I Loved a Rogue: The Prince Catchers

By Katharine Ashe

In the third in Katharine Ashe's Prince Catchers series, the eldest of three very different sisters must fulfill a prophecy to discover their birthright. But if Eleanor is destined to marry a prince, why can't she resist the scoundrel who seduced her?

She can pour tea, manage a household, and sew a modest gown. In short, Eleanor Caulfield is the perfect vicar's daughter. Yet there was a time when she'd risked everything for a black-eyed gypsy who left her brokenhearted. Now he stands before her—dark, virile, and ready to escort her on a journey to find the truth about her heritage.

Leaving eleven years ago should have given Taliesin freedom. Instead he's returned to Eleanor, determined to have her all to himself, tempting her with kisses and promising her a passion she's so long denied herself. But if he was infatuated before, he's utterly unprepared for what will happen when Eleanor decides to abandon convention—and truly live . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Feb 24, 2015
• ISBN: 9780062229861

Katharine Ashe

Katharine Ashe is the award-winning author of historical romances that reviewers call “intensely lush” and “sensationally intelligent,” including How to Be a Proper Lady, an Amazon Editors’ Choice for the 10 Best Books of the Year in Romance, and My Lady, My Lord and How to Marry a Highlander, 2015 and 2014 finalists for the prestigious RITA® Award of the Romance Writers of America. Her books are recommended by Publishers Weekly, Women’s World Magazine, Booklist, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Barnes & Noble, and many others, and translated into languages across the world. Katharine lives in the wonderfully warm Southeast with her beloved husband, son, dog, and a garden she likes to call romantic rather than unkempt. A professor of European History, she writes fiction because she thinks modern readers deserve grand adventures and breathtaking sensuality too. For more about Katharine’s books, please visit her website or write to her at PO Box 51702, Durham, NC 27717.

Reviews for I Loved a Rogue

[Morishka Basarab · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Definitely more like the Katharine Ashe I'm used to! Characters and story were great.

[whiskeyinthejar-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

****Full Review****

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage." Lao-Tzu
 
Eleanor has sat back and watched her younger sisters set off into the world, have adventures, and fall in love. In her late twenties now, she is considered solidly on the shelf and with the recent marriage of her father Eleanor decides it is time for her adventure. Using an old fortune told to her and her two other adopted sisters by a gypsy that involves the ring given to Eleanor by the nursemaid who perished in the shipwreck that Eleanor and her sisters survived and a mention of a prince, she determines to set off and solve the mystery as to who her parents were. Since Eleanor suffered through a fever that nearly took her life when she was younger, everyone coddles and worries about her health never believing her strong enough, therefore causing her sisters to demand she have an experienced traveler be her guide. It's been eleven years since Eleanor has set eyes on Taliesin, the gypsy boy her vicar father had do chores around the home, educated, and her childhood love. When he shows up for her father's wedding and her sisters suggest he accompany her, Eleanor feels a sense of dread and hope.
 
"Your heart isn't yours to control, no matter how tight the reign" David Gray
 
The first two books in The Prince Catchers series scatter enticing little tidbits about Eleanor and Taliesin, touching on how they used to act around each other and now react to hearing each other's name during the eleven years of separation; it is obvious something exists between these two. As Eleanor and Taliesin travel the countryside in search of clues to her parent's identity, little flashbacks are shown to clue the reader in to what happened between them. We get to see the mixture of awe and devotion Taliesin feels for Eleanor, with her fear and infatuation, under the impending doom of society's disapproval. Their challenging of each other is what strengthened Eleanor after her sickness and now galvanizes her on the quest for her parents. These two have an invisible thread that connects them and every time they pull it tight by trying to separate, the reverberations are felt.
 
"Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart." Haruki Murakami
 
The pain of Eleanor and Taliesin's longing, tension, and heartbreak is what this story is all about. Eleanor has no idea why Taliesin left eleven years ago when things felt like they were just heating up between them. Her hurt from Taliesin's abandonment at first keeps her tentative but as the anger takes over she starts to push back at him. She appears to have a soft submissive personality but deep in her heart a fire burns which only Taliesin seems to see and through him Eleanor finds the ability to truly be herself. Taliesin has grown the rough exterior required of outcasts but with one look or touch from Eleanor it is shattered. He has anger too, involving why he disappeared and how he feels he isn't good enough for Eleanor. They are both stubborn characters who nevertheless set the room ablaze with their desire for one another.
 
"Underneath your clothes there’s an endless story. There’s the man I chose. There’s my territory. And all the things I deserve for being such a good girl." Underneath Your Clothes - Shakira
 
I loved how even though Taliesin strengthens Eleanor, she is the one who becomes the fighter for their relationship pushing Taliesin to face their love. The word chemistry almost seems too weak for these two. They're soulmates without the insta-love; their emotional connection is aptly felt and seen through interactions. Ashe gets a little heavy handed at times with the descriptive words but this couple is guaranteed to make your heart feel like it is too big for your chest. Every time a secondary character comes in to try and wedge between them, every touch and locked gaze will have your toes curling.
 
Seventy percent or so of this story is about Taliesin and Eleanor's yearning, hurt, and desire for each other and it is magnificent. The remaining, which mostly happens towards the end, involves the revelation of Eleanor's parents and the secret of the ring. While the pace of the story picks up, I missed being spoiled by the thick emotion and high tension. The switch of focuses isn't completely smoothly interwoven but it does wrap up the continuous story arc throughout the series very nicely, especially when some shocking truths are uncovered. People who have read Seduce Me at Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas will notice the similarities in story but I think this book has a deeper heavier emotional tone. Eleanor and Taliesin have the passion, emotion, and heart wrenching relationship that drives this market. I Loved a Rogue is a book not to be missed and is a serious contender for best book of 2015.

P.S. The cover of the book is from a scene in the story!

[jo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Yes, I really liked this one. Why? Because it's all about stepping out of one's comfort zone and living one's life. It's about following ones heart.
What can I say? It's pure medicine for a soul in need of escaping from the cage reality seems too eager to build.
Basically, it's a great light book to read in order to relax and motivate yourself to follow your heart, when tired and drained after having a really bad day.

[wendyk_40 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

*I received this book for the purpose of a review from Edelweiss.**Review is cross-posted to My Book Addiction and More.com*I have to start off saying that this is book 3 in a series, THE PRINCE CATCHERS. I would recommend you read all three books together in order to get a better feel for everyone involved. Now for I LOVED A ROGUE, there were times I wanted them to move on along but overall it was a great read. The characters are well written and engaging. The setting is fun and acts as another character. The storyline is great, however I wills state as it's the "ending" of the series I think the storyline works better if you've read the previous two titles in the series. You'll be glad you read them. I LOVED A ROGUE is a wonderful historical romance that will leave you smiling, that final scene is awesome. You will fall in love with Talesin! He's a wonderful hero, and Eleanor is a great heroine. There are secrets that get revealed and a few surprises thrown in. I do hope we see all of the characters from The Prince Catchers series in a future book to at least get an update. I recommend all historical romance fans add I LOVED A ROGUE to their reading "must buy" and read list today! You'll be glad you did!

[addictofromance · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received a ARC copy in exchange for a honest review, thanks to Edelweiss and Avon Books. Eleanor, has always been the upstanding vicar's daughter, upstanding and intelligent and always devoted to her studies. She has never crossed the line, but inside she dreams of adventures and the one man that inspires and makes her dream of wicked delights, the sexy as sin gypsy, Taliesin. Taliesin, once loved Eleanor and would have done anything for her, but then she broke his heart without even realizing it, so he left and now after eleven years, after being summoned to a wedding, he can't resist her. All he has ever wanted was Eleanor, despite the danger she causes to his fragile heart. Eleanor is on the hunt for her real parents, and Taliesin is her companion, even though he left without a word eleven years ago, she finds him irresistible, and now she has to work with him, and temptation is right before her, will she be able to resist or give into the greatest adventure of her life...I have to say that Katharine Ashe has outdone herself in this series. Every single installment I have adored, and this final installment is no different. This story really tugged at my heartstrings from the beginning, and I had such a difficult time putting this one down. I wasn't sure at the beginning how much I would enjoy it, but I never should doubt Ashe's abilities especially when it comes to writing romances...she has done a outstanding job of creating a tale of heartwarming characters and a story to enthrall and scenes to constantly engage the reader.It begins with a wedding of the daughter's adopted father, the Vicar of the town. When a guest appear, with those dark sensual eyes who sees within the deepest part of her, Eleanor is definitely overcome with feelings she never thought to feel again. But then she is practically coerced to have Taliesin as her companion in her search for her parents, and where they really came from. There are things we learn about Taliesin and Eleanor, a unique setting and what a fun couple. They were so unique to the series, and quite frankly I love sexy Gypsy's...a man that can get a woman to have adventure and want to spread her wings. I loved both of them as main characters, they added a certain dramatic element to the story that becomes the center of the story. I really had no complaints where they were concerned. The hero is mysterious, protective and sensual. The heroine is stubborn, strong willed and passionate...put them together and you have explosions of the nuclear nature. They definitely have chemistry but one other quality they have in common, is denying their feelings for each other. They are very insistent to go separate ways, despite how much they love each other, and what a way this story seemed to convulse and form as these two rediscovered passion together and their deep feelings for one another.Overall a stunning and riveting romance that had me at the edge all day...a tale to not forget, of two people in need of desire and adventure and find that their dreams come true if they have faith in one another...OUTSTANDING!!