduce her? She's a practical sort - roof tiles instead of red tulips, carpentry instead of poetry, and smuggling instead of serenading should do the trick. The men sleeping at every entrance and exit to his room and her's don't discourage him, neither do the 'weapon' wielding towns-women who threatened to make him a soprano... in the most painful way. No London rake ever had such a challenge - he's sure. ;)

All in all the story is cute, funny, and sweet... but ultimately lacking in the reality department and is wanting for some more substance.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Falling for the Rogue . . .

Since Tony Sinclair’s older brother, the Earl, is home from the war, he has taken charge of his estate again. Without those responsibilities, Tony has no idea what he wants to do. Since nothing occurs to him, he decides to become a rake and seek his pleasure.

In a coastal village, he finds pretty widow and decides she will be his first conquest. But things do not go as he planned. When her husband left the estate bankrupt on his death, Lady Sylvia Montgomery refuses to walk away and allow the people who depend on her to starve. So she establishes a smuggling operation with their help. When Tony is mistaken for a Revenue agent, the villagers capture him. When the real Revenue agents close in, Tony joins the villagers in the fight, hoping to catch Sylvia’s attention as well. Will she fall in love with the man who has joined her cause? Or will she deny her feelings for him?

The story has wonderful characters and an intriguing story line that will pull the reader into their lives. Grab your copy and see if they can defend against the multiple attacks they must deal with. And will Sylvia have time to appreciate her captive hero, Tony?

[Rose Seals · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fabulous story by this author. Well written, full of action, love, adventure, suspense, drama, pirates/smugglers, twists and turns. This story will keep you reading and wanting more. Sylvia is a widow who is trying to keep herself and the villagers with a living so she continues to do as her husband did. Without the brandy smuggling, everyone would not have any kind of income. Tony is at the Inn to see if it would be a good investment for his brother who would be willing to buy and run it. It's there he sees Sylvia for the first time and decides he wants to find out who she is and where she lives. In looking for her, some of the other smugglers corner him and teach him a lesson - to leave her alone. They think he is a Revenue man trying to find the brandy. After the beating, she helps him and he in turn helps her and the others while repairing their homes and businesses. This story will keep you on the edge of your seat and have you cheering for the smugglers. Such a great book. Can't wait for the next one. Would recommend this book to everyone as well as the rest of this series.
I am an ARC and leave this unbiased, honest review.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read five star goodie!
A second son now without an idea for the future decides he is going to go for a life as a rake. The hero is about as far from a rake as you can get he is just a simple guy with a heart of gold. He decides to run away with a friend and this leads him to meet the heroine of our tale. She is an outstanding character I adored her. In fact you are going to meet some truly grand characters in this one. The story was so well put together with some super twists and interesting, darning, and every so romantic ending. I would say this one is a must read. I did receive a free copy of this book from Booksprout and voluntarily chose to review it.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun read for me but good LORD the cover does not fit!! I loved this story so much, it was as implausible as could be and it was a miracle that the hero survived until the end of the story. He's this wannabe rake. Why is he a wannabe rake? Because he doesn't know what else to do with his life! His seduction plan was one of the best and most entertaining I've ever read. I kept giggling every time the poor guy couldn't catch a break. I liked the heroine, but I'm a sucker for comic relief and in my opinion that's what the hero was.

[Maggie Hesseling · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great solid read. What and Earl Wants is still my favorite, but this one is very pleasurable and fun. I really like the character's and once again Karr's writing style really pulled me in. I was smiling for a lot of this novel.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just received my copy today!

[Diane Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. I enjoyed this book. Not great, but a good, solid read. I liked that Tony wasn't tall (hey, they aren't all tall!). The plot was a little improbable, but a nice story.