Quick Take
- Narration: Harriet Fraser brings warmth and dry wit to both leads, capturing Lottie’s stubborn resolve and Ethan’s gruff contrition with equal credibility.
- Themes: Second-chance romance, reputation and social survival, pretend engagement tropes
- Mood: Witty and warm, with genuine emotional stakes beneath the banter
- Verdict: A confident debut that earns its Publisher’s Weekly Starred Review, especially for listeners who like their Regency heroines a little defiant.
I started this one on a gray Saturday afternoon with a cup of tea and low expectations – debut Regency romance is a crowded field, and I had been burned recently by a title that promised sharp wit and delivered nothing but brooding stares. By the time Lady Charlotte Wentworth finished announcing her unconventional engagement scheme in the first chapter, I had quietly canceled the rest of my afternoon plans.
Bethany Bennett’s Any Rogue Will Do opens the Misfits of Mayfair series with a premise that sounds familiar on paper – a fake engagement between two people with complicated history – but executes it with a freshness that reminded me of early Sarah MacLean, the comparison the publisher itself reaches for. The parallels are not accidental. Like MacLean, Bennett is interested in heroines who have calculated their social landscape and decided to play by their own rules, and in heroes whose transgressions are specific enough to matter rather than vague enough to ignore.
Our Take on Any Rogue Will Do
Charlotte Wentworth’s situation has real teeth. She played the obedient debutante for exactly one season, got nothing but mockery for it, and is now facing an unwanted suitor trying to maneuver her into a corner. Her solution – secure herself a fake fiance before he can claim her – is practical, desperate, and completely in character. The fact that the only available candidate is Ethan, Viscount Amesbury, the man whose mistake once torched her reputation, gives the setup genuine emotional friction rather than manufactured conflict.
What Bennett does well is resist the urge to make Ethan’s guilt a personality trait. He is not defined solely by contrition. Reviewers consistently called him a gruff, big-hearted Scot who actually tends to his tenants and looks after his friends – a man whose past mistake feels like an outlier rather than a pattern. That specificity matters. It makes the second-chance dynamic feel earned rather than convenient.
Why Listen to Any Rogue Will Do
Harriet Fraser’s narration carries significant weight here. She has to shift between Charlotte’s sharp, controlled exterior and the moments where that control slips, and she handles both registers without melodrama. Ethan’s voice could easily tip into caricature – the big Scottish lord with the golden heart is a type – but Fraser keeps him grounded. The banter scenes land because she understands timing, and the emotional scenes land because she does not oversell them.
The pacing was flagged by multiple reviewers as one of the book’s genuine strengths. Bennett does not rush toward the inevitable reconciliation. Secondary characters have their own momentum and personality, which signals that the series has real runway. One reviewer noted the romance was written without feeling rushed just to reach the intimate scenes – and those scenes, apparently, are handled with considerable skill.
What to Watch For in Any Rogue Will Do
The one recurring complaint worth taking seriously is the anachronistic language. At least one reviewer found the modern American phrasing jarring against a Regency setting – a fair observation. If you are the kind of listener who notices when nineteenth-century aristocrats speak in twenty-first-century idiom, this will surface occasionally and may interrupt the atmosphere. It is not pervasive enough to derail the story, but it is real.
The plot also cleaves quite close to type. Pretend engagement, slowly awakening genuine feelings, obstacles rooted in misunderstanding and social expectation – the beats are familiar. Bennett’s execution elevates the material, but listeners seeking structural novelty will not find it here.
Who Should Listen to Any Rogue Will Do
This is a confident match for Regency romance listeners who prioritize emotional authenticity over innovation, and who want a heroine with actual agency rather than performative independence. It is also a strong choice if you have been looking for a series opener that suggests the sequels will be worth your time – the secondary characters are developed enough to make that case. Listeners who are sensitive to historical language inconsistencies, or who find the fake-engagement trope exhausted, may want to look elsewhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Any Rogue Will Do part of a series, and do I need to read anything before it?
It is the first book in the Misfits of Mayfair series, so there is nothing prior required. It works as a standalone, though the secondary characters are clearly being set up for their own stories.
How steamy is this audiobook?
Reviewers consistently described it as genuinely romantic and quite warm in its intimate scenes, without tipping into explicit territory. One reviewer noted it never went over-the-top while still being satisfying.
Does Harriet Fraser use distinct voices for the main characters?
Yes. She differentiates clearly between Charlotte’s clipped, composed delivery and Ethan’s deeper, warmer register. The banter scenes in particular benefit from her timing and tonal control.
Is the anachronistic language a serious problem for the Regency atmosphere?
It surfaces occasionally – modern American phrasing slipping into a Regency setting – and at least one reviewer found it genuinely distracting. It is not constant, but if historical accuracy of voice is important to you, go in with that caveat in mind.
