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A review by agrippinaes
Dearest Rogue by Elizabeth Hoyt
5.0
Captain James Trevillion has been hired to act as bodyguard to Lady Phoebe by her protective older brother. Lady Phoebe has slowly lost her vision over the past few years and is almost completely blind, and so far, Trevillion’s job has consisted mostly of assisting her movements around London. Phoebe, for her part, is frustrated by her suffocated, closed-off lifestyle and tries her best to provoke her stern, taciturn guard out of his shell. But one day they’re attacked in broad daylight, and it is clear Phoebe is the target. When it becomes apparent that someone is after Phoebe, Trevillion takes matters into his own hands to ensure her protection, whisking her off into hiding. But the problem is both of them are developing feelings for the other, and being so close together is making it harder for them to resist.
I just loved reading this. The contrast between Phoebe and Trevillion was so good: her sweet naivete combined with stubbornness, and his steady, protectiveness and determination to make sure she is safe at all costs. The chemistry between them is really high, especially coming from Trevillion, but it was her vulnerability that really sold them as a couple for me. She is so uncertain of him at points - partly because of her visual impairment and partly because of her inexperience, and there’s a really lovely soft, sweet side to this romance as they both try to navigate this. Their first kiss was really poignant to me for this reason.
I also really enjoyed him as a hero - he just wanted her so badly, that was clera from page one, and I loved that his first thought at all times was Phoebe and whether or not she was safe and looked after. His competence and steadiness was actually really hot to me as a reader - as was his realisation he was the best person for the job.
Phoebe was also a really good character - I loved her, she was very cute but also so determined and I loved how she was pretty much insisting they were going to be together, even when he was trying to be noble about it. They were a good pairing and it was easy to see how they complemented each other. The high point was their retreat to Cornwall - there were some lovely scenes in this part and it was nice to get Trevillion’s backstory, as heartbreaking as it was.
I also have to say - this book is really steamy. The sex scenes are very hot and well-written - I have read Hoyt before so I did expect this but they are very good. They manage to be romantic as well as sexy and I think that Hoyt did a really good job at selling both the emotional and physical sides of this romance.
Overall this was just a really entertaining read. The central romance ticked a lot of boxes for me - it was sexy but emotional, the heroine was loveable and the hero was great. I also liked the external plot, which has a few good twists and turns and some very dramatic moments. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a steamy historical, Georgian bodyguard, age gap romance with a protective hero and a stubborn heroine who is determined to make him love her, with a solid, suspenseful subplot.
Content Notes:
Other: On-page sex, virgin heroine, age gap, very mild OM drama .
I just loved reading this. The contrast between Phoebe and Trevillion was so good: her sweet naivete combined with stubbornness, and his steady, protectiveness and determination to make sure she is safe at all costs. The chemistry between them is really high, especially coming from Trevillion, but it was her vulnerability that really sold them as a couple for me. She is so uncertain of him at points - partly because of her visual impairment and partly because of her inexperience, and there’s a really lovely soft, sweet side to this romance as they both try to navigate this. Their first kiss was really poignant to me for this reason.
I also really enjoyed him as a hero - he just wanted her so badly, that was clera from page one, and I loved that his first thought at all times was Phoebe and whether or not she was safe and looked after. His competence and steadiness was actually really hot to me as a reader - as was his realisation he was the best person for the job.
Phoebe was also a really good character - I loved her, she was very cute but also so determined and I loved how she was pretty much insisting they were going to be together, even when he was trying to be noble about it. They were a good pairing and it was easy to see how they complemented each other. The high point was their retreat to Cornwall - there were some lovely scenes in this part and it was nice to get Trevillion’s backstory, as heartbreaking as it was.
I also have to say - this book is really steamy. The sex scenes are very hot and well-written - I have read Hoyt before so I did expect this but they are very good. They manage to be romantic as well as sexy and I think that Hoyt did a really good job at selling both the emotional and physical sides of this romance.
Overall this was just a really entertaining read. The central romance ticked a lot of boxes for me - it was sexy but emotional, the heroine was loveable and the hero was great. I also liked the external plot, which has a few good twists and turns and some very dramatic moments. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a steamy historical, Georgian bodyguard, age gap romance with a protective hero and a stubborn heroine who is determined to make him love her, with a solid, suspenseful subplot.
Content Notes:
Spoiler
Warnings: Violence, gun violence, kidnap, attempted forced marriage, rape (in past, side character), threat of rape (on-page), blackmail, ableism.Other: On-page sex, virgin heroine, age gap