This is a lady and the carpenter story.

There are some things done well in this book. The character development for one. The two main characters, Lady Beatrice and Mr. Wright (the rogue & carpenter) come to life. Also, it was easy, due to the author’s talent of descriptive writing, for the reader to visualize special places in the story, as the Library at Thornhill House and Castle’s Bookshop on the Strand.

However, several times while reading Love is a Rogue, I thought, “what era is this? Regency? Really?.” It would be difficult to know as it contains so much modern dialogue that the only clues to the time period are the societal rules and the fashions.

Talk, talk, talk! The characters spent so much time talking I was surprised they had time to **spoiler alert**
have sex.

This is a good tale with some fine moments but with enough flaws to frequently jar me from the story.

Love Is a Rogue checked all the boxes for me. This witty, smart, sweet & sometimes down right smoldering story, kept me rapt from start to finish.
Ford the carpenter, a formidable titan of masculinity, strength and a cocksure smile; had me imagining exactly what he may look like in real life. Feeling & placing oneself in the story and admiring him from afar, inside that high window.
Beatrice, booksmart and precise, she wields her words like that of a swordsman wields his blade. Books and her intellect her insulator and armor to protect her from the outside world, the name calling and the ton. Never to love. Never to marry.
All of her future carefully outlined in her mind...until this carpenter...until Ford.

This is book 1 in the new Wallflowers vs Rogues series and I cannot wait for book 2, it couldn't get here fast enough.
Huzzah Lenora, your best book yet!

Love Is A Rogue is the first in a new series from one of my personal favorites, Lenora Bell.
This story revolves around Lady Beatrice Bentley, and working class carpenter, Stamford (Ford) Wright. Ford is the handsome, roguish carpenter working on the Duke of Thorndon's home in Cornwall (the duke, Drew, and Mina, got their HEA in LB's previous book!).
Beatrice is bookish, scholarly, and completely resigned to spinsterhood. If it weren't for her meddling mother who insists she marries a titled gentleman. Shoving her into expensive frocks of the latest fashion. But Beatrice has decided she'll never marry, because she's just too opinionated, too smart, too bookish, too... beastly. She starts to question her decision after she finds herself caught up in her own thoughts about the handsome carpenter... but could a love match outside their stations ever happen? When Beatrice inherits a derelict bookshop from a late aunt she never knew she had, she enlists Ford for his help to restoring the space for her precious books, and her beloved. best friends. Of course, his conniving, black-hearted grandfather who cast out his mother when she married "below her station" is doing everything he can to stop them both.
I loved this book. Like, well and truly loved. In this season of my life, I've been looking for low-angst books, and this book is just that - but don't take that at face value. These two overcome so many obstacles, and beyond that, they are fairly good at communicating with one another. A refreshing take in historical romance.
Something Lenora has always nailed for me, is her rich, intriguing background/supporting characters. She features them enough to make you want to know more, know them better, see them get their own HEA without taking away from the main couple's story. I don't think that's something easily done but Lenora makes it easy somehow. And my other favorite thing? Lenora makes me laugh. Plain and simple. She brings enough humor to her writing to make you chuckle, but feel deeply for her story and characters.
I loved watching Beatrice and Ford find their HEA and fight for their love and what they believe in, in spite of allllllll the odds. I can't wait to see who Lenora gives us next.
Many thanks to Avon Books, Lenora Bell, Kelly Oakes, and NetGalley for the chance to read & review this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lady Beatrice-Wallflower, Logophile, Bibliophile.

Stamford-Navy man, carpenter, roguish in charm...and yes, he’s VERY good with his hands😉

With a bit of encouragement from Stamford, Lady Beatrice underwent a mental transformation from social expectations and perceptions during the course of the book and I loved seeing her blossom. Stamford was an absolute sweetheart in his own way with his daring smile and complimentary remarks, but I loved seeing him really open up with Beatrice and expose emotional depths I didn’t expect.

Love Is a Rogue was a charming read! I liked the premise and enjoyed the tongue in cheek humor as well as the family drama. There is also a delightfully witty cast of characters with very interesting backgrounds that I am looking forward to reading about in future books! I

I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley/Harpercollins Avon and this is my honest review.

Beatrice is a woman who does not want to marry but instead write a dictionary. Stamford is a sailor rogue on leave doing carpentry work for Beatrice and her family. When his aristocratic father threatens Beatrice, Stamford steps in to help save the day. I received an ARC from NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for my honest review.

After my first encounter with Lenora Bell's latest book, "Love is a Rogue" from a reading given by Lenora herself, I was hooked!

The story revolves around a Lady Beatrice Bentley and Stamford Wright, or Ford as he's known to his friends, a carpenter working at Lady Beatrice's brother's Cornwall residence.

They say "the power of love conquers all" and that "opposites attract" - this is certainly the case for Beatrice and Ford.

From the start there were lots of chuckling and LOL moments with Beatrice's inner voice berating herself as she tries to ignore her growing attraction to Ford who is carrying out repairs on her brother's estate over the summer.

The story is interspersed with Latin and word origins, just like a dictionary - giving us an insight into Beatrice's character, and we learn how her love of words came about.

It's not all one-sided and plain sailing, oh no, Ford feels the call to Beatrice too, and by coincidence their common "enemy" draws them even closer.

As their story progresses, so does the level of detail about their passionate exploration of each other.

I thoroughly enjoyed romping through Beatrice and Ford's story, and cannot wait to see which one of their circle "gets to speak next!"

Thank you so much to HarperCollins, Netgalley and Lenora Bell for giving me the opportunity to read this eARC.

This book was funny and entertaining. I enjoyed watching Beatrice realize what kind of life she wanted once she met Ford and then figure out how to get that life. And I loved her sesquipedalian vocabulary!

I really liked this and thought it was very well done. I liked that it wasn’t your typical hysterical set up. And I’m very happy with the HEA. thank you to netgalley for the ARC!

Society ladies are to be dainty creatures and not have interests beyond bearing children and keeping a house. Beatrice is different from those women, proclaiming herself to be a wallflower and has no desire to marry. If only the handsome carpenter and navy man, Ford, would leave her in peace so she can finish writing her etymological dictionary. Ford is considered a rogue and had no desire for love or marriage. He is here to finish a job and return to the sea and Beatrice is far above his station. Yet, why can he not stop thinking about her? When Beatrice gets an interesting surprise, it brings her and Ford together again. They begin to see more of each other, while Beatrice fits in her mother's demanding social obligations. Neither expected to fall in love, but with such a gap between them and each having their own future plans, will they take that leap of faith?
I received this novel from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a joy to read.
I always love a book with a fun and smart wallflower.
Lady Bea, is very introverted. In comes loud masculine Mr. Wright to bring her out of her shell.
Some fun twist and turns.
Secondary characters are fun too.

This lighthearted literary romp had all my favorite tropes: a bluestocking lady who falls for a rogue; a secret (knitting) society of women intellectuals; and secret relatives who bestow inheritances. In the beginning of the book, the heroine has retreated to Cornwall to escape her marriage- minded mother so she can work on her etymological dictionary. There she meets Ford Wright, the very handsome carpenter who is working on the renovations to her brother's estate. Although she initially denies it, there is an immediate attraction between Beatrice and Wright. Beatrice then returns to London to prepare for the Season and through a series of well-timed coincidences, encounters Wright and hires him to renovate the dilapidated bookshop she just inherited.

The dialogue between Beatrice and Ford shows their growing appreciation for each other. As the book progresses, Beatrice becomes more confident and sure of herself. Ford also changes during the course of the book, and allows himself time to reflect on his past experience with loss associated with wartime battles and on the inter-generational influence of family secrets. Together, Beatrice and Ford (rather easily) overcome every obstacle in their path and have their HEA.

Lenora Bell creates characters that are quirky and relatable and I loved the characters in this book. The ladies of the Mayfair secret knitting society are both confidants and wonderful supports to each other. They help Beatrice see that she can enjoy and explore her attraction to Ford. I hope the members of the Mayfair knitting society they have their own stories in upcoming books!


Thank you NetGalley, Avon, Lenora Bell, and Kelly Oakes for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I truly enjoyed the first book in Lenora Bell’s new series. I truly enjoyed the dialogue and interactions between Ford and Beatrice. I also enjoyed being able to catch up with some characters from her previous series.
There were a few situations that rang hollow to me, especially how easily they overcame their issues. Overall, I really enjoyed the journey of Ford and Beatrice in finding their HEA.

I love this new series by Lenora Bell and I can't wait for more books. This book had several plot twists and I really enjoyed getting to know Lady Beatrice and Ford. Ford is very loyal to his promises. I had no idea what a etymological dictionary was until I read this book. I loved that the setting was Cornwall I haven't really read that many book set there. I think Ford was my favorite character and I hope Beatrice's brother gets a books.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon for the ARC to read and review. Reverse class love story. It's usually a duke and a commoner female. This time its a duke's daughter and a carpenter.
Beatrice can't keep her thoughts on working on her etymological dictionary because she's distracted by Ford, the handsome carpenter her brother hires to work on his estate. Beatrice is a first order wallflower and proud of it. She has determined to not marry and devote her life to her dictionary. Beatrice and Ford have a very sexy meet cute and then the story picks up in London at the heart of the season. The Beatrice of Cornwall is lost to her mother's concerns for an excellent match. Amidst the preparations for the season, Beatrice learns she has inherited a bookshop and eventually hires Ford to repair it.

Love eventually conquers all after Ford's grandfather tries to exploit their relationship.

My largest disappointment in this story was how easily every impediment to their relationship is resolved. The last few chapters just don't flow like the rest of the novel and hopefully the finished product will have a more polished resolution to their story.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was not enchanted by this romance novel. While I liked the bookish, Beatrice, Wright didn't quite fit in her world. He was too manly and brutish to be a genuine love interest. He kept using words like princess to refer to her and was too aware of her social status. a match between him and Beatrice just seemed unrealistic.

I've been waiting for Lenora Bell's Wallflowers vs. Rogues series since reading For the Duke's Eyes Only. The Mayfair Ladies' Knitting Society is secretly a front for a group of women who dare to dream of more for themselves than what society says they can have. They are a varied group, all bound together by their aspirations. This book focuses on Lady Beatrice Bentley, sister to a duke, who wants nothing more than to live at her brother's Cornwall estate and write an etymological dictionary. Her mother is unwilling to let her out of society events so easily, and so Beatrice escapes to Cornwall for a brief stay to work on her dictionary. Her plans go astray, however, with the presence of carpenter Stamford Wright. Ford is too loud, too brawny, and far too handsome for her to concentrate on anything. She thinks she'll be rid of him upon her return to London, however when she learns she has inherited a derelict bookshop she knows she'll need a hard working carpenter, and luckily Ford is in town as well. Together they repair the bookshop and build a relationship in the process.

I couldn't put this book down! Bell does an excellent job at creating relatable characters, and Beatrice and Ford are no exception. They both have to deal with challenges both internal and external - not the least of which is vast difference in their stations. The chemistry between them sparks immediately and is so fun to read.

I definitely recommend this book, and can't wait to see what Lenora Bell does next! I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

I absolutely adored this book! So well written. You will fall in love with the characters by page one! The chemistry between hero and heroine sizzle right off the pages. Lenora Bell knocked it out of the park again!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this amazing book!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Avon, Lenora Bell, and Kelly Oakes for the opportunity to read an ARC of this fabulous book!

This is one of my favorite books of 2020 so far, and I am so sorry for everyone who has to wait another three months to read this witty, brilliant, hilarious, and swooningly romantic story!

I've been a huge fan of Lenora Bell's since her delightfully silly debut HOW THE DUKE WAS WON (a.k.a. Willy Wonka + The Bachelor but in the Regency, and also martial arts because Why Not). While the absurdity of the premises has tamed down slightly through the years (though we've still got Mary Poppins and James Bond in other backlist titles), the warmth and wit and sheer delight of Bell's writing has only grown. This book was low on pop culture references (I think; entirely possible I'm just clueless) but embraced a gender-flipped Beauty and the Beast trope with a hilarious lack of subtlety (an antagonist calls the heroine "Beastly Beatrice").

From the opening pages, I knew I'd be obsessed with this book. The heroine is shy and anxious, lives in her head, is obsessed with books and words, and even wears glasses, so....it me. And I lost it when she goes to spy on the hero flirting with someone else and she accidentally drops her glasses on him and he climbs up the rose trellis to retrieve them (the glasses are fine, because romance novel laws trump physics) because it is so delightfully over the top.

The bluestocking and rogue trope is a personal favorite of mine, probably because I am a socially anxious nerd, so it was almost inevitable I'd latch onto this book. And though we have exciting sequel bait about composers, chemists, and lawyers, there's something special about a book that's a paean to language. What better medium with which to celebrate the written word? Beatrice enchants the hero with her impassioned monologue on language and its delights, and Lenora Bell's prose will similarly enrapture the reader. And, as appropriate for a heroine who studies words, this book will give you a vocabulary workout -- I was extremely grateful for the convenience of Kindle's dictionary feature!

Ford is a wonderful match for Beatrice. Some of my favorite passages are those where we see him falling for her, such as during the aforementioned speech on the wonder of language, or later in the book when he admires the enthusiasm with which the very intellectual Beatrice tackles renovation. He teases Beatrice but always respects her. Also, he calls her "princess" and I swoon from the Han Solo vibes every time. And we've got some steamy scenes where the excellent banter chemistry translates into excellent physical chemistry.

This book is full of trope-y goodness and I couldn't be happier. We've got the hero accidentally seeing the heroine's scribbles about how hot he is. We've got the hero helping the heroine destroy a hideous hat. We've got sneaking off at the opera. We've got a secret society of women (with each heroine's specialty screaming Sequel Bait, it reminded me of Tessa Dare's Girl Meets Duke series, but for me this is a feature not a bug). We've got an overbearing mother trying to marry off the heroine. We've got the heroine accidentally-on-purpose insulting everyone to repel suitors (Courtney Milan's THE HEIRESS EFFECT, anyone?). I loved it all. We even have the heroine putting on pants!

I do have a few concerns to raise:
1. This book is so white that race goes completely unmentioned; I raise this in the context of ongoing discussions about how people of color have always been very much present in history, including in spaces that are often white in popular imagination, such as 19th-century England
2. One of their first intimate encounters occurs while the heroine is intoxicated, and the next day much is made of her hangover and how much more she drank than usual, which made me a little uncomfortable about her ability to consent the night prior
3. There are at least two subplots that seem like they'll raise some trouble but fizzle out quickly, and we also have a "you lied to me" Big Moment which lasts for...a page or two (I hate "you lied to me" drama, so I wasn't sad that it resolved quickly but I still question its necessity)

But ultimately, I adored this book and I can't wait for everyone else to revel in it as well. Beatrice and Ford have a lovely and passionate connection, Beatrice's friends are amazing and I can't wait to read their books, and Lenora Bell's handling of prose and classic tropes and archetypes makes every scene sparkle. So, yes, the book is as amazing as that GORGEOUS cover promises (and Beatrice's incredible hair is appropriately worshiped). I highly recommend picking this up come October.

England - 1830

Studious Lady Beatrice Bentley has ensconced herself at the estate of her brother, the Duke of Thorndon, in far off Cornwall. If she had her way, she would steer clear of London, the ton, and all that its society expects of her. Spending endless hours in the spacious library working diligently on her dictionary, Beatrice has a goal to publish it and prove that women are not uneducated ninnies. The only daughter to the late duke, Beatrice had been born with a palsy that left one side of her face disfigured slightly. Her mother, the dowager duchess, is intent on making sure that her wallflower child be accepted in society and is hard at work matching her with an earl.

As much as she would like to be concentrating on her work, Beatrice has been distracted daily by the construction going on at the estate. The biggest distraction is one Stamford Wright, the son of her brother's estate retainer, who is managing the renovations for his father who had been injured in a fall. Wright's commanding presence, not to mention his rippling muscles and good looks, have left Beatrice in a state of confusion. And Wright is very much aware of how often he sees the young lady observing him from the window. So when he climbs the rose trellis to return her glasses which crazily fell as she leaned out the window to watch him, Beatrice is just a tad surprised at how much she likes what he did, even if that's not how she acted.

Upon her return to London, Beatrice is thrown into the frenzy of preparing for another Season. Her mother has kept her busy with fittings, luncheons, balls, and talk of a betrothal to the Earl of Mayhew. Beatrice, on the other hand, has gathered her group of close friends, discreetly named the Mayfair Ladies Knitting League, although not much in the way of knitting goes on at their meetings. Having discovered that a long-lost aunt has left her a bookshop, plans are underway to restore it and turn it into their gathering place. But first, they need a carpenter to restore the building. And Beatrice knows just the carpenter for the job.

Wright, who is on leave from the Navy, has a ship to catch in two weeks, but he's willing to help Beatrice because he has discovered that his estranged grandfather wants to snatch the building away from her. Wright is not about to let that happen. And when Beatrice keeps appearing at the shop to "help", well, what can a man do?

LOVE IS A ROGUE is a very delightful, fun, yet, at times, poignant love story of two people who have no business together. The daughter and sister of dukes, Beatrice is hardly one to worry about such things, but Wright is very much attuned to society's norms. Great secondary characters, especially the knitting league ladies, round out this excellent tale. One of The Wallflowers vs. Rogues novels, LOVE IS A ROGUE is a terrific autumn read.

I feel in love with the first page of this book. Deep attraction starts right from the first page with delicious word play. Our MC Beatrice loves words. I myself love language so Beatrice is a kindred spirit. Beatrice is visiting her Duke-ish Brother’s estate in Cornwall to isolate herself in the library and write her etymological dictionary. Beatrice wanted to get a lot of work done…but the renovations at Thornhill are very noisy and distracting. Most of her time is spent staring out the window at a very handsome scoundrel. The scoundrel is Ford, our other MC and a sexy sexy carpenter rogue.

After loosing her spectacles out the window, Ford climbs a trellis to speak to Beatrice. Their witty banter starts here and thanks to a sudden bookshop inheritance it because a beautiful back and forth throughout the story. Beatrice throws about so many hilarious archaic words. I love that Beatrice gets bolder and bolder with everyone in her path as we delve deeper into the novel. What I love about Ford is all his teasing, sharp banter that is never a real put down. He is a very decent and loving person beneath his flirty ways.

The renovations in the novel are one of my favorite aspects and really freshen up the dynamics in a historical romance. Beatrice finds her self the owner of a bookshop from a secret aunt and in desperate need of a carpenter. She manages to take on the project despite her controlling Mother who wishes to marry her off. Beatrice is also still recovering from childhood taunts and insecurities toward the palsy she has on one side of her face from birth. Ford has his own family entanglements, a discovery of embezzlement at Thornhill and is returning to the navy in a matter of weeks.

This romance is a slow build of two people trying not to mix business with pleasure. It is so well written with smolder and heart and sexy sexy carpenter rogue teaching many lessons…besides how to lift floor boards!

Beatrice is a member of a secret “Knitting” society that helps women achieve their goals and ambitions. Her two best friends are also a part of the society and I’m crossing my fingers that we get to hear their stories next!

This is a gorgeous start to a new series from Lenora Bell. Many characters from the previous series pop up in the story, but this can be a stand alone novel. Lenora Bell is a funny, sweet and heart-felt story teller so I recommend reading the School for Dukes series. If you haven’t read a novel of Bell’s yet, you can expect novels in a similar vein to Tessa Dare.

This is going on my best of 2020 list!

I was blessed with an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.