A Rogue of One's Own (A League of Extraordinary Women) Paperback – September 1, 2020

**spoiler alert** Ok- so much to say. But first off: Lady Lucie is the leader of the Suffragist movement in Oxford and her entire life is dedicated to the Cause. She lives and breathes the Cause and would never abandon it for anything, or anyone. Lord Tristan Ballentine is a capital L Lothario. He is quite debauched and trying to let go the one woman he has loved for half of his life.They are forced together when they both buy 50% shares in women's magazine. For Lucie it's to publish a damning pamphlet and for Tristan it is to have a place to continuing publishing his poetry.This was such an interesting and new read for me I'm sitting in the literary afterglow. I went in not knowing a lot about the plot and I don't want to give too much away. However, if you're one to be open to the very serious- and sadly relevant- plight of women and the severely marginalized, then this is the book for you.**** SPOILERS FROM HERE***************There was a lot that struck me here.The good: Loved loved loved that Lord Ballentine was sexually fluid. It's something that is never seen in a book so popular and it's done so well. A lot of his openness comes from the shear fact that he is incredibly good looking and attracts everyone.I thought it was well placed and served the story well. By the end of the book he sees that there are a lot of social struggles in front of him that he ignores for himself. The fact that a man who only prefers men could never live openly and that a woman who can't control her life post-marriage could never fully become and stand for her Cause. He figures out that he is free in a way that a large majority of people aren't.At first I hard time with Lucie's complete obstinance with not marrying Tristan. Then that made me think, why am I having a hard time with this? What does that say about me?The setup and payoff of all HEA historical romances is marriage and babies. It's just become the norm and the longer I sat in it the more I realized that it's exactly the place we are now. Women have lost their rights and holding on to that last thin thread was the best Lucie could do to keep her Cause with her. It was refreshing to have a story where they get an HEA but it's completely on both their terms.I give this one 4.25 stars. I rounded her up cause I couldn't stomach the 4.The biggest issues I had were really just the flow and formatting. It's 50 pages too long and the story feels stretched for pages. Once they start having an affair the story gets cookin. Everything starts to speed up but we lose a little from the beginning- like all her friends and his poetry.The other issue was the setup and lack of payoff. There was some but it wasn't what I hoped. It was really sweet to find out that Tristan gave Lucie her cat but I wish we had got to explore a little more of Tristan's poetry and the fact that Lucie was his muse for his first published book. We got a couple lines but it would have been nice to sit in it a little longer and learn more of where his craft came from. He also showed some signs of forming verses again when he starts sleeping with Lucie but nothing comes from it.Cecily's story was lacking as well. She did a lot of really effed things throughout the book and blamed everyone else. I feel like the angry other woman trope is misused almost 100% of the time. This one had the potential for more. A lot of it wasn't Cecily's fault. She was obviously lied to and told the engagement was all but official. Her hopes were dashed and she reacted poorly. I just found it hard to understand her hatred for Lucie when she hadn't even seen her in 10 years and she was really young when Lucie left home.But truly- I loved this book. I can't wait to keep reading whatever Evie Dunmore puts out. She can only keep getting better from here and it's exciting to keep reading this voice.

The heroine, lady Lucie, is a suffragist, working for women's rights and helping women in trouble. She's alienated from her family not only because of her beliefs but because of her strong uncompromising personality. The hero is a rebel and poet, despised by his father, and a war hero, beloved by the masses because of his good looks and devil may care personality. The story gives a lot of historical facts about the women's rights movement in the Victorian era. The ending is a good compromise. I enjoyed this book, though not as much as the first one in the series, and I recommend it

Who says that historical romances can’t also be wonderful literature? The oft derided genre takes its knocks for being trope-filled, light weight chick lit. If you like the genre but hate the eye rolls of your friends for doing so, then call this book to their attention. Filled with social and political history of 1880s England with its rising suffragist movement, a burgeoning middle class, and the upper classes seeing their lessening stature heading toward them hard and fast, you have the absorbing story of two people who have for most of their lives, gone against the grain.In place of the detailed descriptions of ball gowns, glittering social events, and petty intrigues to marry well, you have the story of Lucie, a woman who has been cast out from her titled, affluent family when she persists in speaking out about the utter inequality between men and women in marriage relationships. The focus of this part of the suffragist movement is not on getting women the right to vote as much as it is about helping women retaining their legal personhood after marriage. Any one currently under the age of 40, would likely have a hard time comprehending the restrictions faced by women after their marriage that persisted up until the mid 1970s.What about our hero, Tristan, a titled gentlemen, described as physically beautiful, a war hero, a true rogue, and a poet sought out lustfully by both women and a few men? By this description, it would appear that these two with their divergent interests, wouldn’t have much in common and might be considered natural enemies when in fact, much of the structure of their formative years is very similar and both are misfits, actively chaffing against the norms and expectations of their gender and station in life.This intriguing pairing along with the depth of research into the social and political dynamics of this period made for great reading. The pacing is excellent and the plot twists and turns are as believable as they are heart wrenching. I believed Lucie’s sacrificial single mindedness to The Cause and Tristan’s dogged determination to be himself despite his father’s efforts to beat, bribe, and threaten him out if it. Most importantly of all, I believed their love story even as fraught as it was, as they each had so much to lose by loving one another. These two characters were so finely drawn that I became very invested in them both, which is unusual for me given much of the romance literature I’ve read lately. I was utterly absorbed.Be advised, the whimsical cover of this book gives no clue as to the darker elements found between its covers. I refer to to some significant emotional darkness, some uncomfortable truths about relationships, and the often soul-searing sacrifices that must be made to accomplish important goals. Lastly, kudos to the author for the somewhat unconventional HEA. Had it been anything other than what it was, the strength of this book’s incredible storytelling would have collapsed like a house of cards. This would make an excellent book club selection.

Lucie was interesting character but she often spoke cruelly to Tristan and even Anabelle. She has passion for her woman's rights but that makes her not attractive woman, human being to others. Her mother asked her once, why when there are many women activist she is the only one considered outcast and strange in the society. However, I liked Tristan a lot more than her but felt sorry for him for what he had to go through with her. Even the slap in the face. What about if he slap her I was wondering because I needed someone to slap her 😂 Her words were like blades. She wasn't too honest with him either with her feelings. She didn't become any softer until the end of my reading when she argued why she couldn't marry him.Well written but reminds me of many other romance where the female is portrayed as she has swallowed a stick and have a mouth "to dare", "bold" but sounds up tied, snobbish and half crazy, hurting people. I loved the first book of the series, the main characters and will try the next release from this author.

Even better than Bringing Down the Duke. This is a sweet and passionate story dealing with issues of 19th century Britain, featuring a suffragette and a libertine. Dunmore is a delight to read.

“But my heart, blackened as it is, is yours, until you stop desiring it. And it shall be yours even then.”A Rogue of Ones Own was a swoonworthy, tension filled, historical romance that captivated me since the very beginning. I absolutely fell in love with Lucie and Tristan, they were full of heart, full of soul. Lucie was an empowering suffragette who wanted a better world for us all. Tristan was a scoundrel with a heart of gold. The chemistry. The poetry. The banter. Boudicca. The mix between history, business and romance. I loved every aspect of this book. It’s definitely one of my new favorite historical romances, right next to Bringing Down the Duke. I can’t wait for Hattie’s story.Read if you like :Historical romance •Enemies to lovers•Witty banter •A League of Extraordinarily Women series •Poetry •Oscar Wilde •Cats •Fierce strong women during the suffrage era“Because when a woman happened to acquire a rogue of her own, she might as well make good use of him.”

This book pares my love of historical fiction with my love of suffragettes. Lucie is an excellent main character, clever and says and does the kind of things we wished we could. Tristan is just, hot, and human enough to make you absolutely unable to put this down to find out what happens next. Great story and what I absolutely loved is Lucie never had to compromise her rather reasonable ideals for the man. You ached for them to get together and when they did it was swoon-worthy. Bravo Evie Dunmore, please write more .... now?

When I finished Bringing Down the Duke I was reluctant to start the next book in the series, A Rogue of One’s Own, because I read reviews who were disappointed after reading it. This book really is different from the first one in the series, but it worked for me and I loved it in its own right. I don’t think we can honestly compare them, as they are so different.😊The beginning is a bit slow but I found that it made sense in the end, as we get insight into our main characters and it allowed to understand them better later on.Lucie was actually the kind of female character I expected to read about when I first started A League of Extraordinary Women, while I think that Annabelle’s story followed the typical historical romance scenario and roles the characters have in it, with a few twists that added to the originality and freshness. Compared to Annabelle who is the type of character who you feel and root for from the beginning, Lucie is flawed and, like in real life, it takes time and getting to know her for reader to warm up to her. Lucie says it the best herself in one of her conversations – her friend Annabelle possesses the rare combination of attributes that is not common in both men and women, and we cannot expect all women to possess it in order to deserve respect. I found that extraordinarily insightful because we often read about this young, beautiful, clever women who by possessing those attributes achieve their happy endings. But what about the less fortunate, who are not beautiful, young or clever enough, do they not deserve to be heard too, to be given voice and respect? I can’t express how much I loved that this book posed that question, and many others.The star of this book for me is definitely the heroine, but I like Tristan as well. I found his story a bit of a cliché, as this type of family drama is often used in HR, but it added nicely to his arc and I loved his devotion to Lucie and how he saw her for the great person she is from the beginning.This was well researched, emotional story that felt fresh and modern while respecting the time period.

This book was great. I read it all in one sitting, I couldn't put it down. Dunmore has a way of pulling at your emotions, in particular righteous anger, that makes the reading experience very immersive. The way she underlines the whole story with feminist undertones is masterful and I am quickly becoming an admirer of her work. Can't wait to read more of her books.