The Merchant and the Rogue

Ah, the Dread Penny Society, I just don't know what to do with you. Your stories are always solidly three star books until the last third, when the romance and action pick up and I end the book liking you enough to pick up the next. I requested The Merchant and the Rogue after I read the first book in this series, which started slow but picked up at the end, assuming that the rest of the series would continue the delightfulness of the end of the first. Unfortunately, the Merchant and the Rogue was even rougher at the beginning than the others. I would read a couple of pages, put it down, and not pick it up again for a couple of days. Brogan was the thing that kept me reading. He was a wonderful hero, and my favorite so far in the series. I felt pretty neutral about Vera; I didn't dislike her, but she didn't charm me. What I really didn't like about this book was that there was no resolution in the mystery (just in the romance) and the penny dreadful stories. I just did not enjoy the penny dreadful stories in this one and they significantly slowed down the reader's progress in the plot. I regret that the author takes up so much of the space in the book with them. I get that it's cool to actually SHOW us the style of literature the story is talking about, but they're boring and I don't understand why we need two of them besides the main story. I maintain that these books have great potential. Will I continue reading the series? Probably, because I just finished one and always end up liking the books at the end. They're stories about good people doing good things with lovely little romances, so I don't have a problem recommending them. I read an ecopy ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to leave a positive review and all opinions are my own.

Installment III *Where our avid reader gets sucked deeper into the story of the Dread Penney Society!* Sarah M. Eden does not disappoint! I have fallen more in love with this series as it has continued and cannot wait to see its continued growth. This third installment set the bar higher for this story and these characters in the best way possible. I’ve loved learning they’re personal stories and the depth that has been created with these characters and their world. I didn’t realize I needed Brogan’s story until I started reading this and I’m so glad it has been so kindly given to us. Historical romance can tend to be one dimensional and fall flat by just focusing on the ‘romance’ aspects, that is by no means this series. Our author provides an excellent balance of character’s personalities and quirks, great world building, getting to read the penny dreadfuls that our characters themselves write, and of course yes a little romance to make a beautiful bouquet of a story! Endless thanks to Sarah M. Eden for creating the DPS which has become one of my all time favorite series and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy for an honest review (all thought and opinions are completely my own)

I'm always up for a good 19th century romance and The Merchant and the Rogue did not disappoint. This story was a bit unusual for me as most of the historical romances I've read before focus on the upper class while this one focused on the working class. I found this approach more refreshing and I enjoyed that it allowed Vera to go out and take charge of situations more often than not. I was also intrigued by the idea of a 19th century philanthropic secret society of writers. Secret societies were all the rage back then and while this particular society stretches credibility a bit I still thought it added some excitement to the story. In terms of the romance between Brogan and Vera, "aw" seems to be a good way to describe them as a couple. These two grow so quickly comfortable with one another and just fit so well with one another. Their interactions are more sweet than steamy, but I was so happy when they got their HEA. My one criticism was that though I thought it was an interesting touch to intersperse a few of the so called penny dreadful stories between chapters, I just couldn't get into those subplots. Overall, I thought this was a great historical romance with a bit of a refreshing take on the genre. I would definitely recommend it. This was a 4 out of 5 star read for me.