Customer Reviews

Lady Rogue

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was an absolutely darling story and should be re-issued just so everyone gets a chance to read it!

Stuart Brantley shows up at the Earl of Everton's home towing a drowned rat he said was his son and demanding that the Earl fulfill a debt of honor and keep the 'lad' for a fortnight until he could make other plans. Even disguised as a 'lad' the Earl, Alex Cale, could not help feeling something he didn't want to admit to towards this young boy. Very suspicious of the French-raised 'lad' and the unrest caused in France by the escape of Napoleon, Alex fears the 'lad' is a spy and plans to keep an eye on him, only it doesn't take him long to figure out that the 'lad' is really a 'lass'!

Kit, or Christine, has never felt this way before and is instantly attracted to Alex, but knows that he is honor bound to keep her safe, even if the attraction is mutual. She has been posing as a boy for so very long, that it is really funny as she, with the help of Alex's cousin Ivy, gets instruction in how to act like a lady. The scene where Kit has to learn how to dance, WITHOUT LEADING, is priceless!

What follows is the most delightful dialog and witticisms you will find as Kit continues the charade as a boy and becomes the toast of the ton, having half the young debutantes swooning at this handsome young man, who can outdrink, outgamble, and outswear - both in French and English - Alex's close associates! This was a really fun story with great secondary characters adding so much more funny episodes that have Alex grinding his teeth over his 'cousins' antics. Great fun to read and a wonderful love story to boot. This one is a keeper!

A true hidden jewel in this year's releases! Suzanne Enoch has done an outstanding job with Kit and Alex. The dialogue and interchange between the two is witty, fresh, snappy and downright funny as well as poignant and tender. For those who enjoy British wit, this has it in spades! Each line and scene is to be savoured like fine wine. Kit's strength, spunk and unconventional ways disrupts Alex's conservative as well as his rakehell existence. The card game scene is better than Whitney's chess scene. And when Kit says to Alex, "vous etes un grand bouef stupide" it was priceless! Francis Henning is a great comic relief as well as all the other secondary characters. A smile was pasted on my face through 3/4 of the book until the anticlimax gave it a seriousness it deserved as they came against Boney supporters and crazed Frenchies. Inescapable chuckles caused several heads to turn my way in cofee houses and on train rides--something that has never happened to me. Suzanne Enoch's Lady Rogue is utterly delightful, charming and captivating and will be an enduring read. A flawless book, it is well worth the money. Totally impressed, Maggie

Reissues can be tricky. Some are just wonderful. I love reading Mary Balogh's or Jo Beverly's reissues because they write timeless storylines and truly powerful books no matter when they are published. This one, however, pales 9 years after it was first published. The endless plotline with Bonaparte, French spying, and smuggled goods has been done to death. If Enoch had done some editing before this was reissued and reduced all the extra "intrigue", the book would have been much better. The relationship between Kit and Alex is still good. But, it takes soooo long for anything to happen between them. I got bored long before they develop any kind of relationship. Skimming 2/3 of the book was frustrating. I feel thoroughly dissatisfied with the money I spent on this one.

I've only recently started reading Suzanne Enoch and, except for a couple of TSTL moments from various heroines, I have really enjoyed her style.

This is an earlier effort and I think she's learned a lot since writing Lady Rogue.

The plot could take half the time to wrap up. Even though I like the leads and I like the way the heroine succeeds at seeming to be a young man (especially when all the girls start falling for her), I was ready for the end about halfway through. If I hadn't read so many other good books by Enoch, I might have stopped reading before the finish ~ which is something I rarely do.

The story is about French spies smuggling weapons to Napoleon's supporters pre-Waterloo. The premise has many holes and some character motivations are not sufficiently explained. There is a huge cast which can be confusing, especially when you add them all to the espionage plot.

I recommend Enoch as an author, but I like her 'With this Ring' and 'Lessons in Love' trilogies much better than this one. Go for those rather than this one if you're interested in some fun regencies by a typically enjoyable writer.

Being that I was in elementary school when Lady Rogue was initially released, had it not been reissued, I would have missed out on this sexy and fun Regency romp. Suzanne Enoch is one of my favorite authors, and Lady Rogue has quickly become one of my favorites from her.

Alexander Cale is, in a word, smoldering. His physical description leaves nothing wanting, but more than that, his personality is what makes him so desirable. I loved his sense of duty, in respect to both Kit and his country.

Christine "Kit" Brantley is charming and impish in her role as a young woman disguised as a man. I can easily picture in my mind each of her actions, and I thank Suzanne Enoch's adept characterization and insightfully descriptive prose for this.

The pair's struggle to overcome their separate, but fatefully linked, goals is the backbone of this work. Each has learned in their fields of business to trust no one and watching them work through this to come together in the end was delightful. And their steamy intimate scenes were nothing to scoff at either!

I highly recommend this very sexy reissue for both old fans of Suzanne Enoch's work as well as those looking for an introduction to one of Avon's most talented romance authors.

I would give this book 6 stars if I could. I guess it comes down to what a person likes in a romance in their particular mood. Generally I happen to love spunky heroines, well-grounded heroes and a fast-paced, suspenseful adventure story with humor. I liked the characters even more as the story went along which is a very good sign. There was eventually some sex but it wasn't overdone or underdone. Just a rolicking good story with good romance and no slow periods anywhere. The perfect escape novel.

Doesn't this book just look and sound lame? I got it because I like gender-benders almost as much as long walks on the beach (meaning I've never done it but never tire of hearing about it as it always makes me giggle one way or another)

Anywho, the book was great. The wit wasn't forced, the story was solid, the characters weren't annoying. This is rare in romance novels.

I'm about 2/3 way through this book, and so far it is boring (as another reviewer commented) and not very sexy. The worst part is that there is very little character development of Kit and Alex... so you just don't care that much about them. It's also very hard to understand what Alex sees in Kit; she is an obnoxious, unkind young woman who has lived like a man for the past 3+ years. She's obviously up to no good (a spy), and is not even that interesting. How is this gorgeous, intelligent man drawn to her? Maybe it's shopping together for men's clothing (?????) or choosing female dancing partners at a soiree (????) or lending her a neckcloth (???). I just don't get it. And this was disappointing since I LOVE Suzanne Enoch. I guess I just will avoid her older books (or expect much less from them). I will also pay more attention to "reissue" vs. "new release"!

Yes, no secret I prefer a little bit more sizzle in my romance. This one just seemed to take a little bit too long to get to the romance with so much teasing and more teasing. That is not bad I guess but it dragged a little in some areas. Once Kit turned into Christine for real Alex was a total goner and could care less whether she was a spy. He was ready to leave London and never return if need be. You did feel the love, they were a compelling couple. Kit was unpredictable and a great match for Alex who obviously was bored with the usual women of the ton. With all of Enochs books this one was a winner, well almost, but certainly worth a read for sure.

I wanted to like this because the premise was interesting, but there was just not enough insight into the motivations of the characters, or even the points along the way in the plot. The hero was especially unexplained... rake reformed, but why? Could have made better use of the chapters from his POV. The heroine was better. She started out kind of plucky and we understand that she's attracted to the hero, but then she didn't develop much. For example, okay, she's scared of actually having to act like a woman, but bam, put her in a dress and no problem, she's the belle of the ball! And did she love her father or not? For that matter, did HE love her or not? The gift at the end indicates yes, but it was barely explained. There were lots of little snippets thrown in to explain WHY things were the way they were (why her father was so bitter, why she had to dress up as a boy), but they always felt a bit hasty.