WardenRed reviewed Two Rogues Make a Right by Cat Sebastian
None
4 stars
They were pressed together, safe and alone in the moonlight, neither of them particularly well but both were something like happy and it felt like a miracle.
The Seducing the Sedgwicks series has been on my radar for a while now, and I was honestly planning to read it in order. But then a friend sang praises to this particular book and assured me it could be read as a standalone, and words such as "friends to lovers," "demisexual protagonist," "chronic illness" and "only one bed in a remote countryside cottage" were slung around, and—well. I simply couldn't resist.
Looking back, I think "can be read as a standalone" is a bit of an overstatement. I can't say I felt particularly lost at any stage of the novel, but I do think I would have benefited from being better acquainted with the entire cast. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this gentle …
They were pressed together, safe and alone in the moonlight, neither of them particularly well but both were something like happy and it felt like a miracle.
The Seducing the Sedgwicks series has been on my radar for a while now, and I was honestly planning to read it in order. But then a friend sang praises to this particular book and assured me it could be read as a standalone, and words such as "friends to lovers," "demisexual protagonist," "chronic illness" and "only one bed in a remote countryside cottage" were slung around, and—well. I simply couldn't resist.
Looking back, I think "can be read as a standalone" is a bit of an overstatement. I can't say I felt particularly lost at any stage of the novel, but I do think I would have benefited from being better acquainted with the entire cast. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this gentle story a lot. I mean, I wanted to shake both characters quite often because I needed them to get out of their heads and start actually tackling their problems instead of constantly blowing them out of proportion (as if those problems weren't serious enough to start with). But I could also see each guy's reasoning for acting this way. This is a story ripe with dramatic misunderstandings that look totally reasonable when you're locked in a character's viewpoint, and I'm very much here for that.
I do feel like the subject of Martin's tuberculosis deserved a bit more discussion between him and WIll (isn't it contagious?). On the other hand, this two have known each other for ages and it's mentioned that Will is familiar with the disease from taking care of his mother. So perhaps it makes sense for some things to be left unspoken between them. All in all, it was awesome to see a chronically ill character get his HEA, as well as not to have him be reduced to his sickness. Consumption is just one of the things Martin deals with, and his personality isn't shaped by it. The same can be said about Will and his PTSD. That gets a yay from me.
I also need to add that I loved so many of the supporting characters. I definitely need to check out the first two books of the series sooner rather than later; perhaps I'll get to know them better! I especially loved Martin's aunt with her matter-of-fact attitude and off-handish kindness.