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 freedom and an income, and while she is grateful for the stability it brings to her life, 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. But with no one to share his life with, 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 past experience that writers are never to be trusted, and Brogan has reason to suspect not everything at Vera’s print shop is aboveboard. When a growing criminal enterprise 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.

Sarah M. Eden’s The Merchant and the Rogue is the third book in the Dread Penny Society series. It is, however, the first title that I have read from this author. I normally don’t jump into a series like this; my preference is to begin with the first volume and go from there. Prospective readers can be assured, though, that The Merchant and the Rogue easily stands on its own. That said, this novel will assuredly be just the beginning for me. I hope to go back and read The Lady and the Highwayman as well as The Gentleman and the Thief.

I’m sure there is some generations-old literary tradition that caused Eden to title the books of this series in the way that she did. Referencing Merchant, the title is drawn not from the main narrative, but from one of two “penny dreadfuls” that are included in installments between chapters of the entire book. If you aren’t familiar with the history of penny dreadfuls, they were small, cheaply-printed tales sold at a price that almost anyone could afford. Dreadfuls were often serialized, leaving the reader wanting more and looking forward to purchasing the next chapter. “Binge reading” wasn’t really done with these publications. They were lower-brow, cheaper versions of the serializations as seen with Charles Dickens’ writing, for example. The Merchant and the Rogue tells the brief tale of a female merchant, a rogue with whom she crosses paths, and a dastardly villain bent on terrorizing their local town. This story takes on some fairy-tale elements, which took me by surprise at first. The seven short chapters had a different tone and flourish that worked well with the material, and I enjoyed returning to the short story as it popped up throughout the book. The second “penny dreadful” featured is called The Dead Zoo. In it we find a Sherlockian investigator attempting to deduce the disappearance of specimens from the local Museum of Natural History. I don’t want to give anything away, but this story took a turn that I did not see coming, one that harkened back to a Twilight Zone feel. Its five short chapters were a delightful surprise. I also enjoyed the meta-referential way in which The Dead Zoo and The Merchant and the Rogue were mentioned in the main text.

The primary narrative doesn’t feature a gentleman rogue or a dead zoo, but presents characters who are thrust into quite an adventure, with nothing but mostly realistic elements. Some individuals are members of the secretive Dread Penny Society, a group of writers who have come together to right wrongs in their community, almost akin to a private superhero club, without the superpowers. Others in the novel include the residents of London, some of whom have immigrated from lands such as Russia and Ireland. They have checkered pasts which could come back to haunt them as they encounter new enemies who are threatening the peace and freedom of their neighborhoods and businesses. There is also a delightful storyline between one of the “Dreadfuls”, author Brogan Donnelly and the Russian immigrant Vera Sorokina.

While I didn’t find Eden’s writing to be cutting-edge, The Merchant and the Rogue (the entire work) was an enjoyable read for me as I close out these last days of summer, before school work begins again. The content was extremely family-friendly, with no colorful language, and the romance factor was very sweet, not steamy. The story does not shy away from difficult worldly elements, though, as the plight of street children, the struggles of immigrants and systemic mafia-like bullying are addressed.

The work as a whole was very entertaining, though. The protagonists were very likeable, and the villains (particularly in the titular short story) provided interesting conflict to the narratives. If you enjoy authors such as Julie Klassen, Erica Vetsch or Melanie Dickerson, The Merchant and the Rogue (and the entire series I’m sure) would be a good match for you. I’m a newcomer to Sarah M. Eden’s work, but I intend to continue enjoying her writing for years to come.

SPECIAL SWAG OFFER!!

Help Sarah M. Eden get her latest novel, The Merchant and the Rogue, to hit the New York Times best-seller list by purchasing a copy between August 15-22.

Everyone who submits a copy of their receipt and fills out the offer's form (click HERE) during the week of August 15-22 will receive The Merchant and the Rogue Swag Bundle.

Bundle includes (but is not limited to):

- 1 Mystery ARC (only available to the first 500 submissions)

- Assorted Stickers

- Bookmark

- Proper Romance Enamel Pin (available to the first 1,000 submissions)

- Bookplate signed by Sarah M Eden

For more information, visit the publisher's details page HERE.

About the Author

Sarah M. Eden is the author of critically acclaimed and award-winning Proper Romance series novels including The Lady and the Highwayman and Ashes on the Moor. Combining her passion for history and an affinity for love stories, Sarah crafts smart, witty characters and heartfelt romances. She happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library and dreams of one day traveling to all the places she reads about.

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Join the virtual book tour of THE MERCHANT AND THE ROGUE, Sarah M. Eden’s highly acclaimed historical romance, August 16-29, 2021. Thirty-five popular on-line influencers specializing in historical romance, mystery/suspense, and inspirational fiction will join in the celebration of its release with a spotlights, exclusive excerpts, and reviews of this new Victorian-era novel set in London, England.

TOUR SCHEDULE

Aug 16 Among the Reads (Review)

Aug 16 Austenprose (Review)

Aug 16 Reading is My Superpower (Review)

Aug 17 Literary Time Out (Review)

Aug 17 Getting Your Read On (Review)

Aug 17 Heidi Reads (Excerpt)

Aug 17 Laura's Reviews (Review)

Aug 18 Our Book Confessions (Review)

Aug 18 Bookworm Lisa (Review)

Aug 19 Fire & Ice (Review)

Aug 19 From Pemberley to Milton (Excerpt)