It’s a dangerous world we step into. Gang against gang, whim against whim, the power struggle of those with little power. Rarely is good able to surface above the dirt and muck of the city slum streets where people etch out an existence, many die from each other’s blade.

The Kings and the Chapmans were rival gangs in the past, but a truce of sorts had been lasting for some time now. Tension had slightly loosened, hence we find Mina Mason, the sister of the Kings’ crime lord at her usual place on Friday night, the Three Boars public house, in Chapman gang territory. She is kept far from violence and ignorant to some degree about what her brothers do. She is well-educated, with a kind demeanor and doesn’t fit within the rookery, although she has made friends with some of the woman who work in the public house. The public house is the place she can see Charlie Chapman, a bartender and her childhood friend. They are from rival gangs, neither wants to deny the attraction, admiration and friendship which exists between them. The hope of ever being more than that just can’t be.

Unfortunately, in such environments, the slimy, uncouth drunken men thrive and prey upon the weaker, those who can’t protect themselves. Violence breaks out, Charlie steps in, and the story takes off. Will Charlie survive his own gang’s punishment for hurting another gang member, just to protect an outsider? Will Mina ever be able to see Charlie again? Has she the backbone to defy her brothers, to take what she wants?

Monroe’s usage of gang and slum terminology, and the gripping and realistic brutal violence in the rookery makes this a most powerful read. Her protagonists are fighters, fighting for the life they want. Secondary characters are well-defined, giving us a glimpse of what will come in the next sequence of this series.

And with that, author Erica Monroe supplies a glossary right at the front of the book, not lost in the back. The reader can browse the list even before reading, helping to clarify terms not in use today. Some of them I already knew from other reads, but who would have thought a ‘loblolley boy’ is a surgeon? ( )

Stealing the Rogue’s Heart by Erica Monroe
The Rookery Rogues Series #4

Quick easy read of a romance set in the rookeries of England in 1833. Mina is the wealthy sister of two brothers running one of three gangs in the city. At 19 Mina seems naïve with little knowledge of where the family money is coming from. When her older brother decides to marry her to someone old that will further their business she makes the decision to nix that idea, convince the man she loves in a rival gang to marry her and take her away. The storyline is predictable and the story short with a HEA to look forward to at the end. I am curious about Mina’s brother Cyrus and do hope he and Jane get together just as Mina and Charlie did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quillfire Publishing for the ARC. This is my honest review.

3 Stars ( )

Stealing the Rogue's Heart (The Rookery Rogues #4) by Erica Monroe is one of those WOW, Pre-Victorian Historical Romance, set against the backdrop of London's working class. While, Book 4 of 4 in the famous "The Rookery Rogues" series, it can be read as a stand alone, with re-appearances from characters in the previous books.

This story captured my heart, in the first chapter and I held on tight throughout, as I read Mina and Charlie's story. Mina Mason, has led a sheltered life as the youngest sister to the notorious street gang crime Lord, the Kings but she has been friends with Charlie Thatcher for years. Charlie is a member of the Mason family's street gang rival, the Chapman Street Thieves. They saved Charlie from certain death on the streets of the Radcliffe Rookery. Still, Charlie captured her heart, he's the only person in her life who doesn't make her feel like she's in a gilded cage.

Charlie works as a bartender, at the Three Boars Public house, which is in Chapman terriory, there he protects Mina and she has always known he would keep her safe. Then one night Mina gets herself in trouble and Charlie, keeping her safe, fights a member of his gang, to protect her and her honor, which, causes Charlie much trouble.
Can a childhood friendship actual cause a gang war? Will Mina and Charlie find the help they desperately need before it's too late from her two brothers? Or will all be lost, including their lives, to jealousy and hate? You will found the answers within "Stealing the Rogue's Heart" both surprising and redemptive.

What a dark, sexy, romantic suspense with plenty of secrets, twists and turns plus gritty, edgy, romance!! What a heart pounding but heart warming story!! I have loved this series from the start, however, I believe Mina and Charlie's story is my favorite, thus far. A not to miss Pre-Victorian Romance! Hold on to your seats, dear readers, as you're sweep away in "Stealing the Rogue's Heart"! Well done, Ms. Monroe! I can't wait to read Cyrus and Jane's story!

Rating: 4.5
Heat rating: Mild
Reviewed by: AprilR ( )