Redeeming the Rogue Knight

HISTORICAL ROMANCE

Title: Redeeming the Rogue Knight
Author: Elisabeth Hobbes  
Publication date: 09/01/2017
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: No
 
I have a little confession, folks. I haven’t read historical romance in a really long time. And even back in the old days when I did read a ton of historical romance, my comfort zone was the Western historicals. (Nobody’s Darling by Teresa Medeiros is and will ALWAYS be one of my all-time favs) Why’d I give up on the category, you ask? Frankly, I got a little bored with rakish earls, viscounts, and dukes. 

I also got tired of having to look up a crap-load of terms about old-timey clothing just so I could understand what everyone was wearing. (There’s a ton of really detailed descriptions of clothing in historicals, OK? It was making me think way too hard and y’all know I prefer nice, easy reading.)

But, not too long ago, I made an exception on the recommendation of another blog I follow and read Elisabeth Hobbes’s The Blacksmith’s Wife and really enjoyed it. So when the author asked if I’d be interested in reading Redeeming the Rogue Knight, which features characters I’d met in The Blacksmith’s Wife, I was all for it. And once again, the author didn’t let me down.

Let’s face it. Medieval romance is tough sell for some audiences. I mean, it takes a talented author to make love stories set in a time before simple things like penicillin, deodorant and tampons seem sexy. But against all odds, this author makes it work. And better yet, I don’t need an old-timey English to modern English translator on standby to understand what the heck is going on in the story. There’s just enough detail provided that I believe the story is historically accurate (I’ll take the author’s word for it. I don’t plan on looking anything up to verify that stuff, but nothing here tripped my bullshit meter) without getting bogged down in too much detail.

As for the hero, Sir Roger Danby, I’ll admit that I was skeptical. After his introduction in The Blacksmith’s Wife, I frankly didn’t know if he was redeemable. He was an asshat in that book, and he started off as an asshat in this book. But when he’s stripped of his title and privilege (temporarily) due to circumstances outside his control, he shows little hints of vulnerability that made me start to dislike him less and less. And after a few chapter, I found that I didn’t even want to kick him in the balls anymore. I consider that a win.

Lucy was a fierce mama bear heroine. She did whatever it took (and I mean whatever...it wasn’t always pleasant) to care for her baby, and I admired her selflessness. She wasn’t a whiner, either. There was no time for woe-is-me pity parties in Lucy’s life. All in all, I thought she was the perfect woman to straighten out the stuck-up, somewhat entitled Sir Roger. She even had him doing “woman’s work” at one point in the book, which I loved.

Long-story-short, Redeeming the Rogue Knight is a tender and passionate medieval romance that fans of historicals should definitely check out. It’s highly 1-clickable.  

Full disclosure: We received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.  

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
Crushes it! This one is clean and sober. No rehab needed.  

Other reading suggestions
Definitely check out the Elisabeth Hobbes backlist. And after that, check out our list of the top 14 trend-busting historical romances on the market today.

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