Customer Reviews

A Rogue's Pleasure

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First time author Hope Tarr has penned a sensational debut novel packed full of humor, wit, intrigue, and sexual tension galore. Set in Regency England, A Rogue's Pleasure is hard to set down once you pick it up. Chelsea Bellamy's younger brother Robert has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom at the sum of five hundred pounds. Orphaned over a year ago, Chelsea has no one to turn to and must therefore come up with a way to raise the needed funds herself. When all of her avenues for acquiring money are exhausted and desperation finally kicks in, she turns to her trusted servant Jack - a retired highwayman - to teach her his former trade. All is going according to plan until Chelsea and Jack decide to hold up a carriage that contains none other than the handsome and notorious rake Viscount Montrose and his fiancée Olivia.

Anthony Grenville, Viscount Montrose, can scarcely believe what's happening to him. Not only is he suffering the embarrassment of being robbed in front of his fiancée, but the perpetrators in question consist of a slight girl and a one-eyed elderly man with scrunched shoulders and a noticeably dragging leg. Still, he can't help but to be amused...and intrigued. He has no choice but to let the girl and her elderly companion go on their way for now, but oddly enough, he hopes to see her again. So when he catches the girl relieving his townhouse of its silver a few days later and forces her to confess all, he can do no less than to help Chelsea get her brother back. Besides, it's the perfect way to keep Chelsea close to him, which is precisely where he most wants her.

A Rogue's Pleasure contains an intriguing plot and superb protagonists, but its the budding relationship and sexual tension between the lead characters that will hold you spellbound. With Anthony engaged to another woman and determined to make Chelsea no more than his mistress, and Chelsea firmly committed to being his wife or nothing at all, readers can't help but to want to find out just how the situation will resolve itself into romantic bliss.

As an aside to that dilemma, it is refreshing to read about a strong heroine that doesn't waste her time mooning over the hero; Anthony is the one that does all of the mooning in this book. How many times have romance fans been made to endure weak-willed, codependent heroines who make you want to jump into the book's pages and shake some sense into them? I'm happy to report that with A Rogue's Pleasure, you get all of the sexual tension without an ounce of caricatured female sappiness.

Hope Tarr's first novel is an overall winner. Fast-paced, intriguing, and loaded with sexual tension, A Rogue's Pleasure is a real page turner. With one book, this author has already gone onto my "must buy" list.

-full review originally published in The Romance Reader

"A Rogue's Pleasure" was a good book with good characters. I enjoyed both Anthony and Chelsea very much....Anthony especially. I thought it was refreshing how open he was with his feelings for Chelsea. He never pretended not to feel for her,in fact, he declares himself very early on...it was very sweet actually. So why only 3 stars? For some reason I cant name, this book failed to grab me. I found myself putting it down again and again...flipping ahead to see how much was left. The plot wasnt all that entertaining, and the villian was very obvious. All in all a pleasant read, but not a keeper for me.

Everything I like in a romance--terrific historical detail, lots of passion and sexual tension between hero and heroine, a fast-paced plot, and terrific comic relief in the budding romance which develops between the heroine's brother and the hero's fiance. Hope Tarr is a talented writer with a real ear and eye for the period--definitely someone to watch!

Ordinarily, I don't read romance novels, but I read this one and enjoyed it immensely: it is something of a romp. Chelsea is a high-spirited but impoverished young woman. When her brother, who did much to deplete the meager remains of the family fortune, is kidnapped, she is forced to raise money for his ransom. She turns to a series of not-very-well-thought-out crimes that involve her ever more deeply with Anthony, a handsome, but world-weary Viscount.

The subplot involving Chelsea's brother and Anthony's fiance is particularly well done. It surprised and captivated me. I won't tell you aboutit -- you may want to be surprised yourself.

Ms. Tarr's characters come to sparkling life, dancing across the pages and into our hearts. Her feisty heroine, Chelsea, has the readers rooting for her from the first page, and her handsome rake, Anthony, is incredibly sexy, yet touchingly vulnerable. Her love scenes are enticingly erotic, yet sensual and sweet. I predict a brilliant future for Ms. Tarr. She's destined to be a shining star in the romance genre.

Miss Chelsea Bellamy doesn't know what to do. In the wake of her parents' death, she and her brother, Robert, have almost nothing. When Robert is kidnapped and Chelsea receives a ransom note demanding five hundred pounds, she has no option but to turn to highway robbery. Unfortunately, one of the coaches Chelsea chooses to rob is the wrong one.

Lord Anthony Grenville, Viscount Montrose, is surprised when he and his fiancée are set upon by a highwayman. He's even more surprised to find that the highwayman is no man at all. When he catches Chelsea thieving again, this time from his home, he offers to help her rescue her brother. He claims he's helping Chelsea because he's bored, but what he really wants is the beautiful thief as his mistress.

I was attracted to A Rogue's Pleasure by its premise and beautiful cover. To my delight, Hope Tarr presented a most entertaining first meeting for its protagonists. How often do you see a Regency heroine robbing the man she'll eventually fall in love with? Sadly, my pleasure in reading Chelsea and Anthony's story was short-lived. A Rogue's Pleasure moved at a slow pace and as much as I wanted to like Chelsea, there were far too many moments in the book where her intelligence seemed to have taken flight just so a certain situation could be set up. Anthony was even harder to like. I understand the plot device of having a hero engaged to one woman and then meeting his heroine. What frustrated me was that he didn't even seem to feel a hint of guilt (or if he did it was so quickly passed over I took no note of it) over trying to make Chelsea his mistress, all the while not telling her he still intended to marry someone else. To make matters worse, he had an awful habit of making assumptions about Chelsea that had no logical basis that I could see. All in all, A Rogue's Pleasure was just not the book for me.

Shayna
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Single sentence summary: Chelsea's brother has been kidnapped with a ransom more then she can afford and when a request for a loan goes terribly wrong, she decides the only thing to do is steal it by resurrecting One-Eyed Jack.

Chelsea is a women determined to do things her way and be part of every step of rescuing her missing brother. When the first coach she robs belongs to Viscount Montrose (Anthony), she doesn't realize that it will change everything. Anthony is rake that needs reforming and if any women can do it throughout this book, it will be Chelsea. They were a great match and I enjoyed the romance between. The sexy scene in the dining room was one of my favorites in this book.

Anthony is a bit of a lady's man and when he realizes that the game went a little to far and he is now engaged to a women he isn't sure he wants, figuring out who the women was that robbed him, is the perfect diversion. From there, the adventure and sexual tension between Anthony and Chelsea build. The road for this couple is bumpy and great fun to read about. Anthony must constantly find ways to get Chelsea out the trouble she causes as she forges ahead regardless of the warnings of her elderly manservant and Anthony.

I really enjoyed how the whole story unfolded and how the kidnapper were found (because you know their going to be found). 4 Stars for A Rogue's Pleasure.

Ever since her beloved parents' deaths in a carriage accident last Autumn Chelsea Bellamy has struggled to ensure the wellbeing of the estate as well as see to her brother's Oxford education. Financially destitute the last thing she needs is more worries but a missive demanding five hundred pounds for the return of her nineteen year old brother pushes her into resorting to highway robbery posing as a bandit known as One-Eyed Jack.

Injuries obtained in Spain while serving his country resulted in Lord Anthony Grenville's return to England and the stunning discovery that his uncle has died and left him a very wealthy man. He's already indulged in every sinful pleasure he could imagine and found them all lacking. He's bored and nothing seems to drive away the nightmares and memories. Even his fiancé bores him, so you can imagine his surprise when he becomes fascinated by the young highwayman who accosts his carriage - and holds a gun to his manhood.

Robbing travelers of their valuables isn't paying well enough for Chelsea to acquire the funds she needs to save her brother in time so she devises a plan to travel to London and steal from Anthony's home. He's obviously very well off and shouldn't miss a few trinkets. Unfortunately he catches her before she can make her escape and discovers that the highwayman he's obsessed over is in fact a beautiful young woman. Anthony uses a little creative maneuvering along with some blackmail to ensure that Chelsea will revisit his home. He's determined to uncover everything he can about Chelsea and lure her to his bed - as his mistress. What he doesn't realize is Chelsea didn't succumb to a life of crime because she has loose morals - she is desperate. Once he does learn of the circumstances behind Chelsea's stint as a highwayman he vows to do everything he can to help rescue her brother - and seduce her. Admittedly Chelsea is extremely attracted to Anthony but she's adamant that she will not become his mistress - no matter how badly she desires him.

Hope Tarr's A ROGUE'S PLEASURE is a fast paced fun read that captured my attention almost from the very first page. All of the characters are highly memorable and I loved the descriptions of the scenery throughout the storyline. The attention to detail Ms. Tarr exhibits in her writing makes it so much easier to become emotionally vested in the story and its outcome. Chelsea's bravery and determination in the face of an extremely difficult situation is endearing and at times laughable as her antics get her into all sorts of trouble. Anthony's utterly charming and it's obvious that he has no desire for the young woman he's promised to marry so I couldn't wait to find out how that whole situation played out. A ROGUE'S PLEASURE is a wonderful historical romance full of mystery, suspense, a little heartbreak and humor which will easily entertain readers until the very end.

This book was reviewed using a digital galley via NetGalley.

Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)

Recently orphaned, responsible for her brother and their financially embarrassed estate, things can't get worse - can they? Unfortunately they do and for Chelsea it's the last straw when her brother is kidnapped and she has to come up with a five hundred pound ransom.

Reluctant to accept the Squire's offer of a loan if she will be the collateral, Chelsea takes to highway robbery - and meets Anthony Grenville, né Antonious Ignatius de la Fontaine Grenville, seventh Viscount of Montrose. Fortunately she has Jack, a faithful servant, with her. Chelsea is forced to London to either rob the rich, or see her brother die if she cannot raise the ransom. Here her path and Anthony's cross once more and both feel the strong attraction for the other.
The barrier which stops them coming together is Anthony's fiancée. He has arranged a marriage of convenience which commits him to partnership without love. Can Chelsea and Anthony turn away from the ever increasing strength of their attraction for one another?

I do like Regency novels. This one followed the usual pattern of man and woman unable to come together due to previous commitments. Then it took an unusual path. Several internal thoughts and hot steamy scenes brought the characters to life. No insipid Regency miss here. Chelsea proved to be a feisty young lady, willing to follow her own path to rescue her brother and stay true to her own moral code. At times she wavered, but this only made her more human.

Anthony on the other hand, could have been a male chauvinist from the present age, with perhaps a little more "gentleman" in him. At first he was merely a product of the Regency age and his upbringing, but as he and Chelsea became closer he had to fight the urge to act on his instincts and the gentleman side of him came to the fore.

This book is fast moving and grabs the interest. More scintillating than the average Regency novel, it has far more life and vibrancy than is usually associated with this genre. Definitely a good read if you want something a little more upbeat.

Originally posted at The Long and Short of It Romance Reviews

Hope Tarr wins me over with this regency romance. A Rogue's Pleasure is, and I blush when I happily admit, a newly found guilty pleasure. I've already added several more of Hope Tarr's books to my to-be-read list. When the mood strikes, I can't wait to curl up with a chunk of chocolate, a warm blanket and surrender to the historical world the author paints. I quite enjoyed the dirty side of London. The characters are engaging and I fell head over heels for Lord Grenville. If you have a soft spot for 19th century rakes, you'll lust after him too. It was a fast paced read that had me flipping pages late into the night. I was having so much fun reading that I hated to put it down. It was entertaining, enjoyable, and delightfully romantic. Viscount Grenville is the ultimate historical bad boy of London and if I had a time machine I'd jump in it and likely throw myself on his doorstep. The love scenes were delicious and hung on the edge of erotic without spilling over into vulgarity. The language was romantic, seductive and sensual without being dirty. However, for the more prudish it might be too much and if you're longing for chaste traditional sexual restraint sometimes found in the historical genre, this is not your book. What I adored about Tarr's writing was that she mingles historical adventure and period setting with romantic sensuality. For me, this is a winning and entertaining combination. I felt very attached to Chelsea and Grenville and invested in their love story. I can't wait to read another!