About a Rogue by Caroline Linden | ARC Review

The Commonalities of Love and Ceramics

I’ve come to expect certain things from historical romances lately, namely that they generally involve some sort of nobility with at least one of the characters which ends up being as much part of the story as the character. So I was pleasantly surprised when I started About a Rogue and the bulk of the story takes place in and around a ceramics factory.

You don’t see many (if any?) romances focused on ceramics, of all things, so it instantly made this book memorable.

And while that detail will likely stick with me for a while, it’s the characters that are driving this story ahead full force. First we have Bianca, daughter of a ceramics tycoon, if you will, with plans to take over one day with her sister. The things I liked about Bianca’s personality were often also the things that turned me off in the beginning. She’s passionate about her work, stubborn to the point that it gets in her way (but a little stubbornness in a male-dominated society is fine by me), and she doesn’t let anything stand in the way of what she wants.

That said, I struggled to feel anything but annoyance where she was concerned in the beginning. Her love for her sister was great but I felt like her hatred of Max, the interloper in their family business, was exaggerated to the point that I didn’t find it believable. Max never gave her a reason to lash out the way she did and while she eventually realized this, I found I didn’t enjoy her perspective scenes nearly as much for a while.

Max, himself, had much of the same drive and was ready to put the work in. He was clear about what he wanted in the relationship and the connections it brought him, and his cleverness and charm won over both me and Bianca’s family. The fact that he threw himself so willingly into the factory life and business demonstrated his commitment to them as well as Bianca and their relationship, and made the romance that much stronger. I also really appreciated that he didn’t try to push Bianca for his own gain; rather, he worked to get to know her and what she loved to develop that connection first.

I think that’s why I ended up enjoying About the Rogue so much. Here is a romance with an unexpected marriage between two strangers who (after a rocky beginning) give their potential relationship a chance. It’s not love at first sight, but a love built on mutual interest, understanding, and work. And physical attraction, of course.

My only issue with the book came closer to the end when the romance was moving along at a steady pace but Linden decided to throw in all this extra drama that was sort of seeded along the way but not enough to really interest me to know more. So when it all came out it felt more like a means to add tension that didn’t fit the core of the story.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed About a Rogue and would definitely read the sequel. A promising start to a new series!