I loved His Wayward Duchess in The Lady Adventuress series, and now with time to explore more of Daphne du Bois’ offerings I went with The Rogue’s Secret Siren. A fun and lightly toned book, I hammered through it.
Our heroine Lorelei is witty and bold, and always eager for adventure. Deciding to scandalously head off on her own to hunt ghosts one night in the country she comes across the dastardly lord of this book, Alastair, Earl of Winbourne. From that moment on there is no escaping the man, and their unconventional romance dips tantalisingly through all the things that incited gossip in the Regency period.
It was fun to return to the adventuring and delightful silliness of the author’s characters, lined with passion and sheer romance of the period. I really loved Holly's journey in His Wayward Duchess, but I felt Lorelei with her bluntness and wry humour is way closer to how I imagine I’d be in that era (and indeed today!), and so far is a firm favourite. You gotta stick to your own.
Though this volume is in need of a final polish in some areas, the author’s love of the era still shines through, vibrant and eloquent, and the flawless shift through stubbornness, romance, heated passion and downright fun makes for a pleasurable romp in Regency society that hits all the right spots – make of that what you will.
I look forward to following Lorelei’s sister, Constance, in the next in the series and I'm enjoying delving into Ms. du Bois' tales of the era!