REVIEW: When You Wish Upon a Rogue by Anna Bennett

When You Wish Upon a Rogue by Anna Bennett is the third book in the Debutante Diaries. The series is based on three ladies who wanted to capture their experiences of their Season by keeping journals. They eventually decided to start The Debutante’s Revenge, an anonymous column in a London newspaper. Then they formed the Debutante Underground, a group for women to have a place to discuss sensitive topics written in the column. This book could be read as a stand-alone, but I really enjoyed every book in the series.

Sophie Kendal dedicated her time organizing the weekly Debutante Underground meetings. Her two friends had found love and were already married, and Sophie dreamed of finding a husband who loved her. To save her family’s finances, she is being pressured by her family to marry Lord Singleton. The burden fell on Sophie since her older sister Mary was frail. Sophie wanted to enjoy the rest of the Season and was trying to wait for his proposal and an official announcement. She was busy with the Debutante Underground, which was growing in members and she needed to find a larger meeting place. After one of their weekly meetings, one of the members suggested the vacant tailor’s shop down the road. Sophie was so excited about the idea that she goes to the shop after the meeting to look around and she encounters Reese.

Henry Reese “Reese”, Earl of Warshire, was a grouchy, miserable man with extreme insomnia, sometimes going days without sleep. He had returned from the war to take up the title when his older brother who he idolized died. The estate was in bad shape, but he was slowly making improvements. He was consumed with memories of the war and guilt from leaving his fellow soldiers behind. To escape the memories, he finds peace at an empty tailor’s shop in one of his empty buildings. One night he was surprised when Sophie barges in, but oddly enough she was able to calm his soul and put him to sleep with some herbal tea and her presence. He tried to recreate the same scene and drink the tea but was not successful. In desperation, he follows Sophie to a ball to ask for her help. He convinces her to come and help him to sleep and in return allows her to use the tailor’s shop for her meetings. As they continue meeting their feelings grow for each other, but Sophie’s family situation has become dire. Can they find a solution so they can be together?

This was such an amazing book! It was an attention-grabbing book that I just couldn’t put down. The characters were so charming, and I loved seeing the friendship and love grow between Sophie and Reese. Also, it was great having Fiona and Lily from the previous books appear. The ending was certainly a surprise that I could not see coming but I was so glad everything worked out. The series was great fun and I am sad to see the end of it but I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next.

Book Info:

Publication: May 26th 2020 | St. Martin’s Press | Debutante Diaries #3

She knows what she wants.
Miss Sophie Kendall is happiest arranging the secret meetings of the Debutante Underground, a group of women who come together to discuss the weekly advice column The Debutante’s Revenge. What makes Sophie most unhappy is her impending march down the aisle to a man she does not love. But her family’s finances are in increasingly dire straits.

He makes an offer she can’t refuse.
Henry Reese, Earl of Warshire, hasn’t slept in weeks. Desperate to escape his manor house and its haunting memories, he heads for one of his abandoned London properties. There he meets a beautiful, intriguing woman―trespassing. Reese is far less interested in Sophie’s search for a secret meeting spot than he is in her surprising ability to soothe his demons. So he strikes a bargain with her: his shop in exchange for spending one night a week with him.

Is this love for real―or just a dream?
Sophie never expected this to happen. But she cannot deny the fire Reese sparks in her―and soon their shared desire burns bright. Sophie is irrevocably promised to another. But maybe these two ill-fated lovers can find a way to risk it all―all the way to happily ever after…