[Review] The Writer and the Rogue by Lydia Drake

   

Title: The Writer and the Rogue
Series: Debutantes of London Series, Book 2 (Interconnected Standalone)
Author: Lydia Drake
Genre: historical romance
Format: eBook 
Publication Date: April 14, 2025
Published By: Entangled Publishing, Amara       
Source: NetGalley (ARC)

Synopsis from Publisher

Desperate times call for drastic measures…and Miss Caroline Devereux is most certainly desperate. Her spendthrift father’s been gambling away every spare shilling, racking up debts, selling off their family’s coveted objets d’art, and bringing them to the edge of ruin. Up until now, she’s been able to stave off the creditors—and afford luxuries like tea—by penning sensational Gothic tales. But they’re out of time, and Caroline must play the one card she has left.

The Earl of Rockford cannot believe that any young lady would dare to blackmail him. Not only has she threatened to expose the darkest secrets of his family and destroy their name, but she’s done it all in an attempt to…marry him? And damned if he isn’t secretly delighted by her spirit. But first, Miss Caroline has a lesson to learn about who she’s dealing with…

No one warned Caroline that the handsome, wealthy earl she intends to marry isn’t remotely the gentleman she expected. Because the “Rogue of Whitechapel” isn’t about to go down without a fight…and the first to fall in love will be the first one to lose.

About Lydia Drake

Lydia Drake is a reader of all things romance and a drinker of all things tea. A New Jersey resident, her favorite activities include taking the train to New York City, scouring used bookstores, spending time with her family and wrangling her hyperactive cockapoo puppy. Cinderella and the Duke is her debut novel.

My Thoughts:

This one was a fun surprise!

The Writer and the Rogue is exactly the kind of historical romance I reach for when I want something light, witty, and just a bit rebellious. It’s got all the elements I enjoy—banter, a rogue with a mysterious past, and a heroine who is completely done with society’s expectations.

Our heroine is an aspiring writer who wants nothing to do with the ton or its silly rules. I loved how headstrong she was—smart, opinionated, and unwilling to play the part everyone expected of her.

She was made of ink and steel, it seemed.

The hero, meanwhile, is charming in that rogueish way that could have easily been cliché but somehow worked. Their interactions were full of tension, flirtation, and just enough vulnerability to keep me invested.

The banter sparkled in places, and the romantic tension had me turning pages to see how it would all play out. I also appreciated that while the story stayed relatively light, it still gave the characters emotional depth—especially toward the end, where things came together in a mostly satisfying way.

That said, it wasn’t perfect. The pacing in the middle sagged just a touch, and a few of the plot twists were fairly predictable. The third act breakup was annoyingly typical of these kinds of books.

But honestly? I still had a great time with this one. It was engaging, entertaining, and just the right kind of escape. I’ll definitely read more from Lydia Drake, especially if she keeps giving us strong heroines and swoony rogues. In fact, this is actually the second book in a series of interconnected standalones. I plan on going back to reach book one, The Duchess and the Wolf.

The Pros:

• Engaging Banter: The chemistry between the leads comes alive through clever, snappy dialogue.

• Strong Female and Male Leads: A headstrong, relatable heroine who refuses to conform makes the story feel refreshing, and an observant, kind, and caring, yet mysterious and daring male lead.

• Fun and Accessible Read: The book strikes a nice balance between romance, humor, and a hint of emotional depth—perfect for fans of feel-good historical romances.

The Cons:

• Slight Mid-Book Lag: The pacing slows a bit in the middle before picking up again toward the end.
  
  
• Some Predictability: A few of the plot beats follow expected romance tropes without much surprise and the third act breakup is predictably annoying.
  
  
• Language: The language throughout the story is predominantly very good, however, there are times when the word choice took me completely out of the story as it did not fit.

Final Thoughts:

If you're in the mood for a light, romantic escape with a touch of sass and a heroine who knows her worth, The Writer and the Rogue is a solid pick. It’s not without its flaws, but the charm, chemistry, and breezy writing make it an enjoyable read. Perfect for fans of Regency romance who don’t mind a familiar trope or two when they’re delivered with heart.

Rating:

Overall, using my rating system, this book is a 3.75 out of 5, but I rounded up to a 4 Super Splatters out of 5 because I am in love with Gabriel. 

[Review] A Pocket in Time by Lexi Post

Title: A Pocket in Time
Series: Time Weavers Inc. #2
Author: Lexi Post
Genre: romance, time travel, sci-fi and fantasy, historical
Format: ebook
Publication Date: February 22 2021
Published By: Entangled Publishing, LLC: Amara
Source: NetGalley

Synopsis from Publisher

Katz Almira’s mission is clear—travel to the past, steal the note that ruins the world, travel back to the present. Easy. She’s the best pickpocket Time Weavers, Inc. has ever had. Posing as a poor widow in Regency London, she convinces her target, Lord John Byron, a man as sexy as he is wealthy, to take her in off the streets. But at her request to keep her hidden, instead of his cushy manor, he allows her to stay in a warehouse full of orphan boys he cares for there.

It’s the perfect place to hide, and bonus, her new roommates can help her find the mysterious note. With John as their pseudo-father, they know what he does every day, and with who. Katz can’t afford any distractions, but she soon finds herself getting attached to the orphans—and John—even helping him plan for their futures.

Each day she spends in the past is another day closer to her deadline, another day closer to returning to her own time, and another day John and this makeshift family get dangerously closer to her heart. But Katz staying in the past would have dire consequences for them all…

About Lexi Post

Lexi Post is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of romance inspired by the classics. She spent years in higher education taking and teaching courses about the classical literature she loved. From Edgar Allan Poe's short story “The Masque of the Red Death” to Tolstoy’s War and Peace, she's read, studied, and taught wonderful classics.

But Lexi's first love is romance novels. In an effort to marry her two first loves, she started writing romance inspired by the classics and found she loved it. From hot paranormals to sizzling cowboys to hunks from out of this world, Lexi provides a sensuous experience with a “whole lotta story.”

Lexi is living her own happily ever after with her husband and her cat in Florida. She makes her own ice cream every weekend, loves bright colors, and you will never see her without a hat.

My Thoughts:
A Pocket in Time is an enjoyable romp about Katz Almira, the time-traveling woman from the future who is attempting to stop her future from being torn apart by someone who has gone back in time to mess important events up. She is thrown into Lord John Byron's path by her duties and finds his pull quite strong.

I chose this book because I love well written time travel romance novels, and this sounded like it was going to be a really good one, and I wasn't wrong. I also thought (wrongly) that the cover depicted a man wearing a kilt, but I now realize it was just the many buttoned breeches of the past. Let me start off by saying I was lead to believe that even though this was the second book in a series that it was considered to be a stand alone and I could read it without context. Although this might be true, they do make quite a lot of references to the previous book, and I find myself wishing I had read On Highland Time first. I will certainly be going back to read it at some point in time. 

The title is a great play on words as she is a pick pocket, from the future, back in time trying to fit in, but also because the story references the fact that a time traveler who visits the same point in time more than one can cause a pocket in time, which of course foreshadows events that will occur.

The future is very intriguing, and I would like to learn more about it. Once again I assume I might learn more from reading the first book. But there is also something thrown in right at the end that was very confusing, and I am guessing will hopefully lead to a third book? I would like to know more about how the time travel works, the genetic mutations that allow for that time travel, and why it's only women (except Go-Lucky). When exactly is this future? I would like to know more about some of the more interesting characters like old Arthur with his grey/silver eyes who is their researcher and has the ability to "download" information to the agent's mind, kind of like in The Matrix, but without technology?

Katz is strong and sassy, and doesn't take any shit. She has been on her own for a very long time, has learned from the streets, and knows how to survive. She also refuses to love again. A woman named Sadie took her in at some point and helped her survive, but not much else is known about her except that she died. I would like to learn more about this Sadie and her time with Katz. Sadly, Katz was left alone again, with promises to herself never to love again, because love causes pain and makes you vulnerable. She doesn't want to be put in that situation ever again. She feels unlovable.

No. I don't love anyone. Love means you lose perspective, become vulnerable. I refuse to do that.

Lord John Byron is a wonderful man. He used to be a typical rich white man who only cared for himself, but war has changed him. Not only has his leg been damaged, causing him to limp with pain quite often, but his eyes have been opened to the world around him, and all the suffering. Upon his return from war he takes in several homeless pick pockets and lets them stay in a hidden section of his warehouse. He cares for them as much as they will allow. He takes a percentage of their takes from the streets (because they wouldn't have it any other way) and donates it to care for the soldiers on the front lines. He was my favorite character in the story, as well as a few of the boys.

A few minor things bothered me, like the fact that Katz has only been with the agency for a year and is already the best, and can almost defeat her trainer? That seems hard to believe. Also, sometimes the language would throw me out of the story. I loved the general flow of the book, the story-telling and the dialogue of all the characters, but there were a few scenes when things were getting a bit hot and heavy and a word like "cock" was thrown out, and I just didn't feel like it fit in the specific situation. Better choices could have been made to portray the actions but with the more gentle language of the story overall. I hope that makes sense.

Overall I highly enjoyed this story, and the world it exists in. I will be going back to read book one, and I hope to hear updates of a third book in the near future, however with almost 3 years between books one and two, I am not holding my breath.

The Pros:

• Wonderfully full and realistic characters like Lord John Byron.
• The world building is very well done, both past and present. I would like to know more about the present/future.

The Cons:

• Katz is a little too talented and perfect at what she does to be believable at times.
• Some awkward word choices took me out of the story at points.