It's 1937, and welcome to a story of self-discovery, forbidden love, and a whole lot of mystery.

I can honestly say I loved this one! I've read Bennett's Arcadia Bell series, and its one of my favourites, so I knew the standard would be good going in. I think I picked this one up based on that alone, and the stunning cover, but only gave the synopsis a quick glance. So I was a little taken aback to discover whilst reading that The Lady Rogue was a fantasy novel! But it was a pleasant surprise, for the most part.

As with a lot of historical reads, finding the right balance in the language can be a little tricky. Too old school, and your reader can feel out of their depths. Too modern, and it can feel noticeably off brand. The Lady Rogue missed the mark for me a bit at first, at times feeling a little too modern, but I eventually settled into it and it wasn't overly distracting.

The setting was really well fleshed out! From start to finish, you can really tell that there's been a huge amount of effort put into research and subsequently the descriptive moments really shine for it! Setting is obviously super important for the plot, and so the effort that obviously went into shaping it and keeping it clear throughout really makes a huge impact. Also, the map that was included was super helpful, and adorable on top of that! Who doesn't love a map? As someone who struggles with visualising things, having a clear example of where everything is taking place makes a big difference! Also it just gets me so hyped up for the story to come! Is this a Pavlovian reaction from the GoT intro? Quite possibly, but I'm not complaining!

My biggest complaint overall was structure, mostly because I found that I got bored of the diary entries very quickly. Much like the nickname that kept popping up for him, Richard Damn Fox's diary entries left me feeling more irritated than interested. I found myself glancing them over for the most part, because they couldn't hold my attention. I was more focused on the characters and what was happening to them. The diary entries, although focal to the story, just felt like a distraction overall for me unfortunately. Thankfully, by comparison, the rest of the narrative felt a lot more vibrant!

Let's talks characters! I liked our protagonist, Theodora, even is she was a little grating at times! I think she was a well rounded character with an obvious fleshed-out backstory. Actually, a lot of the book revolves around the past and the impact it has on the characters now. Our love interest, Huck, is fleshed out most in regards to the past, and the relationship the two shared before the book begins. He can feel a little distant from the reader because of this, I think, but is overall likeable. The relationship as it plays out withing the event of the book, has its cute and serious moments alike. We get a nice role-reversal to the typical damsel in distress trope towards the end. It's evident the two care for each other, but I have to admit that I closed the book feeling like their story wasn't wrapped up.

My resounding thoughts for this one is that it felt like an intro into a series, although to my knowledge there aren't any plans for this to be a series? The ending definitely was left open for a sequel, with the resolution between the main characters, and the promise of them going forth to explore future adventures together. I just hope we get a glimpse into their future at some point, even if it's just a short story.

I'm really exited to see we we see any more of this family, and their adventures! I know I'd definitely pick up a sequel! I think there's a lot of potential there! The only things that bothered me in The Lady Rogue were feeling some of the characters needed more growth within the narrative, and the epistolary form. But with the reader already familiar with the characters, there's a solid basis to built on to flesh them out more. And as for the diary entries, based on how The Lady Rogue ended, I'd say that they'd likely be from Theo's travel journal, which I think would feel less jarring! We'll have to see!