Solid first installment of a new series. The characters are well-written and the relationships are believable. I can definitely relate to Beatrice's passion for her dictionary project and how isolated she felt. Which is why the love story was so satisfying. Seeing people who think they're going to be sad and alone their whole lives finally find their happy ever after is a trope that I adore!

Some of the modern-day sensibilities brought me out of the story a little bit (the men at the beginning joking about their private parts and Beatrice's scoffing about it was a bit too 21st century to be included in a historical romance). But it didn't completely ruin my enjoyment of the story.

I absolutly LOVE bea and ford's story! It's fire on fire type of romance that will have a reader laughing, yelling and sitting on the edge of the seat with the steaminess! Do I recommend Love Is a Rogue? Yes, yes, and yes again!

Lenora Bell is one of my favorites reads. She writes these stories that capture you and take to these historical time. I cant wait for the next book in the series.

This is a little late for a ARC review but I had some personal issues come up and was unable to read much for some months. Good news is I’m able to get back to reading more consistently.

Reading is my escape and I love when I find a new author to escape with. I have only read one other book by this author (One Fine Duke) and I loved it. We are introduced to Beatrice in that book. She is the sister of a Duke, a scholar, wallflower and hopefully soon to be a spinster. Yes she actually wants to be a spinster. The hero of the book is Ford and he is a carpenter, a rogue and a navy man wanting to get back to sea. He is doing work at Beatrice brother’s Cornwall house when they first meet. After a few times spying and being caught she and he actually speak and some sparks ignite. Then off to London to inherit a bookstore for her and hire him to make some repairs (which he’s not too interested in at first) but where he comes face to face with grandfather who disowned his mother. His Grandfather wants the property the book store is on and so they must try to save it.

I really enjoyed the heroine being smart and ok with being a spinster. I also enjoyed the banter between the hero and heroine. I don’t usually like books where the hero is below heroine in station but this author was able to pull it together for me. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something different for a change. No lords being chased in this book.

A bookish heroine intent on working in peace and quiet on her dictionary is so irritated by the very sweaty and muscle-y carpenter banging away on her getaway's walls. With plans to outlast her match-making mother, she instead finds herself falling in love with the handsome man instead, even if he is unsuitable.

Read for Seasonally Booked Up, this was low-angst and lovely.

Notes - the heroine has a "palsy" which causes one side of her facial muscles to droop, a condition she's had since childhood. The heroine's mother definitely sees this as a fault and encourages her to hide that side of her face with her hair and big hats and loud outfits.

It had been a while since I dug into a true historical romance. And I’m super happy that this was the first one that I got into this year! This book was EVERYTHING! The handsome hardworking carpenter with the roguish charm. The bookish wallflower sister of a duke. Two worlds collide into one perfectly charming, funny, STEAM DREAM romance!

The story was perfect in simplicity and wonderfully complete. The writing was witty, and at times even poetic! It left me feeling giddy and just blissfully happy. I loved how feminist Beatrice was and how Ford wasn’t threatened by a strong, intelligent woman! There was no fight in the idea that Beatrice knew her own mind and Ford was the perfect ally and support system!

I know this book hasn’t reached its six month mark yet of being published, but I’m sad that this book hasn’t gotten the traction that I feel it deserves! I’m going to recommend this book as much as I can and also will be purchasing a hard copy! I love it that much!

It deserves ALL the stars!!!

Love Is a Rogue by Lenora Bell is the first book in the Wallflowers Vs. Rogues series. It follows Beatrice, a wallflower who inherits a bookshop in a state of disrepair and calls upon her brother's carpenter to help her fix it. I adore Lenora Bell's books—they're fun, feminist romps that never fail to lift my spirits. I loved Beatrice's journey of self-discovery. She realizes that she's kept the world at bay to avoid being hurt by it, and soon sees that the original plans she laid out for herself won't truly make her happy. So, with the help of some fabulous friends, she decides to change things. Meanwhile, Ford wins all of the romance hero points for building bookshelves for the heroine, being unafraid to cry in front of her, and soaking up every new word that Beatrice wants to teach him. I loved spending the week reading as they fell in love! This gave me all I wanted and more, and I can't wait to see where Bell takes this series next.

This book was not my romance thing. I did a lot of skimming, but I finished it. I will try the author again as HF is my fav.

This is the first book in Lenora Bell's latest series, and it was great fun to read. Lenora impresses me with her effervescent style and quick wit. The story's protagonists butt heads and intrigue each other in equal measure, each tempting the other to find out more about them until there is no other option but to fall in love. I fully enjoyed this story and the characters in it. I assume the rest of the series will tell the stories of the rest of the female friend group and I cannot wait to see how they all turn out.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

Love Is a Rogue by Lenora Bell is the First book in the Wallflowers vs Rogues Series. This is the story of Stamford 'Ford' Wright and Beatrice Bentley. Ford is a carpenter hired by the Duke of Throndon to work on the Thronhill estate. Beatrice is the sister of the Duke and a blue stocking who is a etymologist. In addition to that making her undesirable to society ways is the fact that at birth caused her to have palsy effecting her smile. But the attraction between the two are fast and furious but can these two have a future? Loved this book and of course this author's writing.

A woman who’s world revolves around books and words falls in love with the biggest rake.... it made for an amazing love story and boy do you come out of this with a larger vocabulary and another favorite set of charecters to love! Ford isn’t the bad boy rogue he initially comes across as when he’s in love. And quaint quiet Beatrice likes her rakes big and deep! The sex scene was super steamy in this one!!!

The part that I liked about the book was how the author wrote Beatrice's character and her love and dedication towards creating an etymological dictionary. I also liked to see a story with the heroine that had scars in form of facial palsy rather than a scarred hero as we commonly see in other romances and a hero that was a carpenter rather than the usual duke. The main thing that I felt was missing from the story was the chemistry in between Beatrice and Stamford. I am excited to see what else is part of this series but this book was an average read for me.

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

very short but sweet novel. was too short for me to really get into it. due to page length felt too rushed.

Lenora Bell does it again with another sweet, hot, delightful read. Loved the STEM, bookish heroine, the works with his hands hero, their chemistry was great!

DNF at 75 pages. There's nothing wrong with it, but it's just not clicking for me. Too many characters and not enough personality. The romance feels a bit cheesy thus far. Lenora Bell has been hit or miss for me, and I don't think this one's going to be a hit.

Lady Beatrice Bentley is trying to work on her etymological dictionary, but finds herself distracted by the sounds of renovations to her brother’s Cornish mansion. And the sight of the virile carpenter, which makes her glasses fog up. Which is highly inappropriate since she is not only the sister of a duke, but a wallflower devoted to scholarly pursuits. Not fleshly ones. Stamford (Ford) Wright is a ship’s carpenter in the Royal Navy, helping his father while he awaits the arrival of his next ship. Though he shares their attraction, both are keenly aware of the social barriers to any relationship.

When Beatrice inherits her aunt’s bookshop, however, and hires Ford to do the repairs, the action rapidly heats up. Despite the support of similarly independent-minded friends, the opposition of her controlling mother and a blackmailing property developer threatens to crush their hopes for happiness together. Can kindness and forgiveness win the day?

Though they melt away rather too conveniently, the formidable obstacles facing those who challenge the power structure, whether within the family or the world of business, are convincingly demonstrated in this entertaining Regency. As are steamy passages (remember the fogged-up glasses?).
HNR Issue 94 (November 2020)
https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/love-is-a-rogue-wallflowers-vs-rogues/

Just an adorable couple to sit back and enjoy! The bickering and then the resulting chemistry between them is fun to read and you just can't stop because you are waiting to see what they could possibly do next. Some of the situations are comical, some are sad, some are definitely steamy!
#netgalley #loveisarogue

*3.5 stars*

Love Is a Rogue was an enjoyable historical romance by Lenora Bell, even if it didn't keep my attention as much as I was hoping it would.

I read a lot of historical romance, and I'm always on the hunt for MCs who are a little different. I loved how we got a female MC with a facial palsy, as it's fairly rare to see a female MC with any sort of physical "imperfections." We get roguishly scarred male MCs, but in a female MC? Super rare. I know people who have permanent paralysis from Bell's Palsy, so I could exactly picture Beatrice. I loved that the author added that detail to her story.

There was a bit of insta-lust, which was meh for me, and I thought the overall chemistry suffered a bit because of it. I like things to grow slowly over time. However, I enjoyed Beatrice's intrepid group of friends a great deal, and Beatrice herself was an interesting character, so that made up for a lot of imperfections in the story.

The plot was a little meandering for me, and had a few too many details that stretched my imagination. I wanted the opposites-attract romance to work, but I didn't really see these two as a couple, long-term. They bantered a good deal, but it didn't solidify into a stable romance for me, and their differences in society seemed vast and not fully addressed.

A nice romance with some unique characters, I think I wanted to like Love Is a Rogue more than I did. However, I would certainly move on with the series and see what else this author has in store for me.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

I love the title of the series
Beatrice is a true book lover and only wants to finish her dictionary. She wants more from life than being a woman that men want because of her fabulous dowry.
In Wright she finds a man who pays attention to her as a person and listen to what she has to say. Wright respects her thoughts and opinions., something that has not happen to her .
The characters were very likable as this is my first Lenora Bell I am going to get my hands on her backlist.