Dearest Rogue (Maiden Lane Book 8) Kindle Edition

“Wasn’t freedom a universal desire? Something every human being longed for no matter their circumstances?”THE STORY: Lady Phoebe Batten struggles against the restrictions imposed upon her. She is young and loves the social whirl that she has been almost completely excluded from by her brother, the Duke of Wakefield. Almost completely blind, Phoebe now has to deal with the bodyguard her brother has imposed upon her.Captain James Trevillion was forced to leave his service in the King’s dragoons by a serious injury that left him with a limp (events depicted in DUKE OF MIDNIGHT). Despite his injury, he is still able to shoot and ride and the Duke of Wakefield has hired him to be the bodyguard for his youngest sister.When Phoebe becomes the target for a kidnapping, James must risk his life to save her from being forced into marriage.OPINION: The sister of a Duke and an ex-dragoon are the definition of two people who have no business falling in love with one another.“She was everything he was not: young, innocent, filled with the joy of life. She had the blue blood of centuries of aristocrats running in her veins. He was a cynical, older ex-soldier and his blood ran common red.”“Blindness had neutered her in the eyes of the world.”Phoebe is young, sweet, caring and has the Batten stubbornness and willfulness. As this book opens, she has finally had enough of those who love her trying to protect her. Phoebe has a sweetness but she is not silly or annoying. She is a strong young woman trying to balance her love for others, her own desires and her fears. As the book develops, Phoebe grows and develops more of a tartness that she displays. As a right of passage for all the Batten sisters, she also has to confront her brother, Maximus. Readers of the series will recall that he is intensely protective of those he loves – especially Phoebe. This book wonderfully depicts Phoebe’s point of view including her anger and at times desperation about her blindness, but also her strength in learning to do for herself. As a story about Phoebe wanting and crafting her own freedom, I especially appreciated that she is an active participant in her claiming her own freedom.`“He might be a cripple on land but by God in the saddle he was a demon.”James Trevillion is a man struggling against his own limitations. It is clear from the beginning of this novel that his feelings for Phoebe have moved beyond the impersonal. He cares about her even as he acknowledges that there is no future for them. Instead, he sublimates his budding love for her into a desire to see her happy. A principled man, Trevillion is willing to break rules for a good cause. He is also incredibly strong willed in his own right which is one reason why he and Phoebe clash in such a proper manner before their relationship progresses beyond the proper. One of the nice plot points is how James has his own past demons that prompt him to want to protect Phoebe but he is the first to recognize that she cannot be protected to such an extent that she is smothered.“Sometimes I rather dislike you, Captain Trevillion.”“I am most gratified that it’s only sometimes, my lady.”The disabilities that Phoebe and James possess are their bridge to one another. Neither fits into the place which they had expected to inhabit and, the fact that each is separate from their expectations allow them to subvert society’s expectations. Phoebe, especially, knows that despite her birth, she will never be able to be part of the aristocracy except as a treasured pet.Phoebe and James have great banter between them. It is restrained and witty and biting and full of meaning. There is a tremendous amount of subtext going on between Phoebe and James from the beginning. His calling her “my Lady” is at times proper, annoying, angry and loving. These two argue with one another in such polite terms that it is funny.“Did you shoot someone back there?”“Yes, my lady.”“Why?”“It seemed a good idea.”Like all of the Maiden Lane novels, DEAREST ROGUE is very sexy, but for me the most sensual parts of this book are the incidents where touch is emphasized. Because of Phoebe’s blindness, touch and smell are more important in this book than sight. I loved how Hoyt focuses on the sensuality of simple acts like Phoebe putting her hand on James’ arm and then expands the exploration between the two to putting on perfume and removing stockings.I am a fan of the Maiden Lane series and while this is not my favorite (I prefer the darker more angst filled stories), it is certainly a good addition to the series. I especially appreciate Hoyt’s reward to longtime fans by giving us glimpses of the lives of characters who have already had their story told.WORTH MENTIONING: This book introduces the heroine of the next book in the series SWEETEST SCOUNDREL. Her backstory seems to be very intriguing. Fans of the Duke of Montgomery will also be pleased to know that he makes a significant appearance here.FINAL DECISION: Befitting Phoebe’s character, DEAREST ROGUE is sweeter than others in the series. The story of finding joy in what life gives a person is perfect for these two characters who are genuinely good people. The dark edge of the story is really about other characters whose stories are to be told in the future.CONNECTED BOOKS: DEAREST ROGUE is the eighth book in the Maiden Lane series. It can be read as a standalone even though fans of the series will be pleased with the continuation and glimpses of favorite characters.STAR RATING: I give DEAREST ROGUE 4.25 stars.

Dearest Rogue is an older book, written in 2015 and I do think that the genre has made a shift that is on trend with what has gone on in the world today. The MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements have made diversity, equality, and historical truthfulness important to both writers and readers. So, this novel from 2015 is a little more old school. However, it does divert from the normal heroine has Duke fall in love with her theme. Our heroine, Lady Phoebe Batten, is the sister of a Duke, and is blind. Our hero is her guard, former Dragoon, Captain James Trevillion. Honorably discharged after being wounded in service. He is the security hired to keep her safe, which of course becomes an issue when someone is out to kidnap her.Phoebe was fed up with being cushioned from life and wants to explore and live. She is a beautiful young woman whose eyesight disappeared in her teens. Capt. Trevillion has been her security for awhile but it’s only been recently that she has become curious about him. Most definitely because he’s the only man she’s allowed to be around since he’s a pretty surly guy. As we get to know the two of them together you appreciate his protective nature but also how he disagrees with the Duke’s instructions to keep Phoebe insulated from life. It’s because of him that she’s in situations where people can actually try to kidnap her but you can’t fault him for wanting her to have a life.Other than the fact that someone is trying to kidnap her, the other conflict is more of an internal one. The Captain, with his bad leg, doesn’t feel like he’s good enough for Phoebe. It’s up to her to convince him that their class differences and his leg (and her being blind!) don’t make a difference. He’s the man for her. I really enjoyed their sweet conflict and the length of time it took for them to fall in love. This was a little bit more of a slow burn romance than you’d normally see in a historical novel.Despite this novel being #8 in the Maiden Lane series, it can be read as a stand alone novel. It doesn’t really have anything to do with the St. Charles Robin Hood underlying plot that some of the other novels have played out. I enjoyed it and if you have a love for older historical novels I think you might too! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Phoebe Batten is the younger sister of the Duke of Wakefield, she is also blind... Which has led her brother, the somewhat austere and bullying Maximus, to hire her a guard. Former dragoon captain James Trevillion is everything a guard should be.. Except that Phoebe doesn't want to be guarded and he doesn't want to be her guard, because she secretly drives him mad. Thus we go from the light tantalising banter between them as Phoebe resist the strictures he bears on her life, but gradually begins to discover the good man behind the uptight and overly proper captain. A kidnapping plot and an escape to Cornwall eventually lead to a wild, very sexy clandestine love affair as Phoebe fights for her freedom and Trevillion finally has to stop fighting his feelings. Hoyt does a brilliant job conveying Phoebe's disability, until it's not a disability at all but rather adds new and compelling detail to the story. A delightful romance, from beginning to end.

This was a lovely romance and I thought the disabilities of the protagonists were handled quite well (though I have neither, so I may be wrong.) The only problem I had was James's developmentally disabled sister seemed less like a character and more like an object to give him a tragic backstory.

Another excellent read in this series. I am massively enjoying the Maiden Lane books. I'm reading them out of order and that is fine as although the characters are referred to in the books they are all individual stories. Absolutely recommended again.DD

This book is delightful. A worthy addition to the excellent Maiden Lane series. Ms Hoyt's characters are so well drawn and the settings for her books come to life. I also appreciate her wonderful prose. I kept having to stop reading for a moment to go back and admire a turn of phrase or a description. I thoroughly recommend this book.

I'd pretty much decided to give up on this series when they all began to blur into one another. However, I liked both Phoebe and Trevellion from other stories and was keen to see how their romance was resolved. Rather too mundanely is the answer - for me anyway.