*Book source ~ NetGalley

Isabelle Mears made a bad decision during her come out season and ended up pregnant by a dandy who disappeared right after deflowering her. Six years later, after being disowned by her family, she’s living in backwater Kent with her son Jack when George Upperton rescues Jack from the ocean. George is smitten with Isabelle, but she’s rightly wary of any man, most especially one of the ton.

George has lived up to his father’s expectations of gambling, women and booze, but he’s not happy. With a mother hounding him to marry and a pregnant mistress hounding him for blunt George runs to his friend’s house party in Kent where he meets Isabelle. Running away from his problems solved nothing and now he can’t get the fallen Isabelle out of his mind. When Jack is kidnapped he throws himself into the search thus spending a large amount of time with Isabelle. Will George and Isabelle get their happily ever after? Or are they doomed?

This story started out pretty good, but was soon bogged down with long boring passages and contrived conflict. George and Isabelle aren’t very interesting, the kidnapping was just plain stupid and George is a moron. Also, Jack is gone and Isabelle spends the time either dithering or screwing George. Wow. Some mom she is. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters in this book. I almost DNF’d it, but hoped it would get better. Nope. I won’t be carrying on with this series. ( )

The title ' A Most Devilish Rogue' initially drew me to this book. I expected a Regency romp where the hero is dashing and debonair and the heroine is feisty and beautiful and this is exactly what the book delivers but in a unique and interesting way.

After reading the whole story I'm convinced the title doesn't do it justice. The depth of the emotion conveyed by the writer and her clever layering of the conflicts facing our devilish hero George and our heroine Isabelle make it a far more satisfying read than the Regency romp I expected.

I particularly liked her exploration of what Regency society expected of men.
George has an artistic skill which he has spent most of his life suppressing because his father considered it unmanly. He was driven into the life of a rakish rogue by his father's and society's expectations.

Isabelle's fall from grace is sensitively portrayed. It is an essential element of Regency novels that ladies are expected to remain demure and pure until they achieve the point of their existence a good marriage. Isabelle is not the usual Regency heroine because she succumbed to a heartless rake at a tender age and was banished both by her high-born family and the Ton.

Usually the hero saves the heroine before her reputation is lost,not so here. This is a story of pride, forgiveness, strength of character and learning to grasp the opportunity of happiness when it is offered.

What this story lacked in Regency glamour it made up for in emotional battles between George and Isabelle.

The love scenes are sensual and realistic and enhance the emotional depth of the story. When George and Isabelle finally achieve their HEA you really feel they deserve it.

I enjoyed this book which is the second in the series. I haven't read 'A Most Scandalous Proposal' yet, the first book in the series but I definitely will now.

I recommend 'A Most Devilish Rogue if you're looking for a unique romantic, Regency historical read.

I received an ARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

*I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I requested “A Most Devilish Rogue” because I found its premise very promising. And, indeed, it had a lot of promise but, sadly, to me, it didn’t fulfill them. Especially because the protagonists had incomprehensible attitudes... But I’ll get to that later.

When the story begins we get to know that George, the male protagonist, has impregnated his lover and is in trouble because she has a brother that demands compensation. On top of that, one of his best friends committed suicide because he couldn't pay his debts and George decided he is going to pay them and clear his friend's good name, and that’s complicated seeing as he is not in a very good financial situation. He then resolves he will have to marry a rich heiress, which will resolve all his money problems.

George goes with his mother and sisters to his friend Benedict’s property in the country, where his mother hopes he will find a bride and it’s there that, during a walk on the beach, George saves a child from drowning. The child is Jack, Isabelle’s son. She was once a girl from a reputable family, but after becoming pregnant when she wasn't even engaged, she was thrown away from home and is now living a modest life in the village.

Jack is kidnapped and George is incapable to leave Isabelle when she most needs support and he does anything within his reach to get her son back. And this was when I had my first problem with this story: I could understand Isabelle getting closer to George, seeking his support, at a time when she was feeling at her worse and more unprotected, but I thought it was too much that the attraction she felt for him was enough to stop her from thinking about anything else and to only make her remember her son was missing the next day...

My other problem was with George. I loved the chivalrous way in which he left all his plans and problems behind and made finding Jack and supporting Isabelle his priority, but after getting burned before (the pregnant mistress), how could he possibly get himself in potentially the same situation with Isabelle?

Lastly, I actually like coincidences, but there is a limit and it was clearly passed here... I can’t get into details without revealing too much, but seriously, there was no need for all the stories to be related...

As I mentioned, the story had potential but I didn’t feel it was achieved. And that was a shame. ( )

Just no. Review later... sigh ( )

*I received this book for free from librarything in exchange for a review. *
I waited almost eight months to get my hands on this book and it was indeed well worth the wait. Loved it! Extremely well written, the conversations flowed great, and the world building was exceptional. The characters George and Isabelle really came alive to me, and the story was centered along the lines of a historical romance. The only thing that really brought it from a five star was George's character, I felt Rogue would have been a more dashing fellow. His character to me was only passable fair, even though the ending made me like him a lot more. Throughout the book though I was yelling at Isabelle to run! I hope the author will be doing Henrietta's book next! Overall entertainment value is four stars. A big thank you to the author for helping me get this book. ( )