The Merchant & The Rogue
I’m about 30 pages into my August Book Club choice, The Merchant and The Rogue, by Sarah M. Eden, and it’s soooo good! (The book isn’t available until the 17th, but the publishers sent me a copy early!)
This is another one of the Proper Romance books I’m so fond of. I’ve shared a few of them with you before, if you’ll remember, Miracle Creek Christmas, Promised, Lakeshire Park…
The Merchant and The Rogue, has the same sensibilities; historical detail (1865 London), intriguing plot line, fascinating characters, and nothing so risqué that you’d mind your teenager picking up and reading it themselves - in fact, you’d recommend they do so!
This is the story of Vera Sorokina, someone who loves reading the Penny Dreadfuls and all the adventure, mystery, and romance they contain, while her own life is relatively mundane working alongside her father in his book and print shop.
And it’s about Brogan Donnelly, an Irishman living in London, who coincidentally is a Penny Dreadful writer. He has a satisfactory life, yet still feels a bit lonely and much like an outsider.
It has all the right elements of a perfect romance - attraction, distrust, confusion, and a common threat this duo must work together to defeat, overcoming obstacles in their pathway to love in the process.