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A review by readclever
When a Rogue Meets His Match by Elizabeth Hoyt
5.0
I received a copy of When A Rogue Meets His Match through NetGalley for an honest review.
Messalina is amazing. She's a top contender for heroines I've read in 2020. Independent, intelligent, self-assured, and introspective. Several scenes made me cheer out loud at her ingenuity. Even stopping long enough to chat about it with my husband.
Gideon Hawthorne was a great counter to her struggles. Both caged into a marriage but willing to work towards a better future. Born in St. Giles, Gideon grew up with everything Messalina didn't have. Yet they both could empathize at what the other went through.
I don't want to give away spoilers since I think everyone should read the book. That means the review will point at times but not the situations.
In my podcast episode, I read several scenes aloud. One of my favorite was when Messalina had enough and flatly told the men to stop treating her as a dog bone. And her relationship with other women wasn't dependent on men. While some conversations concerned Gideon and her brothers, the bulk was about solidarity. Can't go wrong with a support network. One of the best reoccurring scenes for Messalina includes examining how class structures can make or break a person's mobility. Something you don't always find in historical romances.
And the romance between Gideon and Messalina works. It's solid. Moves at an organic pace and offers insight into each other. You feel the heartbreak and love, the pain and struggle as they adapt to each other's expectations. They also work as a team, a very important part of a forced marriage romance, I think.
I would love to talk about the bonus story by Kelly Bowen, but honestly, I'd like to review it separately because it felt like a standalone. I do appreciate where the overlaps seemed to connect between the two worlds, however. Night of the Scoundrel will be it's own episode for the podcast for that reason. The heroine and hero have so much to build together and to learn how to move beyond unforgivable hurts.
Highly, highly recommend the book. Beauty is not in just the words, but the actions of Messalina and Gideon together.
Messalina is amazing. She's a top contender for heroines I've read in 2020. Independent, intelligent, self-assured, and introspective. Several scenes made me cheer out loud at her ingenuity. Even stopping long enough to chat about it with my husband.
Gideon Hawthorne was a great counter to her struggles. Both caged into a marriage but willing to work towards a better future. Born in St. Giles, Gideon grew up with everything Messalina didn't have. Yet they both could empathize at what the other went through.
I don't want to give away spoilers since I think everyone should read the book. That means the review will point at times but not the situations.
In my podcast episode, I read several scenes aloud. One of my favorite was when Messalina had enough and flatly told the men to stop treating her as a dog bone. And her relationship with other women wasn't dependent on men. While some conversations concerned Gideon and her brothers, the bulk was about solidarity. Can't go wrong with a support network. One of the best reoccurring scenes for Messalina includes examining how class structures can make or break a person's mobility. Something you don't always find in historical romances.
And the romance between Gideon and Messalina works. It's solid. Moves at an organic pace and offers insight into each other. You feel the heartbreak and love, the pain and struggle as they adapt to each other's expectations. They also work as a team, a very important part of a forced marriage romance, I think.
I would love to talk about the bonus story by Kelly Bowen, but honestly, I'd like to review it separately because it felt like a standalone. I do appreciate where the overlaps seemed to connect between the two worlds, however. Night of the Scoundrel will be it's own episode for the podcast for that reason. The heroine and hero have so much to build together and to learn how to move beyond unforgivable hurts.
Highly, highly recommend the book. Beauty is not in just the words, but the actions of Messalina and Gideon together.