Review: How to Tame a Modern Rogue by Diana Holquist

What a great premise for a book! Ally's aristocratic, addled grandmother thinks she's living in a Regency romance novel, one of her favorite reading genres and Ally, who is moving out of state shortly, has no desire to disabuse her grandmother of this, aside from the fact that this means Granny Donny is determined to marry Ally off to a Duke. As they live in New York City, Dukes are in short supply but one roguish English ex-pat literally jumps into the masquerade as he's trying to sneak off undetected by an irate ex. Sam Carson is indeed the modern incarnation of a rogue but he's also a good enough guy that he helps Ally play along with her grandmother's delusion. So when Granny Donny insists that her horse and carriage (hired from Central Park) must take them to the country estate (no matter what NYC law says about horses on bridges), Sam smooths the way, staying in character and allowing Ally to maintain the charade for Granny Donny, even as Ally allows herself to hope against all evidence to the contrary that perhaps her long missing parents are waiting for her at the "country house." What might be waiting is a changed Sam, one willing to be a reformed rogue.

This was a cute book, playing on the conventions of both historical and contemporary romances. It was funny and sweet and clever. The characters, especially Granny Donny and Ally, were charming. Sam was more stereotypical in presentation but his conversion from playboy to solid, dependable, likable to grannies guy was natural if a little easy. Fans of both historical and contemporary romances will definitely enjoy this dip into each others' swimming pools.