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When a Rogue Meets His Match

by Elizabeth Hoyt

Series: Greycourt (2)

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9011298,307 (3.41)1
"Ambitious, sly, and lethally intelligent, Gideon Hawthorne has spent his life clawing his way up from the gutter. For the last ten years, he's acted as the Duke of Windemere's fixer, performing the duke's dirty work without question. Now Gideon's ready to quit the duke's service and work solely for himself. But Windermere tempts Gideon with an irresistible offer: one last task for Messalina Greycourt's hand in marriage. Witty, vivacious Messalina Greycourt has her pick of suitors, so when her uncle demands Messalina marry Mr. Hawthorne, she is appalled. But Gideon offers her a devil's bargain of his own: protection and freedom in exchange for a true marriage. Messalina feigns agreement and plots to escape their deal. Only the more time she spends with Gideon, the more her fierce, loyal husband arouses her affections. But will Gideon's final deed for Windemere destroy the love growing between them?"--… (more)
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Showing 1-5 of 11 (next | show all)
When a rogue meets his match is the story of Gideon and Mesalina and it has that classic “we are in an arranged marriage but are developing real feelings for each other trope”. Actually, that is not totally accurate because from beginning of the book, it’s obvious Gideon has always had real feelings for her. The things I really enjoyed were Mesalina and Lucretia (her sister’s) relationship. They were so close and Lucretia was really hilarious, I am looking forward to reading her story. The main couple here were fine but lacking something. I don’t know if it was chemistry or if I was just dissatisfied with some of their character flaws, either way I was not emotionally invested in the couple.

I do look forward to reading more in the series especially Lucretia’s and Julian’s.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
( )
  DramPan | Sep 6, 2023 |

This was unsatisfying in every sense of the word.

Too many loose ends, the constant pull and tug, which I originally loved, between the characters was overused and annoying. This started off so strong and the slow burn romance had me swooning but there were too many unresolved issues/loose ends that ultimately affected my reading experience. From the would be ‘assassins’, the heroine’s dowry, Uncle Augustus Greycourt who is the Duke of Windemere true intentions, what happened when Gideon showed up at the inn to confront Julien and Quintus, why Julien was keeping a watchful eye on their despised relative, Gideon business ventures with the mines which wasn’t disclosed until the finale, if and how Messalina decided to help those less fortunate like Sam, would Lucretia be forced to married by their uncle, and William Blackwell embezzlement scheme and relationship with Lucretia.

It was obvious the author just threw the end together and made Blackwell the villain which didn’t make real sense to me but whatever. Maybe I missed a huge chunk of something…? It was terribly rushed and with the direction of the story and how it ended left me saying ‘whaaat?!’ So overall, I am not impressed and still mildly confused on what the heck I just read.

( )
  ayoshina | Jul 31, 2022 |
Messalina Greycourt has been forced into a marriage with her vicious uncle's underling, Gideon Hawthorne. While she hates Gideon, she is pleased when they strike a deal that will see Gideon give Messalina a chunk of her dowry. Then she plans to flee the country with her younger sister and leave everything behind. But being married to Gideon results in her discovering that there's far more to the taciturn man than she ever imagined.

A twist on the marriage of convenience trope as it's not so much a convenience for Messalina as it is for Gideon. That said, their relationship is enjoyable to watch although there was a bit more frustration for this reader over poor communication than I usually encounter in a Hoyt novel. A solid read but not an absolute must if you're not a series completist. ( )
  MickyFine | Jul 11, 2022 |
The class difference in this was handled especially well I think. Hoyt tends to excel at those. The issues that pop up to disrupt the relationship when it's progressing too smoothly were a little weak really, but not more than I could tolerate. And the rest generally held water. I especially like this type of hero, who starts out cold and prickly and then melts when he falls in love. =) ( )
  JorgeousJotts | Dec 3, 2021 |
After a lengthy--for the romance genre--break following the first in the Greycourt series, Elizabeth Hoyt returns with When a Rogue Meets His Match. I'm not sure why this series is received less favorably than the Maiden Lane series, but to me the hallmarks of her historical romances are still there. Her writing still pulls the emotions out of me and her plots are complex and action-packed.

If you're familiar with Hoyt's books, you know she starts every chapter with a piece of a story, usually a fairytale. When a Rogue Meets His Match doesn't hide the Beauty and the Beast theme at all. In this case the opening story if that of a fox (the beast) and Bette (beauty). Like in BatB, Gideon is a grumpy, menacing figure who forces Messalina into marriage. Rather, her uncle does that, but Gideon has loved her for all the years he's worked for the horrid uncle and therefore takes the deal offered to him. Do this one job for the uncle and he can marry Messalina. Gideon is low born and has done the duke's dirty work for years, so being married to a duke's niece is a Big Deal. Plus the heart feelings, which he's slow to acknowledge. Messalina is angry and plans to fulfill a bargain with Gideon, get part of her dowry and run away with her younger sister (whom the duke is using as a way to force Messalina to marry).

Obviously, they fall for each other even if Messalina is unhappy with her developing feelings. The conflict of the book hinges upon two things: the forced marriage and the job Gideon has to complete before he can get Messalina's dowry and they can both get away from the duke. Turns out, the duke wants Gideon to do something Messalina would never forgive him for.

This was my biggest problem with the plot, though I'll try not to spoil it. Gideon could have told her at any point and they could have worked together to foil the duke's plans. He decides by the midpoint of the story that he's not going to do The Bad Thing, but it's not until the very end that he works with someone else to get out of it. Messalina forgives a lot, even if she stands her ground and makes the best out of many situations. Still, this is a BatB retelling and therefore she's strong and resourceful but still subject to the whims of men.

As usual with historical romance, there are some problematic bits (see CWs) and I don't recall any characters who aren't white. A large part of Messalina's character arc is her moral awakening as she comes to know all the formerly impoverished people Gideon employs. She eventually decides she wants to start a school for boys to help give them hope for a future. (Girls can go live in an alley I guess?) However, the book is set in 1760 and there's no mention of slavery despite the focus on poverty and inadequate wages. Gideon repeatedly points out that the clothing and items Messalina says are necessary for his entrance into society could feed a family for years, but there's no discussion of the humans who are not only impoverished but stripped of any freedom at all. Gideon was able to claw his way out of poverty, but that opportunity existed for him because he was a free, white, abled man. That said, historical romance usually glosses over all of this and I assume the reason the omission was so glaring here is because of the focus on class oppression.

That said, I enjoyed When a Rogue Meets His Match. Despite being able to point to several problems, I like Hoyt's writing and will continue to read her books. I'm a sucker for a Beauty and the Beast story and tend to hand-wave a lot of things for my "problematic faves," so there's that.

If you like Hoyt's books, I suggest picking this up.

***
I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher for review but read an audio copy from my library instead.
***

Content notes: Three men will probably get books of their own and I'm not sure how their stories will be handled. One lost his hand in an accident years before and appears to have self-loathing and dysphoria either because of the loss or because of the death of the woman he was with at the time. He's closed himself off to everyone and everything since. Another is a self-destructive alcoholic. The third is described as having a ruinous secret that's tied to the open wounds on his back. This suggests that he's engaging in BDSM play, but it doesn't seem to be fun for him, instead tied to past trauma and abuse.


Blackmail, forced marriage, assault, near-death, mentions of past death including hanging of a child, grief, gender essentialism, discussion of poverty including starvation ( )
  Cerestheories | Nov 8, 2021 |
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"Ambitious, sly, and lethally intelligent, Gideon Hawthorne has spent his life clawing his way up from the gutter. For the last ten years, he's acted as the Duke of Windemere's fixer, performing the duke's dirty work without question. Now Gideon's ready to quit the duke's service and work solely for himself. But Windermere tempts Gideon with an irresistible offer: one last task for Messalina Greycourt's hand in marriage. Witty, vivacious Messalina Greycourt has her pick of suitors, so when her uncle demands Messalina marry Mr. Hawthorne, she is appalled. But Gideon offers her a devil's bargain of his own: protection and freedom in exchange for a true marriage. Messalina feigns agreement and plots to escape their deal. Only the more time she spends with Gideon, the more her fierce, loyal husband arouses her affections. But will Gideon's final deed for Windemere destroy the love growing between them?"--

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