Early Review of A Rogue by Night (The Devils of Dover #3) by Kelly Bowen

Title: A Rogue by Night
Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Historical Romance.
Series: The Devils of Dover (Book 3)
Format: Paperback; 368 pages
Publisher: Forever (May 28, 2019)
ISBN-10: 1478918624
ISBN-13: 978-1478918622
Author's Website: http://www.kellybowen.net/home.html
Notes:  I received an eARC loan of the book from the publisher for review purposes. This in no way affected my review.


Sir Harland Hayward, is a very multifaceted man. A baron by birth, a doctor by trade, and a smuggler-- not by choice but out of necessity. The latter being something few people know, and he'll do what he can to keep it that way. He's been doing his darnedest to keep his family financially stable in ways that could cost him everything. The fewer who know about it the better.

Miss Katherine Wright has recently come home. Her brother and father are both smugglers by trade, and when her brother gets shot during his latest run she finds herself stitching him up. When the good doctor unexpectedly shows up to help, as if on cue, Katherine immediately goes on high alert. 'Rich men, titled men did not labor in such professions. They did not lower themselves to toil in a field hallmarked by disease and blood and gore. They didn't spend time worrying about people who did not possess an address west of Haymarket, London. And they certainly didn't prowl the back roads of Dover on a night like this when the air was heavy with the promise of rain.' In other words, something doesn't add up about the Baron. and she intends to find out what. Especially as she steps back into the family business of smuggling one last time.

This is the third novel of The Devils of Dover series. You could read it as a standalone, but I don't recommend it. Harland Hayward's story has been woven into the fabric of this series since the very beginning. His sister Clara marries August Fulkner, the twelfth Duke of Holloway, in 'A Duke in the Night'. Likewise, his sister Rose marries Eli Dawes, Earl of Rivers, in 'Last Night with the Earl'. In each of those two novels you'll garner insight into Harland's character, and tidbits into what makes him tick. Family means everything to him and he's loyal to a fault, but despite that, he's haunted with regret. His first marriage all but killed him and rendered him emotionally unavailable.

Katherine Wright is like no woman Harland Hayward has ever met. She's smart, strong, and is haunted by a few ghosts of her own. Using her expertise as a midwife on the field she learned from others and by doing. All the while mastering and obtaining more and more skills and knowledge. A talented surgeon based on skill, but deemed only a lowly midwife due to her gender, she's rather extraordinary. During her years with the military she excelled at her craft and became as good, if not better, than any man who called himself surgeon during the war. Lured into following a man into war by the promise of marriage, she emerged husbandless with emotional scars, and a loathing and distrust for any man carrying a title.

I adored how this couple had the courage to each take a leap of faith and give in to their mutual attraction. I liked how they learned to trust one another after being so deeply hurt in their previous relationships. I'll admit it, I'm a sucker for a happy ending when someone totally deserves it, and this one totally delivered. Add in the fact that Katherine Wright was a woman ahead of her times and Harland admired her for it, and I couldn't help but love this story.

As you can probably already guess, I gave this one 5 out of 5 roses. I loved the drama, suspense, and twists and turns that happened along the way. What I loved the most, however, were the two main characters and all the little cracks and imperfections that made them perfect and deserving of one another. While there may not have been many female surgeons during this time period, I can't help but feel if a woman had the brains and drive to acquire the skills they would somehow find a way to practice regardless as to whether or not they had a piece of paper to prove it. Or perhaps they'd go the route of Elizabeth Blackwell who studied in the US and later came back to England to open a medical college where woman could learn and practice. She also was the first woman to have her name entered on the Medical Register of the United Kingdom in 1861, thereby, breaking down the barriers for other women to enter the field. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one earned a STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed. I HIGHLY recommend this one.

Order of The Devils of Dover series: