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.
Release Date: Jul 25, 2023
Series: The Palace of Rogues
Book: 6
Heat Level: Hot
Publisher: HarperCollins
Imprint: Avon
Price: $6.99
A wild rogue, a destitute spinster, equals a slow burn of deliciousness.
Long has done it again. It’s not often I get swept away in a romance as of late, but How to Tame a Wild Rogue kept me up far too late. It was easy to get lost in this tale of opposites attract, with a fake marriage, and of course, the Grand Palace on the Thames. I can’t recommend this series enough for those who love a series that will keep you guessing.
Cue our enigmatic Loran St. Ledger. He grew up in the worst parts of London but has made a name for himself. First as a smuggler and then a privateer. On shore leave, he plans to visit a brothel he once dearly loved. Only to find himself assisting a woman escaping from a window. A woman who reluctantly accepts his help, though she doesn’t want it.
Lady Daphne Worth has officially hit rock bottom. With nowhere to turn on a windy, soon-to-be stormy night, she has to trust in this man she’s just met. One who has an interesting manner and a less-than-reputable look to him. Though they won’t be admitted to the Grand Palace on the Thames without a story. There’s only one room, so a fake marriage is just the ticket. What starts out as a means of securing safe lodging turns into a slow-burn attraction dance that I couldn’t stop reading.
Lorcan is everything a rogue should be. He’s bluntly honest about it too, which makes him even more admirable. He hit all the right buttons for me, so I could easily see how Daphne would fall for him. Daphne is a woman whose plight hit my personal heartstrings. She’s been the only woman in her family since her mother passed when she was young. Left to carry the burden of caring for her father and her brothers, she has the weight of not only her own, but her family’s future on her shoulders. To be in that position is so challenging, and I fell for Lorcan even more when he recognized how Daphne deserved more than what her life was giving her.
Overall, the plot, characterization, pacing… really the entire book hits the mark. I absolutely loved it and enjoyed the bits and pieces we get to catch up with the other favorites from the series as well. I hope you’ll pick this one up or just start the series from the beginning.
~ Landra
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