The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett
I received a complimentary ARC from the publisher, courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Summary
Some legends never die…
Traveling with her treasure-hunting father has always been a dream for Theodora. She’s read every book in his library, has an impressive knowledge of the world’s most sought-after relics, and has all the ambition in the world. What she doesn’t have is her father’s permission. That honor goes to her father’s nineteen-year-old protégé—and once-upon-a-time love of Theodora’s life—Huck Gallagher, while Theodora is left to sit alone in her hotel in Istanbul.
Until Huck returns from an expedition without her father and enlists Theodora’s help in rescuing him. Armed with her father’s travel journal, the reluctant duo learns that her father had been digging up information on a legendary and magical ring that once belonged to Vlad the Impaler—more widely known as Dracula—and that it just might be the key to finding him.
Journeying into Romania, Theodora and Huck embark on a captivating adventure through Gothic villages and dark castles in the misty Carpathian Mountains to recover the notorious ring. But they aren’t the only ones who are searching for it. A secretive and dangerous occult society with a powerful link to Vlad the Impaler himself is hunting for it, too. And they will go to any lengths—including murder—to possess it.
Book Details
The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett
Published September 3rd 2019 by Simon Pulse
Young Adult Fiction / Romance / Historical / Adventure
Hardcover, 372 pages
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Review
The Lady Rogue is a YA standalone filled with treasure-hunting adventure, cursed relics and swoony romance. A perfect choice for lovers of movies such as The Mummy and Indiana Jones and readers who enjoy historical fiction with a supernatural twist such as Megan Shepherd’s The Madman’s Daughter series and Kerri Maniscalco’s Stalking Jack the Ripper novels.
Relic hunting across Eastern Europe
From Istanbul to the misty Carpathian Mountains, our intrepid adventurers travel across Eastern Europe following clues left in a diary, searching for Lady Theodora Fox’s missing father rumored to be involved with a dangerous occult society and a mysterious relic.
A cursed ring that once belonged to Vlad the Impaler.
Set in the 1930’s the adventure takes the reader aboard the opulent Orient Express traveling through the Gothic villages of Romania and haunted castles in search of a legendary bone ring that once belonged the Vlad the Impaler. Bennett combines historical details with the occult and supernatural. Adventure and dark mystery perfectly complement each other in The Lady Rogue.
Theo and Huck’s swoony banter
Theo is smart, stubborn, and a strong-willed heroine who wants to be every bit the adventurer her father is. Huck is her father’s protégé but not considered good enough for his daughter—he is daring, charming and devoted to Theo—she just doesn’t know it yet.
Their banter together is perfect. No adventure is without mishaps and they definitely have their share with curses, secret societies, dark legends and danger around every corner. Readers will love their emotional growth as much as their adventures.
In the End
Who knew hunting for Count Dracula’s ring could be such a fun and entertaining adventure. I loved how the lore and legend mixed with the supernatural. Bennett weaves into the writing dark and gorgeous historical settings that we get to explore along with Theo and Huck. Highly recommended. I really hope there are more stories awaiting us as I kneed more Theo and Huck to captivate me.
