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A review by cakt1991
Once a Rake, Always a Rogue by Catherine Stein
5.0
I received an ARC from the author and event organizers (Enticing Journey Book Promotions) in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
With this third installment in the Potions and Passions series, Catherine Stein has another winner. And while this one did feel like a slower start for me in terms of investment, I soon found myself swept up again in her quirky, yet relatable characters and her infusion of magic into Victorian society.
That aspect of how the potions fit in remains my favorite part of the series, as it is such a unique element I don’t think I’ve seen other authors use, at least not in the same way. And with heavy discussion of the medical field as it was in the Victorian era, I loved seeing potions that worked as birth control, as well as fearing the possibilities of what they could do when dosing people in asylums.
Monte is a great example of a reformed rake to root for, who still has the best parts of his roguish side that come out when he’s around Astrid. And I deeply admired his reasoning for trying to be a better person, given he is a man with a vocation and needs to establish trust with his patients.
I adored Astrid. She comes from an eccentric family, and is in danger of being confined to an asylum unless her sanity can be proven, which, given what I know about what women were confined for in history, seems like an impossible situation. I loved her interplay with Monte as she lowers his defenses while they’re working together.
This book is absolutely wonderful, and the only thing I hated was that it ended. If you love any variation of historical paranormal, steampunk, or gaslamp fantasy, I recommend picking this up.
With this third installment in the Potions and Passions series, Catherine Stein has another winner. And while this one did feel like a slower start for me in terms of investment, I soon found myself swept up again in her quirky, yet relatable characters and her infusion of magic into Victorian society.
That aspect of how the potions fit in remains my favorite part of the series, as it is such a unique element I don’t think I’ve seen other authors use, at least not in the same way. And with heavy discussion of the medical field as it was in the Victorian era, I loved seeing potions that worked as birth control, as well as fearing the possibilities of what they could do when dosing people in asylums.
Monte is a great example of a reformed rake to root for, who still has the best parts of his roguish side that come out when he’s around Astrid. And I deeply admired his reasoning for trying to be a better person, given he is a man with a vocation and needs to establish trust with his patients.
I adored Astrid. She comes from an eccentric family, and is in danger of being confined to an asylum unless her sanity can be proven, which, given what I know about what women were confined for in history, seems like an impossible situation. I loved her interplay with Monte as she lowers his defenses while they’re working together.
This book is absolutely wonderful, and the only thing I hated was that it ended. If you love any variation of historical paranormal, steampunk, or gaslamp fantasy, I recommend picking this up.