"Once a Rogue" was freaking marvellous.
I enjoyed the hell out of every single second I got to spend with Sebastian and Wesley on their second, even more epic and magical, adventure together.

"Proper Scondrels" was one of my favourite reads when it came out, quite possibly one of my favourite Allie Therin books at the time, but I think this second book takes that top position: Wesley and Sebastian managed to absolutely steal my heart and obliterate my soul for a second, glorious time, and I seriously cannot explain how much they meant to me.

Misunderstood ex-villains finding love was already one of my reading catnips, and two ex-villains finding love and understanding with one another, despite each of them being convinced that they're undeserving of any sort of affection whatsoever? Now, brand that on my soul please.


< Wesley so rarely found himself at a loss for words. But for all he claimed to think with cold rationality, he’d forgotten that kind didn’t mean gullible, that soft wasn’t sheltered and sweet wasn’t naïve. >

I LOVE Sebastian and Wesley so damn much.
Wesley has been my absolute favourite since the very first time he appeared: he's cranky and standoffish and commanding, darkly funny and deliciously competent, but he can also be unbelievably, delightfully understanding, vulnerable and open-minded and so damn ready to move the world for Sebastian, come hell and high water.
And Sebastian? Gah, he's the sweetest. The most precious marshmallow to ever exist, and he deserves every single good thing in the world.

And together, oh god. They're so perfect for one another: both of them are incapable of asking for help, but either one of them would sacrifice themselves for the other, no questions asked. They show up for each other, they care for each other, and they listen and fight and joke around with one another; they won't accept any sort of self-loathing nonsense from the other, and they even talk about consent and boundaries; and I'm freaking obsessed with them.
Their dynamic gave me life and it was so damn perfect, fueled by love and respect and chemistry. I'd seriously read a dozen novels about them, and I know I would never get tired.

< “I mean, really,” Wesley said, picking up his empty glass. “A man could almost get the impression you only want him for his lectures.”
“They’re such good lectures,” Sebastian mumbled, which put a bigger smile on Wesley’s face. >

And the plot? Absolutely epic. It's fun and mysterious and clever, filled with twists, discoveries and magical curses and relics, and I couldn't keep away.
And it also features some very welcome faces from Allie Therin's previous trilogy: Jade and Zhang, of course, and even our favourite sourly brat Rory and his overprotective, mother hen lover. I ADORED seeing them all again, and I loved their group interactions even more: I desperately need book three so I can see more of Rory and Wes bonding over their respective crankiness and their big softy boyfriends.
The found family vibes were impeccable, and Wes and Sebastian DESERVE to have lots of overprotective friends fussing over their well-being and happiness.
The only thing better than scondrels finding love with each other, is them finding a big family of friends who fuss over them as well: I don't make the rules, but found family is THE superior trope.

Allie Therin has gifted us with another gem of a book, and I seriously cannot wait to read book three. I feel like I'll spend the next few months in an enormous book hangover because of "Once a Rogue" and the only way to get over it will be re-reading it, and all of Allie's entire backlist as well.

Please, do yourself a favour and read this series! It's magical, pun intended.


I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.