Full of intrigue, The Princess and the Rogue is the third and final installment of Kate Bateman's Bow Street Bachelor's series, and the first of her books I've read. Not having read the first two books in the series, I was a little apprehensive that there might be references I'd miss or not be able to follow some of the plot. However, I'm very happy to say that The Princess and the Rogue works well as a standalone book. There are appearances by the main characters of the previous books, but their backstory is explained enough that it doesn't break the immersion of the book.
This was a very enjoyable book. The story starts out with a wonderful introduction to the heroine, Princess Anastasia Denisova, Anya, of Russia, on the run from an abusive would-be-fiance. You get the measure of her character right away, and can't stop rooting for her throughout the book. She ends up working as a companion to a dowager duchess in London and things are going well until the not-fiance turns up. The dowager convinces her great-nephew, Sebastien Wolff, Earl of Mowbray, agent of Bow Street, and owner of a gambling club to protect her, without disclosing her true identity as a princess.
Bateman does a great job in developing both of these characters, and setting up their romance. The climax of the book was utterly engaging, and I couldn't put the book down for at least the last 50 pages. Even knowing that Sebastien and Anya are going to get their happily-ever-after, it was still hard to see how it could be possible at times.
There were a lot of really interesting references to Russian traditions and customs, which was very intriguing and not something that is typical in a Regency romance. It was obvious that a lot of research went in to this book.
I would recommend The Princess and the Rogue, and will likely be reading more of Kate Bateman in the future as a result of reading this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance copy!
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