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A review by ginfizz
Once a Rogue by Allie Therin
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Thanks to Netgalley, Carina Press, and Allie Therin for the eARC to review.
Once A Rogue is about as good a sequel to Proper Scoundrels as I could possibly imagine. The glimpses of tenderness and vulnerability that Wesley and Sebastian reveal in Proper Scoundrels are so much more developed here, and it’s so lovely to see just how well they truly compliment each other.
Therin’s speciality is the grumpy/sunshine trope, and Seb and Wes might be my favorite iteration of this yet. Sebastian is such an unexpected sunshine character, and seeing the difference in him here opposed to his introduction in the Magic In Manhattan series is a delight. Wesley’s poor attempts at will-powering his way through his developing feelings and care is both funny and endearing. I couldn’t have imagined how much I’d adore these characters even after the end of Proper Scoundrels.
As always, Therin’s mystery is satisfying and exciting. It’s a joy to see the viscount Lord Fine’s irritated disbelief that he’s entangled in a caper, of all things, at the behest of a tender magical marshmallow. His increasing indignation at having an emotion is absolutely adorable. It’s also so lovely to see Sebastian slowly make his way to allowing himself to rely on people, and slowly letting go of his rigid self-flagellation. In essence, I’d kill anyone to tried to hurt him, and I’m second in line to Wes.
All in all, it’s a perfect middle book, and the only downside to getting to read Once A Rogue early is that I now have to wait even longer for the next installment. Five stars.
Once A Rogue is about as good a sequel to Proper Scoundrels as I could possibly imagine. The glimpses of tenderness and vulnerability that Wesley and Sebastian reveal in Proper Scoundrels are so much more developed here, and it’s so lovely to see just how well they truly compliment each other.
Therin’s speciality is the grumpy/sunshine trope, and Seb and Wes might be my favorite iteration of this yet. Sebastian is such an unexpected sunshine character, and seeing the difference in him here opposed to his introduction in the Magic In Manhattan series is a delight. Wesley’s poor attempts at will-powering his way through his developing feelings and care is both funny and endearing. I couldn’t have imagined how much I’d adore these characters even after the end of Proper Scoundrels.
As always, Therin’s mystery is satisfying and exciting. It’s a joy to see the viscount Lord Fine’s irritated disbelief that he’s entangled in a caper, of all things, at the behest of a tender magical marshmallow. His increasing indignation at having an emotion is absolutely adorable. It’s also so lovely to see Sebastian slowly make his way to allowing himself to rely on people, and slowly letting go of his rigid self-flagellation. In essence, I’d kill anyone to tried to hurt him, and I’m second in line to Wes.
All in all, it’s a perfect middle book, and the only downside to getting to read Once A Rogue early is that I now have to wait even longer for the next installment. Five stars.