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.

Love is a Rogue is the first in a new series by Lenora Bell. Lady Beatrice is a book-lover who has not had the easiest life simply because there were complications when she was born. She feels that she has nothing to offer any man, but Wright sees beyond the physical to her heart, to her soul, to find the real Beatrice. The author really understands and puts into words the feelings that we all have when we struggle with our self-esteem.

My review on this superb romance novel will be published in a forthcoming issue of Booklist which is why I can't post it here.

4.5 stars. I wanted to give this 5 stars, but I did think that the resolution with Ford’s grandfather was a little too easy. That said, in general, I appreciated that Beatrice and Ford didn’t hesitate to discuss their problems openly, even though Ford did keep a secret from her because of a promise to his mother. Whenever there was angst, it was short-lived, which did my heart good. Their relationship is so sweet and heartwarming. When Ford built her the bookshelves from the floorboards they pulled up together, my heart absolutely melted.

The overall message of the book is that love conquers all—a classic in the romance genre. While that may be hard to believe during these trying times, it’s nice to read it coming true on the page.

Beatrice and I would be the best of friends. I loved her love of words and how she takes charge of herself and her life. I’ve never seen a heroine born with palsy before, and, though I can’t quite relate myself, I appreciate the representation. Ford is a wonderful working-class hero. Not only that, but he respects Beatrice and women’s opinions and abilities. I don’t know how anyone could not love him.

I’m very much looking forward to reading the rest of the series when it comes out and appreciated the glimpses we get into future books in the epilogue (at least, if I’m correct in my guesses). I’ve actually only read one other of Bell’s books, but now I want to tackle that backlog. I enjoyed the cameos from previous novels, even though I haven’t properly met those characters yet.

I love Bell’s writing style. It’s humorous, witty, and savory all at once.

Poor Beatrice, daughter of a Duke and slightly disfigured lives in a world of books and words. She does not participate in life but lives on the perimeter hiding behind ferns at balls and reading. Ford is a ship’s carpenter who is working on the family estate until his next assignment comes through. He is big and brawny and handsome and quite confident. How he helps Beatrice come out of her shell and realize her worth is a wonderful tale. A lovely read, sure to make you smile!

Lady Beatrice spends the summer at her brother’s estate in Cornwall alone from family to work on her etymological dictionary. She has decided to remain a spinster rather than give in to her mother’s insistence she marry well. When she was born, the tools used in her birth caused palsy on one side of her face. She was ostracized at school and was raised to believe she was never good enough by her parents. The problem? Ford, the handsome-and-he-knows-it son of the estate carpenter is renovating the estate and besides the annoying noise, she can’t keep her eyes off of him.

A flimsy reason soon places them both in London. She inherits a bookshop and he ends up renovating it too. I enjoyed the Lady Knitters, a group of women with secrets, and their quest for equal (or any) rights. Mostly they seemed a set-up for future books. Which brings me to mention my confusion. This was number one in a series but I could tell I was obviously missing something from previous books. Her brother the Duke was newly married and off on his honeymoon and was actually missing, her brother Rafe (who also seemed to be aware of a Lady Knitter) had something to do with it and he had a mysterious limp the reader seemed should know why, a group of Dukes mentioned at the end, and even the author of a series of books mentioned frequently, Daphne Villeneuve, obviously was or will be part of a storyline somewhere. I see I should have read the previous series first. I found all of these hints at past and future books distracting and annoying.

The twist of the Lady and the carpenter was a refreshing change in social standing. Ford was more supportive of strong and independent women than many men are today.