A Good Rogue Is Hard To Find by Kelly Bowen (Lords of Worth #2) - Review

William Somerhall, the Duke of Worth, needs to have an important conversation with his mother Eleanor, the Duchess of Worth. She is known to be rather eccentric but, he feels that she has gone too far.  Will arrives at the Dowager Duchess's home and finds it in complete disarray. Will sees his mother's  guests are departing a dinner party in a hurry, he stumbles on broken pieces of glass and porcelain in the entry way and there are chicken feathers everywhere! What is going on?

Kelly Bowen presents a new twist in the Robin Hood trope in A Good Rogue Is Hard a To Find. I adored this book because it's a different take on the popular Duke -themed historicals. The author effortlessly mixes great characters and settings, fabulous banter  and serious social undertones in her storyline. 

"Let me make myself clear.", Jenna stopped, forcing the Duke to stop with her.

"First of all,  you kissed me. Second, I kissed you back despite the fact that you are a Duke. 

This crusade as you like to call it, is the direct result of dukes. thoughtless ones. And uncaring earls. Selfish marquesses and inconsiderate viscounts." Her eyes grew serious. "So no, Will, I don't want you to further anything. I don't want you to interfere. I want you to stay out of my way."

Eleanor, the Dowager Duchess of Worth is an pivotal character in Ms. Bowen's first novel I've Got  My Duke  to Keep Me Warm. Eleanor and her companion Jenna Hughes make quite a team and I was thrilled to have them featured in book two of the series! Neither character is what they appear to be at first glance. The author adds details and provides insight into these multi-faced characters as the story progresses. I loved the laugh-out loud dialogue between the Duchess, Jenna and Will  when Will begins to ask questions about his mother's activities. The dialogue is cleverly written and adds so much to the storyline and confuses Will just enough!

After Will accompanies Jenna to the Seven Dials section of London on a mission of mercy, he begins to understand why his mother and Jenna are involved in their crusade to help the poor. The novel touches on the social hierarchy of the times by illustrating how the rich focused on their social status , their beautiful custom made clothing and their appearance versus paying their bills. The trip to London is a turning point for Will. He is falling in love with Jenna. Will needs to decide if he can trust his mother and Jenna. Can Will see the  social injustices the average person faces and will he choose to make  a difference in society? I adored this character and loved his exasperated interactions with his mother, her loyal staff and Jenna. 

The conclusion of A Good Rogue Is Hard To Find is the perfect blend of suspense and intrigue which kept me guessing until the last page. The plot is very original and well researched and reminded me of the Paul Newman and Robert Redford movie The Sting. Each of the main and secondary characters contributed to the story as Eleanor and Jenna's scheme begins to unfold. I was so invested in the storyline that I stayed up late to finish the book. Loved, loved the ending!


Looking forward to the third book in Kelly Bowan's series You're The Earl That I Want which will be available in August, 2015.

Reviewed By Susan Gorman

Book Provided by Fresh Fiction.

This review was published on June 19, 2015 on FreshFiction.com.

Photo by Carla Hellander

Review of I've Got My Duke To Keep Me Warm -- Kelly Bowen

"I have to assume , Gisele, that what you did--what you do--is to atone for something in your past. Something terrible. What did you do in London, Gisele?"
"I got married." she said savagely, suddenly furious he had forced her into this before she was ready.
A charged silence filled the space between them.
Jamie sat back down with a thump. "You're married?" It came out as an accusation.
"Not anymore."
'You're a widow?" His tone softened slightly.
'No. I'm..."  She trailed off, searching for the right words.
'Divorced?" he was incredulous now.
"No."
"Then what?" He demanded. "What the hell are you?"

 Gisele looked directly into his eyes." Dead," she whispered. "I'm dead." 

I've Got My Duke To Keep Me Warm is the first book in author Kelly Bowen's Lords of Worth series. The book is a fast -paced historical filled with suspense and intrigue. The 400-page novel held my interest and kept me on the edge of my chair as the story unfolded. 

Ms. Bowen has created many memorable characters in this novel. The characters of Gisele and Jamie are multi-faceted and their stories touched my heart. The secondary characters are well-developed and play important roles in the story. Gisele's friend Sebastian, who was her husbands servant, plays a pivotal role in the story. He is Gisele's confidante, Jamie's valet and is instrumental in the storyline's resolution. Eleanor, the Duchess of Worth is a wonderful character. She adds a lot of humor with her love of poultry  and her conversations with her son. She may appear to be an aging Duchess but in truth she plays an important role in Gisele's life. The author has also created a truely evil villain, Adam Levire, the Marquess of Valence. His menacing presence is felt throughout the entire novel. 

The storyline touches upon both main character's demons, domestic abuse and the after effects of wartime battle, in a credible manner. 

Four years ago, Gisele had faked her death in a boat explosion which was witnessed by hundreds of people to escape her husband's physical abuse. Gisele has learned that her husband is going to re-marry and does not want his new wife to suffer as she did. Gisele and her friend Sebastian hire former soldier, Jamie Montcrief to assist them in their plan to interrupt the Marquess' marriage. The tension increases as the three characters travel towards London. Will someone recognize them at a local tavern? On the road? On the streets of London?

There were several interesting subplots which added to the storyline. Jamie is befriended by both the Duchess of Worth's son and the future Marchioness of Valence's brother. Both of these characters were well written and added depth and credibility to the story.  I enjoyed the level of suspense in the novel. Throughout the story, I kept wondering if Gisele and Jamie would be caught--would they be discovered? Could they pull off such a dangerous plan and expose Valence before he harms anyone else? I enjoyed this engaging, suspenseful novel and found the ending very rewarding.

Congratulations to Kelly Bowen for an excellent debut novel! Am looking forward to A Good Rogue is Hard to Find which is the next book in the the Lords of Worth series!

Reviewed by Susan Gorman *******************************************************************

Susan Gorman's review of I've Got My Duke To Keep Me Warm was published on Freshfiction.com on Sunday, January 4, 2015. Please click here to read the review.