I've been meaning to continue this series for awhile, and this fall was the perfect time. Lucie was one of my favorite side characters in Bringing Down the Duke. I really enjoyed the banter between Lucie and Tristan and they definitely had chemistry. I'm looking forward to the next book!

Well I will get the news out of the way up front—this book does not focus on a love story for Professor Jenkins. Instead, this story centers around Lucie, who is the leader of the women’s suffrage movement at Oxford. This book was a more entertaining story than the first one, though it did carry it’s fair share of problems which I will get into. Lady Lucie wants to acquire a publishing house to disseminate feminist messages and to oppose laws disadvantaging women. Particularly, they hope to amend the Married Women’s Property Act.

Unfortunately, acquiring the publishing house is not the simplest task. Particularly when Lucie discovers that Lord Ballentine (an old nemesis of Lucie’s) has bought the remaining shares of the publishing house. Tristan (Lord Ballentine) won’t allow Lucie to bring down the publishing house. He is relying on profit from the publishing house to free his mother from his horrible father. Dunmore does a good job making the reader unsure about whether Tristan is a good guy or a bad guy. Obviously it’s a romance novel so we assume he will turn out to be good, but his actions were hard to read and that kept the tension high.

The sexual tension between Lucie and Tristan was also kept high. There were some steamy scenes in this one. Despite their differing goals for the publishing house, Tristan and Lucie have an undeniable physical attraction. Eventually, Tristan offers Lucie control of the publishing house in exchange for one night of passion. At first this ask is too great for Lucie, but eventually it’s too little as she hopes for something more with Tristan.

This is the rub for me with the plot. On the one hand, this is a work of fiction and a romance novel, so I appreciated the smoking hot premise of this. At the same time, in a series that purports to be about feminism (and a character like Lucie who has lived her life refusing to appease others by lowering her political activism)—am I on board with Lucie not only selling out her body, but then potentially marrying a man who will essentially own her (and who has proven that despite his good qualities, he sees women as a commodity to be had and traded)?

That said, I did root for their love story by the end. I can’t help it! I guess I just love a happy ending. Lucie was a compelling character and as we got more context about Tristan, I sympathized with him more. Similar to Bringing Down the Duke, this book had great characters and engaging banter. A Rogue of One’s Own also did a better job showcasing how some men at the time were allies to the women’s suffrage movement.

I want to note that there are a few issues with this book that can’t be overlooked, despite the fun and engaging story. There is one gay character in the story but he is a sneaky villain, and that was disappointing. It was challenging enough for gay people at the time, so I didn’t love that the character was written to be so heinous. I don’t think the author meant anything by it, but it was noticeable. Tristan also has a tattoo that is a Hindu deity. This element of cultural appropriation from our hero leaves a bad taste in an otherwise enjoyable novel. Some South Asian reviewers have shared more about how this was harmful on Goodreads, so I encourage you to go there if you want to hear their perspective. I reminded myself that unfortunately colonialism was very prevalent at the time of this book, and perhaps this was authentic. But also, did we need to include it?

Those issues aside, this was a fun story with a bad-boy hero and a feminist heroine. The female friendships continued to shine, and I do look forward to continuing this fun historical romance series!

Lady Lucie is fuming. She and her band of Oxford suffragists have finally scraped together enough capital to control one of London’s major publishing houses, with one purpose: to use it in a coup against Parliament. But who could have predicted that the one person standing between her and success is her old nemesis and London’s undisputed lord of sin, Lord Ballentine? Or that he would be willing to hand over the reins for an outrageous price—a night in her bed.

Lucie tempts Tristan like no other woman, burning him up with her fierceness and determination every time they clash. But as their battle of wills and words fans the flames of long-smoldering devotion, the silver-tongued seducer runs the risk of becoming caught in his own snare.

As Lucie tries to out-maneuver Tristan in the boardroom and the bedchamber, she soon discovers there’s truth in what the poets say: all is fair in love and war…

This is the second book in the series and while it can be read as a standalone I enjoyed seeing some of the characters that I got to know in the first book. Lucie and Tristan are chemistry and passion unchecked together and their romance is on fire. I loved seeing Tristan win her over and the fight she put up to get what she needed first. I'm enjoying the strength and courage of the women in this series.

A Rogue of One's Own evoked mixed emotions in me.
While it took some time for me to fully immerse myself in the story, eventually, I found myself falling in love with characters like Tristan and, especially, Lucie.

The continuity in the writing style from the first book and the delightful banter between characters, which I adore, remained consistent.

This series, with its blend of romance and history, continues to be a favorite of mine.

I totally recommend

This was a perfect enemies to lovers story! I really liked Lucy and Tristan. I enjoyed how strong Lucy was and how it didn’t intimidate Tristan! This is book 2 in a series but can be read as a standalone!

This is the second book in the series of A League of Extraordinary Women and I didn't find it extraordinary in anyway. I gave it a good shot but it missed that mark I was hoping for and I decided to stop reading it after the halfway mark.

Another book I'm conflicted with.

On one hand, I found the writing to be quick and engaging - I enjoyed the back and forth between Tristan and Lucie, from their initial encounter as children to their chaotic adulthood where they find their lives intersecting at every turn. The female friendship and support system was strong, and the story as a whole had solid stakes, interesting subject matter, and a bit of historical fact mixed with the fiction.

That being said, along with that historical fact, there were a few things that could've been fact at the time that I feel could've been left out of this book to make the story more enjoyable as a whole in the context of present day consumption. The main "villain" is the only gay character in the book; the only diverse character is Avi, Tristan manservant, who plays a fairly subservient role within the story (despite there being many diverse people living among the characters by this time, some on relatively equal footing as Lucie); the MC had a tattoo on his chest that sexualizes South Asian women and appropriated Hinduism - specifically Lord Shiva, a deity within Hinduism - which is then used as a plot point (labeled "ridiculous") later on in the story. That's a lot to contend with and I'm disappointed that a book published in this day and age (despite its subject matter of historical fiction) made these choices. Like I said, some of these aspects are historical fact, but some should've definitely have been left in history.

While I loved Tristan - his soft heart, his fit for Lucie, even his opinion that the war they were fighting was frivolous and pointless - the tattoo thing definitely left him in the NOPE category for me.

All in all, disappointed by the choices made here. Do I think harm was intended? Probably not, but it does show some underlying biases that the author has, and possibly those who read it before it was given the green light. This book is strongly in the "do better" pile.

TW: death of a pet, PTSD, sexism, illness (mental illness), grief, sexual content, alcohol consumption, threats of forced institutionalization; mentions war, death, physical abuse

Plot: 2/5
Characters: 3/5
World Building: 1/5
Writing: 3/5
Pacing: 5/5
Overall: 2.5/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Berkley Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun followup! This is a really entertaining feminist historical romance and I really enjoyed it! Such a fun series!

I was excited to dive into this book following the first since they'd given a hint that Lord Ballentine might know Lucie as he was aware of her infamous cat and they did seem like a fun pair. There is a lot of plot happening in this book which helps drive the story along at a fast pace. While I appreciate both Lucie and Tristan's struggles to make their relationship work, as with the last book, they drag on a bit too long which is slightly annoying towards the end but the banter is top notch.

I read Evie Dunmore's debut a few years ago and absolutely loved it, from that first book I had a feeling she would go very far and was incredibly excited about the second instalment into this sparkling new series and I am so pleased to say I was not disappointed, this is a cracking story full of insightful history, extraordinary women and glorious narrative which keeps the readers completely hooked.
Lucie and Tristan are a compelling couple, I loved the banter there are sparks galore whenever they are on the same page which is a huge credit to Ms Dunmore's amazing writing. I loved the story, the setting, the drama and the heavy suffrage history, it's captivating and thought-provoking, a real winner!!

This series makes me smile. The historical romance mixed with the women kicking butt is the greatest thing ever. I look forward to seeing more of the characters.

Evie Dunmore has dun it again. I'm a big sucker for historical fiction and this book, the second in the A League of Extraordinary Women series, is an entertaining followup to Bringing Down the Duke. I love the romance and the enemies to lovers trope. I enjoy prickly Lucie and Tristan together, and I love that female friendship is the core part of this series. As gleaned from an own voices reviewer, the tattoo of a South Asian dancer was in poor taste, especially in such a white book series.

This book was a good frothy historical romance that I'd love to recommend to someone who wants a fresh voice but still have familiar tropes and story beats.

I love Evie Dunmore's books. A Rogue of One's Own is another gem filled with heart and humor and a fun spin on the regency genre.

I loved the first book in this series, so I was super excited for this one! While I enjoyed the story, it was a little lacking in the romance department. I can't put my finger on it exactly, but there was just something about the chemistry of the characters not being as much as I had hoped. Having said that, I still really enjoyed the book and will definitely read more from Evie Dunmore!

I wish this had pulled me in more! I actually did not finish reading it - which bummed me out. But I will still happily recommend it to lovers of the genre!

3.5/5

Reminding me of Bringing Down the Duke in that it follows the same formula of a couple being enraptured by each other from afar in a time period where women's rights are being fought for.

This book was a long one! It expands upon the political scene, women's suffrage movement, and gender equality. Although that portion of the book was a welcome one - it was very long-winded. We get interactions between Lucie and Tristan increasing and how they disguise their attraction to each other through mutual distaste. I appreciated the dive into each of the couple's POV and to understand more of who they are as people.

The romance was well explored with a couple who learns to admire each other, more so, on Tristan's side and later on Lucie. I thought the intensity between them was believable which granted a blend of an outrageous proposition and growing feelings. Really fun historical romance!

I really enjoyed this book. Bringing Down the Duke was one of my favorite historical reads of 2019 and I was super excited to continue the series.

I actually ended up getting the audiobook for this one but loved the story nonetheless. I will definitely keep reading Evie Dunmore's books and hope she continues this series with more smart and sassy main characters.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t read the first book but I had a lot of trouble getting into this story and connecting with the characters. I have decided to DNF until I can get a copy of the first book and read that and then I will give this one a second try