The Rogue Not Taken

Sometimes you just want to be happy and know that everything's going to be alright. Especially with everything going on in the world right now, there's comfort in a formulaic, happy story.

I've never read a proper romance before, and I've been meaning to rectify that for some time. Now that I finally have, well, I have half a mind to jettison my current to-read list and read nothing but romance until Trump is out of office.

I'm not going to do that. But I'm definitely going to start reading more romance novels. They provide a fantastic anti-dote to the bleakness of the world at large. The one I read, The Rogue Not Taken, was funny and steamy and uplifting. It's about Sophie and King and their journey from enemies to lovers.

Sophie and King only know each other by reputation. She's a "Dangerous Daughter", the youngest of a newly-minted Earl who bought his title and whose daughters are doing their utmost to land titled husbands and secure their places in the aristocracy. He's a charming rogue with a habit of "ruining" women and breaking up engagements. They end up thrust together on a road trip of sorts when she stows away in his carriage to escape a party, not realizing instead of returning to his townhouse, he's headed to Scotland to visit his dying father. Shenanigans ensue.

I loved this book a lot. Sophie is bookish and rash and doesn't really want this life her father bought for her. King may be a scoundrel with a dark past, but he has a heart of gold. It hit pretty much every one of my buttons, and I'm definitely going to be looking up more of Sarah MacLean's books. I want more of this in my life.

At the same time, this is but the tip of the romance iceberg. A historical romance set in England in the 1830s is a nice, safe, classic place to start. But I want more. Historical romances in different epochs and parts of the world. Contemporary romances with interesting, diverse characters. And lots and lots of people falling in love and living happily every after. With this book I dipped a toe into the romance waters and now I'm ready to dive in. Just need to clear some space on the to-read shelf first.

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