Once a Rogue by Allie Therin

Narrated by Joel Froomkin

Once a Rogue is book two in Allie Therin’s Roaring Twenties Magic series, which is itself an offshoot of her Magic In Manhattan series. Book one of the Roaring Twenties Magic series, Proper Scoundrels, should be read before this one. There will be spoilers for previous books in this review.

Once a Rogue, like its predecessor Proper Scoundrels, is an exciting story with magic, mystery, adventure, humor and romance, not necessarily in that order. At the end of Proper Scoundrels, Sebastian DeLeon acquired a relic (a powerful magical object that enhances a person’s magic) while helping to save the world from the magical equivalent of a vampire, but although it enhances Sebastian’s power, the relic also seems to be physically draining him. He’s not sleeping well, he’s sluggish all the time, and his ability to control his magic is weakening. Unfortunately, getting rid of the relic isn’t easy, since it has to be stolen while a murder is being committed.

The story opens with Sebastian and his non-magical lover, Lord Fine (Wesley), arriving in New York City to escort Sebastian’s brother back to university. They are also there in response to a cryptic message from Jade and Zhang about a powerful relic in their possession that they have been trying to destroy, and in turn, to ask them for help with the relic that is draining Sebastian. The problem is that Jade and Zhang, along with friends Arthur and Rory, have disappeared with no further messages. Wesley is approached unexpectedly by two former acquaintances who introduce him to a rather odd man who seems very focused on Sebastian, so when Wesley receives a note saying “Beware the company you keep,” he’s even more confused and uneasy.

Sebastian is struggling with his magic, but still feels the need to protect Wesley, while Wesley is worried about what the relic is doing to Sebastian, and is determined to protect him even against magic users. They both want to unravel the mystery of their four missing friends. The mystery is clever and twisty, leading our heroes into both real and metaphorical blind alleys. But even with the high stakes adventure the heart of this story is the relationship between uptight, cynical Wesley and his “dangerous marshmallow,” Sebastian. They are the oddest of odd couples, each with scars both visible and invisible that make it difficult to believe that they deserve anything more than a temporary happiness. Wesley, especially, feels he has no right to hope Sebastian is his to keep.

“His ice-cold heart didn’t know what to do with this damned tropical sunbeam, this kind-hearted darling who saw the world through the figurative rose-colored glasses, ignoring the ugliness of reality and choosing instead to see only beauty in mangy strays and beastly viscounts.”

Sebastian is still recovering from three years under a blood curse that compelled him to obey the commands of an evil man. This is especially difficult for Sebastian, who by nature is a caretaker, and even knowing he’d been compelled, Sebastian is having difficulty forgiving himself for the things he’s done. At the same time, his attachment to Wesley is increasing, especially since Sebastian’s magic seems to accept Wesley as it has no one else, and being with him has stopped Sebastian’s recurrent night terrors. Each man wants to be the protector and neither is seeing their relationship clearly, either as lovers or as two people working together to solve a mystery. So as Wesley and Sebastian follow the clues to their missing companions, they also have a few frank discussions that challenge their views about themselves and each other. The author does a marvelous job developing these characters and their relationship and these conversations are some of my favorite passages in the book.

Joel (Leslie) Froomkin returns to narrate Once a Rogue, and does his usual marvelous job with the large cast of characters and accents. Here he’s voicing Wesley’s upper class English accent, Sebastian’s Spanish accent and characters with both upper class and working class American accents. His character voices are spot-on and consistent throughout both books. My favorite thing about Joel’s narrations, however, is his ability to convey a wide range of appropriate and believable emotions both in the narrative passages and dialogs.

The exciting ending of the story wraps up the immediate threat for our couple, and leaves me hoping for more stories about them and the exciting magical world they live in. With the excellent narration, I’m happy to recommend this clever fantasy romance to any listener who enjoys a well-balanced tale of magic, adventure and romance.

Carrie