The Dangerous Love of a Rogue is a passionate historical romance with an intriguing premise and emotionally charged moments. Jane Lark brings intensity to her characters’ journey, and the chemistry between the leads is strong. However, the pacing dragged in parts, and some plot twists felt a bit forced. Still, it’s an enjoyable read for fans of dramatic, character-driven love stories.

Spicy

It took me a while to get into this book but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The only thing is that the end is really uncertain and you must start the next book in the series immediately! The characters are strong and appealing and sometimes demonstrate the less attractive mores of the time. I suggest that you get this book and the next (The Seductive Love of a Lady) immediately!

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a time limited e-arc via netgalley with no obligation. This review is optional and my own opinion.

It is rare that I DNF a historical romance - and when I do it’s generally because the writing style doesn’t work me . There’s usually some redeeming quality or something likeable about the story or characters

I basically DNFed this one at 25%. I just could not stand the male lead - I don’t care if he had a shi—y background ( this is a common theme in HR ), he was just detestable in this story , there isn’t much he could do to redeem himself at this point

Ii actually ended up reading the last few chapters - but the way the book ended was definitely not HEA 🤷🏼‍♀️and you have to read the second book ( which makes this an extremely long story overall )

In the first book in a spicy new Regency romance series, readers follow Lord Andrew Framlington and Miss Mary Marlow in a complicated and messy season. Drew is a rogue, scoundrel, and fortune-hunter, and Mary is the sheltered sister of a duke, and if he had been anyone else, their match would be the highlight of the season. Mary knows his reputation is a threat to her reputation and duty and desire seem to be at odds, but their chemistry is definitely present and hard to ignore. As they continue to meet in secret, both Mary and Drew will have to discover if attraction is enough to build a life in this spicy and steamy new novel. Definitely complicated and full of interesting characters, readers will find that this novel has the main hallmarks of a Regency romance novel but with slightly different characters, which adds a new level of depth and complexity to the book. Readers get the chance to see the relationship unfold from both characters’ perspectives, and the historical backdrop adds drama and intensity to this already-dramatic relationship in ways which readers will enjoy in this exciting and entertaining new Regency romance (and the rest of the series) from Jane Lark.

I thought this started in an unrealistic manner with the heroine falling in love with the rogue after one dance, and then did not speak to them for a year. However it turned out to be a clever story. The rogue gets his way to marry a fortune yet also falls in love with the heroine. She agrees to elope with him knowing that her family would never sanction the match due to his reputation. There is a sort of happy ending, but they both have to live with the consequences of their decisions and while they would eventually get on amiably, there was anger on both sides in dealing with the fall out from their actions. This makes the storyline more realistic than many others.

So, the reader must decide, is Andrew really a Rogue, still, or is he reformed or reforming? The author leaves it to us to answer the question. And is Mary right in her attachment to her family? Should she believe her brother and father? Or should she believe in Andrew. After all, it is dangerous she has been told, time and again, to know a rogue, let aloneto falling love with one.
This story has some interesting thinking to be undertaken by the reader as we ponder the customs and moreover the Time and Society, especially that of the Ton, the hundred families who appear to live by double standards. This story really brings out those double standards and demonstrates their effect on the younger members of that society who have not yet had experience of them first hand.
A very different story in the end from how it begins and thought provoking too.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun book. I enjoyed it from the very first page!

First of all, I would like to thank Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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I received this arc back in May and I wish I could say that university and my internship was what kept me from finishing it sooner. Sadly, that is not the case.

At the time I had received this ARC it was not indicated in any place that it was supposed to be a duology. Imagine my surprise when I received an email from Boldwood Books saying to get an ARC for both part one and two.

It’s quite unusual to see regency books written as a duology instead of interconnected stand alone series, but I could get behind the idea if it felt like this particular book did have the potential and necessity to be a duology. However, that is not the case.
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For starters, I could not feel an ounce of sympathy for Drew, the male lead and love interest. It seems like the author wanted us to sympathise with his difficult upbringing and understand the reasons he acted the way he did, but all she ended up managing to make is write a proud, manipulative and anger management problematic man, not to mention extremely sexist (even for the regency setting I felt it was too much and not at all what we expect from a so called “gray character”).

Was I supposed to swoon over the fact that Drew spent a year celibate after meeting Mary at the debutante ball because he decided to marry her? He knew her family would firmly oppose the match and what did he do in a year? Did he try to make his reputation less bad? Find some sort of employment to investment to pay his debts or at least show he was making a turn for the better because he wanted to “be worthy” of Mary? No, he did not. He expected Mary to fall at his feet after one dance and that was that.

Throughout the story it’s constantly said how Drew suffered because of his upbringing and how that led him to not know how to love, which could make you sympathise with him if not for the fact that at no point it’s shown him slowing realising that he’s falling for Mary. He repeatedly says she’s “pure”, “good” and “beautiful” and how he expects her to be faithful after they’re wed but that he doesn’t know how to be a husband. He does not love her. He does not care for but only for her money which is number one that she caught his eye. And that is proven when they’re found after their elopement and he doesn’t try to reassure her of the situation and say he’ll be beside her through it all. No, he provoques her father, older brother and mother, making jabs at her fortune and acting like the situation is about his feelings when Mary is frightened, not to mention that she does plead to him to stop provoking her family, and in turn he says that they offended him! I’m sorry, but if a twenty something rake and fortune hunter ran away with my eighteen year old daughter I too would not be so welcoming, specially when he receives me NAKED (Mary asked him to put on some trousers and he promptly ignored her).

In addition, his initial plan was to literally seduce Mary so as to force her to marry him, and when he realised that it would not work because she wanted love he and his “friends” wrote together letters to her. While drunk (the fact that after they were wed and had fought he went back home with these so called friends and they’re were gloating of how they ALL had won Mary over made me see red)
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I could spend hours saying how Drew utterly made me mad and how I was hooping that somehow Mary would wake up and not ran away with him. The story was dragging and for sure did not need to be divided in two parts, which made the book end out of nowhere. The pace was all over the place and the time skip from when they first met at her debutante ball to a year later didn’t feel like it was needed.

The highlights of the book were most definitely Mary’s family and the few instances that we could see her have a personality and stand her ground. Those two things were what made me give this book two (2) out of five (5) stars. If not for them, it would have been a one (1) stars read.
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It saddens me to say this but I do not feel the tiniest bit curious to read Part Two to see how their story will end. I thought about DNFing the book countless times, which pains me to say when I was kindly given the ARC to read. At the end, after powering through the reading all I can do is give it 2 (two) stars out of 5 (five).

Sadly, I won’t be recommending this book to anyone I know any time soon.

Like most people I struggled with this book although I thank you for asking me to read and review. Unfortunately I just didn't enjoy it and only got half way through before I decided to give up.

I hope that, maybe in the future, I can read something from her that I'd enjoy.

✨ The Dangerous Love of a Rogue is a slow-burn historical romance that leans heavily on internal conflict and emotional struggle. While I appreciated the attempt at depth, I found it difficult to connect with the story — especially with the hero. 😐

▪️ Drew is not your typical rake who reforms easily. He’s emotionally closed off, manipulative at times, and uncertain about love. He spends much of the book trying to convince himself — and Mary — that he loves her, but even by the end, I didn’t fully believe it. There are moments where he ignores her boundaries and pressures her, which made me uncomfortable and made it harder to root for the romance. ⛔️

▫️ Mary, on the other hand, is cautious and sympathetic. She’s torn between her desire for something different and her loyalty to her family. Her choices felt grounded in reality, even if I didn’t always agree with them. Her family’s unwavering love and support — despite her decisions — was actually one of the emotional highlights of the book. 💞

➖ The pacing, however, was a major struggle. The story felt drawn out, with long stretches where little seemed to happen. It often repeated emotional beats without moving the relationship forward in a meaningful way. I couldn’t help feeling that the book was just half a story — and I would have enjoyed it more if it had been a single, complete novel rather than split in two. A lot of scenes could’ve been tightened or cut to give the story better momentum. 🥱

📖 I’ll read the second book because I’m curious to see if their relationship deepens and becomes more convincing. But as it stands, this first installment felt emotionally complex but frustratingly slow and unresolved.

📚 Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

The dangerous love of a rogue by Jane Lark, win Andrew Framlington sets out to find a wife with a big dowery his goal is never love but once he meets Mary Marlow all bets are off and he will do anything to win her love. Mary is from a big loving family but the sexual tension between this rogue and the new bile Mary is thick and can’t be denied although he is titled he doesn’t speak to the family that just threw luck in perseverance him and his sister Cairo has survived so the more he gets to know Mary the more alien the feelings he has for her feels. through secrets and intrigued they form a relationship with quick meetings in the dark where liberties are taken as Mary wonders if she can even trust this man she’s so staunchly tries to stay away from. she knows she has fallen under his spell and even agrees to marry him but it will be her loving family that burst their bubble of happiness something they may never get back. Let me state upfront if you do not like books that do not end in happy ever after then you will not like this book. If you like Saga then you will definitely like this book I want to say here right down this wasn’t your normal happily ever after swoon worthy romance I probably wouldn’t have read it when I downloaded the two books I thought they were two different people involved as I am not a big reader of summaries but I guess after this situation I should really start doing that. Both books are about the couple because her family convinces her he only married her for the money and their things that she is privy to with him and his friends that in her mind reinforce the notion. Will he prove to marry his love is true? If you love Romance saga’s,as I said you will love this book but be certain to download The Dangerous Love Of A Lady as well. I really loved Mary, I love the authentic style writing because not all authors are great at depicting the Regency era but I must say Miss Lark did an awesome job I’m going to read the next book and can’t wait to see what happens with Mary and Andrew as far as books go this is one I definitely recommend. #NetGalley, #BoldWoodBooks, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #JaneLark, #TheDangerousLoveOfARogue,

The Dangerous Love of a Rogue by Jane Lark is a steamy, scandal-laced Regency romance that offers all the hallmarks of the genre—temptation, duels of wit, and a love that defies social boundaries. Lord Andrew Framlington is a textbook rogue with a tarnished reputation and a scheme to marry for money. But when he meets Mary Marlow, the innocent yet strong-willed sister of a duke, his carefully laid plans begin to unravel.

While the setup promises high stakes and intense passion, the execution sometimes falls short. Drew’s transformation from calculating fortune hunter to swooning romantic feels rushed, and Mary’s internal conflict, though compelling, could have been more deeply explored. Their chemistry is undeniable, but the emotional depth lags behind the physical attraction. Still, the story has its charms, especially for fans of Bridgerton-style drama. An entertaining read, if not a standout—3 stars.

Ah the emotionally damaged rouge & his naive courageous counterpart, a tale a old as time. I do have to admit the family structure in this is terribly confusing & I don’t really love a man’s point of view so this book didn’t fully hit the mark for me.

I hard a hard time with this one. I didn't really believe the feelings between the main characters and did not like the way it ended. You clearly need to read the next in the series that week hopefully show more development between these two.

Thank you NetGalley. This is a series with the first edition being of the meeting of Drew and Mary. He saw her at a ball and was immediately taken with her. Mary's family does not hold him in very high esteem, in fact it is rather low esteem. But he keeps meeting her and working to convince her he loves her and though he needs her money he also wants her.

3.5/5 stars
Is he playing a game with her heart?
Lord Andrew Framlington is known as a rogue of the highest order, a fortune hunter, a man without honour. He plans to marry a wealthy bride to secure his future… but beneath it all, could he be longing for something more, something real?
Miss Mary Marlow, the enchanting sister of a duke, is everything he should not want – innocent, fiercely protected by her powerful family and entirely out of reach. Yet from the moment he sets eyes on her, Drew knows she is the one. Not just for her fortune, but for the way she makes him feel.
Mary knows Drew’s reputation and the danger he poses, knows surrendering to him would be reckless, yet his charm and stolen kisses leave her breathless. Torn between duty and desire, she finds herself teetering on the edge of ruin.
Can Mary trust a rogue with her heart?

Review:
Perfect for all the fans of Bridgerton! Its the perfect little regency romance for in-between when you just want to have a good time!

I really, really loved this book! My first by this author, but I’m already reading the others of the series! The hero is a real rogue and I really loved reading his thoughts and the reasoning behind his behavior. The only problem of this book is that the new publisher decided to split it in two books (I gather that the original edition had a longer book with the complete story of Mary and Drew), so this one has a cliffhanger and it’s important to read The Seductive Love of a Lady, in which Drew is revealed as a vulnerable, heartbreaking character (we had some glimpses here). Anyway, Lark is an outstanding writer and I’m really happy I discovered her work!

🎀Book Review🎀

3⭐ 3🌶️

What is with this ending? It's ridiculous! It wasn't until I did some digging and realised the original book had been split into two and that the HEA of this story was in the second half that the ending started to make sense. Be aware of this as you will have to read the second in the series to get the HEA.

Apart from this rather large pitfall, this was a wonderful story. Some of the terminology feels a little dated such as the MMC enjoying the FMCs innocence. I think this is not in terms of her virginity but maybe her naivety. I have to admit I've already purchased the second book and have the third as an ARC so I am all in for this series.

Big thanks to NetGalley UK and Jane lark for a copy of this book. This is my honest opinion.

You are whisked off to the season in Regency England where all the eligible young ladies are out to catch a beau. Some of the gentlemen are looking for a wife. Of course this results in an elaborate game where the women smile sweetly to hide their true feelings and the gentlemen try to present their most respectable side, no matter what the reality. Beneath this veneer, there are liaisons and affairs, with the married women on the look out for some excitement and a host of willing young men happy to be paid for their services. Into this mix is Mary, the innocent daughter of an aristocratic family and a prize to be won. Her family guard her honour carefully., eager to repel the insincere. Of course you soon realise that Mary’s family are a close and loving unit who have nurtured her and want the best for her, as they see it.

Set at a Regency ball, Mary meets Lord Andrew Framlington, a handsome player who turns out to have a complicated family life and a wish to change his ways. Warned off Adam, Mary finds herself drawn to him, despite all the warnings. This story goes at a good pace and events take an unexpected turn which result in a situation which Mary had not foreseen. The rights of women on marriage are starkly shown and their finances become the property of their husbands, as it seems they do. In exchange for a respectable facade, they are placed under the control of their husbands and regarded as unable to sort out their own affairs.

In short: love regency style

3.5 stars in my opinion.
I liked the general storyline but there were also a few things that I personally didn’t enjoy. For one, the book ended in a weird and unfinished way for something of this genre. I like Mary’s and Drew’s “love story” but I feel like it some parts made me a bit uncomfortable so this is definitely not your typical historical romance, it is more dark and dramatic.
Saying this, I feel the need to read the second book to know what happens to them!