One Rogue at a Time by Jade Lee
Rakes and Rogues #2. Historical romance.
Bramwell is the illegitimate son of a Duke. Because of his status, he works as a mercenary and bodyguard for the peerage. He meets Maybelle in a small countryside parish where she outmaneuvers him with intelligence and cunning. Maybelle is determined to be acknowledged in proper society but she knows that she needs to learn to speak properly. Meeting Bram is her perfect opportunity to learn, copy his speech patterns, and practice those “H’s” and “my” enunciations.

Entertaining oneupmanship, sensual pleasures, (steamy!) and acceptance. Maybelle is smart and determined and quickly able to pick up and mimic Bram’s speech. Listening on an audiobook, I could clearly hear his dialect and her original and corrected annunciation. The narrator did a wondering job dropping and changing her patterns.
The audiobook performance moved this from 4 to 5 for me. ( )

My Fair Lady has scored a regency makeover. Jade Lee has smartly put her own spin on a literary classic. Her innovation and skill has netted a story that has subtle similarities that have a modern feel but all the poise and mystery of regency era romance. I received an ARC of One Rogue at a Time in exchange for an honest review. Behind the polished demeanor Bramwell is well of secrets. Charm and etiquette are the tools he used to hide the pain of past hurts and hidden talents he has picked up over the years. Maybelle is his equal in that she is searching for acceptance just like her, she just pursues it differently. What I liked about this novel is that there is always something new to discover around the corner. I found One Rogue at a time to be a great way to past the time and would recommend to any fan of classic historical romance. ( )

This is my second book from [a:Jade Lee|177048|Jade Lee|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1383768369p2/177048.jpg], and I think she will be on my auto-buy list for historical romances in the future. Her characters are really engaging and I get lost in the story easily.

Our hero in this installment is Bramwell Hallowsby, the bastard son of a duke. Bram is the half-brother of Elinor, who you may remember as the horrible snob from [b:50 Ways to Ruin a Rake|23552247|50 Ways to Ruin a Rake (Rakes and Rogues, #1)|Jade Lee|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429376801s/23552247.jpg|43151916]. Bram is a historical bad boy. The circumstances of his birth have forced him to live on the edges of the Ton, and he has taken to protecting others. Stories of his heroic deeds abound, yet he is still not accepted in the inner circles of society. I really didn't like Bram at first - he was so cynical and it seemed like he was really only looking out for his wants and needs. At one point he performs a such a masterful seduction of our heroine using Bible references and feet washing of all things, that I felt sorry for her. But by the end Bram had totally won me over and even made me shed a tear or two.

Similar to [b:50 Ways to Ruin a Rake|23552247|50 Ways to Ruin a Rake (Rakes and Rogues, #1)|Jade Lee|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429376801s/23552247.jpg|43151916], our heroine in this installment is also a country girl. Maybelle Ballenger is granddaughter to an earl, but has been hidden away in the country because her mother was a simple housemaid. Growing up in the small town of Hull has been very hard on Maybelle because everyone speculates about her birth and assumes she is a bastard. She has tried her whole life to prove that she is just as good as everyone else in town. And now that her mother has passed and she is a female all alone, she also has to fend off lecherous advances from every man she passes. I admired Maybelle's determination to right the wrong done to her mother, and prove herself a lady. I was frustrated right along with her when Bram was being a dunderhead, but was so happy when they got their HEA. And that proposal - OMG super romantic and caused a few happy tears.

As far as secondary characters, Bram has a few annoying ones to deal with. Then we have Elinor in this story again, and she was not as bad this time as she was in the first book. If you remember from that book, she was always putting Mellie down and I just really didn't like her. But maybe Elinor's snobbishness is tempering a little because she didn't deliver as many cutting remarks this time. It will be really interesting to see if Elinor herself falls for someone who is not considered "good ton."

I received an advanced copy of this book from Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Although I received the free copy, I ran across the audiobook on Hoopla and decided to listen while I was cleaning the house today. This series has translated well to audio and the narrators have done a really good job keeping my attention from wandering. I am looking forward to the next book, The Richer the Rogue. ( )

This is the first book i've read by Jade Lee and i really loved her writing. This is not your average romance. The main characters were worldy and i loved how the heroine was neither timid nor had any nonsensical behavior, The hero, Bram, was a little too dreary at the beginning, much to pessimistic but towards the end he was fantastic.
I really enjoyed the secondary characters especially Dick and Clarissa, they always made me chuckle with their tales and whats not to love about a drunk pig.
I would definitely be reading more of her books.

THANKS TO SOURCEBOOKS CASABLANCA AND NETGALLERY FOR THIS ADVANCED READER'S COPY ( )