Romancing the Rogue is a lighthearted and fun historical fiction romance set in Cornwall during the 19th century.

Rebecca has been living in her uncle's castle in Cornwall since losing her parents. Most of the residents forget that she is there for most of the time. She does certain tasks whilst she remains completely unseen and the castle is rumoured to be haunted! She is a bright woman who is content with her independence.

Daniel is a Viscount who lives in London where he tends to his business and is also a member of the House of Lords. He is seen as an eligible batchelor and the press portrays him as a rake, ignoring his more noble endeavours.

When Rebecca's uncle passes away, another uncle inherits the castle and since he has to take his own daughters' welfare into account, he gives Rebecca an ultimatum. Find a suitable husband or he'll choose one for her. She has all of three months to meet this agreement or become homeless. It just so happens that Daniel has been summoned to attend the reading of the will.

Daniel and Rebecca used to be friends until she was shunned by him and his overbearing grandmother because of her status in society. They haven't seen each other for seven years but as soon as he receives the summons, he is only too keen to see Rebecca again and apologise for his past behaviour. She on the other hand, intends to ask for his help in finding a suitor. She doesn't have any practice in flirting whereas he has plenty! She also wants to keep at safe distance from him to avoid history repeating itself. Upon seeing her, he has other things in mind. They have both missed each other but their situation is still the same. Can Daniel come up to a strategy to convince her that he is the one, despite the odds being against them?

This novel is very well put together with a good storyline and lovable characters. The interactions between Daniel and Rebecca are quite witty despite their reservations. Their past history makes the romance plausible. Overall, it's an entertaining read.

I was kindly issued with an eARC from the author via NetGalley and the views expressed are my personal opinion.

No interest in this author's work.

a quick, amusing at times, good read.

I do really enjoy Erica Ridley, always worth the read. However, it does disappoint me that the books are so short. They are generally under 100 pages, all her stories could be full length novels.

3.5/5. I like the start and the idea of the heroine, Rebecca Bond, being the forgotten resident in a gothic castle with mysterious going-ons, such that her flitting in and out of rooms like an invisible presence hardly raises an eye-brow. The heroine is feisty, self-reliant and whip smart. The hero, her childhood friend and crush, Daniel aka Viscount North-Barrows, came back into her life after 5 years of absence. He has lots of regrets for the poor way he treated her the last few times they encountered one another.

As with many novellas, this book is light on details at times and there are plot inconsistencies such as Rebecca requesting him to teach her how to flirt, then proceeds to deliberately flutter her eyelashes at him in their next exchange. In fact, he never did teach her how to flirt and she certainly displayed far more confidence and self-assurance than Daniel, who came across as an acrophobic, bumbling, blushing boy, who never did grow out of his youthful insecurities. He scores a point or two however for not being embarrassed to acknowledge her superiority to him in so many ways:

He gave her a crooked smile. "Too bad you can't become a viscount and join me."
She smiled back. "I'd rather be a duke so I could outrank you."
"You already outrank me," he said quietly. " You always have"

Most of all, he kissed her for her. For always being true to herself. For being the smartest person he knew. The bravest. The strongest. Whenever he asked himself what kind of man he wanted to be, the answer wasn't to become his grandmother's puppet, or to mold himself after some duke or legislator. He wanted to be good enough for Rebecca.

A woman like Rebecca wasn't waiting for a white knight to rescue her. She was too strong for that. She'd done all the rescuing herself.

Lonely and forgotten, Miss Rebecca Bond's whole life has been on hold after a family tragedy left her in the home of an elderly relative. When he passes away, the new Lord of the castle intends to turn her out on her own, unless she can find herself a husband before she causes the Lord any further inconvenience.

Lord North-Barrows was once Rebecca's close childhood friend, but after several humiliations and hurts, they haven't seen each other in years. Now a notorious rogue, he seems to be the perfect person to teach Rebecca the art of coquetry. But as we all well know, a rogue is rarely just a rogue, and the romance unfolds.

While there were a few conversations which made me cringe and/or seemed a little anachronistic, overall I really enjoyed this story. I loved the town and the castle, I always appreciate when an author builds a world for their story. I do feel that there was enough back story and premise here to really flesh out the book a lot more. It would have been a deliciously slow burn. Instead, the pacing is just too fast and the outcome is inevitable.

This is a great, fast read. I just wish it had been given the space to breathe and shine.

I love all of Erica Ridley’s novels and this is no exception. The idea that Rebecca Bond has been living in a castle, known as Castle Keyvnor, and the servants believing her to be a ghost, was a great start to the novel. When her parents died, Rebecca went to live with her uncle, the Earl of Banfield, only to be forgotten by him. This was further compounded by her humiliation at the hands of Daniel Goodenham, Lord North Barrows, who she believed to be her friend. However, when the Earl died, his heir insisted that Rebecca was to marry immediately, or be left homeless. As a result, Rebecca turns to Daniel, who attends the hearing of the will. Daniel is also remorseful for not having treated Rebecca properly and agrees to help her find a match.
Ridley manages to weave this friendship and obvious attraction between Daniel and Rebecca. I was cheering in the background for this to work. The setting to this story gives it a gothic feel and I think everyone will find themselves absorbed in this story immediately.
I received a free copy of this novel from the author via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A very enjoyable historical romance! The author takes an often used plot in this genre and manages to make it feel fresh and not tired.

The book started out extremly promising! I enjoyed it as a quick read, but I just feel it lacks romance! Even the author didnt want it to feel like it was lust there could gave been something more. It looks like puppy love, but with older people. Then BAM you get hit with the epilogue! It starts out soo well! You think it will be exciting. Also theres no back story a castle and ghosts, but something more! As the reader i was waiting for that. At the end it left me disappointed.

I just finished a delightful novella, Romancing The Rogue, by Erica Ridley.

The plot revolves around a long past friendship, between Miss Rebecca Bond and Daniel Goodenham. Prior to Daniel inheriting and becoming Lord North Barrows, the two were inseparable. However, at the tender age of 17, Daniel makes some critical mistakes losing Rebecca's friendship.

This story is about how the two learn to trust each other again and realize what is really important in life.
Even though this is a short read, I felt completely involved with Rebecca and Daniel and thoroughly enjoyed their path to HEA.

This is just a fun, sweet read. You have to love a heroine who is so good at keeping to herself that people who live with her think she is a ghost -- they just take the notes she leaves on the account books and fix the problems she has found. Rebecca Bond is a survivor, and when the new earl tells her she must marry -- or else, she turns to an old friend. Trouble is, he is the man she loves and has loved for much of her life. This hero is a bit of a dud. He was first unkind, then snubbed Rebecca during her come out season and then left her back in Cornwall, not even sending a note. Yet Daniel Goodenham, Lord North-Barrows, at least feels ashamed, and when Rebecca asks him to help her find a husband, he tries to be a good friend. He can do no more, even though he loves her, too. After all, his grandmother would not approve of the match and this guy is not exactly bursting with courage.
Eventually, though, he works through his spinelessness and all is resolved. Beyond the sweet story and the great heroine, this piece reminds once again how few choices women had in the Regency. Imagine always depending on the kindness of family -- who aren't always very nice.
(I will add links when it goes live on Amazon.) Opinions are my own, and I thank NetGalley for this advance copy.

This book is short and quick to read. The length means that there is no great depth to the storyline, but nonetheless, as with all of Erica Ridley's books was entertaining and should appeal to fans of this genre.

This is really more of a novella, a quick, easy read. It's got a kind, noble h and a handsome roguish H. He is a little less likeable than she, but a good couple nonetheless. They are friends from childhood with dissimilar backgrounds, but love one another despite the ill fated future. Both avoid an actual relationship. There is a HEA, fortunately, with some sweet sadness. Then joy. No real passion just a sweet story for a rainy afternoon!

I read this book in almost one sitting. The main characters, Daniel and Rebecca, were childhood friends until he treated her terribly and broke her heart. There was not nearly enough backstory about these two, explaining the depth of the friendship. Rather, we were just told about it.

The story was stuck in a loop, repeating over and over, how they liked each other but could never be together... Although lame excuses were provided as to why they could never be together, to me, they just rang false. I did not believe that a strong young man of any character would betray his best friend as per his grandmother's wishes. Even worse, if he did so, and in the book, Daniel did, then he was definitely not worthy of Rebecca. Oh, and let us not forget that his actions ruined her chances for a successful season. And he did nothing to justify the misdeeds for nine long years! It was just too much.

When Daniel finally decided that he could work Rebecca into his so busy life, she just accepted the excuses that he offered for his wimpy and hurtful actions. I wanted to see Rebecca met a villager who became the hero of the story because Daniel certainly did not deserve the honor. The story had potential but, as I said, it was just stuck, repeating the reasons they could not be together, and then, all of a sudden, within a few pages, MAGIC, they were together. The epilogue was probably the best part of the whole story.

A fun and flirty read that remains interesting despite its reliance on the standard scheme of historical romance novels.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Miss Rebecca Bond is like a ghost in the home of her great uncle. She rarely sees the old man or the servants. When her uncle dies and his heir becomes the new Earl, her last resort is to marry as fast as possible.

When Daniel Goodenham, Lord North Barrows, learns of the Earl’s death and is summoned for the reading of his will, he knows this is his chance to make right his horrid wrong committed against Rebecca. Once reacquainted, Daniel agrees to help Rebecca prepare herself to go husband hunting.

I never imagined I could be so enthralled in a book with only two characters. While there are many minor characters, Rebecca and Daniel are in a world of their own throughout the entire tale. Games, adventures, and getting swept up in a maze are only a few of the sweet moments Ridley devises for our couple to fall in love. Along with witty dialogue and a beautiful narrative, Romancing the Rouge is the perfect story to spend an afternoon devouring.

Erica Ridley's Romancing the Rogue is a sweet and engaging Regency about two people who needed to grow up before they could be together. There are tragic and extenuating circumstances, an unpleasant grandmother and an excess of pride that all combine to make the road to self discovery and love difficult. The result is satisfying and full of promise, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

What a delightful story. Just love Ridley's books.

This was a short but sweet story. Nothing super exciting just an enjoyable historical novella. Its stars are Rebecca and Daniel. R is a wallflower or even worse. She is a hider. She is hidden away from her current guardian and uncle who barely remembers her, never mind he has looked after her. And she looked after him even though she acted more ghost than girl.

Danielle is our hero and well he fell for R many years before. But his grandmother feels he can do better and so D agreed to not have any contact with R and to cut her in public several times. Now its years later and R's uncle dies leaving her pennyless and the new heri arrives and tells her she needs to be married asap.

Meanwhile Daniel finds out the man is dead and rushes to the will reading becaue he really misses R. The two concoct a plan to find R a husband. And well that is when the fun starts. The two were very cute together and I really enjoyed the short novella.

This good was a good and quick read. This story contains romance and second chances.
Daniel Goodenham, Lord North Barrows, made mistakes several years ago. The one woman who saw him as man and not his title, he deeply hurt. When the current Earl dies, he knows this is his chance to make things right.
Rebecca Bond has been caring for the estate while the earl was ill. People believed her to be a ghost. She is intelligent with a head for numbers. She fell in love with Daniel when they were young but her hurt her deeply, but she realizes she needs him to help her get a husband since her uncle has his family to take care of and believes a woman cannot do the jobs of a man.
When Rebecca and Daniel meet again, old feelings resurface. Both try to deny their feelings, but they cannot, for neither has forgotten the other. Can Daniel make things right and show Rebecca how much he loves her? Will Rebecca forgive Daniel for his past mistakes or will she move on based on her uncle's demands?