meg timmons has been in love with lord hart highgate since she was 16 and he stood up for her to her mother. in the intervening years he's been a total rogue, but this year he's decided to take a wife. and so meg, in spite of being a terrible match for hart on paper, she has no dowry and her father's title has no social capital to speak of, decides that she's going to make a play for hart.

meg is not one for strategems at least not the kind she needs if she's going to land hart. in the right kind of rogue she turns to lucy hunt, duchess of claringdon, for help. except lucy has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer and when she conspires to catch meg and hart in a scandalous moment she overplays her hand.

hart rises to the occasion, but the whole moment felt like such a rude interruption to the actual story. because if they hadn't been interrupted hart and meg would still have probably found each other. and we wouldn't have had to withstand ridiculous hurt feelings from the both of them. instead of spending time together, hart and meg proceed to spend the rest of the novel apart. so it's as if this one moment had the net effect of breaking a relationship that was working, instead of bringing them together.

i had been enjoying the book until that moment, and even though everyone ends up with a happily ever after, i'm not sure it was as satisfying as it could have been.

Read this straight! I love this series but it's getting a bit where I'm not liking Lucy and her meddling as much as I used too. This one, it felt like a betrayal more than helping.

Meg is Hart's sisters best friend, she's been in love with Hart for a long time and the sister knows this and she tells her he'd be bad for her. Meg is poor and is treated like trash by her parents. Her parents suck. She only has 3 gowns she'd used for the past few seasons and she does not like to accept charity.

When she finds out Hart is planning on a bride search this season, she accepts Lucy's help to get him notice her.

Of course, it being a Lucy scheme, it goes a little too far, but dang it kept it interesting :)

A smouldering romantic read that will delight fans of Regency romances the world over, The Right Kind of Rogue is another enthralling installment in Valerie Bowman’s enchanting The Playful Brides series.

Viscount Hart Highgate’s reputation as a rakehell and a scoundrel of the highest order is legendary. With his penchant for brandy, carriage races and women, Hart’s infamy and notoriety amongst the members of the Ton is well earned. However, Hart has decided that the time has come for him to grow up and start acting like an adult. Having realised that it’s high time he puts paid to all the hi-jinks and tomfoolery, Hart concedes that he must take his duties as heir to an earldom seriously – and nothing says commitment quite like marriage! Hart is determined to find a suitable bride – preferably a woman who is attractive, well-connected and has a very large dowry. With women falling at this feet, Hart thinks that he will have no problem finding the perfect wife, but fate seems to have other ideas in store for him!

Meg Timmons cannot remember a time when she was not head over heels in love with Hart. As a shy and awkward schoolgirl, she had worshiped the ground Hart had walked on, yet her feelings were never reciprocated. Meg’s crush on Hart has never abated – not even with the passing of the time – and when she hears that he is looking for a bride, Meg’s heart leaps with joy that society’s biggest rogue is ready to settle down. But it’s just a shame that their two families have been locked in a bitter feud for years and that Meg does not have a single penny to her name. But things have got a funny way of working out…

Now approaching her third London Season, Meg has pretty much given up hope of marriage or of making a good match. But on a dark night, she has a surprising encounter with Hart that ignites passion, emotions and secrets which take them both by surprise. But would a relationship between the two of them have any hope of surviving when there are so many obstacles standing in their way?

Will Hart realise that the perfect woman is right under his nose? And will Meg finally get the man she has been dreaming about her entire life?

A charming, satisfying and compelling historical romance that will touch your heart and make you laugh out loud, The Right Kind of Rogue is a wonderful read from a very talented writer. With a gorgeously rakish hero, an intelligent and spirited heroine and plenty of humour, passion and heart, The Right Kind of Rogue is a magical read romantics everywhere will devour!

Valerie Bowman is a splendid talent and if you haven’t discovered her outstanding historical romances, then what on earth are you waiting for?

Normally I love Valerie Bowman and I have a weakness for childhood friends-to-lovers stories. That being said, I was disappointed that I didn’t enjoy this novel as much as I thought I would. Of course it was predictable. I could have laid out the plot for you before I even opened it. But that hasn’t bothered me before. I like the main couple although I lost patience with hero’s stubbornness.

I can’t pinpoint anything exactly wrong with this novel. I just felt…underwhelmed once it ended? I love Valerie Bowman and will continue to read her novel, but this novel just didn’t do it for me like she usually does.

This was a well-written, entertaining book. Meg Timmons has been in love with her best friend's brother, Viscount Hart Highgate, but she has no dowry and her family has been in a feud with Hart's for years. He has decided to find a bride, but is looking for the right kind of bride - someone his father would approve. Meg realizes this is her last chance to find a way to get Hart see her in a new way. This book can be read as a standalone story, though it is #8 in the Playful Brides series. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books in this series as well as others by this author.

Meg Timmons in her third season knows this is her last chance to find a husband especially since her family is debt ridden. She’s always been in love with her best friend’s older brother Viscount Hart Highgate. Hart has decided to put his rakish ways behind him and finally get married. Now all Meg needs to do is to get Hart to notice her. Hart wants his wife to be beautiful, from a good family, and rich, but his attraction for his little sister’s friend Meg is inconvenient and can go nowhere he wants to marry someone with money. Poor Meg is hindered by the fact she has no dowry, no money and their families have been feuding for years. Meg’s relationship with her family is strained and she desperately loves Hart. You’ll have to read to see how they both overcome obstacles in their way to find their HEA?
This is my honest opinions after I voluntarily read a copy of this book that was provided to me with no requirements for a review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is your typical historical romance. The plot is familiar and very predictable but it still provides the level of entertainment you’re looking for in a book like this.

This was just how I like my HR! I read it a day :D Sure the not communication thing was somewhat annoying at the end, just shout it out girl. Damn it.

Hart is a rogue, but come on, aren't they always ;) He wants to marry some sensible, nice, good ton woman with lots of money. Not that he needs it.

Meg is poor and owns 3 dresses. Sure she may be of the same class, but...yup poor as a church mouse and a spinster cos who cares about the poor girl who always wears the same dress. But she IS besties with Hart's sis, and she has been in love with him for years.

And now he needs a wife and she wants to catch him. Let's the games begin. Aye, you know how it goes, of course he will fancy her, but he needs a better wife. And of course there will be some drama at the end. But I liked that the road there was sweet and it was fun to read.

It did make me want to read the rest in the series and see if they have the same tone.

Conclusion:
I enjoyed it :) Sweet and fun!

For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. The characters were fun, witty and well developed. Meg and Hart had wonderful chemistry and there was the perfect amount of sexual tension. However, the angst level in this book almost got to be too much for me and not in a good way. I got to a point where in my head I was thinking "oh, come on! just be together already!". It got annoying when it should have ended when Meg came back from the country. I won't say more so I don't spoil anything but other than that this was a fun read. I really enjoyed the scheming although it caused big problems for Meg. I think my favorite part of the book though was Meg and Sarah's friendship. I loved their bond and the intense feelings they had for each other. An epilogue would have been nice so we could see a little more of Meg and Hart actually together.

I didn't care for this book - I thought Hart the "hero" was a total jerk and Meg was TSTL

All I am going to say is this author has written some AWESOME books - but this is not one of them - if you want me to like a hero who has been a jerk for 90% of the book, then have him d go after the heroine - not have her come back to him..

2.5 stars rounded up - because I liked the cover and because it's Valerie Bowman.

THE RIGHT KIND OF ROGUE by Valerie Bowman is book 8 in the "Playful Brides" series. This is the story of Viscount Hart Highgate and Meg Timmons. I have read (and LOVED) the other book in this series but feel this can easily be a standalone book. Meg is a spinster wallflower of sorts with her a father that gambles. Meg has always loved Hart who was her friend's brother. But their parents do not get along and in addition they are on different social levels. Hart's sister does try to put them together. This is Meg's third attempt and the marriage mart and Hart first attempt to settling down and take his family publications to heart. I did enjoy seeing their story come together!

Can two star-crossed lovers come together―until death do they part?

Viscount Hart Highgate has decided to put his rakish ways behind him and finally get married. He may adore a good brandy or a high-speed carriage race, but he takes his duties as heir to the earldom seriously. Now all he has to do is find the right kind of woman to be his bride―ideally, one who’s also well-connected and well-funded. . .

Meg Timmons has loved Hart, the brother of her best friend, ever since she was an awkward, blushing schoolgirl. If only she had a large dowry―or anything to her name at all. Instead, she’s from a family that’s been locked in a bitter feud with Hart’s for years. And now she’s approaching her third London season, Meg’s chances with him are slim to none. Unless a surprise encounter on a deep, dark night could be enough to spark a rebellious romance. . .for all time?

Meg has been in love with Hart since she was 16 years old. She wants nothing more than to be with him but she knows it’s hopeless. Their parents are enemies and barely tolerate Meg’s friendship with Hart’s sister, Sarah. Also, Meg is a wallflower with no dowry as her father has gambled it away. She’s good ton but has no money.

Meg finds out from Sarah that Hart is planning on searching the marriage mart for a wife so Meg enlists her friend, Lucy (a duchess), to help her. Lucy is ruthless but believes that Meg truly loves Hart so she helps her. After dressing Meg in stunning gowns Hart can’t help but notice Meg but he knows he can never do more than admire her – although he does steal a kiss or two. Though Hart likes Meg he knows he can’t be with her and is frustrated that he even thinks about being with her.

When Meg finds out that her family is to move to Spain to try and outrun her father’s creditors Lucy knows she has to step up her game. Unfortunately Hart is only half-thrilled with the outcome and both Hart and Meg may end up miserable in the end.

This was a historical romance that I really enjoyed reading. Meg was a great heroine and I liked so much about her. Her parents were horrible people but she had turned out to be such a nice person. I really couldn’t see how she was friends with the ever-scheming Lucy but their friendship worked.

Hart was more than a bit of a rogue but he was a nice man underneath it all. I liked how he treated Meg before the shit hit the fan and even after that I knew that his feelings had been hurt. He came off as angry but I would have been too (no, I can’t tell you what happened cuz that will just ruin it!). Just take it from me – he was a good guy.

This is apparently book 8 in a series but I hadn’t read any of the others in the series and didn’t feel lost at all, which was nice. It was a decent story and I had fun reading it.

Rating: 3 out of 5


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This is the 2nd book in this series that I have read, and I thought it was great fun! The writing style flowed well and I found myself smiling frequently, which I like when I'm reading for fun. Meg and Hart's story was entertaining and provided plenty of ups and downs. If you want a light but fun read, this is for you.

I received an ARC for my honest opinion.

Valerie Bowman’s book never disappoint. They are always engaging and entertaining and I find her writing flow was making for an enjoyable read.

This book is part of a series but can be read on its own without the reader feeling like they missed anything. Hart and Meg have appeared in earlier books and if the reader wants to see more of them, I suggest reading the earlier books.

Meg has always loved Hart, who has never really noticed her. Hart has his vices but has decided it was time to leave that behind to get married. I don’t want to give spoilers. I liked these two characters as a couple. They’re both stubborn and this causes clashes between them. I felt at times Hart could be over the top but with his background and temperament, I felt it worked in this story.

I always enjoy Valerie Bowman’s books and fluid writing style and recommend this book.

Meg Timmons has been in love with Viscount Hart Highgate since she was a teenager, but she knows she’ll have to take drastic measures to get his attention. Not only are their families feuding, but Meg is a penniless wallflower and not the well-connected heiress Hart’s father wants him to wed. When she hears that Hart is determined to find a bride, Meg takes the plunge and asks infamous plotter Lucy Hunt to help her capture Hart’s heart. But even the best-laid plans have a tendency to go awry…

The Right Kind of Rogue is part Romeo and Juliet, part Cinderella, but manages to feel like its own story instead of a retelling of either. I adore Valerie Bowman’s Playful Brides series and I’ve been highly anticipating Meg and Hart’s book, as heroines who are in love with their best friend’s brother is a favorite romance trope of mine. Yet while I liked this book – mostly due to Ms. Bowman’s writing style, which I enjoy – I didn’t love it like I wanted to.

Meg is a likeable heroine whose rather horrid family makes her a sympathetic heroine. She’s been infatuated with Hart for years, but though she explains why she falls in love with him, I’m not sure why she stays that way. Hart is a good man with some good qualities, but you have to get past the drinking and self-centeredness to find a hero worth rooting for. While I have no problem with a protagonist who starts out unlikeable (it gives them room to grow), Hart took way too long to finally stop being selfish and to appreciate Meg. Most frustrating of all, Hart never took an active part in his own story. Meg bends over backwards for him, and even though she makes mistakes, she tries – something Hart never does. I find stories where the hero and heroine would never have gotten together without tons of pushing from their friends to be frustrating. Which brings me to the third main character of The Right Kind of Rogue: Lucy Hunt. The Duchess of Claringdon (and the first Playful Brides heroine) feels like she has nearly as much page time as Meg and Hart. Lucy starts out as a fairy godmother type, but she turns into a veritable tornado, uncaring of the damage she causes so long as the end result is what she planned. While I like seeing past heroes and heroines pop up in a series (Sarah and Christian of The Legendary Lord were charming in this story), Lucy steals the spotlight in this book and that’s not a good thing.

While I did have some issues with The Right Kind of Rogue, I don’t want to make it sound like a bad book. Ms. Bowman’s light, effervescent style still shines and I was drawn into the story even when I wanted to shake Hart. The romance also has some sweet moments and there is definite chemistry between Meg and Hart. So while Meg and Hart’s romance wasn’t all I’d hoped it would be, I still adore Ms. Bowman’s writing and I cannot wait to read the next Playful Brides book.

I started reading The Right Kind of Rogue (Playful Brides, #8) by Valerie Bowman and realized immediately why I love Valerie Bowman's books... I hated to put it down.. Hart is jaded by his own experience and his parents ugly marriage...Meg her parents and his hate each other and her father has lost all his money gambling ...she is always the wallflower with no dowry since her father lost it. She has loved him since she was sixteen and he just thinks of her as his sister's friend. It was fun to hear from Sara and Christian ..Lucy and others.... A great story with lots of feels ..laughs and a HEA.

I always give a fair and honest review in return for ARCs. Why should you never allow your friends to "manage" your relationships?? Read this book to find out. Good read, well written and great characters.

I received an ARC in trade for an honest review.

This is the first book in the Playful Brides series that I have read and with it being the 8th book, I think that starting here may have been a bad decision.

I was drawn to this book because of the description of the plot. The quiet and shy woman secretly in love with her best friend's brother has always been a favorite story line of mine but with everything going on in the book, even that couldn't save this story for me.

To begin with, this book isn't one that can be read on it's own even though it's a part of a series. All of the characters from previous books make an appearance and it quickly gets confusing. Some characters are mentioned in passing, which could have been avoided altogether since there are so many other people who show up. All of the previous heroes and heroines from the series's 7 books make an appearance. That's FOURTEEN additional characters that the reader has to keep straight in their head while reading this book. I was confused about why the author decided to add them all to the book when out of the 14, only 4 at most played any serious part to the plot of the story. At times I had to stop reading and go look up her previous books because I was incredibly confused about who a character was and who they were married to. I suppose this was done so that those who have read the previous books would know how the couple is doing but I feel that the audience could have been given some insight to the characters by something said in passing conversation. I also think that the author was trying to introduce characters for future books so the reader will most likely confuse multiple characters with each other if they have or haven't read any of the series before this book.

Something that does not happen often to me while reading a book is disliking a characters. But that is exactly what happened with Meg. Hearing that the man she is in love with has decided to look for a wife, she decides to take her chance to have him fall in love with her with the help of her match making friend. That wouldn't be a problem if it didn't make her into a passive accomplice of trickery and scheming to get the hero. A story development that made no sense to me was <spoiler> After being tricked into being caught in a compromising situation, they have to marry and Meg refuses to ever admit to Hart that she is in love with him. Hart believes that she lied and tricked him into marrying her so of course the only logical thing to do is not tell him that she loves him</spoiler> Meg came off as a weak and easily led heroine would easily faded into the background of her own story.

The hero , Hart, was also not a likeable character throughout the story. He was unwillingly attracted to Meg and constantly reinforced that he could not and did not want to be with her and actively pursued other women but was incredibly territorial of her and had animosity for any man who immediately saw in her what took him years and a pretty dress to see. His indecision and continued mind changing about wanting and not wanting to be with Meg later on in the story was confusing and aggravating because the reasons he gave were paper thin.

I give this book overall 2.5 stars. Their growing friendship and love was sweet to read but was drowned out largely because of too many characters and weak conflicts.

The Right Kind of Rogue by Valerie Bowman
Playful Brides #8

Lucy has loved Hart, her best friend’s brother, since she was sixteen. Their parents have been enemies forever. In her third year on the marriage market in London and the season beginning she hears Hart is finally ready to find a wife so she enlists the aid of her friend Lucy in finding a way to have Hart see her as his potential wife. With Lucy’s machinations often going awry, both sets of parents creating trouble, Meg definitely wanting Hart and Hart definitely against love or devious women the stage is set for problems aplenty…and that is just what happens…until both Hart and Meg find a way to a HEA.

This book was so-so for me. I ended up skimming parts of it because it seemed contrived and at times silly. I had trouble believing the story, the reactions, the interactions, the idea that Meg would share so much and trust those she shared with implicitly. I couldn’t see a 29 year old man being so immature and doing and saying and behaving as he often did. I had trouble understanding why Meg could love Hart and hold a torch for for him for four or five years. I guess it takes all types to make the world go around but Meg and Hart made me feel there has to be more. And, that said, I looked back over books I have read in this series and found that I loved and rated one five stars so will continue on hoping there will be another such book to read in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3 Stars

As always I would like to first thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing us with a copy of this book so that we could bring you this review. 

Man did Meg's past hurt me. The wasn't the woman that Hart's father wanted for him. And it isn't who Hart wanted at first either. But slowly he starts to realize that she is exactly the woman that he needed in his life. She has been through much, seen a lot of things that no one at her age should have needed to see. Hart needed learn humility and was shown how much his life was easy, while it wasn't for others. There was a moment that I was so sad for Meg and Hart, things that happen are misinterpreted so badly they almost lost the chance for love and happiness. 

I give this book 5 kisses.

Happy reading... Adri