Erica brings us to the other side of town, where the real story happens. Gritty and dirty but just as much passion and love. Mina and Charlie grew up in rival gangs but also best friends. Two best friends who do not realize what they mean to each other until it is almost too late. As two rival gangs fight for what they think is theirs, Mina and Charlie must battle on their path to HEA.

I always enjoyed Erica's style to present interesting characters and her stories are never ever boring. They are a mix of adventure and romance. Something I absolutely like.

DNF at 54%

The premise had so much potential, however the story felt flat to me. There wasn't anything much going on with the plot. I was expecting something more exciting but instead I only get characters who made unwise decisions. I feel a bit disappointed.

Mina has a privileged upbringing because her brother Joaquin/Quinn is the leader of the Kings one of the three gangs operating in East London. She had been sheltered from the nastier parts of her brother’s business. Then Mina feels the bars she lives behind are their own cage to a young woman at nineteen. One time a week for the last four years Mina has been allowed to spend a couple of hours on a Friday night at The Three Boars Pub. Charlie is her childhood friend and works at the pub as a bartender. One of her brother’s main rivals the Chapman Street Gang meet a at the Three Boars Pub but Mina is tolerated. Beside that the gang felt she is just a woman and didn’t have to worry herself about men’s business. Mina and Charlie had been told they will never be together in this life.Mina and Charlie care for each other. Their families will kill to keep them apart. Mina had been kept in ignorance of the violence and somewhat ignorant of the violence and somewhat ignorant of what her brothers do.
This was a great book and I thoroughly enjoyed this story. This had a great plot and i loved the pace. This was a novella that had a lot in it. There is a lot of action and suspense. What happened to Jane and Cyrus that they are no longer engaged ? One of the few questions I had. I loved that this involved everyday people even if it has gangs involved. I really haven’t read a story like this. This seemed realistic to me. This kept my attention from beginning to end. This also choked me up at times. I loved it. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this story and I highly recommend.

Wow,totally different from the usual Dukes and Ladys historical but I loved it. Wonderful characters in a very gritty and realiistic setting.

I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley.

Oh god, not my thing at all. Thanks to the Publisher for the review copy, though.

One of the things that long-time readers of historical romance frequently discuss is the fact that the genre is awash in heroes and heroines from the aristocracy and that we’d really like to see more historicals featuring lower and middle class characters. I think anyone who has been around romancelandia for any length of time will be able to hazard a guess as to the reason for all-the-noblemen-all-the-time; in a nutshell – dukes sell and publishers are reluctant to take a chance on books that don’t feature at least one noble protagonist. Fortunately for those of us who like to take a break from the toffs, there are some writers who frequently write stories featuring “ordinary” men and women. Carla Kelly and Marguerite Kaye are two notable examples, and another such is Erica Monroe, whose Rookery Rogues books feature characters from the opposite end of the social scale.

Although Stealing the Rogue’s Heart is book four in the Rookery Rogues series, it can easily be read as a standalone. The couple whose story was told in book one, A Dangerous Invitation, make cameo appearances, but anyone new to the series could easily start here and not feel lost; in fact, I got the impression that Ms. Monroe has used the novella to introduce a new set of potential heroes and heroines as well as to tell the story of the romance between the sister of one of London’s most feared crime-lords and her childhood friend – who is, unfortunately, a member of a rival gang. (That isn’t a complaint, because now I know I’ve got more to look forward to in this well-written and unusual series.)

Mina Mason has had a privileged upbringing owing to the fact that her oldest brother, Joaquin (Quinn) is the leader of the Kings, one of the three gangs operating in East London. Her life has been a sheltered one; as the only female in the family, she has been sheltered from the nastier parts of her brother’s business, but, now aged nineteen, she is beginning to see that while the bars she lives behind might be gilded, she’s nonetheless living in a cage.

Once a week for the past four years, she has been allowed to spend a few of hours of a Friday evening at The Three Boars pub, where her childhood friend, Charlie Thatcher works as a barman. The Boars is considered to be the meeting house of the Chapman Street Gang, one of her brother’s main rivals, but Mina’s presence is tolerated; after all, she’s only a woman and doesn’t need to bother her pretty little head with men’s business. The attraction of the place for her is twofold; for one thing, Mina can just be herself, a woman with her own life rather than a princess locked in an ivory tower. And for another, she comes to see Charlie, the gangly boy grown into a handsome young man for whom she feels much more than mere friendship.

Charlie grew up in the Rookeries, and was just seven years old when he first met Mina Mason. He had been badly beaten by a mark for trying to steal from him and, battered and bloody, ended up on the steps of the King of Spades gambling hell where Mina saw him and sneaked out with some bread and cheese. She’d tended his wounds and made him laugh – and the two have been firm friends ever since. Not long after this, Charlie was saved from another vicious beating by members of the Chapman Street gang and inducted into their number – and Chapman’s is one of King’s main rivals. While Charlie and Mina haven’t exactly had to keep their friendship a secret, it’s not something they advertise, and, with Mina’s brother arranging to betroth her to a man old enough to be her father for the connections he can bring to the gang, it looks as though they will soon be parted forever.

One particular Friday night, however, things go badly awry when Mina is accosted by a drunken member of Chapman’s. Her bodyguard is preoccupied with one of the tavern wenches, and so it’s Charlie who comes to her aid, landing several punches before other members of the gang get involved and the whole thing turns into a full-scale brawl. Mina’s friend, Jane (who was formerly engaged to Mina’s other brother, Cyrus) helps to get her to safety, but that one unfortunate incident is set to destroy the already fragile truce that exists between the two gangs. And on a personal level, things aren’t looking good for Charlie, whose loyalties are now called into question because he stood up for a Mason against one of his own.

It’s a familiar set up that goes farther back than Romeo and Juliet and comes bang up to date in the current trend for contemporary “mafia/gang-culture” romances. The loyalties are fierce, the violence is not sugar-coated and Ms. Monroe’s descriptive prose really puts the reader slap-bang in the middle of the muddy streets and dank alleyways of the East End of London or sits them at the bar in the crowded, smoke-filled, gin-scented pub.

She packs a lot into this novella, but I never felt as though she’d tried to do too much. There’s plenty of action and suspense in the story, but at its heart is the relationship between Charlie and Mina, two people who have always been there for each other and who know they’re meant to be together. They’re engaging, likeable characters, although there are a couple of times when Mina comes across as desperately – and perhaps implausibly – naïve, and Charlie seems to underestimate the depth of the shitpile he’s fallen into, which doesn’t ring quite true for a chap who, let’s face it, commits crimes for a living. But overall, the characterisation is solid, the story is well-paced and the depth of feeling between Mina and Charlie is convincingly and vividly depicted.

If you haven’t read anything by Erica Monroe before and are feeling just a little bit tired of titled heroes, then Stealing the Rogue’s Heart would be the perfect introduction to the seamier, darker side of pre-Victorian London and this author’s world of ordinary men and women doing what they must to keep body and soul together. The earlier books in the series are also well worth reading, and I’m already looking forward to the next, which is due for release in the Summer.

It’s a dangerous world we step into. Gang against gang, whim against whim, the power struggle of those with little power. Rarely is good able to surface above the dirt and muck of the city slum streets where people etch out an existence, many die from each other’s blade.

The Kings and the Chapmans were rival gangs in the past, but a truce of sorts had been lasting for some time now. Tension had slightly loosened, hence we find Mina Mason, the sister of the Kings’ crime lord at her usual place on Friday night, the Three Boars public house, in Chapman gang territory. She is kept far from violence and ignorant to some degree about what her brothers do. She is well-educated, with a kind demeanor and doesn’t fit within the rookery, although she has made friends with some of the woman who work in the public house. The public house is the place she can see Charlie Chapman, a bartender and her childhood friend. They are from rival gangs, neither wants to deny the attraction, admiration and friendship which exists between them. The hope of ever being more than that just can’t be.

Unfortunately, in such environments, the slimy, uncouth drunken men thrive and prey upon the weaker, those who can’t protect themselves. Violence breaks out, Charlie steps in, and the story takes off. Will Charlie survive his own gang’s punishment for hurting another gang member, just to protect an outsider? Will Mina ever be able to see Charlie again? Has she the backbone to defy her brothers, to take what she wants?

Monroe’s usage of gang and slum terminology, and the gripping and realistic brutal violence in the rookery makes this a most powerful read. Her protagonists are fighters, fighting for the life they want. Secondary characters are well-defined, giving us a glimpse of what will come in the next sequence of this series.

And with that, author Erica Monroe supplies a glossary right at the front of the book, not lost in the back. The reader can browse the list even before reading, helping to clarify terms not in use today. Some of them I already knew from other reads, but who would have thought a ‘loblolley boy’ is a surgeon?

A definitely different twist on a historical romance. It was difficult at first for me, for it was not a "norm" when it comes to historical romances. I had to set aside my expectations and lose myself in a world of crime and gangs as well as romance. It was like reading west side story but in a historical time line. While I cannot say it is my favorite romance, it was a chillingly real and emotionally tearing read. One that is written well and the characters are the normal people of life. I would of wished for a little more strength in some of them but in life we are the same way. The author is very talented in her writing even if a little too life like for me. It is a book that you must have time to sit and enjoy for it is one that makes you think and feel.
I was given this book in return for an honest review.
Anna Swedenmom

This was a sweet romance about best friends becoming lovers. I really enjoy semi-short stories like this. There's just enough details to let you get to know the characters and the story doesn't get weighed down with unnecessary information. Charlie and Mina's story gets right into the action and it doesn't take long for them to confess their love for each other. What I loved most about their story was that we got to see a different side of London. Most historical romances set in London have to do with "the ton" but this dealt with the darker, dangerous side of the town. The characters felt real and the author really gave me a sense of the hardships that people faced during that time who lived in poverty. I really thought Mina was a strong female who admirably went a got what she wanted. Charlie was the perfect protector but not too over bearing and ridiculous. Overall a really great story from beginning to end.

A cute story about the working class in London. It's a pleasant change from all the prim and proper historical romance reads of late. The author puts together a plot of forbidden love between a crime lord's sister and a young man she befriends from a rival gang.

There are parts of this story that will warm the readers heart in regards to Mina's friendship with Charlie and how these two very different people meet and continue to be friends. With a wide variety of secondary characters several ones stand out with Cyrus, Mina's brother most prominent followed by Jane a close friend of Charlie's.

Though there wasn't a time that the story wasn't forward moving there were parts that I felt could have been written with more finesse thus making it more believable. Overall I liked the story and I would read more books by this author.

I give this 3-1/2 STARS for the certain parts of the story that could have been enhanced.

One of the things that long-time readers of historical romance frequently discuss is the fact that the genre is awash in heroes and heroines from the aristocracy and that we’d really like to see more historicals featuring lower and middle class characters. I think anyone who has been around romancelandia for any length of time will be able to hazard a guess as to the reason for all-the-noblemen-all-the-time; in a nutshell – dukes sell and publishers are reluctant to take a chance on books that don’t feature at least one noble protagonist. Fortunately for those of us who like to take a break from the toffs, there are some writers who frequently write stories featuring “ordinary” men and women. Carla Kelly and Marguerite Kaye are two notable examples, and another such is Erica Monroe, whose Rookery Rogues books feature characters from the opposite end of the social scale.

Although Stealing the Rogue’s Heart is book four in the Rookery Rogues series, it can easily be read as a standalone. The couple whose story was told in book one, A Dangerous Invitation, make cameo appearances, but anyone new to the series could easily start here and not feel lost; in fact, I got the impression that Ms. Monroe has used the novella to introduce a new set of potential heroes and heroines as well as to tell the story of the romance between the sister of one of London’s most feared crime-lords and her childhood friend – who is, unfortunately, a member of a rival gang. (That isn’t a complaint, because now I know I’ve got more to look forward to in this well-written and unusual series.)

Mina Mason has had a privileged upbringing owing to the fact that her oldest brother, Joaquin (Quinn) is the leader of the Kings, one of the three gangs operating in East London. Her life has been a sheltered one; as the only female in the family, she has been sheltered from the nastier parts of her brother’s business, but, now aged nineteen, she is beginning to see that while the bars she lives behind might be gilded, she’s nonetheless living in a cage.

Once a week for the past four years, she has been allowed to spend a few of hours of a Friday evening at The Three Boars pub, where her childhood friend, Charlie Thatcher works as a barman. The Boars is considered to be the meeting house of the Chapman Street Gang, one of her brother’s main rivals, but Mina’s presence is tolerated; after all, she’s only a woman and doesn’t need to bother her pretty little head with men’s business. The attraction of the place for her is twofold; for one thing, Mina can just be herself, a woman with her own life rather than a princess locked in an ivory tower. And for another, she comes to see Charlie, the gangly boy grown into a handsome young man for whom she feels much more than mere friendship.

Charlie grew up in the Rookeries, and was just seven years old when he first met Mina Mason. He had been badly beaten by a mark for trying to steal from him and, battered and bloody, ended up on the steps of the King of Spades gambling hell where Mina saw him and sneaked out with some bread and cheese. She’d tended his wounds and made him laugh – and the two have been firm friends ever since. Not long after this, Charlie was saved from another vicious beating by members of the Chapman Street gang and inducted into their number – and Chapman’s is one of King’s main rivals. While Charlie and Mina haven’t exactly had to keep their friendship a secret, it’s not something they advertise, and, with Mina’s brother arranging to betroth her to a man old enough to be her father for the connections he can bring to the gang, it looks as though they will soon be parted forever.

One particular Friday night, however, things go badly awry when Mina is accosted by a drunken member of Chapman’s. Her bodyguard is preoccupied with one of the tavern wenches, and so it’s Charlie who comes to her aid, landing several punches before other members of the gang get involved and the whole thing turns into a full-scale brawl. Mina’s friend, Jane (who was formerly engaged to Mina’s other brother, Cyrus) helps to get her to safety, but that one unfortunate incident is set to destroy the already fragile truce that exists between the two gangs. And on a personal level, things aren’t looking good for Charlie, whose loyalties are now called into question because he stood up for a Mason against one of his own.

It’s a familiar set up that goes farther back than Romeo and Juliet and comes bang up to date in the current trend for contemporary “mafia/gang-culture” romances. The loyalties are fierce, the violence is not sugar-coated and Ms. Monroe’s descriptive prose really puts the reader slap-bang in the middle of the muddy streets and dank alleyways of the East End of London or sits them at the bar in the crowded, smoke-filled, gin-scented pub.

She packs a lot into this novella, but I never felt as though she’d tried to do too much. There’s plenty of action and suspense in the story, but at its heart is the relationship between Charlie and Mina, two people who have always been there for each other and who know they’re meant to be together. They’re engaging, likeable characters, although there are a couple of times when Mina comes across as desperately – and perhaps implausibly – naïve, and Charlie seems to underestimate the depth of the shitpile he’s fallen into, which doesn’t ring quite true for a chap who, let’s face it, commits crimes for a living. But overall, the characterisation is solid, the story is well-paced and the depth of feeling between Mina and Charlie is convincingly and vividly depicted.

If you haven’t read anything by Erica Monroe before and are feeling just a little bit tired of titled heroes, then Stealing the Rogue’s Heart would be the perfect introduction to the seamier, darker side of pre-Victorian London and this author’s world of ordinary men and women doing what they must to keep body and soul together. The earlier books in the series are also well worth reading, and I’m already looking forward to the next, which is due for release in the Summer.

Stealing the Rogue's Heart by Erica Monroe is the fourth book in the series “The Rookery Rogues”. It follows the lives of Mina Mason, the younger sister of Joaquin and Cyrus. Her eldest brother, Joaquin, runs the street gang Lord the Kings. However, her best friend Charlie Thatcher, belongs to the rival gang, the Chapman Street Thieves. Many years ago, the Mason family saved Charlie from the London Rookeries and certain death. She and Charlie have always managed to see each other but as time has gone on, both have developed feelings for the other.
It is during one of Mina’s visits to Charlie, where he works as a bartender, that their problems begin. Charlie finds himself defending Mina but at the expense of a gang war. What follows, is whether there will be a possibility for their romance to survive.
This book gave a clear portrayal of life in the gangs. Monroe makes the tension obvious clear from page one and with it, the story moves at lightning speed. I was definitely holding my breath, hoping that all their problems would be resolved by the end. Well done!
I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

This is book number four in the Rookery Rogues series. In the midst of rivalries in between the gangs in rookeries, love blossoms in between Mina Mason and Charlie Thatcher. These two childhood friends have to decide whether their loyalties lie with each other or their own rival gangs as their lives are put at risk. Fast paced story with strong and well written characters, this one is not to be missed. Even though, this book is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone.

* I received this ARC from netgalley and the publisher for an honest review*

Mina Mason has led a sheltered life as the youngest sister to the notorious street gang crime Lord, the Kings. Mini and Charlie Thatcher are childhood friends, but Charlie is a member of the Mason family's street gang rival, the Chapman Street Thieves. Charlie is a bartender for the Three Boars public house, he deals in information and secrets. Mina has always felt safe going to the Three Boars with both sides sharing a truce, a precarious peace and after all Charlie is there to protect her and her brother always sends along a guard to see to her safety. Charlie has captured her heart, she’s loves him and she would never do anything to put him in danger. One night Mini finds herself being accosted by a member of his gang and Charlie ends up fighting a member of his gang, to protect her and her honor, which, causes Charlie a lot of trouble. Her brother wants to marry her off to a wealth old man and Charlie is warned to stay away from her or else there will be unwanted consequences from the gang. This is a story of how two people fight for their love at all costs no matter your station in life. One a sister of a street gang leader and the other a bartended/ muscle for a rival street gang.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

Mina Mason has led a sheltered life as the sister to the most notorious crime lord, Joaquin Mason in England. Her family's wealth and expectations keep her in a gilded cage, never able to act on her true desires. However she does escape at times & goes to see Charlie Thatcher, her childhood best friend & bartender at the Three Boars. Charlie is definitely off-limits as he’s a member of the rival Chapman gang.
However one night things get completely out of hand when someone tries to molest Mina, Charlie springs to her defence & is then thought of as a traitor.
A well written page turning novels that leads you through a gamut of emotions. The characters are all well portrayed & it gives an insight into the seamier side of life in the early nineteenth century, no foppish aristocrats or society balls but the mean streets of London’s East End & its rookeries. Whilst this is the fourth in the series it could be read-alone but it was good to catch up with characters from previous books.

Stealing the Rogue’s Heart by Erica Monroe
The Rookery Rogues Series #4

Quick easy read of a romance set in the rookeries of England in 1833. Mina is the wealthy sister of two brothers running one of three gangs in the city. At 19 Mina seems naïve with little knowledge of where the family money is coming from. When her older brother decides to marry her to someone old that will further their business she makes the decision to nix that idea, convince the man she loves in a rival gang to marry her and take her away. The storyline is predictable and the story short with a HEA to look forward to at the end. I am curious about Mina’s brother Cyrus and do hope he and Jane get together just as Mina and Charlie did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quillfire Publishing for the ARC. This is my honest review.

3 Stars

Stealing the Rogue's Heart (The Rookery Rogues #4) by Erica Monroe is one of those WOW, Pre-Victorian Historical Romance, set against the backdrop of London's working class. While, Book 4 of 4 in the famous "The Rookery Rogues" series, it can be read as a stand alone, with re-appearances from characters in the previous books.

This story captured my heart, in the first chapter and I held on tight throughout, as I read Mina and Charlie's story. Mina Mason, has led a sheltered life as the youngest sister to the notorious street gang crime Lord, the Kings but she has been friends with Charlie Thatcher for years. Charlie is a member of the Mason family's street gang rival, the Chapman Street Thieves. They saved Charlie from certain death on the streets of the Radcliffe Rookery. Still, Charlie captured her heart, he's the only person in her life who doesn't make her feel like she's in a gilded cage.

Charlie works as a bartender, at the Three Boars Public house, which is in Chapman terriory, there he protects Mina and she has always known he would keep her safe. Then one night Mina gets herself in trouble and Charlie, keeping her safe, fights a member of his gang, to protect her and her honor, which, causes Charlie much trouble.
Can a childhood friendship actual cause a gang war? Will Mina and Charlie find the help they desperately need before it's too late from her two brothers? Or will all be lost, including their lives, to jealousy and hate? You will found the answers within "Stealing the Rogue's Heart" both surprising and redemptive.


What a dark, sexy, romantic suspense with plenty of secrets, twists and turns plus gritty, edgy, romance!! What a heart pounding but heart warming story!! I have loved this series from the start, however, I believe Mina and Charlie's story is my favorite, thus far. A not to miss Pre-Victorian Romance! Hold on to your seats, dear readers, as you're sweep away in "Stealing the Rogue's Heart"! Well done, Ms. Monroe! I can't wait to read Cyrus and Jane's story!

Rating: 4.5
Heat rating: Mild
Reviewed by: AprilR

A pleasant, quick read with lots of action! All the feels of Romeo and Juliet without the death, which is good, because I always thought Shakespeare really messed up the ending.

Mina Mason is the younger sister of Joaquin Mason, the leader of the Mason gang and the enemy of the rival Chapman gang. Charlie Thatcher is the adopted son of the leader of the Chapman gang, though his future there becomes rocky when his love for Mina is brought into the light. After a bloody brawl which leaves his loyalties in question and Mina's hand in marriage firmly in the grasp of a lecherous associate of her brother's, their future seems rocky at best. But love is worth fighting for, and they won't rest until they are together again.

Mina and Charlie are one of those couples where it's really easy to want to kiss them and slap them all at the same time. I loved their chemistry, Mina's stubbornness, and Charlie's protective instincts. However, I also felt both were extremely naive given their circumstances. Mina has grown up in a crime family, but at one point in the book, she is shocked to discover that everything she owns is paid for by money made illegally. Charlie is a bit more logical, but he also seems to underestimate the situation he finds himself in. While Mina has some excuse, I expected a bit better from a man who actually commits crimes for a living.

I loved the story and am eager to read more in this series! It was an exciting book, perfect if you have a day to yourself to immerse yourself in a story.

2.5 stars

This is the fourth in the series. I have not read any other books in this series but I found it was somewhat easy to read as a standalone. It was just a mediocre book. Lack of connection to the characters made me really not caring what happened. But mostly, it wasn't any part of the hero or heroine actually doing anything that lead to the ending. Mostly half decisions and other people helping that moved the story to a conclusion. Seriously, Charlie and Mina are clueless people who couldn't stand on two feet without the abundance of help from outside parties.