The Princess and the Rogue

Russian Princess Anastasia Denislova is forced to leave Paris and go into hiding after her brother was reported dead in battle and a treacherous enemy tries to force her hand in marriage. She lands in London with her best friend, using the name Anna Brown. She befriends a brothel owner and regularly visits to help her learn to read. On one occasion, Sebastian (Seb) Wolff, Earl of Mowbray comes for a visit and mistakenly thinks Anna is one of the ladies of the evening. He’s immediately captivated and after a stolen kiss, cannot get her out of his head. Seb is also a Bow Street agent and the last of his circle of friends still holding on to his bachelorhood. It was amusing to see him chafe at their domestication and commitment to their intriguing wives and try to deny his growing feelings for Anastasia/Anna, obvious to everyone else but him. She shared his feelings but found it too dangerous to reveal her true identity, the secret a real barrier between any potential relationship. I loved her independence, resourcefulness and determination to make the best of her situation. Anastasia was formidable in her own right, the perfect match for the stoic Seb. I opted for the audio version and it was a wise choice as the narrator managed a very credible Russian accent for those characters and easily transitioned to English for the others. She made it easy for me to imagine Anastasia and others in her Russian sphere. There was also a bit of danger and suspense that made this a more intriguing story and the romance was perfectly developed. It was a fitting end for the most stubborn of the Bow Street bachelors and the series. I enjoyed everything about this and am a bit sorry to see it all end. (Thanks to Recorded Books for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)