The Virgin and the Rogue

March 30, 2020
A powerful aphrodisiac drives the smoldering sixth Regency in Jordan’s Rogue Files series (after The Duke’s Stolen Bride). Charlotte Langley’s romance with her childhood friend William Pembroke had a hiccup when she and her sisters, Marian and Nora, briefly lost everything after the death of their father, but now that Marian is married to the wealthy Duke of Warrington, Charlotte and William’s engagement is back on. Their relationship is comfortable, chaste, and boring. Enter Kingston, illegitimate stepbrother to the duke and a known rogue. His visit to his stepbrother’s estate happens to coincide with Nora, an herbalist, accidentally mixing Charlotte a cordial that makes her overcome with lust. Their steamy first encounter escalates into a torrid affair as the effects of the love potion linger. What little plot breaks up the sex scenes follows a predictable formula, but Charlotte and Kingston’s chemistry and the welcome humor Jordan weaves throughout will keep readers turning the pages. This erotically charged historical romance packs a passionate punch. Agent: Maura E. Kye-Casella, Don Congdon Assoc.

April 1, 2020

Charlotte Langley has always considered herself the most timid and boring of her three sisters. Then one night, just weeks before marrying her dull childhood friend, she accidentally drinks a tonic that causes her to become uncontrollably aroused. Whilst under the influence, she accosts Kingston, her brother-in-law's roguish stepbrother, and does unspeakable things to him (not that he minds). The next morning she's horrified, while Kingston is intrigued, realizing she's not the stuffy miss he originally assumed she was. Charlotte is convinced that her attraction to Kingston is purely the effect of the tonic, but her insistence on the matter only convinces Kingston that there's a genuine attraction between them. In time, Charlotte begins questioning her motives for marrying her humdrum fianc�, and begins to see herself as a woman of passion. VERDICT A light and enjoyable comedy of errors from best-selling Jordan (The Duke's Stolen Bride); this reads like a sexier version of A Midsummer Night's Dream.--Kathryn Howe, Saint John Free P.L., NB

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 1, 2020
The sixth in the Rogue Files series is a lusty reversal of the rake-and-the-wallflower trope. In Regency-era England, Charlotte Langley, a self-described "dull bird," is about to marry boring Billy Pembroke. Just before an agonizing dinner with her in-laws, who barely tolerate her, she's plagued with menstrual cramps. (Just a splash of realism before the story takes a magical turn.) When her sister mixes her a home remedy, Charlotte is overcome with passion--and quickly turns it on the wrong man. The effects of the elixir are equal parts hot and hilarious. Though he was once a lady's man, Kingston, the bastard brother of the Pembroke clan, has been celibate ever since his mother fell gravely ill. But he can't say no to Charlotte. Is she drunk on a love potion or drunk on love itself? If you ask Charlotte, she couldn't possibly betray Billy, whose best quality is that he's letting her choose where they live. If you ask Kingston, she's engaged to the wrong man. There's no shortage of drama leading up to this happily-ever-after. Charlotte's heart is in the right place, but her lips have poor aim. A refreshing dose of fun--and the best in the series.

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April 15, 2020
What exactly did Charlotte Langley's sister, Nora, put in the tonic she gave her? Instead of relieving cramps prompted by that time of the month, Nora's tonic left Charlotte all hot and bothered. Now the only relief Charlotte can find from the internal fire that is keeping her up way past her usual bedtime is by practically attacking Kingston, the sexy-as-sin stepbrother of Charlotte's brother-in-law, the Duke of Warrington, and almost having her way with him. Charlotte wants to blame the tonic, but then why the day after it theoretically should have worn off, does Charlotte still want to do things with Kingston that no engaged woman should want to do with anyone but her husband-to-be? Fans of best-selling Jordan (The Duke's Stolen Bride, 2019) will find the newest installment in her Rogue Files series has all the lively characterization and quicksilver pacing they crave. But given all the sensual radiance this sexy Regency historical gives off, readers may want to consider liberally applying sunscreen before they dive in.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)