The Merchant and the Rogue by Sarah M. Eden – Review

Join the virtual book tour of THE MERCHANT AND THE ROGUE, Sarah M. Eden’s highly acclaimed historical romance, August 16-29, 2021. Thirty-five popular on-line influencers specializing in historical romance, mystery/suspense, and inspirational fiction will join in the celebration of its release with a spotlights, exclusive excerpts, and reviews of this new Victorian-era novel set in London, England.

• Title: The Merchant and the Rogue (Book 3 in the Dread Penny Society Series)
• Author: Sarah M. Eden
• Publisher: Shadow Mountain on August 17, 2021
• Genre: Historical Mystery/Historical Romance
• Pages: 368
• Formats Available: Paperback, Audiobook, & Digital
• Rating: 5/5

Trigger Warnings: Arson, Violence, Bomb, Discussion of Past Murder

Many thanks to Sarah M. Eden, Shadow Mountain, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of The Merchant and the Rogue with a request for an honest review. I also wish to thank Laurel Ann from austenprose for allowing me to participate in this tour and for providing me with all the materials needed to make this post.

Some of the links on this blog are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Order Now: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Bookshop 

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About The Merchant and the Rogue

London, 1865

Vera Sorokina loves reading the Penny Dreadfuls and immersing herself in tales of adventure, mystery, and romance. Her own days are filled with the often-mundane work of running the book and print shop she owns with her father. The shop offers her the freedom and income to employ and protect the poverty-stricken Londoners she’s come to care about, and it gives her father something to do other than long for their hometown of St. Petersburg. She is grateful for the stability in their lives, but she often feels lonely.

Brogan Donnelly was born and raised in Ireland, but has lived in London for several years, where he’s built a career as a Penny Dreadful writer. He has dedicated himself to the plight of the poor with the help of his sister. His membership in the secretive Dread Penny Society allows him to feel he isn’t entirely wasting his life, yet he feels dissatisfied. With no one to share his life with but his sister, he fears London will never truly feel like home.

Brogan and Vera’s paths cross, and the attraction is both immediate and ill-advised. Vera knows from experience that writers are never to be trusted, and Brogan has reason to suspect not everything at her print shop is aboveboard. When the growing criminal enterprise run by the elusive and violent Mastiff begins targeting their area of London, Brogan and Vera must work together to protect the community they’ve both grown to love. But that means they’ll need to learn to trust each other with dangerous secrets that have followed both of them from their home countries.

Provided by austenprose for Tour Use

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My Review

The Merchant and the Rogue is a delightful novel full of intrigue and excitement. Sarah Eden penned an incredible book here. Each character has special qualities that make them loveable yet dangerous. 

Brogan Donnelly is a member of the secret Penny Dreadful Society. This society requires members to lie to loved ones about the work they do there. Brogan doesn’t want to lie anymore, so he calls for a change. However, the Dread Master has other plans for Brogan. These plans put him in the path of Vera Sorokina. Vera is a lovely shopgirl who loves reading the penny dreadful stories. Unfortunately, Brogan needs to take on a false name and lie to Vera, even though he falls for her more each day. But, Brogan has to maintain his anonymity due to a crime ring threatening the citizens of London. Not even the aristocracy is safe. Will Brogan and Vera find their happy ending, or will Brogan have gone too far and pushed Vera away forever?

I adore Brogan Donnelly. He brings life to the page, and even though he is in a pretty deep hole, he still maintains his charm. The love he feels for Vera made me smile so hard that my jaws ached. Vera is as charming as Brogan. Her enjoyment of the illicit penny dreadfuls made me fall for her like Brogan did. Vera is witty, bright, and altogether tough as nails. These two made my heart pitter-patter. And, I want you all to know I didn’t shed one single tear.

This book is very lighthearted, even with the dangerous happenings around the city. Brogan and Vera live to make the other smile, and that, my friends, was what I needed. I knew early on that Vera’s father had his fingers in some treacherous pies. But finding out what they were, made the reveal so much fun. Eden turns those adorable street urchins into full-fledged characters in their own right. Olly and Licorice bantering back and forth like siblings made me laugh so hard. I couldn’t get enough of every character in this novel.

Now that I know this is a series, I will be reading the other two novels before this one. Though, while reading, I had no idea that others existed. So, The Merchant and the Rogue works as a stand-alone mystery. But, now that I’ve read this one, I have a hunch who the main characters in the second book are, but the first book stumps me. I have a slight hunch, so I will have to read it to find out.

It pleases me to no end to award The Merchant and the Rogue a full 5 out of 5 stars. I can’t recommend this book enough. Also, this book contains a couple of the penny dreadful stories, so you get three tales in one. However, I admit to my ignorance of the phenomenon. I thought that these stories were true crime tales. So, when I read the penny dreadful stories included here, the content flabbergasted me. Give this one a read. I think you will love it.

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Special Offer!!

Please help Sarah M. Eden get her latest novel, THE MERCHANT AND THE ROGUE, to hit the New York Times best-seller list by purchasing a copy between August 15-22, 2021.

Everyone who submits a copy of their receipt and fills out the form during the week of August 15-22 will receive The Merchant and the Rogue – Swag Bundle. Supplies are limited, so act today. Please visit the Swag Bundle webpage for details. 

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About the Author – Sarah M. Eden

Sarah M. Eden is the author of critically acclaimed and award-winning Proper Romance series novels including The Lady and the Highwayman and Ashes on the Moor. Combining her passion for history and an affinity for love stories, Sarah crafts smart, witty characters and heartfelt romances. She happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library and dreams of one day traveling to all the places she reads about.

Author Contact Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

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Tour Schedule

• Aug 16 Among the Reads (Review)
• Aug 16 Austenprose (Review)
• Aug 16 Reading is My Superpower (Review) 
• Aug 17 Literary Time Out (Review)
• Aug 17 Getting Your Read On (Review)
• Aug 17 Heidi Reads (Excerpt) 
• Aug 17 Laura’s Reviews (Review)
• Aug 18 Our Book Confessions (Review)
• Aug 18 Bookworm Lisa (Review)
• Aug 19 Fire & Ice (Review)
• Aug 19 From Pemberley to Milton (Excerpt)
• Aug 20 My Bookish Bliss (Review)
• Aug 20 Gwendalyn’s Books (Review)
• Aug 20 Storeybook Reviews (Excerpt)
• Aug 21 Bookish Rantings (Review)
• Aug 21 The Calico Critic (Review)
• Aug 22 The Christian Fiction Girl (Review)
• Aug 22 Books, Teacups, & Reviews (Excerpt)
• Aug 23 My Jane Austen Book Club (Spotlight)
• Aug 23 Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen (Review)
• Aug 23 Reading with Emily (Review)
• Aug 24 Wishful Endings (Review)
• Aug 24 Relz Reviewz (Review)
• Aug 24 The Book Diva Reads (Excerpt)
• Aug 25 Bookfoolery (Review)
• Aug 25 Greenish Bookshelf (Review)
• Aug 26 A Bookish Way of Life (Review)
• Aug 26 Nurse Bookie (Review)
• Aug 27 So Little Time… (Excerpt)
• Aug 27 Probably at the Library (Review)
• Aug 27 Bringing Up Books (Review)
• Aug 28 Books and Socks Rock (Review)
• Aug 28 The Bibliophile Files (Review)
• Aug 29 Book Confessions of an Ex-Ballerina (Review)
• Aug 29 A Darn Good Read (Review)