The Rogue You Know

Susanna Derring is living a life of propriety: a domineering mother who is a stickler for propriety are ‘stifling’ Susanna’s every moment. Bored to tears and longing for something ’diferent’ even her simplest requests are denied her. See, Susanna believes that her life would be better if she could only get to Vauxhall Gardens, yet she is denied the opportunity at every turn. Gideon is a thief, and a member of the loose collective, The Covent Garden Cubs. He’s tired of the life, knows that there is more to be and do outside of London, but he has just one more heist to give up the life forever. It’s hard not to like him: he wants more and different, and is completely unafraid of facing his own faults or deeds. He’s also got a strong sense of honor, as strange as that sounds that informs his life and actions. A mistimed encounter brings Susanna and Gideon face to face- and Susanna uses the moment to convince Gideon to take her to the Gardens. From here – the story runs full out. And in a short 36 hours – the two share moments of discovery (on both sides), danger (Gideon is being chased), honest interactions and several moments that bring both growth and emotion. While I would have preferred a longer trajectory, the fast and furious action kept both characters on their toes, and had the connection between Gideon and Suzanna moving forward at rapid fire. Fun, light and funny, this story had all the hallmarks of a fun escape read: romance, action, danger and two characters that are hard not to like. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility

Devoured this book on publishing day and loved it. One of best yet by Shana Galen. The dog characterization is perfect. Anticipate the next one in the series!

I am totally loving the Covent Garden Cubs series. The characters are a ton of fun and there's just enough of a suspense to really keep things moving along. We met Susanna in the previous book in the series when her brother made a scandalous match with kidnapped noble. Now it's Susanna's turn to give her mother the vapors as she set off to have an adventure with Gideon. Susanna was very much what I had pictured a pampered, proper, and totally repressed young lady would be like. Straining against the reins of society and her mother's idea of how she should behave, she is bound and determined to experience just one grand adventure before settling down with some dull lord. Gideon didn't set out to find an adventure, but when he stumbles into a dark room and finds himself at Susanna's mercy, he finds he has little choice but to do as she wishes. He finds that it's a strange talent she seems to have. She can talk her way into and out of just about anything. Gideon does he best to show that he isn't a gentleman, but deep down he can't help but let his better side show through and really take care of Susanna as they find themselves falling into one predicament after another. Their adventures take them through the shady side of London and Susanna sees a side of life she never realized even existed. She get much more than she expected out of her little adventure, and I enjoyed every minute of it. *This book was received in exchange for an honest review*