Menu
5 Stars / Harlequin / Mills & Boon / Historical / Review

Review: The Lady’s Bargain With The Rogue by Melissa Oliver

The rogue she loves to hate

Or her greatest temptation?

Lady Elisabeth Bawden-Trebarr’s determined to reclaim the Cornish ancestral home her good-for-nothing late husband gambled away, and unearth her family’s long-lost riches. As the new owner is Sebastian Marsden—a notorious rogue she would rather avoid—she’ll ensure he cannot dismiss her by storming his gaming hell!

Sebastian wants nothing more to do with the ton after a bitter family scandal. But when Lady Eliza refuses to give up without a fight, he entertains her treasure hunt—if only to stop her pressing on his every nerve! Yet he reluctantly admires her tenacity, and a sizzling attraction begins to stir…

Title:The Lady’s Bargain With The Rogue
Author:Melissa Oliver
Series:Disreputable Marsden Brothers Book 1
Pages:255
Category / Genre(s):Harlequin / Mills & Boon
Historical Romance
Trope(s):Enemies to Lovers
Opposites Attract
Point of View:Third Person, Past Tense, Dual Viewpoint (H&h)
Location:London and Cornwall, England
Setting:1882, Victorian
HEA:✔️
Release Date:16th January, 2025
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is AmazonUK.jpgThis image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is AmazonUS.jpgThis image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is AmazonOz.jpgThis image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is AmazonCanada.jpgThis image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is ibooksuk.pngThis image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is ibooksusa.pngThis image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is ibooksoz.pngThis image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is ibookscanada.png

An opposites attract treasure (hunt)

I have read and enjoyed many of Melissa Oliver’s medieval romances – so I was excited and intrigued when she said she was bringing out her first Victorian romance. But fear not, she’s not leaving her medieval roots behind completely, as our heroine in this story, Eliza Bawden-Trebarr, is the descendant of Elowen Bawden and Simon Trebarr from Stranded with Her Forbidden Knight. (You don’t have to have read that story to understand and enjoy this book – but you should, just because it’s awesome!)

We meet Eliza when she is storming into Sebastian Marsden’s gaming hell – determined to bargain with the devil and get back her ancestral property. From the beginning to the end of our story, she remains that feisty, fun and a little kooky character that knows what she wants and is determined to go out and get it. And I loved her for it. As a woman in a time where things were changing – but not quickly enough – I felt Eliza’s frustrations but how she always stayed true to herself – and she was very easy to root for.

Sebastian is Eliza’s opposite in every way. Branded illegitimate, he’s built himself up to be a mogul of the gambling world. He’s feared, grumpy and has no time for silly schemes or unusual widows. But there’s something about Eliza that peaks his interest which is how he finds himself involved in something of a treasure hunt. Which is so ridiculously out of character for him. But it works. He starts off grumpy but he mellows and changes as he spends more time with Eliza and it’s a delight. I love it when a big, bad grump gets felled by a little bitty women!

“I love it when a big, bad grump gets felled by a little bitty women!”

Individually, Eliza and Sebastian are wonderful but it’s as a couple where they shine. They absolutely infuriate each other and bicker and banter with the best of them. It warmed my enemies-to-lovers loving heart. Even as they grow closer, and their relationship changes – they still infuriate each other and tease and bicker. It was great. It really showed their relationship and their characters. They just sparked so well together.

And there is a little bit of heat to the book, too. It’s not gratuitous and fits perfectly with the feeling of the book, and the character and couple development. But it was still sexy and I am always a fan of grabby kisses.

Melissa Oliver can always build a world and it’s no different now we’ve changed the medieval world for the Victorian one. She writes so well that you don’t even realise a world is being built around your characters – but you feel it and it feels real. There’s also some laughs in the book – and a few times where I got a bit teary.

If I had one note it would be that I really wanted an epilogue for our pairing. The ending was so sweet and wonderful that I just wanted the book to continue in any way I could get. I get over it by telling myself that this is the first in a new series called the Disreputable Marsden Brothers – so we’re bound to get updates on Sebastian and Eliza’s future life when we get the stories of the other brothers – Tristan and Dominic. I already can’t wait. And as a starter to the series, easily 5 stars.

* I received this book in exchange for my honest review *

Melissa Oliver is from south-west London where she writes historical romance novels. She lives with her lovely husband and daughters, who share her passion for decrepit, old castles, grand palaces and all things historical.
Melissa is the WINNER of The Romantic Novelist Association’s Joan Hessayon Award for new writers 2020 for her debut, The Rebel Heiress and the Knight.
When she’s not writing she loves to travel for inspiration, paint, and visit museums & art galleries.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Instagram-Small.pngThis image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Goodreads-Small.pngThis image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Twitter-Small.pngThis image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Facebook-Small.pngThis image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Bookbub-Small.png

No Comments

    Leave a Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.