This is my first book by this author and I was pleasantly surprised. I had not read the previous book in this series, but the author provided enough recap that I got the gist of what the background was on the characters from the previous book. Definitely a slow burn in that the characters don't kiss until way past the 50% point. Would have liked to have found out the H's big secret along with the h to create more drama, but it wasn't a huge deal. Thanks for letting me read and review this book. I am definitely interested in reading the rest of the series.

“Because the Baron Broods” is book two in Darcy Burke’s series entitled Rouge Rules. This Regency romance tells the story of Tamsin, always the optimist, always joyful, always smiling. Opposite her is Isaac, a constantly brooding baron, he never smiles, never looks for joy or happiness. Isaac is punishing himself because of his past, he considers himself the worst kind of rogue. However, Tamsin is unaware of Isaac’s past, she and her friends consider him a gentleman. Despite their opposing dispositions, Tamsin and Issac are drawn toward one another, and slowly get to know one another. Eventually they enter into a marriage of convenience after an incident, the baron didn’t want and didn’t think he deserved marriage and a family. Overall, this story was pretty good, although a bit too maudlin here and there with Isaac’s constant brooding and rehashing his past. He had been punishing himself for so long he didn’t know any other way, until he met Tamsin when some of her light began to cut through his darkness. The supporting characters, namely Tamsin’s grandmother and Isaac’s Aunt Sophie, both added love and humor to the story. Also included were characters from the first book in the series. Darcy includes some open door, steamy, intimate scenes in the story and a happy ever after. Recommended for fans of Darcy Burke and Regency romance.

Tamsin Penrose is looking forward to spending the month of August with her friends and her grandmother in Weston. Isaac Deverell, Lord Droxford was also a part of the group and Tamsin finds herself befriend Isaac as the rest of the group is teasing him about his scowls and the brooding faces he make. As they get to know each other, they realize that they have some similar things in their backgrounds- ie both of their mothers passed when they were younger. As they share things with each other that no one else in their group knows about them, they develop a friendship. When Isaac finds out that Tamsin's father has sent one of his friends to discuss a betrothal agreement he was arranging between Tamsin and himself, Isaac asks Tamsin to marry him instead. Tamsin agrees to marry Isaac because he is so focused on his estate and does not appear to be a rogue, she thinks he will be the ideal mate for her. Isaac of course, has secrets in his past that he is ashamed of and he does not share them with Tamsin initially. He knows that if Tamsin knew of his past behaviors and the fall out from those behaviors she will think he is the rogue she and her friends are desperately trying to avoid. Because the Baron Broods is a well written novel of forgiveness and serves as an example how a person's past can shape who they become in the future.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving a review

Darcy Burke is a genius! How they consistently think up these new stories will never cease to amaze me. The angst in this one was fabulous! Darcy did a magnificent job of writing about how the past impacts the present. This book was truly a great read. Darcy's spice is always amazing and I love how she hinted towards more erotic episodes later in their relationship. I love this series and I can't wait to read the next one.

Big thanks to NetGalley, Zealous Quill Press and Darcy Burke for this early release copy in exchange for my honest review

Tasmin Penrose is an always joy filled twenty-two-year-old, in Weston to visit her grandmother. She doesn’t believe she will marry- eligible men are thin on the ground in her tiny hamlet in Cornwall where she lives with her reclusive father. The month of August also brings her friends together, and she is swept up in the fun.

Isaac Deverell, Baron Droxford, is moody and dark, and only in Weston to see his friends, a group of rouges who consider him to be far too serious. He doesn’t expect to marry, believing a dark secret in his distant past means he doesn’t deserve a happy future.

This pair is a perfect example of opposites attracting- and it is instant combustion! There are delightfully awful side characters that you love to hate. It is fast paced and has some very unique twists and surprises that I didn’t see coming. The only complaints I have is that it was too short- I wanted more time with these characters- and the next volume in this series is MONTHS away. Now I need to find the first in the series!

Growing up in isolation in Cornwall, Tamsin Penrose has one occasion that looks forward to. Every year for one month, she spends time with her best friends at the seaside. Whilst there she receives a letter from her father, informing her of a potential groom who will visit her during her stay. However, Isaac Deverell, Baron Droxford, has caught her eye and she finds herself enthralled by him. Droxford is similarly captivated as she brought light into his life when all he has been consumed with is his past secrets. When the suitor arrives, Isaac is determined to protect her.
This is a sweet romance between two quite different characters. Whilst Tamsin’s life has not been easy, I found her perpetual happiness the right balance for Droxford who is consumed by his past actions. The attraction built quite suddenly, and their chemistry was quite steamy. I must admit that the number of different characters at the start, did cause me a bit of confusion and whilst this could be read as a standalone, the initial few chapters could have been clearer in establishing all of the connections.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this one! Darcy Burke is an auto-read author for me - I don’t even look at the synopsis much; I just grab the book and read. Because the Baron Broods just really worked for me. The whole quickie wedding ‘let’s fall in love during our marriage’ trope is one of my favorites and Tamsin and Isaac were a very enjoyable couple to read about.

Ms Burke’s writing just gets better and better with each book and I can’t wait to read more 📖😍

Though you could read this on its own, you’d be missing out.


*the covers for this series ❤️



Thank you to Zealous Quill Press and NetGalley for the DRC

I enjoyed it ! The story of Tamsin and Isaac was intriguing , I couldn’t put it down I had to know how the story unfolded. I especially liked Tamsins character, super sweet, positive and kind despite her upbringing. And Isaac , he was serious in the beginning but I was relieved for his character development.
All in all a good read.

Ugh! My heart breaks for where Isaac’s brain and emotions continually took him. It had become a well-worn track and for a while I wasn’t sure if even Tamsin’s cheery optimism would be able to knock him free from it. I enjoyed this opposites-attract semi-arranged marriage story. It was a lot of fun watching this pair discover their similarities and fall for one another. I also really enjoyed seeing the references to the Marrywell Matchmaking Festival. To my mind, Isaac’s all-consuming guilt over the events of his youth drug the book down a bit. And when he finally finds peace with those events, it's a mad rush to the finish. However, I appreciated that this story showed an instance where love didn’t conquer all and the mores of the day kind of trumped the hearts involved. So far I’m loving these not-so rogue-like rogues and the ladies that love them. I can’t wait to get my hands on whatever’s next.
I received a complimentary advance copy of this book through NetGalley.

3.5 stars

I'm a fan of Ms. Burke, and her stories are always enjoyable. This one didn't quite give me the same warm feelings as some of her previous books though. Tasmin was a sweet, eternally happy young woman, although her happy personality seemed a little over the top at times. She suffered a great deal in her young life but chose not to dwell on the fact that her mother abandoned her. That seemed counterproductive to me, and it should have caused her "forever" happiness to fade a bit. She was entitled to be angry, and it would have made her seem more real if the author had let her show her unhappiness at times.

As for Isaac, at first I felt bad for the guilt he carried around. Denying himself any sort of pleasure for the past ten years seems a bit extreme. I understand that the incident with Mary happened when he was still very young, but as he got older, he could have fought harder to find out what happened to her instead of just forcing himself into a gloomy existence because of his guilt. It seemed an extreme reaction to an unpleasant and unsettling experience.

I did like the interactions with Tasmin and Isaac once they were married. The fact that he finally confessed to her his deepest, dark secret relieved him somewhat of the guilt he'd carried for so long. They were sweet together, and I'm glad they finally got their HEA.

I was extremely fortunate to receive an ARC of Because The Baron Broods from Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This is the second book in the Rogue Rules series,but can be read as a stand alone. Tamsin Penrose has just learned from her father's letter that she is to be married. However, her father left iut the most pertinent point of to whom. Isaac Deverell , Baron Droxford, has no desire to ever marry. A mistake in his past haunts him to this day and he doesn't believe that he deserves any happiness or laughter in his life. He is not known as a rogur, but rather someone who broods all the time. Tamsin's sunny optimistic disposition is contagious. At a summer gathering with her friends, she tries her best to engage with Isaac, so far as to try her best to be in his company to brighten his day. Their friendship leads to some misconstrued moments that leads to a marriage of convenience that neither expected. What they don't realize is though their personalities are completely opposite, their very similar upbringing and parental figures have shaped them into who they now are . They must both learn to open up and share their life in order to move forward. Am absolutely lovely story!

A beautiful tale of a sad man overwhelmed by thoughts of his past and the bright happy woman who befriends him.
Isaac broods about his life and is teased by his friends for not indulging and being more carefree.
Tamsin is the light to his darkness and their friendship evolves into love.
Enjoyable addition to the Rogue Rules series.

A nice enough book that, unfortunately, didn't leave me feeling anything.
There's no real chemistry between the main characters, and Isaac was way too hung up on his former lover, so I didn't believe for a second in his sudden feelings for Tamsin.
Additionally, it was frustrating to be thrown a hundred names from the very first page.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the amount of the book is spent on before and after the marriage. It was special to see both sides of the relationship growing. Tamsin is a very happy person. Almost to the point of being annoying. Issac is equally brooding. They are a good match.

A real delight!

Darcy Burke has written another delightful novel with two charming characters, Tamsin and Isaac. She is full of life and cheerfulness. He appears drab, dour, and broody. It seems that opposites attract. We wonder how these two characters will manage to have a romance story between them. The author surprises us and subtly delivers a romance. And it is sublime.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Zealous Quill Press through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What a cute book! I love a grumpy/sunshine story.

The two main characters had some depth to them which I liked, they had great banter and supported each other.

Very cute historical romance book!

Would recommend it to my friends and followers.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

This is a sweet, heart-warming story of redemption and self-forgiveness.

Let’s start with the beginning, which was my least favourite part. It started out slow, even though a lot of things were happening, and I kept wondering where all of this was heading. There were way too many discussions on the subject of rogues, which just made me think that the ladies weren’t all that well-versed in rogue-ery and were basing all of their observations on one friend’s bad experience. And then, of course, the man that our FMC was interested in couldn’t possibly fall in the rogue category, so she was free to associate with him.

I quite enjoyed the middle part a lot more where it was mostly only Tamsin and Isaac confronting their relationship issues. It was sweet and very reflective of the tentative connection between them. I understand that when Isaac was young it was easier to let his family take care of his problem, but surely as he got older and gained more influence, he could’ve tried to find out the truth, instead of torturing himself with guilt and his own imagination.

Isaac spent so much time trying to avoid Tamsin and his growing feelings for her, and that made the ending feel a bit rushed. There was enough chemistry to make them believable and interesting. And I loved the mention of the town Marrywell from the Marrywell Brides series.

This is book two in the series, but it stands well on its own. You might like this if you like your historical romance with tortured heroes and strong, supporting heroines.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a quick but enticing read, but you wouldn’t notice from all it has to offer. I enjoyed it very much and hope to read more from the author of this engaging book..

Thank you NetGalley I enjoy almost everything Darcy Burke writes. Tamsin Has grown up mostly by herself and yet she has a sunny look on life and hardly ever has a bad temper. Where the Baron is the opposite of her. They meet when the friends are all together for a month and she stays with her grandmother. Her father has sent a letter that she is to be married but doesn't say to who or when he will arrive. It happens to be one of her father's friends and she can't believe he would do that. Isaac thinks he can't marry but all of a sudden he is going to marry Tamsin and then they have to learn to be together and Isaac has to learn to smile again. Tamsin in full of patience.

Darcy Byrne's female character are always the stand out to me. They are always engaged in bedroom activities and I really like that. Even of they are virgins they are never virginal which I really like. Tasmin is no exception. Her struggle is more interesting to me and I do appreciate that even though I wouldn't call her abrasive she confronts those around her when she needs to. Isaac, however, really kind of just moped about. He is a man in the early 1800s this man could have righted the wrong he felt he committed instead of being distant and depressed. The bedroom activities were good as always. Lastly, I don't think you need to read the first book to jump on to this one. Also, the cover is beautiful! Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.