A Night with a Rogue

Holt Sisters Trilogy #1-2

by Julie Anne Long

From the elegant halls of the Paris ballet to a sleepy country village, these stunning, sensual historical romances are guaranteed to bring your wildest fantasies to life.

Beauty and the Spy
The sleepy village of Barnstable is the last place where London darling Susannah Makepeace expected to be stuck. But after tragedy forces her into exile, Susannah finds herself in all manner of unexpected situations . . . including stumbling upon a handsome man swimming naked in a pond! But Viscount Kit Whitelaw is not the dissolute rake he appears. For when odd accidents endanger Susannah, who better than the best spy in His Majesty’s secret service to unravel the secrets threatening her?

Ways to be Wicked
Sylvie Lamoureux is the darling of the Paris ballet. But a chance to find her lost family sends her fleeing across the English Channel—and into the arms of the notorious Tom Shaughnessy. Sylvie knows better than to fall for Tom’s charming face, yet when a twist of fate places her in his bawdy world of theater, desire grows between them . . . until Sylvie’s secret past forces her to make a decision. Will she bring down the curtain on their fiery pas de deux . . . or trust this wicked man with her heart?

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical Fiction, Historical

659 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 2006

About the author

Well, where should I start? I've lived in San Francisco for more than a decade, usually with at least one cat. I won the school spelling bee when I was in 7th grade; the word that clinched it was 'ukulele.' I originally set out to be a rock star when I grew up (I had a Bono fixation, but who didn't?), and I have the guitars and the questionable wardrobe stuffed in the back of my closet to prove it.

But writing was always my first love.

I was editor of my elementary school paper (believe it or not, Mrs. Little's fifth grade class at Glenmoor Elementary did have one); my high school paper (along with my best high school bud, Cindy Jorgenson); and my college paper, where our long-suffering typesetter finally forced me to learn how to typeset because my articles were usually late (and thus I probably have him to thank for all the desktop publishing jobs that ensued over the years).

Won a couple of random awards along the way: the Bank of America English Award in High School (which basically just amounted to a fancy plaque saying that I was really, really good at English); and an award for best Sports Feature article in a College Newspaper (and anyone who knows me well understands how deeply ironic that is). I began my academic career as a Journalism major; I switched to Creative Writing, which was a more comfortable fit for my freewheeling imagination and overdeveloped sense of whimsy. I dreamed of being a novelist.

But most of us, I think, tend to take for granted the things that come easily to us. I loved writing and all indications were that I was pretty good at it, but I, thank you very much, wanted to be a rock star. Which turned out to be ever-so-slightly harder to do than writing. A lot more equipment was involved, that's for sure. Heavy things, with knobs. It also involved late nights, fetid, graffiti-sprayed practice rooms, gorgeous flakey boys, bizarre gigs, in-fighting—what's not to love?

But my dream of being a published writer never faded. When the charm (ahem) of playing to four people in a tiny club at midnight on a Wednesday finally wore thin, however, I realized I could incorporate all the best things about being in a band — namely, drama, passion, and men with unruly hair — into novels, while at the same time indulging my love of history and research.

So I wrote The Runaway Duke, sent it to a literary agent (see the story here), who sold it to Warner Books a few months after that...which made 2003 one of the most extraordinary, head-spinning years I've ever had.

Why romance? Well, like most people, I read across many genres, but I've been an avid romance reader since I got in trouble for sneaking a Rosemary Rogers novel out of my mom's nightstand drawer (I think it was Sweet Savage Love). Rosemary Rogers, Kathleen Woodiwiss, Laurie McBain...I cut my romance teeth on those ladies. And in general, I take a visceral sort of pleasure in creating a hero and a heroine, putting them through their emotional paces, and watching their relationship develop on the page. And of course, there's much to be said for the happy ending. :)

And why Regency Historicals? Well, for starters, I think we can blame Jane Austen. Her inimitable wit, compassion and vision brought the Regency vividly to life for generations of readers. If Jane Austen had written romances about Incas, for instance, I think, we'd have racks and racks of Inca romances in bookstores all over the country, and Warner Forever would be the Inca Romance line.

But I'm a history FREAK, in general. I read more history, to be perfectly honest, than fiction (when I have time to read!) these days. When we were little, my sister and I used to play "Littl

Reviews

[WhiskeyintheJar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

For more quotes and comments:
The Beauty and the Spy buddy read
Ways to be Wicked buddy read


The Beauty and the Spy 5 stars

All the way there she'd rehearsed in her head what she might say to him, how she would ask it, what she might do if his answers broke her heart. But then he turned suddenly and saw her. And his face, unguarded, told her everything she needed to know, and questions were no longer necessary.
"Oh, Kit. It's all right," she said softly. "I love you, too."
He stared at her, caught. And then he laughed a short laugh, which was no doubt meant to sound incredulous or devil-may-care, but which failed miserably.

Beauty and the Spy starts off with a reach out and grab you prologue where James Makespeace arrives in the middle of the night to Anna Holt's cottage in Gorringe. He warns her that his friend, her lover and the father of their three daughters, Richard Lockwood, has been murdered and she's been framed for it. With only seconds to spare, the decision is made for Anna to disappear and have James take her three daughters into hiding until everything can be figured out. Chapter one then brings us to seventeen years later.

This is a reissue, with the first two books in the series bound together in this edition. I read this series over ten years ago and I was happy to see that the first book still holds up as one of my favorite stories. The plot of why and who could be involved with Richard's murder takes over a lot of the beginning, the reader is let into the details before the characters, which I think works perfectly as there is a lot to keep track of. Thaddeus Morley is a come up from the slums who is a dirty politician and the known villain, he also ties together our heroine Susannah and Kit. Susannah is the youngest daughter of Richard and Anna and has little to no memory of her true parentage, she thinks James, the man who raised her is her father. After James is killed, she winds up penniless and living with her Aunt, who eventually reveals that James wasn't her real father. Kit is an ex-solider, now spy who is drowning in boredom in London. His father threatens to send him to Egypt if he can't finish a nature folio project in Barnstable. The city Susannah's aunt just happens to live in.

The folio project was a little of a stretch to get these two together but you'll be impressed with how Long connects all the other characters and dots involved in the plot. Morley, the man who destroyed Susannah's family, also happens to be the man who took away Kit's childhood love, Caroline, and caused a shift in Kit's life. It's a lot of clues and journey for Kit and Susannah and you'll want all the secondary characters to get stories of their own. Seriously, where is John Carr's story?!?

The plot has depth and breadth and I like how it wasn't just created for this first book but will carry over and serve to really connect the next two in the series. I also loved the patience and care Long took with not only the plot but the characters and their relationships. Susannah and Kit get to know one another and it was a beautiful relationship to watch grow. They both have a bit of devil-may-care to them and I loved their playfulness with each other; I felt the emotion between them. If you have a short attention span and like how characters jump into bed right away, this wouldn't be for you but if you're ready to sit and sink into not only a story but a series, the plot and quiet love between Susannah and Kit is a must read.


Ways to Be Wicked 2 stars

She did not want to be found until she'd learn what she'd come to learn.

The second book in the trilogy, Ways to be Wicked follows the sister Sylvie. We meet her as she's sneaking away to travel to England from France because of a letter she found from a Lady Susannah Whitelaw claiming to be her sister. Like Susannah, Sylvie doesn't have much memory of her mother and sisters and the woman that took her in, a former dancer with the famous Daisy, has been burning the letters from Susannah, thinking Sylvie is still in trouble. When Sylvie gets to England, she lands in the lap of Tom Shaughnessy, the dance hall owner we meet in the first, and also gets robbed by highwaymen. There's an instant something between her and Tom and he offers the name of his dance hall if she needs refuge. Which is what she ends up needing after going to Lady Susannah's home and discovering that not only have Susannah and her husband traveled to France but the butler doesn't believe her story of being Susannah's sister. They have been inundated with impostors after the story of Susannah and her sisters has hit the papers. Sylvie is left with only one place to go, Tom's.

The story then becomes a little disjointed as multiple threads are happening, Sylvie a ballerina struggling to stuff her pride to be a dance hall girl, the wavering attraction between her and Tom, Tom's discovery of a child, Tom trying to get funding for a new project, The General and Daisy, and Susannah's lover Etienne, who may have followed her to England. The first had a lot of threads also, but here, they never gelled together right for me and Tom and Sylvie never got the focus required for me to feel the emotions between them. The connecting thread from the first is also not really integrated until the end when Kit and Susannah come into the picture.

This second book didn't have the heat and emotions I delighted in from the first and Sylvie and Tom never got the focus I would have liked. The dance hall setting was at least a different place to visit as none of the main characters were aristocrats.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beauty and the Spy
Susannah Makepeace has always been the toast of the ton, until her father dies, and she’s left with nothing but a few gowns and sent to live with her aunt in the small village of Barnstable. Susannah is expecting abject boredom but is surprised to find the country offers delights she’d never have found in London, the first of which is a beautiful man enjoying a naked swim in a pond near her house. Of course, she has to draw him in detail, and he catches her watching him.

Christopher Whitelaw, Viscount Grantham, is known as a playboy amongst the ton, which he is, but he’s also a highly skilled spy in His Majesty’s service. Unfortunately, his rakish reputation has gotten a bit out of hand, and he’s been sent to rusticate at a small estate his family owns near Barnstable. He’s meant to be preparing a naturalistic folio on the flora and fauna of the area and Susannah’s artistic talents make her the perfect assistant to help with his illustrations.

After several potentially fatal accidents around Susannah, Kit realizes they aren’t accidents at all and sets out to solve the mystery that began during her childhood, all that while he avoids succumbing to the allure she holds for him.

I’ve been working my way through the Pennyroyal Green series lately so I have to say you can definitely tell this book is an earlier work. The writing is still excellent, but I don’t think this will make my list of new favorites. That said, I really enjoyed the characterization of both Susannah and Kit, as they felt very real and well-developed. I think what didn’t jive for me here was the incredibly slow burn and equally slow pacing. I struggled to stay invested, which is clear if you look at the date I marked this one as currently reading; it took me quite a while to finish. I also think Kit went on a bit too long noticing the attractiveness of other women, especially doing so openly in front of Susannah. Of course, this is realistic, but I’m not a fan of it in my real-life men or fictional heroes. It also frustrated me that Susannah did eventually tell Kit how she felt, but he struggled mightily to give her the actual words and now I can’t remember if he ever even did. However, I must say that despite his lack of verbosity and tendency to let his eyes/thoughts stray, Kit’s feelings for Susannah were made clear by his actions, probably even before he admitted them to himself. In that respect, I did come to appreciate the simplicity of the admission of feelings between these two, nothing dramatic, no big declaration, just a quiet acceptance of the inevitable. I’m not saying I want this in all my romance, but I’m surprised at myself for finding it romantic in hindsight, even if it was a bit underwhelming while reading.

I think the mystery/spy aspect here was well done and gave me just enough answers to satisfy me as to the HEA for Susannah and Kit while still leaving me with questions that make me want to continue the series. I have this as a two in one novel so I will definitely at least read the next book, likely after the Christmas romance reading season. Anyway, I think the best feature here was the fact that Susannah and Kit both learned who they truly were when their circumstances changed and they wound up in the country, so I really enjoyed that they found their true selves and found love at the same time. I loved that there was never any question about Kit’s intentions toward Susannah, i.e., they weren’t intimate before they’d acknowledged their feelings and he never asked her to be his mistress (I hate that!) and I think Susannah’s aunt stole the show in her scenes, so I was happy she was included in their HEA. All in all, I enjoyed this story and Julie’s excellent writing.

Way to be Wicked
4.5 stars rounded up.

Sylvie Lamoureux has worked hard for her position as the top ballerina in Paris, well known for her dedication to her dance. But when she receives a letter from the woman she believes to be her long-lost sister, Sylvie immediately sets sail for England, and directly into the arms of one of London’s most scandalous men.

Tom Shaughnessy’s handsome face and charm have earned him many friends and have women falling all over themselves for him. When he meets Sylvie, he’s surprised by her resistance to him, and his own draw to her unique brand of sensuality.

When a series of unfortunate incidents leads to Sylvie dancing at Tom’s bawdy theater, the desire between them ramps up and threatens both of their carefully made plans for their futures. Sylvie will have to decide whether to return to the security of the life she worked toward in Paris or trust Tom with her heart and start anew in England.

I enjoyed this book much more than I expected to given how long it took me to finish its predecessor. The forbidden aspect and the fact that everything about their relationship was new for both Sylvie and Tom, and they were both completely baffled by their feelings, made this an intriguing read. Sufficient time was devoted to the inner workings of both Tom’s and Sylvie’s thoughts to make this engrossing and the writing is so strong that I was pulled almost immediately into the story. There was a very slow burn between Sylvie and Tom that at times had me unsure if they’d actually be good together, but despite their struggles to speak their truths to one another, each knew the other implicitly, on a much deeper level than anyone around them was able to see. I also found the dynamic between The General and the other supporting characters to be a delightful little bit of comic relief, and yet his character also provided a poignant commentary on unrequited love, the unfairness of people and life in general, and the more hopeful idea that everything happens for a reason. I loved these characters so much more than I expected to, especially because of Tom’s showmanship and womanizing ways, but he was so unapologetically still such a good man that those faults ceased to matter. It also helped that his devotion to Sylvie was pretty clear to the reader, and to the General, before he acknowledged it himself. Seeing that slow change in Tom as he made himself into more of a family man was a delightful character arc and I think Sylvie demonstrated a lot of maturity as well as she learned to choose what she truly wanted for herself rather than what she thought she should want. I truly enjoyed this book and I must find Sabrina’s story now and complete the trilogy.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Forever for my gifted copy of A Night With a Rogue. This is two previously published novels - Beauty and the Soy and Ways to be Wicked - packed in one novel.

Beauty and the Spy kicks off the trilogy by introducing Anna Holt and her daughters. When Anna’s lover is killed and Anna accused of his murder, the three girls are sent to live with others, not knowing their true background. Years later, Susannah’s father is killed and she’s left penniless. Sent to live with her father’s relative, she meets Kit and the two of them must find out who killed her biological and adoptive fathers.

Ways to be Wicked is book two, following Sylvie as she tries to track down Susannah. A trained ballerina, after she loses all her money, she ends up dancing in a bawdy show. Will she fall for the show’s owner Tom?

What I liked: I have to say I enjoyed the first book more - it’s the longer of the two but also has more intrigue with the plot of someone trying to kill Susannah. While you know the villain, it was interesting how Long connected the dots.

Susannah and Kit’s chemistry was good and I liked their banter.

In Sylvie’s book, I did like Tom was a reformed bad boy.

What didn’t work for me: Sylvie’s book was a little predictable and I’m not sure I really bought her relationship.

Who should read it: I’m on the fence if I’ll track down book three, I am interested in where the third sister ended up but book one was the stronger of the two. Regency romance fans give it a try and let me know what you think.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars - Beauty and the Spy
I received Beauty and the Spy as part of a newly published duology from Forever Publishing. I was a little hesitant going in to this book because I did not enjoy the last Julie Anne Long and I'm not a huge fan of spy romances. I was pleased to find that this was not a typical spy romance and a lot more entertaining than the last book I read from the author.

I really liked Susannah. She was just spunky and kinda go with the flow. She's had a lot happen in her 20 years and still managed to keep her humor. I liked Kit and found him to be an all around good romance hero until I realized his age (see paragraph below). I liked that he was a spy but the spying never took over the book. As I said above this was not a typical spy book as the villain was known the whole time and even had scenes showing what was going on with them.

My biggest annoyance with this book was the age gap and the hero's maturity level. The hero is 17 years older than the heroine yet acts maybe one or two years older. I know he's the heir but also, what 37 years old man is so beholden to his father that his father could threaten him into doing his bidding. I it just didn't fit. Again if the hero had been in his early 20s and not 37 this would have been much more believable.


3 Stars - Ways to be Wicked
I read the first book right before reading this book, the second in the Holt Sisters Trilogy. I was intrigued by this one because it takes place among the lower classes (Sylvie is a dancer and Tom is a theater owner) rather than the aristocracy, but found it rather boring. Literally nothing happens until the last 15 page.

I honestly struggled with both Sylvie and Tom. The book opens with Sylvie leaving her lover's bed and her plan the entire book is to return to him. Tom is just kinda gross. I didn't believe in them at all as a couple. The book was a slow burn with extremely little heat. Honestly the dynamics among the other theater as a whole was more interesting than the pair as a couple.

Despite this being packaged as a duology, this series is a trilogy and I'm torn as to whether or not I'll read the third book. I might give it a try when I run out of other things to read. Thank you to Forever Publishing for the gifted copy.

[Danielle Urban · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Night with a Rogue by Julie Anne Long describes both of the novels in this book. Each story features a part of a grand mystery/adventure. A family is torn apart by one evil man. A husband knowing something might happen to him, had portraits of his wife made up for each of his daughters to have. On the back they give a little clue to each daughter and to their family name. The dreadful day comes and they are separated from each other. None of the girls got to be with their mother. The mother is being falsely charged for a crime she never committed. Thus, she and her daughters flee separately. This was to ensure their safety.

Now, the girls are grown adults and face new challenges that connect to their past. A night with a rogue mentions two of the three sisters. I find it both intriguing and exciting. Julie Anne Long creates an epic journey full of emotionally charged scenes. I love the characters. The sisters and their men have made me laugh and cry so much. I rooted for them all. This is a romance adventure I will never forget. Family, friends, secrets and scandals-Julie Anne Long's books are the best! I am looking forward to reading the next two books in this amazing series. It's addictive, fun, and charming.

I received this copy from the publisher. This is my voluntary review.

[Sandy Frediani · Rating 5 out of 5]

A 2-in-1 book. 4.5 stars, rounded up.

Beauty and the Spy -
I enjoyed this, chuckling my way through. A delightful blend of serious and humor, beginning with Kit and Susannah's meeting. Well written with engaging characters and an intriguing story line.

Ways to be Wicked -
This is as engaging and chuckle-inducing as the previous one. Tom and Sylvie's meeting is a bold happenstance that leads to Sylvie's having to adapt from prima ballerina to bawdy house theatrics. I did come across one stumble, though. On page 458 of the paperback, it says:

"Of nearly all the places she could have landed in Paris, she imagined Etienne was least likely to look for her in an establishment such as this...."

Paris? The bawdy theater is in London and so is she.

Final thoughts - Other than this one stumble, both stories are well written and engage the reader quite well. I enjoyed both.
Well done.

[Judy]

3.5 Intricate plot, though there was never any doubt about where it was going. I didn't enjoy this as much as her contemporary fiction (Hellcat Canyon). Good enough to hold my interest through a fairly long book. Good insight into characters. Good writing.

[Jacque · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over 600 pages and 2 stories about sisters and what becomes of them after their father is murdered and they are separated from their mother to live with James Makepeace as their father.
Beauty and the Spy and Ways to be Wicked are wonderful stories and easy to read.

[Miriamgreen · Rating 1 out of 5]

well tried to read but it just did not work. so passed. had too many other titles to indulge in.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, now I need to get the third one! These were great stories. Both were about four stars individually but together they earn the five stars. Wonderful characters great story and storytelling.