The Merchant and the Rogue (The Dread Penny Society #3) by Sarah M. Eden

(Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!)

 

about book:

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.

my thoughts:

Love, love, love! I absolutely LOVED The Merchant and the Rogue by Sarah M. Eden. It's the third book in The Dread Penny Society series and it is fantastic!

Brogan is a member of The Dread Penny Society and he's been tasked with investigating a book and print shop in London that may have criminal ties with Russia. Vera is the daughter of the book and print shop owner. She works at the shop and is happy that the shop gives her father something to do, other than pine for their old hometown of St. Petersburg. Well, the two meet and Brogan winds up working at Vera's father's shop. Their attraction is instant, but Vera knows to keep her eyes and ears open - trust no one! Although, she does love Brogan's heart of gold when it comes to helping street urchins. Perhaps, he's someone she can trust? Of course, Brogan and Vera's lives become entwined when they start working together in the shop and even more so when they team up to help protect their community. Yep, seems like a criminal element is threatening their area of London and its not looking good for anyone. So, Brogan and Vera decide to do something about it. And, that is all I will write about this fun and entertaining story. You must check it out for yourself!

Eden has written another terrific book that will captivate her readers. This book will hook you right from the start and keep you flipping pages til late into the night. It's just such a fun story. I definitely recommend The Merchant and the Rogue to fans of Eden's works and to anyone looking for their next mystery - you will LOVE this book!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!