Jane Lark’s The Dangerous Love of a Rogue is the first half of Drew and Mary’s passionate, complicated love story—and while it ends on a cliffhanger, it lays the groundwork for a Regency romance full of tension, secrets, and heart.

Lord Andrew Framlington has debts to clear and a reputation that precedes him. Society sees only a reckless fortune-hunter, but beneath the rakish charm lies a man scarred by a loveless upbringing. Enter Mary Marlow—innocent, sheltered, and part of a fiercely protective family. Against all warnings, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to Drew.

Their chemistry is undeniable, sparking clandestine meetings and stolen kisses that sizzle off the page. But as Mary struggles to balance loyalty to her family with her growing feelings, and Drew battles both his past and society’s disdain, the odds are stacked against them. Misunderstandings and mistrust simmer, raising the question: can a rogue ever truly be worthy of love?

Lark captures the glittering façade of Regency society with all its double standards—the rigid expectations placed on women, the hypocrisy of the Ton, and the consequences of passion in a world bound by reputation. While the abrupt ending will leave some readers frustrated, the emotional pull of Drew and Mary’s story makes it hard to put down.

This is very much part one of a saga, best read with The Seductive Love of a Lady at the ready. For readers who enjoy Bridgerton-style drama mixed with real emotional stakes and a flawed hero seeking redemption, this is a captivating start.

Lord Andrew Framlington is a confirmed rogue with few redeeming qualities other than his looks and sex appeal. He is propelled by necessity to marry rich, his intentions are not innocent, but his heart is set on the innocent Miss Mary Marlow.

Andrew is emotionally immature with no sense of family and Mary is the opposite despite her youth. Opposites attract, but can they flourish?

The Dangerous Love of a Rogue is Book 1 of The Marlow Family Secrets and is rather short and a quick read.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

What is not clear when you start to read The Dangerous Love of a Rogue is that it will end suddenly on a cliffhanger, and the rest of the story continues in The Seductive Love of a Lady. Previously published as one book, it would have been better to retain the original format as there is a fair bit of repetition and superfluous scenes that would not have been missed. Fortunately, I already had the second book downloaded or I would have been disappointed.
Lord Andrew Framlington must marry an heiress if he is to clear his substantial debts, but his reputation as a rogue is all that society can see. He is drawn to Mary Marlow, step-sister to a Duke, but her family do not approve. There is a double standard at work here, as the Duke (John) and Andrew were acquainted when they were younger and let’s just say John was no angel either.
Mary belongs to a large family that perhaps has too much influence over her behaviour. It is no wonder she rebelled as they were smothering her, and not letting her think for herself. On the other hand, Andrew grew up in a cruel and dysfunctional family that never showed him any love, so it was no wonder he didn’t understand his feelings for Mary.
It is quite difficult to write this review for one half of the story as I am sure some comments apply to both books. To be continued… Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

This book was just not for me. From the first chapter I knew I was going to struggle with the main characters and I wasn’t wrong.

Thanks for the chance to read

This is Part 1 of two books about the same couple. This book covers their courtship and the next one, the first months of their marriage. I accidentally read the last half of their love story first and.....Yep, the second half is definitely better than the first.

You gain WAY more understanding about Andrew's motivations, family and flaws and he becomes redeemable in "The Seductive Love of a Lady." In "The Dangerous Love of a Rogue" you learn nothing about him, and he comes across as a schmuck.

The audiobook FLEW by as I did chores. If you like your historical romance with boatloads of emotional and family drama - Drew & Mary are for you.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Lord Andrew Framlington is a character who has a lot of hidden baggage. He has earned his reputation as a rogue and fortune hunter. Mary Marlow is the sister of a Duke and has a large, very protective family. She is an innocent, naive young woman. When Drew shows an interest in her, it doesn't take long for her family to close in and make sure they are kept apart. Of course, there are ways and means, and their secret trysts were captivating. The attraction between them sizzles, but is it enough for Mary to go against her family and keep seeing him in secret?

There is so much for the couple to go through and get past. Mary has reasons to doubt Drew, and Drew's insecurities mean that he struggles to get Mary to see the real him. Never once did I dislike him; in fact, it was Mary who occasionally earned my ire. I know she is young and naive, but she really was too quick to listen to and believe bad things said about him. He shows her in so many ways what she means to him, especially the one that he knows he excels at, making love. Get your fans out, dear reader, because you might need them!

I could go on and on about their story, but wait, I can't! The book ENDS before we find out if the couple will have their happy ever after! I was happily reading away, and all of a sudden, the end. Fortunately, I already had a copy at the ready of the second book in the series and could continue reading. But what if I read this when it first came out, and I had to wait for the next part? I would have been so upset! So big warning...this book has a cliff hanger!

I DNF this one at about 40 percent. I did not like the male main character and did not connect with the dynamic between the two leads. I wish there was more depth in the part that I was able to read. I appreciate the opportunity to have this ARC

I really love historical romance, so I thought this would be a fun book. I love Regency era. It was definitely short, but it wasn’t my favorite story. The leads didn’t really do it for me. I wasn’t expecting some of it. Plus, I would have appreciated it better if the story had not been cut into two, but this book could have been cleaned up better, and some scenes could have been tightened.

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.
-
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.
-
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)
-
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.
-
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.