Historical/Regency romance books are just something I've recently started reading. This one doesn't feel fully like one from that genre. I don't know how to explain it. I did enjoy the story, but I feel it wasn't "historical" enough for me. I enjoy this author and look forward to more from her but this one is just so-so for me.

Sophie Jordan delivers another a fabulous book with a love potion plot . This book reminds me of old school romance. Sophie, with a wallflower and a former rogue.but still a rogue. I have read other books and love that her books can be stand along. It was a steamy book and cannot wait for the next one❤️❤️📚📚📚

I loved this book. Thank you for allowing me to review it. I feel like I need to go back and find out what happened to Marian and Nathaniel to make the story come together. I love Charlotte and Kingston together. At first I didn’t like how timid Charlotte was but I’m glad she came out of her shell. I’m very interested to see if Nora will fall in love with the doctor that she’s been writing letters too.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

After the first couple chapters, I was not sure if I could finish this book as it was just so strange. Maybe if I had read a previous book that might have helped but this is my first. Once I got past that first part, it got a lot more interesting and I started to really get into the story.

One thing that was hard to understand was the change in Charlotte from the beginning where she seemed so quiet and dull then when she humped Kingston, she seemed to get more outgoing. Not sure if she was so subdued due to the fiance's parents being there.? Again, I don't have any reference for Charlotte's actions so not sure if she changed or she was putting on an act for the party.

After seeing Nathaniel and Marian together, I want to look up their book and get that story. And Nora seems like a very different character and can't wait to see who she will fall for as she seems to think that no one will be able to live with her and her science experiments.

Once I got into the book, I liked the interaction between Kingston and Charlotte and could see they were made for each other. Loved their HEA!

I really believed the chemistry between Charlotte and Kingston. Charlotte is proper and “boring” and believes she will be happy with Billy, Kingston has sworn off women and thinks Charlotte doesn’t have a backbone. I do wish there had been more of them getting to know each other/interactions without the sexy times. It was overall a happy read and one I’ll be sure to read again.

Maybe it was because I hadn't read the previous books in the series, but I just didn't feel any attachment to these characters (Charlotte might have been more prominent in her sister's HEA story?)... It took me quite awhile to get into this one even though it started out with a bang (lap grinding in the library), but then I felt like it dragged in other places and just missed the mark for me in general which is a shame because I really wanted to like it. As I said, it may just be me and that this wasn't the right book to jump into the series with, but I just didn't feel it.

The Virgin and the Rogue is the sixth book in the Rogue Files series. Though this is meant to be a standalone book, this particular book I feel is very connected with book five titled “The Duke’s Stolen Bride”. I would even venture to say that before reading the virgin and the rogue, that book should be read first because it segway’s what I feel is crucial information about the heroine Charlotte Langley and her two sisters. Our heroine Charlotte just wants to be safe and secure she’s not seeking heat and passion as she feels her life has been through enough crazy nonsense. What she would like is a quiet matrimonial life with her childhood sweetheart William, whom trust me you will not want her to be marrying as you read on. As the truly dull and extremely proper middle sister Charlotte rarely opens her mouth or contradicts anyone or anything. In trying to escape her horrible monthly cramps, which I’m sure some readers will relate to she takes a potion from her sister Nora that turns out to produce some extreme side effects. Charlotte quickly comes to realize that what she drunk was not the regular version of the potion her sister usually makes for her but what she has ingested is instead an aphrodisiac. She more or less comes to that conclusion after she sexually assaults her brother-in-law’s step-brother Samuel Kingston. Now Samuel who had been affected by his mother’s illness and his father’s callous ways, came to Nate’s house (The Duke’s stolen Bride) to take a break from his rakish lifestyle and could not believe what is happening to him as Charlotte the virgin literally craws all over him, groping, and kissing and setting him on fire. How is a man supposed to turn a new leaf with that happening within his so call hidden sanctuary? Even his own brother things so little of him that he wants him gone, let alone anywhere near his innocent sister in-law. Well from the start this book is certainly not what is expected of Sophie Jordan I think. I have not read any love potion themed plots from her before, nor do I recall any historical romances by other authors with that sort of plot. This means this book start off with fireworks and ends with a nice happy ending though it sounds crazy. However it totally works in my opinion because we know about Nora and her herbalist potion skills that she seems to share with their father who passed away.
I liked watching Charlotte and Samuel who start off as complete opposites find their way to each other through their little sensual escapades. Without giving the whole plot away it’s important that I point out that Charlotte and Samuel’s hidden depth are revealed to each other and others as the book progresses. We watch her sit through being insulted and devalued by her mother-in-law without defending herself. Her sister Nora keeps pointing out to her that she did not want or need to marry her fiance because it’s already been declared. While being the same woman when under the potion that’s bold, outspoken and daring, she believes that she needs to marry William though he had no issues dumping her prior after her father’s death that is, until her sister Marian married the Duke. Now the hero, Samuel who seems untouched by cares and emotions is highly sensitive, emotional and loving. His love and hurt for his mother bleeds through the pages and you get why he was who he was. Now the only reason I did not give this 5 stars is I thought Sophie would have had Samuel take the potion as well to see how he reacted since he kept telling Charlotte she was wild and sexy all on her own and used the potion as an excuse. Still though, it is over all great watching those two not only find each other, also find and establish themselves while finding love. I am very much looking forward to Nora, the youngest sister's book.
This review was given on the ARC copy received from Harper Collins Publishers via NetGallery in return for my honest opinion.

My first impression of this cover was...that it reminded me of a Jess Michaels title.

https://www.authorjessmichaels.com/an-affair-in-winter/

Cute, sexy, a little bantery, but not the best example of any of those I've read.

Charlotte and Kingstons story in The Virgin and the Rogue is funny and heartening. Kingston was my favorite character because he is everything a dashing, brooding rogue should be. Charlotte could've been a bit less gullible and oblivious, I think, But, I did enjoy the way things ended. I do recommend giving this book a read!

I really enjoyed the plot and the characters in this book and I hope to read more books from the author in the future.

I couldn’t put down Sophie Jordan’s latest historical romance, The Virgin and the Rogue, the sixth novel in her Rogue Files series. When Charlotte Langley’s sister gives her a tonic for her monthly cramps, it ends up being more of an aphrodisiac and makes Charlotte act in some uncharacteristic ways. When she corners Kingston, a rake and her sister’s stepbrother-in-law, things get steamy. However, Charlotte’s betrothed to a boring man and Kingston’s not ready to settle down. I loved that the set-up for this novel was a love potion of sorts. This trope is always so much fun because it causes doubt for the main characters’ true feelings and Jordan utilized it perfectly as a complication. From the title, you know that this story will follow the standard historical romance character archetypes, but it still feels really fresh and modern. Both Charlotte and Kingston have an abundance of feelings and they’re right there on the page. Charlotte’s agency is never in question, despite the involvement of this tonic, and she takes her life into her own hands. I’m very excited for the next book, which follows Nora, the herbalist sister who accidentally made a very powerful love potion.

I honestly think this is Sophie's hottest book yet! This was such an amazing read and I loved every minute of it. The heroine was wonderful and the hero...PERFECT.

I didn't enjoy this book in the beginning. I thought the premise of Charlotte only having physical needs "all of the sudden" due to a tonic seemed a bit outlandish. The writing was decent enough to keep be going and I enjoyed the characters well enough. Nora was rather enjoyable as well. I mostly liked way the story went and the conclusion as well. Overall I think it would be a decent addition for those library patrons seeking erotic romance with a good plot to it.

An accidental dosing of an aphrodisiac (from her little sister no less) kicks off opening up Charlotte to expressing her needs… and getting them met by Kingston.

Plot:
Charlotte Langley, the quiet and dutiful middle sister is engaged to be married to her childhood sweetheart, despite feeling silenced his terribly overbearing mother and his sisters’ dislike of them.

The night her future in-laws are visiting for dinner with her sister’s husband the Duke, his stepbrother Kingston unexpectedly shows up and is not impressed by the wallflower across the table, as beautiful as she may be. But that night, after Charlotte takes a healing tonic with an accidental aphrodisiac from her botanist sister, she dives into Kingsly’s arms to ease the ache.

After coming face-to-face with his mother’s terrible illness, Kingston is completely uninterested in his past rake ways. Escaping to his stepbrother’s remote estate, he hopes for some solitude to figure out his next steps. The last thing he expects is the wallflower from dinner to jump him in the library.

As Charlotte discovers her inner vixen and Kingston tempts her to be with him again, they both have to discover if they can put aside their preconceived notions and take a chance on love.

Thoughts:
I fell for this book. It had such a great mix of yearning with unbridled passion and the desire to buck decorum that always makes historical romance fun to read. I thought Charlotte finding her voice throughout the book was really realistic and that embracing this inner core of herself to protect her wants and desires was truly great.

Her sexual awakening, confusion about the desires she was having, and then the growing pull towards Kingston was so well done. I loved that he never believed her about the tonic causing her to act that way in the library. I was hoping that she and her sister were going to give him a dose at some point!

This book gave me feminism vibes within the construct of the historical setting. When Charlotte’s sisters and Kingston remind her that she has the luxury of not needing to marry to secure her future, it reminded me how lucky we are in modern times to not constantly have to think about that! Like we will not eat and be destitute without a man marrying us. So it was cool that she got to choose Kingston not because she had to be with him, but because she wanted to be with him.

One thing about the rake trope that I don’t always enjoy is that when he meets this woman, his whole personality changes. I liked that in this book, he had already stepped away from his rake patterns and past and so it was the perfect time to meet someone and be willing to contemplate a new future.

McDreamy to McSteamy: McSteamy showing her all the lusty things that a body can do

Classy to Nasty: Classy and PASSIONATE with some risky locations!

Hero rating: 🍆🍆🍆🍆 - He definitely gave a great game of pursuing her, as always was kinda an idiot about whether she liked him, but he recovered well.

Heroine rating: 🍑🍑🍑🍑 - She was a lady in the street but a freak in the sheets (hehe!)

Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

You just can't go wrong with Sophie Jordan. This romance by aphrodisiac is perfectly steamy and well-crafted. Can't wait for more of The Rogue Files!

I have to preface that I love this author but this is my first major letdown. There is a lot surrounding whether there was or wasn't a "love potion" developed by Char!otte 's sister, Nora. Immediately, I knew this was not my cup of tea in terms of setting up a plot but I'm still confused if there was a potion or not. I am almost hoping there was something that made the heroine act like a dog in heat. I have no qualms with heavy heat in romances but give the gal a sex toy before she really goes off the deep end. Was there even a love connection or did Charlotte fall for the first thing to give her an orgasam?!! I hate to sound flippant but this was almost comical I terms the heroine's actions. Not a winner this time around.

This book was crazy pants, as promised. Love potion stories could have a bit of squick to them with consent...but Sophie Jordan handled it well.

Charlotte Langley is not exciting, and she knows and accepts that. She is engaged to her equally unexciting childhood sweetheart. Then she meets Kingston, her sister’s rogue brother in law, and everything goes topsy turvy.

I’m generally a read in order girl, but hadn’t yet read the book before this in The Rogue Files. I didn’t really feel lost (I know there were things I didn’t know, but was ok), and the previous book was not spoiled.

This was a perfect pandemic escape. It gets a sparkly 4.5 stars

Review of The Virgin and the Rogue by Sophie Jordan

Overall: ⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖 📖
Feels: 🦋🦋
Romance: 💞💞
Emotional Depth: 💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡️ ⚡️
Sensuality: 🔥🔥
Sex Scene Length: 🍆🍆

This book started off really sexy. I enjoyed the aphrodisiac plot and Charlotte wantonly grinding against Kingstons crotch to get herself off. I was charmed by an early blowjob. I had some high hopes.

But unfortunately the following 140 pages was everything except developing the romance. There were sisters and tonics and wrong fiancés and in-laws and cows and ungrateful glances across the room. But in all this time, they had but one conversation. And even that was bogged down with talk of another man instead of them. They shared a kiss and even there they talked about her fiancé and the tonic. There’s an argument with Kingston’s parents and he defends her, but again they barely talk.

And all of the sudden she’s in love and I can’t fathom why or how. Nothing has happened between them. They never got to know each other.

The thoughts of the characters lacked continuity and their descriptions varied. Charlotte keeps calling Kingston a sophisticated gentleman but he’s a bastard and made out to be one without discerning morals. She doesn’t believe he will take advantage of her but forgets that he already had. He calls her passionate and claims she has mettle but every action she takes with him and anyone else is based on fear and propriety. She complains the entire book and blames everything on the tonic. It just didn’t ring true.

This is something I’ve noticed about Sophie Jordan’s books that don’t work for me. They feel like it’s just a series of scenes strung together with little purpose other than filling the space between the beginning of the book and the end of the book. It feels more like she focuses on the logistics of the events happening around them and giving them a reason to be in the same room as opposed to focusing on how these two characters feel and emote around each other and building the book around the progression of their relationship.

I know authors do need things to happen. But I personally want to know how the characters romance is growing as a result of those things. It’s not enough for me to just have stuff happen.

She writes sex so well. I wish she spent as much time on the emotions.

Charlotte Langley has always suffered from extremely painful menstrual cramps and her sister Nora brew a concoction that help. She alters the ingredients and turns out to be an aphrodisiac that turns Charlotte into a sex monster. Enter rogue bastard Kingston who’s led the life of complete debauchery and is trying to be a better person and has been celibate the last year. Charlotte and Kingston have an instant attraction when they meet at a dinner party his step brother the Duke is giving with Charlotte’s betrothed and parents are attending. Their relationship is hot and steamy as the rogue tries to deny his feeling and Charlotte shows she’s more than just a demure quite lady. I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily reviewed it and the comments are my own

This book is based on a love potion and I don't think I have yet read a book that I loved in this trope. I really enjoyed this book and the chemistry in between Charlotte and Kingston. I like the fact that this book has a strong heroine who is not afraid of thinking about her own wants and desires. I am not very keen on cheating in romances especially by the hero and heroine so I didn't like that part. But overall, I enjoyed this book. This book is book six of the Rogue files series and has some connected characters but can be read as a standalone.

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