A review by atris_lauraborealis
A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean

hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I flew through the first half of this book but by 60% of the way through it became repetitive. I liked that they had a shared childhood, but his "scoundrel-y" ways weren't enough for me. He was a scoundrel for the first 100 pages and never again. I also struggled with inconsistencies throughout: she's perfect Penelope, she's ruined, she wants adventure, she wants nothing to risk her sister's chances at a good marriage. I like conflicting forces at work within a character but these weren't conflicting, they just changed to serve the story. Bourne struggled with a similar problem and there were too many internal asides from both of them despairing of how they could ever be loved. It grew tiresome. I liked the concept; the idea of the gambling hell is very cool and I'd love to have learned and seen more about it. Not sure if I'm willing to read another in the series to do so though. I fear most of these characters will exist to serve the story and not as their own beings within this world.