The Rogue You Know (Covent Garden Cubs, #2)

by Shana Galen

[Amanda]

I received The Rogue You Know for free in exchange for an honest review.

I've read and enjoyed other Shana Galen books, so when The Rogue You Know popped up on NetGalley (which is apparently my new favorite place to find historical romance books), I knew I had to read it. And I did. And I wasn't disappointed. I finished the book in a night, so. There you have it.

One aspect I appreciated about The Rogue You Know is that it features a couple across class lines. That's not common, at least in the books I've read, and especially so when the man is of the lower class. It worked, though, and I always like when authors play with the idea of who a "gentleman" is. There's society's definition and then there's how men actually acted.

The Rogue You Know has sort of an "on the road" feel to it -- Gideon and Susanna meeting propels them on an adventure -- but instead of traveling somewhere else, they race around London evading various people. And like adventure romances, it's a thrill to watch the characters come together and bond.

And you know Gideon and Susanna came together. *wink wink nudge nudge*

There was a dog too. A dog! There's a side character I hadn't seen in a while. But back to the main characters! Lady Susanna feels trapped by her mother and, by extension, her life. She's not immature, precisely, but I felt like she had some growing to do. And she does, which we get to see as she finds herself faced with situations she never would have encountered if not for Gideon.

As for Gideon himself... meeting Susanna (or as he calls her, Strawberry) was his road to redemption. He wants out of the thieving world, and while he attempts to get out, his attempt lands him directly in Susanna's path. In some ways, he needs her to remind him of everything he has to offer the world -- not just his skills at thieving.

If the Gideon-Susanna romance isn't enough for you, Shana Galen also gives Susanna and her mother a relationship arc. There are REASONS Susanna's mother acts the way she does with Susanna, and those are slowly revealed throughout the book, which adds another layer of tension, especially when those REASONS come tumbling out.

The Rogue You Know is the second in the Covent Garden Cubs series and I'm rather tempted to pick up the first now, since in typical Amanda fashion, I've read this series out of order.