Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Never Rescue a Rogue

This book was delightful! Since the first book, I could feel the spark between Diana and Giles, and the pay off was amazing! While this book was not as funny as the first, as it dealt with more serious subjects, it was still witty, entertaining, and romantic, just like the first.

I loved the mysteries surrounding the book. It was really fun to watch Giles and Diana bicker as they solved his family mystery and she went on her semi-wild goose chases. It was also a great catalyst for them to fall in love, with all of their adorable moments hiding in the bushes and riding in long carriage rides. This led to some of the best love confessions I’ve ever read.

Once again, the side characters were great additions! Olivia is still an icon and I’m now so excited for the romance between the characters with the “stupid names,” (their words, not mine), because Vee and Galahad are definitely made for each other, just like Minerva and Hugh and Diana and Hugh.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Virginia Heath for providing me access to this book.

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samanthameyer's review

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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lazers28's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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whatemilysreading's review

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Another cute one! I loved Giles (of course) and while I think that not everything is necessarily period appropriate, some of the dialogue feels very modern, I still really enjoy this series and look forward to the third!

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allingoodtime's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

While I was looking forward to the story between Diana and Giles, there were a few things at the beginning that made this a slow starter for me. Namely, the pair of them poking fun at a woman they thought Giles’ father intended to force him to marry. (To be clear, this was not done within hearing of anyone else, including the poor lady.) There was a lot of derogatory language used about this poor young woman who, by their own admission, was a harmless and kind person. It came up a few more times throughout the story, but not to the extent it did in the first chapter. I think I understand what the author was going for, but it just felt very mean-spirited and unnecessary to me.

In the long run, I’m glad I continued the story. Diana and Giles are great at denying their true feelings, but everyone around them can feel the chemistry they have. Their banter and nitpicking are fun instead of tedious. They are able to open up to each other far more than they can with anyone else. When it comes to the romance, I felt the story was spot on.

Giles’ valet. Dalton is such a hoot. He’s grumpy but loyal. Once he spends time with Diana, he becomes just as loyal to her as he is to Giles. He understands her mind and where she came from. Diana has a need to be independent and spending the majority of her life struggling to make ends meet she doesn’t understand the need for propriety. Dalton gives her far more leeway than Giles ever would, but it’s what is needed for her job and Dalton still makes sure she is always safe.

All of the characters, from Diana and her extended family and Giles and his staff, add a zany richness to this story. Not in an over-the-top way, but in an enjoyable comedic way. When it comes to the storyline and characters I really can’t complain. But there were times I felt the author needed to reach outside the box she was in. When describing facial expressions she often fell back on the same phrase and it stood out because it was an interesting phrase to use. It became much less interesting when used numerous times throughout.

I found that once I got into this story, I liked it even more than the first book. I can already see where the youngest Merriwell sister will find her love and it should be quite interesting.

**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely*

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decklededgess's review

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funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

trigger warnings: alcohol, sexual content, sexual assault, emotional abuse, negligent and abusive parent, infidelity (sort of), death of parent, grief, gun violence

Never Rescue a Rogue is a fun, lighthearted, myster-esque romance between Giles and Diana who are both fiercely independent and averse to marriage but somehow end up pining for each other. Giles and Diana have some immaculate banter that gives the story its pizzaz. The tension and chemistry between the two jumps off the page and really does the leg work for establishing a strong foundation for their romance. It's not an enemies to lovers in the traditional sense. It's a petty banter to lovers but that butting heads tension is a significant part of their relationship.

The will they won't they and OH GOD WHEN WILL THEY GET TO IT of the book was so thoroughly enjoyable. I was screaming at all their almost touches and pining horniness in the best way. I loved how through the book both Giles and Diana learn to respect each other's independence while also understanding that they can provide support and accept support without being a burden.

One downside, which didn't really affect my enjoyment of the book, is the use of gendered/binary language. Yes this is a regency so I understand that to accurately portray the language of the 1800s the use of contemporary lingo is anachronistic. But since this is fiction, I do think some concessions can be made in the form of not talking about genitals as manhood and womanhood. I don't think the book will lose its charm if Diana doesn't explicitly say that she feels "feminine" when she's in the throes of passion. There are certainly more gender neutral ways of expressing that without making the book sound like it's from the 21st century. I there's a middle ground of sexual euphemisms that doesn't alienate the entire genderqueer and trans community.

Aside from that, this book rules. Can't wait for Vee's book!

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hilwithonel's review

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Diana and Giles: the daughter of a forger and the son of a Duke. Each vexing the other constantly with their witty banter while pretending to not hear their family and friends observations around the way they keep stealing glances at each other.
Giles has his own family troubles that have left him on the hunt to solve a mystery from his past, something that Diana excels at from her work at the newspaper. We LOVE a working woman in historical romance.
I didn't love the pacing and the romance definitely took a backseat to the mystery solving.

But I did find my new favorite pet name: Fungus

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