Rogue Most Wanted (The Cavensham Heiresses, #5)

by Janna MacGregor

[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.