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Company of Rogues

Lady Beware by Jo Beverley

By

ISBN: 0-451-22149-4

Publisher: NAL Signet

Release: June 2007

Source: I purchased this book to read and review


Lady Thea Debenham thinks her only problem is a stained ball gown, but in the deserted corridors of her home she meets Vile Viscount Darien; her life will never be the same. She has always been a perfect lady, which makes her perfect for Darien’s purposes. He’s determined to force his way into Society despite his own dubious reputation and the appalling one of his family. Thea is the perfect weapon, especially when she’s the sister of a Rogue. After his time at Harrow school, he hates the Company of Rogues.

The 14th, and some have said, one too many, addition to the “Company of Rogues” series was perhaps written to follow up on a situation the started in Dare Debenhan’s story.  Early in Dare’s story he is accused of being a coward and deserting during his service in the war.  A particularly cruel comment as he is already fighting an addiction to opium, but an interesting twist in that particular book.  An enemy of Dare’s from his school days overhears the comment and decides to use it to his advantage.  Viscount Darien is trying to restore his family’s horrible reputation so that his younger brother can marry the girl of his dream.  Darien feels that marrying into a well-respected family will go a long way to improving the family reputation.  He makes a deal with Dare’s sister, Thea, that he will refute the story of Dare’s cowardice if she agrees to marry him.  Thea agrees to pretend to be engaged to Viscount Darien.  It is a wonderful starting point for another Jo Beverley novel!  Viscount Darien is a hero that needs alot of work to be deserving of Lady Thea.  Lady Thea seems to be left at loose ends after the marriage of her brother.  Then out of the blue we find the couple having sex in a closet at a ball – completely out of character for Lady Thea!

The bad-boy Darien seems to be tamed too fast in this story to be believable.  Much is made over how much Darien hates all the Rogues because they called him names when he was little.  I understand carrying grudges, but one would think the Rogue’s crime should have been larger to fit the level of hate it instilled in Viscount Darien!  Let’s remember that one of the previous villains drugged Lord Dare with opium and numerous other characters were shot at or kidnapped.  Viscount Darien was called names by little boys…..too much of a stretch!

Jo Beverley’s fans may enjoy this book as it has familiar characters from her other books but I feel that this one was added as a way of tying up Lady Thea’s story, and also expounding on the incident where Dare was called a coward.  Probably, the Company of Rogues series should have ended at “To Rescue a Rogue”.  Although this added a bit to the series, the previous book felt more like an end than this one.

RRAH gave this book 4 stars and said: “Jo Beverly has received great reviews and awards for many of her Company of Rogues novels. There are nine novels in the series, with an additional five novels that are loosely tied to the series, as well. LADY BEWARE is the latest, and it definitely stands up well in the series.”

RTBook Reviews completely disagreed with me.  They rated Lady Beware 4.5 stars and labeled it a top pick and voted it 2007 Historical Romance of the year.  “This new novel is delightful, vintage Beverley, who continues her Rogue series with a fast-paced, unforgettable, wickedly sensual romance. With her talent for intelligent plotting, finely tuned dialogue and heartwarming emotions, she brings readers a tale of bravery, honor, trust and the magic of love.”

To Rescue a Rogue by Jo Beverley

By

ISBN: 0-451-22011-0
Publisher: NAL Signet
Release: Sept 2006
Source: I purchased this book to read and review

 

(From Jo Beverley’s website) Lord Darius Debenham caught the attention of readers even from small appearances in the earlier books, and the report of his death in An Unwilling Bride led to a campaign of “Dare lives!” Well, he did, but was discovered frail from his wounds and ill-treatment and addicted to opium. As the author, I’d put him in that situation and I had to rescue him and restore the joy in his life.

My assistant in this is Lady Mara St. Bride, sister to Simon St. Bride of The Rogue’s Return. She has the St. Bride need to champion causes, and shares Simon’s tendency to plunge into action. She’s always thought of Dare Debenham as a beloved brother, and she cannot let a beloved brother suffer. She soon finds, however, that he is simply beloved.

The Rogue that is rescued in this, the 13th installment of the “Company of Rogues” series is Darius (Dare) Debenham.  As we know from previous books in the series, Dare was declared dead at the end of the war, but his body was never found.  We also found out in a previous book that Dare was found after the war by Therese Bellaire – one of the Rogue’s archenemies because of her dealings with Nicholas Delaney.  Therese gave him extra strong doses of opium to keep him drugged and ultimately dependent on opium until she was ready to hatch her devious plan (we read about this story-line in “The Devil’s Heiress” when Therese comes into contact with Hawk) In that story we also found living with her two children of unknown parentage.  (something that is speculated about, but we never actually determine the parents of these children).

In “To Rescue A Rogue” we find Dare and his two adopted children living with Dare’s family and he is trying various methods to deal with his opium addiction.  In comes Mara St Bride, sister to Simon St. Bride, Dare’s best friend.  She has always viewed Dare as another big brother and is a bit headstrong, seemingly always running into trouble.  The story begins with Mara trying to find her way home in the middle of the night wearing nothing but a shift, a corset and a blanket, and luckily finds her way to Dare’s house where she is re-introduced to Dare after many years of separation.  Mara appoints herself to be the one who brings the “Old Dare” back into the land of the living.

I found this novel less steamy than the others as it dealt with Dare’s efforts to break his addiction to opium.  It is, however, a wonderful conclusion for the “Company of Rogues” series proper. (there is one more book that deals with Dare’s sister’s story) Most of the Rogues make an appearance in this book, complete with their wives and whatever children they now have.  They show that although years have passed, the friendships remain.  The following quote I found in another review and it better expresses my feelings for this series than I could myself! “Jo Beverley has always written edgy historicals and has concluded her “Company of Rogues” with one of the more powerful and compelling reads in a tremendous finale of this exceptional series.  The last unmarried Rogue, Dare Debenham’s battle to overcome his addiction was extremely well done giving the reader an unforgettable experience of the ravages of addiction and the tortuous journey one needed to free oneself from the beast.  Additionally, Mara was developed as an inspiring and outstanding heroine whose strength of purpose and determination in supporting Dare through his addiction and battling for his love made for an unforgettable heroine.”  The Library Journal declares “To Rescue A Rogue” to be “An exquisitely rendered story”  and the Romantic Times states, “…well-crafted, delicious and wickedly captivating.”

I find myself agreeing with the majority.  This book shows off Jo Beverley’s skills as one of the premier Romance Novelists of our time.  “To Resuce a Rogue” has to be my most favorite book of Jo Beverley’s.

The Rogue’s Return by Jo Beverley

By

ISBN: 0-451-21788-8

Publisher: NAL Signet

Release: March 2006

Source: I purchased this book to read and review


Simon St. Bride, man of mystery! He’s the Rogue who’s hardly been mentioned in the previous books except to say that he’s in Canada. Where in Canada? York, which is now Toronto. What’s he been doing there? Fighting in the War of 1812, then attempting to tidy things up afterward. Now it’s 1816 and time to return to England, but a duel and an unwanted wedding get in the way. Then someone really tries to kill him.

The Rogue’s Return, the 12th book in the “Company of Rogues” collection introduces us to Simon St. Bride – a Rogue that has been referred to but we haven’t met, as he has been out of the country.  Simon was sent to Canada, specifically York, (which is now known as Toronto) to accomplish many things.  He fought in the War of 1812 and then was involved in tidying things up in the aftermath of the war.  He is gathering evidence of misappropriation of funds at the Indian Affairs Department and hoping that something will be done about what he considers a shameful situation.  Days before he is due to return to England he is challenged to a duel by the man he suspects is the embezzler. Because of a strange set of circumstances he is forced to marry Jane (Jancy) Otterburn, his mentor’s niece.  This creates a sticky situation for both of our primary characters; Simon is a member of the aristocracy and he will be bringing Jane (who is not) home to his family.  Jane is hiding secrets that could prove to be the undoing of her if she is found out.  She lives in fear of just that as she comes to love her husband quite dearly.

This book provides many positive aspects.  We are provided with many scenes that provide interesting historical information.  This is of particular interest as “The Rogue’s Return” is the only book that is set in Canada – quite a departure from the glam and glitter of Regency England!  This particular story isn’t one of the action packed ones but rather a slow, gentle and sweet development of romance that charms the reader.  We are given another glimpse into the life of Hal Beaumont – one of the Company of Rogues who lost an arm in the war and loves a woman far less suitable than Jane.  The inclusion of Hal and Blanche provide a much needed perspective to the the problems of the lead couple.

Although I was happy to read yet another Rogue book, I felt that this particular novel was a bit off.  The first third of the book deals with Simon’s life in Canada, his duel and subsequent marriage of  Jane (Jancy).  It seemed odd to me that Simon had to be involved in the duel and then had to marry Jane (Jancy).  I felt the connecting points to be thin.  The middle third of the book covers their boat ride back to England and although there was some tension around whether or not the embezzler is on board, it is also a rather sedate furthering of the couple’s relationship – their learning more about each other.  The last third of the book deals with an unexpected loss in Simon’s family and the discovery of the identity of the villian.  This part had alot of action packed into a small period of time.  It seemed to rush the book to it’s end.

All in all, this book was a 4 star read, just not an outstanding one.

The Romance Reader shares my opinion.  They gave this book 4 stars and say the following: “The Rogue’s Return has earned four hearts because the writing is superior to that in many other romance novels and the character development is particularly strong. Nevertheless, this is not a unqualified recommendation, and other readers may find themselves sharing my exasperation over Jancy and her secrets.”

Romance Reader at Heart also gives 4 hearts and says: “Jo Beverley weaves a wonderful love story, with some interesting historical and medical details mixed in.“