The Merchant and the Rogue (2021)

About the Book

Book: The Merchant and the Rogue

Author: Sarah M. Eden

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing

Release Date: August 17, 2021

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 freedom and an income, and while she is grateful for the stability it brings to her life, 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. But with no one to share his life with, 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 past experience that writers are never to be trusted, and Brogan has reason to suspect not everything at Vera’s print shop is aboveboard. When a growing criminal enterprise 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.

Purchase Links

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About the Author

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.

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My Thoughts

The Merchant and the Rogue by Sarah M. Eden wins my award for book with the most highlights. When I say there is so much to love about this story, I mean it! I’ve heartily enjoyed each novel in this series, but book #3 is my favorite. I found the plot wonderful and totally engaging. The characters are excellently crafted. It was fun getting to see many of the characters I grew to love in previous installments in The Merchant and the Rogue, and I really fell for the new characters, especially the children, Olly and Licorice. The relationship and romance that grows between Vera and Brogan are very realistic and relatable, and I felt it grew at a good pace. I also REALLY loved the many, many timely themes discussed in this story. As I said above, I highlighted this book like crazy. As much as I feel this book can be read and loved by anyone, I think it would really make a great book-club choice. It would lend to some good conversations.

Of the many, many wonderful topics discussed in this book my favorite is the idea of taking a stand against evil. Of the three stories told in this book, two of them deal with a very, very “bad” guy. In the main story, it’s actually a cabal — a group so heinous they are able to manipulate and threaten community members, friends, and family against fellow community members, friends, and family. In the penny dreadful, the main character, Tallulah, must battle a fear dearg — a demon — or lose her very life. In both stories, the solution to the heroes’ and heroines’ conflicts is clear — stand and fight no matter how scary the situation appears. In both stories, the main characters begin their quests against evil by bringing the community together, by showing one another that they have each other’s back. Once the community realizes they are not in the fight alone they are more than willing to do what is necessary to take back their communities and their lives. I LOVE so much this illustration of good, regular people coming together to fight against an evil that initially seems too big to be defeated. I feel like today we good, regular people are in the fight for our very lives too, but unlike the characters in this excellent story, we are forced to fight this battle alone. It makes me sad, but reading this book has given me some hope. I just need to find my fighting community.

The Merchant and the Rogue is an excellent story. One I highly recommend. If a well-written Historical Romance filled with suspense and intrigue sounds like the read you need then I highly recommend this excellent story.

I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the publisher, Shadow Mountain Publishing, via NetGalley. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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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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Blog Tour Stops

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 spotlights, exclusive excerpts, and reviews of this new Victorian-era novel set in London, England.

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)