Beauregard "Beau" Courtland has no use for the whims of society and even less for aristocratic titles. As a younger son, he travels the world in search of adventure with no plans to settle down. Even when the title of Viscount Rainsleigh is suddenly forced upon him, he will not bend to duty or decorum. Not until an alluring young woman appears on the deck of his houseboat, determined to teach him propriety in all things and tempting him with every forbidden touch...
Lady Emmaline Crumbley has had a wretched year. Her elderly husband dropped dead without naming her in his will and she's been relegated to the life of a dowager duchess at the age of 23. She has no wish to instruct a renegade viscount in respectability, but desperate to escape her greedy stepson, Beau's family makes her an offer she cannot refuse: teach the new lord to behave like a gentleman, and they'll help her earn the new, self-sufficient life of her dreams. Emmaline agrees, only to discover that instructing the viscount is one thing, but resisting him is quite another. How can she teach manners to the rakish nobleman if he is determined to show her the thrill of scandal instead?
Even though One for the Rogue is the third book in the series and the first I read by the author, it can easily be read as a standalone.
The first half was great with Beau trying to figure how to get away and run from his issues, Emma going after him, and of course, the slow burning romance. But after 50% I found myself skimming pages, as some of the dialogue was repetitive, but I was still invested. By last 20% of the book I lost interest, mainly toward the hero, and I kept thinking that this part of the plot was problematic.
What also bothered me was how the legitimacy/heir law that affected the hero was totally wrong in this novel. If you have been reading historical romance for some time you might also think it strange.
This slow-paced romance had good characters and a lot of potential. I also believe that if this book had been a little shorter I would have liked it better.
I voluntarily reviewed an eARC.
