Truly enjoyable Regency romance. Well written with endearing characters & a well thought out plot. Must admit it's created an addiction nd am now reading more by this talented author.

Oh. My. God. The predator…got the girl??

This book is insane. A guy stalks a girl, pushes her boundaries, takes “no” as “yes”, treats her terribly, and then they get together?? This was a disaster. Not a romance novel—this is a book about abuse.

I just—I can’t even. It was so unbelievable, boring, and strange. All the characters suck. The story is super dumb and makes no sense.


Our buddy Drew is LITERALLY a predator and the book is from his POV mainly. So like…we’re in his head and KNOW he’s a predator.

Jane Lark, stop writing books. This isn’t gonna go anywhere for you.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. I guess it’s being republished or something.

I had a hard time deciding how many stars to give this book. If it was based on story alone, I would give it five stars, however, I have to remove a star because I don't yet have the complete story. That, in my opinion, is a huge publishing/marketing blunder that has left a bit of sour taste in my mouth.

The Story

Okay, after reading other reviews for this book, I was ready to pick up my sword for this story, especially for Andrew.

Andrew was born in an awful, and I'd argue, abusive/neglectful situation. As a secret bastard, he has only ever seen the sinful side of the ton. His biological father is unknown, and his mother's husband (a Marquess) claimed him just to avoid gossip. Since he was a teenager, his mother's social circle has used him basically as a boy toy. He is tired of this life and wants to get out. Despite his intentions to change, the whole of the ton sees him as nothing but a dangerous rogue.

He is in debt and needs wealth. However, he is completely captivated by Mary Marlow, the half-sister to a Duke. While her dowry will help him obtain a simple, country life, and help his sister, he is completely enchanted by her "innocence."

Witnessing her goodness and righteousness, he is determined to marry her. She is warned away from him by her family, but over the next year, she cannot stop looking for him at every social event. She doesn’t know why, but she is completely captivated by Andrew and not interested in any other suitor. Mary struggles with feeling like she has to betray her loving family in order to become independent and choose her own future.

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In defense of Andrew…

A lot of other reviewers took Andrew's description of Mary's "innocence" to mean some type of gross purity innocence, but I think the author makes it fairly clear that it is innocence in terms of "goodness." She is not part of the dark side of the ton that Andrew grew up in. He has only been around people who use each other for their own selfishness. She is a light to his life and provides the hope for his escape. She is showing him that there is another way.

Because of his past, he doesn't want an adulterous marriage. So yes, he is attached to the idea that she would be faithful, but he has also been faithful AS SOON AS HE DECIDED TO MARRY HER. It has been over a year since he flirted with her and since then he has not slept with anyone. I do not think it is predatory for him to choose a wife who does not show an inclination for being intimate with multiple people, especially when all the women in his life have abused him in this way.

Andrew's concept of love is extremely stunted by his upbringing, so he will not be perfect in pursuing this relationship. He is out of his element. His feelings for Mary completely overwhelm him, but he wants to share his love with her even before he completely understands it. He is vulnerable, not manipulative. Several times in the book, he is absolutely crushed when he thinks Mary might not want him, but he still asks her and gives her the choice. Mary is equally vulnerable with a fear of only being married for her fortune, and she expresses this many times. I thought the author made it clear that both of them care for each other.

Furthermore, Andrew feels like he is up against the world. He has no family to support him, and even his friends don’t understand that he is trying to be a different man. Of course he is upset when Mary’s family tells her not to believe him. No one has ever believed him. Should he have reacted better? Probably. But would that have been realistic?

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Publishing/Marketing

What in the world happened here?

This book was originally published in 2015 and was 458 pages. Now, in this new edition, it is 248 pages. They cut it right after what seems to be the third act break up.

You want a resolution to the story? Then you must buy The Seductive Love of a Lady which will also be released on May 31.

I am quite bitter that a reader would have to purchase two books to get one complete HEA. As an avid historical romance reader, I can say it is an expectation that one book will tell the whole story of a couple’s romance. If there are other books in the series, then they will tell ANOTHER couple’s romance with maybe a few fun glimpses of the previous happy couples. (Unless it is a mystery HR series, but that’s not the case here.)

Perhaps I would be a bit less bent out of shape if it was clear that this is just Part One of Andew and Mary’s story. That absolutely must be on the cover somewhere or made very clear, or there are going to be a lot of angry readers.

Something about this publishing choice just seems off and money grabbing. Please don’t try to make this a thing. Boldwood Books publish some great authors and I don’t want to have to avoid them in the future.

If it was not intentionally shady, then I hope the publisher does something to correct this. It really is a good story and I would hate for it to be missed because of how it is published.

I received this as an ARC from Netgalley. This is my honest review.

“The Dangerous Love of a Rogue” was just not the book for me. I disliked the MMC pretty much from the start what with his gambling and bowing to peer pressure even though he knew he shouldn’t. The interactions between Mary and Drew ran hot and cold at first they couldn’t stop bickering but Mary couldn’t keep her eyes off him. Drew just seemed really immature and the dynamic between Drew and Mary’s family was off putting and left Mary caught in the middle. I hated the ending, I hated how Drew treated her towards the end because of his own insecurity and then how the other left off the story was disappointing for me. I would say the fact that I finished this book was a miracle and I had to set small reading goals daily to finish. I rarely do this but I have to be honest in my review and rating and this book just wasn’t for me.

Unfortunately I did not love this. I found the main male character Drew a little shallow and I did not enjoy being in his head at all. I felt like the love story moved way too fast. The writing was not bad but I disliked the way the story was planned out, I felt like I would’ve been a bit more authentic if it had progressed in another way, I was also a bit bored at times, but that was mainly due to the characters, which I did not connect with at all. I appreciated the short chapters because the story was lacking.

I thoroughly enjoyed this regency tale of Mary and Lord Andrew. The way they fall for each other was sweet and I loved watching them fight to be together.

Oh how I wanted to enjoy this...

I love a regency fic, I love the supressed emotion, I love misscommincation, dashing rogues, the full scope. I felt a little tinge of alarm when the opening line was a mockery of Jane Austin, but powered through. And really wished I hadn't.

The MMC is possibly the worst MMC I've read. He comes across as arrogant, rude, selfish and more than a little... yeah. He thinks he owns her, he's mad that she loves her family, he never once thinks about how things will affect her or hurt her. And he hurts her over and over again. He all but forces himself on her at times, wants her to be loyal to him - in his defence he stopped sleeping with people the day they met but does he tell her this? Or does he allow and encourage her to think he's still sleeping around?

He had countless chances to prove to her that he wasn't the blackguard people said he was, and all it would have cost him was swallowing his pride once. But no, he acts like the person people claim he is and then he gets mad at her, for believing that. How dare she trust her family. and all this internal thoughts about how she 'belongs' to him now, she his, its less romantic and more creepy.

And don't even get me started on the ending, this would have gone to at least a two star if it at least had a good ending. Hell, I would take 'an ending' but instead we just got another metaphorical slap in the face.

This was easy to read but I was a bit lost. Especially when I read its book 5 in a series I’ve never heard of? The MMC is quite arrogant in a way that doesn’t work today. And the FMC was juvenile, it wasn’t a great one imo

Thank you Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review

I'm slightly disappointed I can't give this book less than one star. The MMC is despicable- he's an indebted poor man who wants a rich, pure, and innocent (gag) wife who won't bore him. Reading his POV was akin to torture. The FMC - of course being innocent and pure and young and rich - finds herself completely obsessed with this rogue (though I truly don't understand why since there's little to no development between these two characters) and can't resist his manly charm (gag x2).

This whole book felt extremely misogynistic - the MMC constantly love bombing and manipulating the "fragile, pure" lady into a marriage who just cannot resist him? There's absolutely no grounds for any of it and it just made me pissed off.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it. I love dual POV stories and this one does not disappoint. I almost felt sorry for Drew, Lord Framlington, a notorious rake in his pursuit of pretty, innocent Mary Marlow, sister of a Duke and an heiress. Drew uses all his wiles to convince Mary that he loves her, taking her along a path of seduction that few women would be able to resist. But Mary knows she is risking losing the love of her family if she gives in to Drew. They constantly warn her against him, but that only makes his attraction stronger. There are so many facets to Drew's nature. Is he the rogue everyone says he was? Or is there a glimmer of a decent, caring man buried beneath the many layers he shows to the world? This is the first book in the 'Marlow' series and I will definitely be reading book 2, which continues the story of Drew and Mary.
Thank you to @BoldwoodBooks for allowing me to read this ARC in return for an honest review. #NetGalley

Andrew wants to get married and he sets his sights on Mary, regardless of his reputation as a fortune hunter. He is extremely arrogant, full of himself and a womanizer.

The story goes too fast, lacks details. Through the whole book, the banter and flirting are cringe worthy. He thinks everything belongs to him, even Mary.

Her brother and family warned her about him, but despite their warning, she falls for Andrew. She is too naive.

I got the impression that he pretends to love her all the time, it's hard to tell what he really feels. He wants a faithful wife, and he wants to be unfaithful. He is too forceful and handsy, playing with Mary.

The ending is extremely strange, unfulfilled and unfinished, as if the book was stopped in the middle of writing.

I did like Mary's family, their love and support for each other.

I give this book 2 stars.

this book was filled with the complexities and consequences of our decisions. and really how we move on from who we were or what people assume we are. is there something deeper in Lord Andrew. because on the surface people see him as a love them and leave them rogue. hes not trusted in any sense either with money or hearts.
Mary's family knows what they think of this man. and none of it is good. and with Mary new to the marriage and coming out market they are more wary than ever and tell her in no uncertain terms that this man is off limits.
Mary doesnt mind that. who would go after such a man. until she does. and starts to fall. there's something about him.
Andrew on the other hand could care less what they think of him. he would go for her anyway...until he does. she is everything that lights him up. she challenges him and hold him to better standards. but Andrew had a plan to marry for money. so he cant start his new wealthy life anew. and the trouble is Mary has all of that too. she comes from good "stock". she would help him transform his life. but there is more going on than marrying for money. and for this its confusing Andrew more than he wants to let on or admit.
will both of them go against what they are told to do or should do? but the fallout of this could be devastating for both.
and what do both of them really want?



Andrew, Lord Framlington is a man accepted by society because he is a Lord, handsome, dangerous and a gambler.
He is on the hunt for a rich heiress, a woman he can bed, and with enough money to purchase some land so he can begin his life again.
He is tired of being the ‘whore’ beloved of the widows and wives of society, dependent on his good friend Peter, who has deep pockets and frequently stakes him at the card table.
He is jaded, exhausted and sick of heart, until he sees Mary Marlow, new to the marriage market, pure, innocent and a wealthy young woman in her own right.
He sets about winning her hand in marriage, much to the outrage and disgust of her family. She is besotted and he is in love for the first time in his life, but has no idea about how to go about making a new life.
Conflict, love, lust and deep longings need to be understood by both Andrew and Mary before they can begin to build a life together under the disapproving and watchful eyes of her family.

I struggled getting through this book. The premise of her family not liking him because he has a bad reputation is very weak. It was very disappointing because the writing was pretty good. The author did more showing than telling. I just felt like there wasn’t enough substance to the book.

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.

2.5 stars

The Dangerous Love of a Rogue by Jane Lark is actually the fifth book in a series called the Marlow Intrigues. I haven't read the first four and I'm not sure you have to but I might go back to check them out to see. This one did feel like a complete book however there were a number of references to other Marlowes so just be aware in case you haven't read them either.

That said, this book focuses on Miss Mary Marlow as the fmc. She is newly out and considered one of the best picks for a wife as she comes from a good family, has a good dowry, and is pretty. Mary isn't really sure what she wants though - no one is really drawing her interest at all except for one man. The one her family has warned her to stay away from. Lord Andrew Framlington.

Lord Andrew (Drew) Framlington has been watching Mary and has decided she is the lady for him. Yes, he needs her dowry but it is more than that. She's willing to stand up to him and challenge him. She's everything he wants in a wife. The challenge is that her family would never accept him so he needs to get her to accept him and be willing to go against everything she has been taught and trust in him to eventually elope. He just needs to figure out how to win her over.

I found this to be a challenging read. I'm not sure how I felt about either character - mostly because Mary seemed so wishy washy and Andrew wouldn't talk to her / tell her anything. I get Mary not wanting to disappoint her family and doubting everything when she heard what Andrew said at the ball (over a year ago) but if you ask me, John can be mad about what was said but he also seems to be a bit of a hypocrite if his background is what Andrew says it was and is exactly what he is holding against Andrew.

And Andrew needs to just sit down and talk to Mary. That might clear up a lot and while I get his past and feelings aren't necessarily comfortable subjects, until he does, things are going to be bumpy. Also, the elopement. He could have been honest with Mary about that too. I'm not sure how she would have reacted but regardless, it was shady how he went about it.

The ending of this book did throw me off a bit. I'm not sure if we are going to get more of their story in subsequent books or not but it seemed very abrupt and I was looking for more of a resolution I guess. It didn't even seem like a happy for now as they both still seem like they are in a place of "I guess we're stuck with what we've done". I think I might pick up the next book just to see what is in the next book - if anything. That said, I'm on the fence with this one and not sure where I land on the recommendation.

Lark’s writing is lush and evocative, with plenty of swoon-worthy stolen moments and a strong sense of place for Regency London’s glittering social scene. I did find some plot beats predictable, and the “can I trust him?” trope lingered a bit long. Still, the emotional payoff was satisfying, especially for readers who enjoy themes of redemption and forbidden love.

A wonderful author who has written a story about a rogue and his woman. It is a steamy story. This ARC was given to me in exchange for an honest review. This review is mine.

Andrew, Lord Framlington is a man accepted by society because he is a Lord, handsome, dangerous and a gambler.
He is on the hunt for a rich heiress, a woman he can bed, and with enough money to purchase some land so he can begin his life again.
He is tired of being the ‘whore’ beloved of the widows and wives of society, dependent on his good friend Peter, who has deep pockets and frequently stakes him at the card table.
He is jaded, exhausted and sick of heart, until he sees Mary Marlow, new to the marriage market, pure, innocent and a wealthy young woman in her own right.
He sets about winning her hand in marriage, much to the outrage and disgust of her family. She is besotted and he is in love for the first time in his life, but has no idea about how to go about making a new life.
Conflict, love, lust and deep longings need to be understood by both Andrew and Mary before they can begin to build a life together under the disapproving and watchful eyes of her family.
If you are looking for a warm romantic Regency read The Dangerous Love of a Rogue is not for you, but if you are looking for something vastly different, Jane Lark has created the anti-hero, the man who needs to heal, in Andrew, Lord Framlington – a very dangerous rogue.

Thought this was a great premise but the book failed to catch my attention. I ended up not finishing this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This story has promise, but ultimately fails. The characters are immature and aggravating. There's also the case of insta love that never sits well in a story.