Rogue Most Wanted (The Cavensham Heiresses, #5)

by Janna MacGregor

Lord William Cavensham vowed to never love again after his heart was broken. But his spirited Great Aunt Stella has demanded he marry, or he’ll not inherit from her. And she’s got just the woman in mind - her next-door neighbour, Thea…


Thea and Will agree there’s no sense in truly marrying each other. But they agree to fake an engagement as Will helps Thea find a husband. But soon Will believes Thea might be the one to mend his broken heart. And Will may be the rogue Thea wants the most after all…

• ISBN13: 9781250295996
• Publish Date: 1 July 2019 (first published 25 June 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 4 April 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: St Martin's Press
• Imprint: St. Martin's Paperbacks
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 384
• Language: English
• URL: http://melia.co.uk/page/detail/?k=9781250295996

Reviews

[Lorelei's Lit Lair]

I just finished reading ROGUE MOST WANTED by Janna MacGregor with the happiest of smiles! This story’s filled with chemistry, drama, passion, tearful moments, some quirky loving characters and an endearing supportive family.
It reads well as a stand-alone.

[chymerra]

As soon as I read the prologue for Rogue Most Wanted, I knew that I was going to be an emotional mess reading the book. My heart shattered for Will. The moment his heart broke, I burst into tears. I wanted to reach through my Kindle and hug him. I also wanted to smack Avalon for hurting him so bad.

The book continued pulling on my heartstrings when Thea was introduced. Her grandfather raised her in a small village that was far removed from London. She was never introduced to London’s ton. Instead of taking deportment/dancing lessons, she was learning how to run and manage her grandfather’s estates. While she was doing that, she was also hiding her grandfather’s condition from everyone, including his heir. Her grief was palpable. There were points in the book where I wanted to hug her too.

I also got angry while reading Rogue Most Wanted. I got upset every time I saw a quote from The Midnight Cryer. That “paper” took Thea’s grief and made a mockery of it. The insinuations and the nicknames were awful. I felt for Thea whenever she read that paper. Because who knows that they were going to print.

Thea and Will had an almost instant connection. I found it funny that Thea was the one to tell Will that she wasn’t going to marry him. Mainly because he was at her house to say the same thing. I loved seeing their friendship grow. It made the romantic connection stronger.

Speaking of their romance, I loved it. Will was instantly struck by Thea and vice versa. The world melted away when they were together. There was a point in the book where I wanted to bash my head against a wall because they wanted to be “just friends.”It drove me nuts.

The storyline about Thea and her quest to find the charter to prove that she was the rightful heir of her title was sad. And again, made me angry. She loved her people. She took care of them. Her grandfather’s heir wanted to move these people to another village and mine. I did think that it was forward thinking of the author to have Thea make a statement before the Council pleading her case. I also found it forward thinking that Thea didn’t want to marry or get engaged so that it would look good for her. She tried to win on her terms.

I was an emotional mess at the end of the book. Thea had to make a choice. No matter what she did, someone was going to get hurt. Will had to come to term with what happened to him in the past. They both needed a miracle so they could be together.

[stacey_is_sassy]

I’m a sympathetic crier…

I can admit it, I’m a sympathetic crier, especially in my reads. I’m even worse when everyone around the person who is embarrassed, goes out of their way to make them feel better. Actually, no, I’m also a crier when they get laughed at too. I guess it doesn’t really matter the outcome, embarrassment is just something that affects me. Deep down, I know my fear of embarrassment stops me from taking a risk, stepping into the unknown or going out on a limb. In some ways, I imagine most people feel that to a degree, but others just conquer their fear and take a risk anyway.

Rogue Most Wanted made me cry A LOT. Most of the time it was because I hated seeing Thea make a faux pas in social settings and I disliked seeing how embarrassing it was for her. Other times was because Thea has been through hell and back and now, she must cross another hurdle. Her cousin is a manipulative, greedy and selfish DOUCHEWAFFLE!! She’s only just faced the heartache of her beloved grandfather dying and now she might lose her home as well. I cried with Thea and because of all the horrible things she's faced. Luckily, Thea has a fairy godmother on her side…and she has family connections.

Stella, Thea's fairy godmother has a nephew…and in her opinion, it’s about time he married. Too bad if Lord William Cavensham has no desire to marry, he might just do it just to please his aunt. It certainly doesn’t hurt that Theodora Worth is one of the most beautiful, smart and engaging women he’s ever met. The more William gets to know Thea, the more he's willing to take a risk on love again.

Thea has spent years hidden away on her estates looking after her sickly grandfather to the detriment of her future. She hasn’t attended a single ball or an opportunity to make friends. When she’s advised that a husband could help her cause, she’s scared that her lack of education and training will make her a bad marriage prospect. Someone is spreading vile rumours about Thea which makes things even worse. With the help of her dear friend and neighbour, Stella, Thea must learn quickly how to make herself a desirable marriage prospect.

Honestly, some of the rules that were in place back in the day were so stupid. Not passing titles down through the females in the family is something that has always seemed silly. I would imagine a female who was brought up with a title, would have a better understanding than a long-lost relative from the back of nowhere. In this case, Thea has been looking after the business side of her grandfather’s estates. She knows the tenants and cares about them. The new Duke is only interested in this estate because the land has value and doesn’t care about the tenants. It’s up to Thea to do whatever it takes to protect her people…maybe even marry a stranger.

There were times I was a little frustrated with how the characters were portrayed. I think my biggest problem was that the author was still giving us “couple angst” late in the storyline. I want the main characters to be facing their battles together by the last quarter, not breaking each other’s hearts. I was also a wee bit surprised at Thea’s ability to flout rules and “experiment” before marriage. She didn’t seem at all worried about being a virtuous bride which is something I have come to expect in my historical romance reads. I guess, with no real family guidance, she may not have had the fear put in her if she broke the rules.

I enjoyed this step back in time and loved visiting with the Cavensham family again. This series has been enjoyable, and I’ve looked forward to each instalment. Rogue Most Wanted could be read as a standalone but there are a lot of characters whose stories have been told previously. If you don’t mind not knowing how they got to be so blissfully happily married, then I wouldn’t hesitate to start with this one. Once you do start, you may find that you want to go back, though.

Stacey is Sassy, received an advanced copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.