I liked the time period of this story and the strong female character. The hero didn't disappoint either. He wasn't a scoundrel but he could have been. Loved watching the characters grow together. Have ordered for the store and will be handselling this one and looking forward to more!

When Max St. James learns that he is in line to inherit The Carlyle Dukedom, the Duchess gives him and his cousin six months to settle (marry) and prove they are worthy to inherit. Max immediately takes advantage of the income granted him to settle debts and make for himself something he hasn’t had in a long time, a safe and respectable life. He finds his opportunity at Perusia Potteries. When Bianca Tate discovers that not only has her father agreed to a marriage between her sister Cathy and Max, but is giving him a quarter interest in the company, she is livid. One, she loves Perusia and feels like her father has given away part of her heritage. Two, Cathy is in love with the local curate. Bianca’s solution helping Cathy elope with her true love results in her own marriage to Max St. James. Will Max prove to be the fortune hunter she believes him to be, or will he show that he is truly interested in the company and wants to help expand and improve it? Will Max’s marriage to Bianca be just a marriage of (in)convenience?

Max is a wonderful hero. He is intelligent, determined, and patient. He watches and works hard to learn the business he has joined. Bianca is very much like her father Samuel, and a brilliant asset to Perusia. She is fiercely devoted to her family and their business. Max and Bianca are perfect for each other, but you may not be able to convince them. This is an entertaining story with some very interesting characters, lots of humor, a secret or two, an amazing cricket match, and a few surprises. There is also an absolutely charming bonus story. I enjoyed and recommend this one. Another winner for Caroline Linden.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Happy Release Day to Caroline Linden’s About a Rogue!

I read this one in one day. It’s been a while since I’ve lost myself in a marriage-of-convenience romance and this one hit all the spots. It’s soft and succulent with bright, nuanced characters and goooorgeous pottery descriptions. Competence for days.

*soft and dreamy sigh*

Go read it!

Thank you so much Netgalley and Avon for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

A number of unfortunate accidents has left the dukedom of the Duke of Carlyle in search of the next duke. The family solicitor found two distant relatives as possible choices. One is Maximilian (Max) St. James, and Captain Andrew St. James. The current duchess offers them 500 pounds and they are to return to the castle in 6 months showing that they have become a more refined gentleman. If so, they will be given 1,500 pounds per year as long as they remain respectable and sober. In addition, they must find a wife.

The Tate family has been in the pottery business for 3 generations with Samuel Tate as the current owner. He is the father of 2 daughters, Bianca and Cathy. Samuel has met Max St. James who shows interest in the business and the daughters. Cathy is a sweet, biddable young woman and Bianca is more outspoken. Samuel has matched Cathy to marry him but she is in love with the curate. At the last minute before the ceremony, Cathy flees to marry her curate and Bianca steps in and marries Max.

Bianca has told Max in no uncertain terms that theirs is a marriage of convenience. She agrees but shows her how he is learning more and more every day about their pottery business. As they spend more time together, it is inevitable that Bianca is charmed by Max and thus begins to melt her coldness to him. Can they have a good marriage?

This is a strange novel. I felt that there were several plots put together and wasn’t sure that they were necessary. Max’s relationship with the Duchess of Carlyle and her insistence that he become a respectable person I suppose is why he chose to marry and settle down. In addition, there is a mini-story at the end about the servants view of the marriage. That could have been good, but it was simply a rehash of what I have just read and seemed to be added for filler. I enjoyed learning about the pottery business but I felt that the book was overlong.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Married or not, Bianca is determined to protect her family’s prosperous ceramics business, even when Max shows an affinity for it—not to mention a dangerous ability to intrigue and tempt Bianca herself. And when Max realizes how beautiful and intelligent and desirable Bianca is, he’ll have to prove he’s no rogue, but the passionately devoted husband she craves…

Max was determined to marry Cathy and get access to her family business. Bianca wanted her sister to marry the she loved.

Bianca helped the young lovers get their wish. She made it possible for Cathy to elope.

To save the family business, Bianca knew she needed to marry Max and solve the money issues.

Could she find happiness with a Rogue?

This story takes place mainly in the Potteries, the area around Stoke on Trent. It was interesting in that there was some explanation about the workings of the pottery factory. A short amount of time is spent in London. Max is a complex character, he has been quite the rogue but he had a difficult background and is far more intelligent than people gave him credit for. Bianca is the fiery one of the sisters and also the most talented as far as the factory is concerned. Their relationship is stormy at first but Max has the patience of a saint and gradually they come to know each much better. However, Max does have a secret and this may cause problems when known. This was such an entertaining read, including a little about the lives of the servants and it had very engaging main characters.

I really enjoyed this fabulous book by one of my favorite authors.
Ms Linden knows her stuff especially historical romance.
The characters seemed real with thoughts and feelings all their own. This is the first book in a new series.
Great read with lots of snazzy dialog and steam.
Bianca Tate is a business woman who creates ceramic dishes and is good employer. She decides all the facets in design with her products.
Now her sister Cathy is expected to marry a rake by the name of Maximillian St. James. No way is this going to happen if Bianca has her say. Cathy wants to marry another, so Bianca takes her pace.
Boy do the sparks fly between Max and Biance. She wants things done her way, but Max sees different.
Lots of hot romance that burns into a flame of passion.
I appreciate Net Galley for this ARC title in which I have an honest review.

He's spent his life latching onto each and every opportunity that comes his way, thus when presented with an offer he cannot refuse, Maximilian St. James holds onto it with all his worth. Unfortunately, Bianca Tate does not feel the same way. Rather, she would do everything in her power to release her sister from the betrothal her father has entered on Cathy's behalf, only to find herself falling into the very same trap. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and the interplay between Max ad Bianca as it is witty and entertaining with enjoyable characters. Max has his work cut out for him winning over his belligerent bride, but he also finds much to appreciate in her, especially her hard work and artistic qualities. He discovers she is his match in every way. In spite of herself, Bianca realises that Max is not the man she thought he was. Just when it would seem that Max and Bianca have a chance at a future, unfinished business throws a series of hand grenades into their lives, forcing them to face the truth about their relationship. I found the background to the story regarding the pottery interesting, especially the development of a glaze. This book is well written and entertaining and the bonus short story from a second perspective adds delightful insights into the lives of the characters. I received a copy of this standalone novel from NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Naming a Duke!

The heir to the Duke of Carlyle, his younger son is dead. His heir, his eldest son is brain damaged and unable to take up the dukedom reins. Now the hunt for who might succeed is on. The Duchess of Carlyle's agent has found three men who are eligible due to their family ranking. They are as the Duchess laments to herself, “an army man, a cardsharp, or a Frenchman. ” She's plainly not enamoured with any of them.
Still she decides to give the first two men some support to ensure that if they did inherit they'd have some knowledge of their responsibilities. The Frenchman is not to be considered.( Hmm! That bodes well for an interesting development in the future!)
As for the cardsharp and the captain, "either of them is preferable to a Frenchman, of all people...The gambler is most likely a hopeless case. Once a gamester, always a gamester. It’s like an infection in the blood. As for the Frenchman . . .”
Cardsharp! Gambler! Maximilian St. James has been that and more! Now he decides to turn the windfall from the Duchess into more concrete success.
He becomes engaged to the elder daughter of Samuel Tate, the owner of a very successful pottery works. With a keen intellect behind his calm presence he looks to put down roots and develop business interests that will strengthen his financial security to a point where it matters not if he's ever declared the Duke’s heir.
Things work out somewhat differently when the Tate sisters are informed about the eldest, Cathy’s upcoming marriage to Max. Cathy is already in love with another party.
Bianca Tate, the younger daughter, is intensely involved with the family pottery business, cleverly inventing new glazes, and working with porcelain. Feisty and determined to the point of thoughtless, she's forever throwing down the gauntlet heedless to where her temper flash might land her. Her shock when her father declared that Max as her sister's fiancé would be given a quarter percentage of the business fuelled her fury beyond incendiary. Which left her in a place of no return when, in a rush of that famous temper, she accepts marriage to Max in place of her beloved older sister.
A different type of read, set against the background of the ton, with characters much further down the social ladder, being involved as they are in 'trade'. A very pleasing read with a slight twist to the 'marriage of convenience' trope that really was only convenient for one person--until it became more!

A HarperCollins ARC via NetGalley
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

This was a fantastic, well-written historical romance. Bianca helps her sister elope with her true love, and finds herself taking her place in an arranged marriage to Max. The marriage gives Max an opportunity he didn't expect and Bianca doesn't trust his intentions. I really enjoyed reading about these two slowly getting to know each other and I am adding the author to my "must-read" list.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher for an honest review. I've read many of Ms. Linden's past titles, but somehow missed the series prior to this one. One I saw this title, I found the premise with a heroine with connections to pottery to be interesting. Don't be fooled by mystery surrounding the heir to the Duke of Carlyle - the setting of this book isn't the typical historical set amongst the parties and members of the Ton. Maximilian St. James is the heir to the presumptive heir of the Duke of Carlyle, but doesn't hold much hope of ever holding the title himself. When the current Dowager Duchess offers him an allowance provided he becomes and remains respectful, he sees an opportunity and is determined to take advantage of it. He proposes marriage to Cathy, the elder daughter of the owner of Tate pottery.

Bianca, the younger daughter, protests the proposed marriage and helps her sister elope with the local vicar. When her father finds out, she some how finds herself agreeing to marry Max in a fit of anger. Convinced that he is wastrel and just wants the money the family company can provide, she proposes to pay him an allowance, but he has bigger plans. Max has studied the business and devised a series of changes that will help make the company more profitable. Bianca quickly realizes there is much more to her new husband then meets the eye.

I loved both Max and Bianca and that their relationship develops over time. Although married early in the book, Ms. Linden doesn't rush their relationship both physically and emotionally. The more you get to know about Max, the more you love him and understand his previous lifestyle. I was fascinated by all the details about pottery production during this time period and it is very clear the author did her research on the topic. I was just as invested in seeing if Max's plans for the company would pay off as I was in the relationship; that's saying something given how much I loved this couple. I can't wait for the next book in the series to see what happens with the presumptive heir to the Duchy of Carlyle.

4.5 Stars
Bianca Tate is horrified when her sister Cathy is obliged to accept an offer of marriage from Maximilian St. James, notorious rake. Defiantly she helps Cathy elope with her true love, the local curate and takes her sister’s place at the altar. Perched on the lowest branch of his family tree, Max has relied on charm and cunning to survive. But an unexpected stroke of luck gives him an outside chance at a dukedom when he finds himself second heir to the Duke of Carlyle. Married or not, Bianca is determined to protect her family’s prosperous ceramics business, even when Max shows an affinity for it.
I was drawn in from the prologue when the Duchess of Carlyle & her solicitor Mr Edwards realised that with the unexpected death of her youngest son a heir to the dukedom had to be found. The story was very well written & flowed effortlessly, the characters were well portrayed & had depth. I loved Bianca who was anything but a demure debutante, she was a hardworking young woman who loved the family’s pottery business & was the brains behind many of the innovative glazes. I was unsure about Max to begin with but soon grew to love him as he tried his hardest to woo Bianca. The road to their HEA was highly entertaining & I found it very hard to put down & in fact read it in two sittings. An engrossing read & I look forward to finding out what has happened to the Captain whilst in Scotland
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I really enjoyed this story. I was amused at the little hat tip to “Taming of the Shrew” with the names of the sisters, though the interaction between the hero and heroine remind me more of Beatrice and Benedick.

This is a fun enemies to lovers and marriage of convenience story. It’s refreshing to have a story about merchant class people who are competent and interesting. There are lots of great details about making pottery, but not so much that it gets annoying.

Max won me over as he did Bianca, and I really liked that he always appreciated her skills and intelligence, always giving her credit for her accomplishments and ideas.

I also really enjoyed the short story about their servants that was included at the end.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher and Net Galley in return for a fair review

It has been a while since I have read one of Caroline Linden’s books and I remembered her being a good storyteller. This one held up to that standard. It is about a rogue who is not all he seems. I guess he was a rogue but he also wants to make something of himself. The story was very different from anything that I have read. The heroine was a strong woman who helped run her father’s successful pottery business. I loved the bits where pottery was discussed and how to keep standards but expand the business – both Max and Bianca’s ideas together. It is a slow burn romance that showed that friendship is so very important in a relationship. As I was reading, I kept thinking that the story reminded me of a Shakespeare play – not one in particular but the story read that way.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The premise for Caroline Linden’s Desperately Seeking Duke series appealed to me, because while I don’t love aristocrats, I love when a person who thought they didn’t have a chance of inheriting suddenly is the new titleholder, or will likely become so at some point in the future. And that premise is perfectly set up in About a Rogue.

Max is a great hero, as he embodies everything soove about the subject of the “unexpected inheritance” trope: due to their position in life up to this point, they’ve had to fend for themselves. While his reputation is somewhat…checkered, shall we say…he proves what he’s capable of when his new father-in-law gives him a role in running the family’s business. I also respect that, while him and Bianca giving into their attraction was a foregone conclusion, he never pressed the issue and waited until they came to an accord.

I could understand Bianca’s frustration with Max, both due to his reputation and the fact that she felt a bit possessive of the business and her role in it. However, I can understand why others might see her as a bit unreasonable.

There’s also this beautiful short at the end of the book (only in the eBook, but it *might* still be available in print to those who order from her local indie, Porter Square Books) following Kit (Max’s valet) and Jennie (Bianca’s lady’s maid) set during the course of the main story, and given the death of servant focused romance, this was an absolute joy to read.

I really enjoyed this book, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the rest of the extended family as the series continues. If you love historical romance, you won’t be disappointed.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

About A Rouge, by Caroline Linden, will be available for purchase at booksellers on 6-30-2020. This story is book 1 in Ms Lindens new series Desperately Seeking Duke. I feel like this series is off to a good start. Bianca and Max are well fleshed out characters and could be modern day people if not for the historical setting & arranged marriage. Bianca flies off the handle a lot, Max tamps down his anger. When they finally have a fight it's epic. Scares the servants. I loved the plot, it was different and appealing. I became invested in Bianca & Max and rooted for their HEA. Max is charming and scared of going back to his old awful life. Bianca has never been afraid a day in her life. She can be a tad bit overwhelming. There's a bonus short story and it's super loveable.

#CarolineLinden #AboutARogue #DespperatelySeekingDuke #Netgalley #AvonBooks #HarperCollinsPublishers #historicalromance #romance

“About a Rogue” by Caroline Linden is absolutely delightful and witty. It is also the beginning of a new series, Desperately Seeking Duke.

Max St. James has learned he might become heir to a dukedom if he lives a scandal-free life. With genuine interest in Tate Pottery, he hopes that interest will also help him become respectable.
Bianca Tate is headstrong and independent and works at her father’s company. She is livid when Max saunters in, offering marriage to her sister!
Things don’t go according to plan and Max and Bianca end up married. Max wants Bianca to trust him and Bianca remains stubborn, refusing to view Max beyond the rogue she believes him to be. But attraction and passion interfere.

Filled with interesting information about pottery, Ms. Linden crafts characters you will adore.

I love the premise of this series - an ailing duke suddenly without a successor, the search for potential heirs on a sparse family tree and the challenge to the heirs from the elderly duchess to start acting like ‘duke material’.

In book one of the series, About a Rogue, Maximilian St. James is one of the potential heirs called to Carlyle Castle by the aging Duchess of Carlyle. Two of the three candidates for the next Duke of Carlyle have been located and the Duchess admonishes them to change their ways and start behaving as a future duke should, and she offers to fund their transitions. Max has always lived on the fringes of society, supporting himself through his talent at gambling, but he has been making plans for the past few years to become completely respectable and financially stable. Now, with the funds provided by the Duchess, he is able to act on his plans. He travels to Marslip Hill in Stafforshire where the Tate family owns a very successful pottery manufactory. His plan is to marry the beautiful, dutiful younger Tate daughter Cathy and become a successful businessman. With Cathy in Marslip and Max spending most of his time in London showcasing and selling the wares from Tate’s business,  Max figures he can still indulge his roguish side and also enjoy the benefits of financial security.

That’s exactly what Cathy’s sister Bianca is worried about. Cathy, while feeling obligated to abide by her father’s wishes and marry the cousin of a duke, is already in love with the local vicar Mr. Mayne. Bianca is convinced that Max is a scoundrel so when Bianca discovers Cathy’s plan to elope with Mayne, she supports the  plan and, the night before Cathy’s marriage to Max, aids in the couple’s elopement. The following morning, in an attempt to placate her furious father, prevent the shares he'd bestowed on Max leaving the family, and head off a suit for breach of promise, Bianca agrees to marry Max instead and the two embark upon a marriage of convenience with Bianca continuing to believe the worst of Max and Max happy to at last be on the path to a secure and lucrative future.

I love a good marriage of convenience story and, for the most part, About a Rogue delivers. Bianca and Max have good chemistry and it is obvious from the start that they share a mutual fascination. Bianca is committed to the family pottery business and works on the dyes and her own designs. Max is equally invested in the business (although it takes a while to convince Bianca of this) and Ms. Linden cleverly uses their working interactions to bring them closer and closer. Bianca has to respect her partner and it’s fun to watch Max work hard to convince her of his worthiness. As a couple, they truly shine. And I liked them as individuals too.

My only problem with the story is that there is an obvious secret Max is hiding from Bianca and it’s not until close to the end that all is revealed and by then it’s a jolt to the plot, and the misunderstanding that results is a bit boring. Max also seems determined to hide some of his roguish past from Bianca - a subplot that is never really resolved. I would have rather seen him admit to his past and have them both move on than have that storyline just fizzle out.

Even with my disappointment over some of the storylines, About a Rogue is an entertaining tale and I look forward to reading the rest of the Desperately Seeking Duke series. Ms. Linden ends About a Rogue with an interesting twist that will lead nicely into book two of the series. I look forward to seeing who the next Duke of Carlyle will be!

Note: the Kindle edition includes a bonus e-novella.

Buy it at: Amazon, Audible, or your local independent bookstore
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Bianca Tate loves two things: her family and Perusia, her family’s ceramics business. When her father agrees to let a rogue with some paper-thin connection to a duke marry Bianca’s sister, Cathy, and have a quarter share in Perusia, Bianca is furious. Not only is Cathy in love with another, how dare her father give away a piece of her inheritance to a stranger known for his gambling? In a fury, Bianca helps Cathy elope with her beloved…only to find that she herself has to take Cathy’s place at the altar. She may have to marry Maximilian St. James, but she’s determined he won’t interfere in her life or her family’s business. Only Max turns out to be quite different than she imagined. Slowly Bianca finds herself thawing to the stranger she married as she learns that perhaps there may be more to the charming rogue than she first thought.

About a Rogue is so much fun to read! Max and Bianca have excellent chemistry and I loved watching Bianca in particular go from loathing her husband and all she believes him to be to falling for the real man beneath the rogue.

Max grabbed my heart from the first. He’s got a good heart, sharp business sense, and has had a difficult life. Learning that he’s possibly in line for a dukedom is the first stroke of luck he’s had in a long time. It’s not the possibility of a title, but rather the money promised if he becomes respectable that gives Max the leg up he needs to find the security he so craves. Perusia isn’t just a means to an end for him and I loved watching Max’s business acumen at work as he comes up with new ideas. He’s the perfect addition to the Tate family, whether Bianca wants to admit it or not. As for Bianca, there are a few Taming of the Shrew elements in the beginning of About a Rogue as she resists her father’s plans and Max’s charms. I understood why she was so angry, though because I had more insight to Max than she, I felt sorry for him. However, Max stays one step ahead of Bianca in often funny ways and I loved the sparks that flew between them. Bianca is fiercely loving in addition to incredibly talented and once she begins to see the true Max the story really takes flight. They are a dynamite pair and I loved watching their relationship develop.

About a Rogue is the first book in the Desperately Seeking Duke series and I cannot wait to see what Caroline Linden has in store for the other Carlyle heirs. Each story promises to be quite different and in this one I loved the backdrop of the ceramics business. From the artistry of it to Max’s ideas for expanding the business to Bianca’s gift for glazes and knowledge of chemistry, the Perusia part of the story not only added depth to the world and story, it was fascinating in its own right. I truly adored About a Rogue and will happily revisit Max and Bianca again and again.

Caroline Linden starts a new series with an interesting core plot. The powerful Carlyle dukedom is left without a direct heir. As the matron of the family, the Duke’s mother sets out to find young and virile males from different St. James branches. She would disburse £500 to each of them, expecting them to become refined gentlemen within 6 months, and would continue to provide £1,500 per annum if they could maintain their respectability, in hope that they could take on the role and responsibilities that come with the dukedom. The first book is about Maximilian St. James, the furthest relation from the Duke, a gamester and a notorious rogue.

Max immediately seizes this opportunity to prove himself capable of making a profession in business. He proposes a partnership with Samuel Tate, a famous potter producing high quality pottery wares. Max would take over the “marketing” and expansion of the family brand using his connections to high society. Even better, Samuel has 2 unmarried daughters, and he was happy to accept Max’s marriage proposal to his older one, so he could keep the business within family. It turns out she’s already in love with someone else 😆...

Strongly opposing to her father’s decision to marry off her sister to a stranger, Bianca Tate helps her sister elope, but finds herself in a position to have to reverse the damage by marrying the man herself. Thinking of him as a London dandy, a ne’er-do-well rogue, a fortune hunter who promises and convinces her poor father with empty words, she hates him with a passion 😂 and underestimates his intelligence and his brilliant business mind.

This couple couldn’t be more different 😂: He’s calm, patient, logical, deliberate in his actions, while she acts more on her emotions, speaks boldly, and takes no nonsense. Yet, they complement each other perfectly: He has a great vision to expand the business, and she is superbly talented and creative in her glaze formulations, making their wares stand out in quality. He knows what she thinks of him in the beginning, and he patiently proves to her his genuine interests and his authenticity. Slowly realizing she’s been wrong about him all along, she turns to like him, then loves him... also with a passion 😂...

I’ve really enjoyed this book, the slow burn, hate-to-love relationship is portrayed so well. I love Bianca’s character, she’s passionate, talented, kind, and generous. Her transformation is natural and relatable. Ms Linden provides a marriage-of-convenience story that is filled with challenges to test their love. This book also provides interesting knowledge about the pottery industry during the Georgian era. I can’t wait to read the next books in the series to find out who will finally inherit the Carlyle dukedom!

5-⭐️ read for me!

*Special thanks to Avon Books for providing me with this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

✨Release date: June 30, 2020✨