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Victoria and the Rogue

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Growing up in far-off India, wealthy young heiress Lady Victoria Arbuthnot was accustomed to handling her own affairs -- not to mention everyone else's. But in her sixteenth year, Vicky is unceremoniously shipped off to London to find a husband. With her usual aplomb, however, Lady Victoria gets herself engaged to the perfect English gentleman, even before setting foot on British soil. The Rogue Hugo Rothschild, ninth earl of Malfrey, is everything a girl could want in a future he is handsome and worldly, if not rich. Lady Victoria has everything just as she'd like it. That is, if raffish young ship captain Jacob Carstairs would leave well enough alone. Jacob's meddling is nothing short of exasperating, and Victoria is mystified by his persistence. But when it becomes clear that young Lord Malfrey just might not be all that he's professed to be, Victoria is forced to admit, for the first time in her life, that she is wrong. Not only about her fiance, but about the reason behind the handsome ship captain's interference.

241 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2003

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3,521 people want to read

About the author

Meg Cabot

275Ìýbooks35.1kÌýfollowers
Librarian note: AKA Jenny Carroll (1-800-Where-R-You series), AKA Patricia Cabot (historical romance novels).

Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.

She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy's Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.

Meg is now writing a new children's series called Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.

Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn't know he married a fire horse. Please don't tell him.


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5 stars
2,250 (23%)
4 stars
3,074 (31%)
3 stars
3,241 (33%)
2 stars
987 (10%)
1 star
210 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 475 reviews
301 reviews135 followers
May 31, 2012
Victoria and the Rogue is one of my top favourites because, unusually for Meg Cabot, it’s a period setting � fun and flirting in the 19th Century? Yes please.

Victoria is a sassy, independent heroine with an endearing bossy streak. Practical to the core, she has no time for female swooning fits, or day-dreaming about handsome men. Victoria’s mission in life is to help people with her sound (if often unwanted) advice. I just had to laugh at how Victoria went around re-organising everyone’s life (for the better of course) so subtly that no one even notices. Victoria cannot help helping people and I was amused that her bossiness had caused her rather alarmed bachelor Uncles to ship her of to another country for some peace.

There are lots of delightful moments in this book � I especially enjoyed the sisterly relationship that developed between Victoria and her cousin Rebecca, and Jacob Carstairs!

I’ll let you discover Jacob Carstairs for yourselves But I will say I don’t blame the poor girl finding herself all hot and bothered and tongue-tied around him once he turns on the charm.

You don’t really need me to sell a Meg Cabot book to you do you? There’s romance, balls, gowns, scandal, a handsome rogue and even a spot of kidnapping. What more could a girl want?
Profile Image for nitya.
457 reviews337 followers
November 19, 2021
Somehow I didn't remember that this has the same plot (down to the kidnapping/blackmail elements) as Nicola & the Viscount and a very naïve/snobby main character. (Mentioning every few pages how low someone wears their collar points?? Not exciting!)

And the editing was awful! For the record, HINDUISM is a religion. HINDI is the language. And it's not Ginesh, the correct spelling is Ganesh or Ganesha. I took off a star because these mistakes are so easy to fix!!!

Content warning: kidnapping, confinement, way too many mentions of collar points
Profile Image for Emily.
755 reviews2,507 followers
June 9, 2015
This book is exactly what it looks like: a charming, funny, quick read with no added depth. While Victoria ostensibly has multiple love interests, it's obvious which rogue she'll end up with - but for once, I didn't mind at all. The whole thing made me laugh:

La, Victoria thought, very pleased at this turn of events. How jolly this is! A girl goes to chastise a cook for underdoing the roast, and comes back to the table a bride-to-be! Her uncle John would be quite put out when he heard about it, however. He’d wagered Victoria wouldn’t get a proposal until she’d been at least a year in England, and here she was getting one before even setting foot on shore. He wouldn’t be at all happy about owing her uncles Henry and Jasper a fiver.

I also really enjoyed Victoria as a character. The best Regency heroines tend to be headstrong proto-feminists, which never makes all that much sense given the era. I liked that Victoria grew up in India and was able to poke a little fun at the English and their silly traditions, and it was nice to see .

I can totally understand why most of my friends gave it three stars (it's candy!), but something about this one tickled me. Basically, Meg Cabot can do no wrong. Time to move on to her viscount!!
Profile Image for Carol Storm.
AuthorÌý28 books220 followers
March 18, 2015
Best YA Romance I have ever read -- the perfect steppingstone to classic Regency!

I gave PANTS ON FIRE by Meg Cabot only two stars, but I am proud to give this story a full five or even more!

So strange, this is a Regency novel and yet the heroine, Victoria, is more well-rounded, more assertive, and more independent by far than obnoxious Katie in the contemporary PANTS ON FIRE. All of Victoria's strong points, her self-confidence, courage, and her desire to organize and improve the world around her, are presented with great charm. And her weaknesses, (which are really strengths) are just the same!

The hero is Jacob Carstairs, a pretty typical rake, except he works for a living. He's barely out of his teens and yet he's already a ship's captain, which really captures his relaxed yet self-confident personality perfectly. His attitude towards Victoria is amused, but NEVER condescending. He loves the fact that she feels like she can manage everyone, except him. And she can manage all her feelings, except the ones he sparks within her!

And speaking of sparks, if you think a "kisses only" teen Regency can't have some truly spectacular sexual tension and some very grown up heat between two attractive young people, think again!

Meg Cabot has written every type of book you can think of -- but I wish she'd written a few more like this one.
Profile Image for kris.
1,034 reviews218 followers
January 12, 2021
Lady Victoria Arbuthnot meets the handsome Hugo Rothschild, Early of Malfrey, while enroute to England. He proposes and she ends up accepting the blond bastian—mostly to spite Captain Jacob Carstairs who keeps TEASING HER OMG.

1. This is one of the more uneven entries in this series, I think, and here's why:

For starters, Vicky is VERY OBVIOUSLY a 16 year old. Like, she's kind of terrible. She's bratty and selfish and seems to be prone to tantrums and she thinks everyone in the world can benefit from her knowledge (the knowledge of a ... 16 year old). So she's an EXCELLENT heroine for a young adult romance novel because she is a young adult.

But then when you pair that with the shenanigans and romance plot, it's just: terrible. SHE'S SIXTEEN and she's getting herself in and out of engagements, escaping kidnappings, etc. It's hard to believe that she's going to truly get to live out the happily ever after that a romance novel would suggest because she's SIXTEEN YEARS OLD. She has so much growing up to do!!

And I think Cabot unfortunately leaned too hard into the young-adult-heroine-but-HAPPY-EVER-AFTER-MEANS-FOREVER crevasse because it just ends up feeling foolish.

2. I think a lot of the Avon True Romance series has this exact same problem, actually. I finish most of these and feel like they're the very long prologues for a second-chance romance novel set 10+ years in the future when some of the tiny hormones have burned off.

3. Back to Vicky & the Rogue, though: the end of this veers off into farce territory with Vicky running all over the place with FEELINGS and it's kind of silly.

4. HOWEVER, the feelings declarations in this particular entry are actually very excellent; they just feel a little wasted on this book with this baby heroine. But it'd decent shit, yo.
Profile Image for Amy.
2,932 reviews586 followers
June 3, 2019
3.5 Stars
This was actually a lot more cute and fun than I expected. Not historically accurate in the slightest (I don't care what her Father's will said, no one reached their majority at 16. In the Regency era, the age was 21. Also, what kind of idiot allows his daughter full control of her fortune at 16?!) and the love interest occasionally grated on my nerves. But to be fair, he also wasn't cookie-cutter wish fulfillment and I really liked that about it.
In fact, I think I would almost bump the romance up to 4 stars because it reminded me of one of my favorite books of all time - . And in the romance, the author answers one of the biggest hesitations I have with Sophy and Charles's romance. What happens when the meddlesome heroine runs out of things to meddle in?
Unfortunately, things felt too underdeveloped by the end to really push the story to a full 4 stars. It is a short book and depends heavily on some foreseeable drama to push it along. Cute, but not quite enough.
208 reviews21 followers
April 27, 2017
Apesar de gostar bastante dos livros da autora, não gostei muito deste, ficou bastante abaixo das minhas expectativas.
Profile Image for BabyLunLun.
893 reviews132 followers
May 7, 2021
Nothing can cheer you up like a Meg Cabot book

This one was super cute and funny and reminds me all that I love about Meg Cabot. Victoria was just getting into society after growing up in India with her uncles. She was sassy, snarky and unladylike. It was funny seeing her banter with Jacob and Jacob is really charming as well.

I about to laugh my ass off when Malfey and his mum plan to trap her inside their house and force her to marry Malfey. Victoria manage to escape being almost naked. Its funny that the one end up saving her is the pickpocket she left escape

All in all, it was such a cute read
Profile Image for Sheila Ng.
26 reviews1 follower
March 9, 2013
I really find this very cute!!!

The story is simple and predictable, but it has this spark that will let you ask for what's next. We have Victoria, daughter of a Indian duke, who was shipped to England to look for a husband. She fell in love at first sight with the handsome Earl of Malfrey - Hugo who also confessed his love for her in an instant, but there is this one person who kept on annoying her and that's none other than Captain Jacob Carstairs. Based on the synopsis given above/from the book you could already predict who is the rogue and who ends up with who. One thing that I would commend upon is the character development/realizations especially on Victoria. Given that she is the daughter of a duke, she is expected to be perfect or strong willed and all, but she has her imperfections, kinda nice to see main characters having flaws than none at all. There are a few issues raised or morals taught in the story such as those about how love and hate go hand in hand, love vs money and also being wanted vs being needed.
Overall it's a nice read if you don't mind cliches and just want a sweet, warm young adult story. I just wished more was revealed as to why/how/since when did Captain Carstairs fell in love with her, or maybe it just goes to say that love needs no reason and just happens.

Kinda reminded me of some animes like Kaichou wa Maid-sama and Skip Beat.
Profile Image for Martha.
886 reviews71 followers
December 18, 2019
This is the perfect book for a rainy day. Light and fluffy, a book to cosy up with.

I also really liked the style of writing; each sentence drew me in and I became so consumed in the story, I started to feel the emotions Victoria was feeling. I'm sure I was pulling some funny faces when she was so frustrated and annoyed with Jacob Carstairs, as I started to get just as wound up, despite the fact that I thought he was hilarious.

I loved the character of Victoria. She was so much fun and not the character I was expecting to see, so that was a pleasant surprise. She was really funny actually - and original. She was bossy, smart and independent. She did things entirely her own way. She also had a need of helping others, which really just meant that she told them what to do, though this was with the best intentions. I enjoyed reading about her greatly.

Jacob Carstairs was another great character I couldn't help but fall in love with. I'm a sucker in literature for the snarky git - when done right, of course. His conversations with Victoria were so amusing to read about. And he steadily grew more adorable. I loved how he never lost his cool and had a easy confidence about him. Their relationship was so funny and sweet.

If you want a quick and light read, one that will make you 'aww', definitely read this!
Profile Image for Rebecca.
584 reviews149 followers
March 1, 2010
Victoria Arbuthnot was just four years old when her parents died while the family was visiting India. Since then, she has been raised in India by her uncles, but now that she is sixteen, she has been sent back to England to find a husband. On the long sea journey from India to London, Victoria meets Hugo Rothschild, the ninth early of Malfrey, who proposes to her shortly before the journey's end. Victoria is thrilled with the proposal. But why is Jacob Carstairs, who was also a passenger on the ship, trying to get her to end her engagement? Now that they are in London, why won't he just leave Victoria alone? And why is she even attracted to such an infuriating man as Jacob? And is Hugo hiding a terrible secret? I enjoyed this book even more than Meg Cabot's first Avon True Romance. It had a really good romance and also a good mystery subplot.
Profile Image for Fiona.
145 reviews
September 11, 2016
I might like this one more than because of Jacob - the other short novel is light and funny but also would never happen to me because of the time period and circumstances. While I also probably wouldn't be trying to marry an earl at a super early age, I can understand roguish men and being taken by surprise by feelings. Jacob is swoon-worthy!

The popped collar scene between Victoria and Jacob has forever been etched into my mind.

This novel is a combination of sass and plucky, and I feel like I'm like Victoria a bit - love love love how fun it is to read this book.
Profile Image for Candi Criddle.
357 reviews14 followers
October 22, 2009
This may have been fluff, but it was lovely fluff. About the best written book of this type possible. The heroine is so funny, the hero so dashing, and the villain has a villainous mother, just great. (Aside for Natalie: quite a few good kissing scenes)
Profile Image for Kirsta.
676 reviews16 followers
August 2, 2014
Not aggressively bad, but I did find myself mostly disliking it. Probably better suited to tween girls than discriminating adults. :)
Profile Image for Riya Joseph Kaithavanathara.
AuthorÌý5 books17 followers
February 21, 2021
Victoria & The rogue from the Princess diaries by Meg Cabot (@officialmegcabot ) is a teenage romance story of princess Victoria. After spending almost sixteen years of her life in India, which helped her handle her own affairs without any help, she is shipped to London to find a husband. When she meets Hugo Rothschild, the 9th earl of malfrey, his charm impresses her. At the same time she meets , Jacob Carstairs , who she dislikes due to his low point collar and his mannerisms.


She is pleased by one man and she hates to stand the other. As young teenage princess, who is yet to discover the cunningness of the world, it is a decision to be taken because as the saying goes " don't judge a book by it's cover" , it will not be wise to choose a person based on what she is from the outside. An interesting book , especially for teenage girls who are a fan of romance stories.

🌟🌟🌟

#victoriaandtherogue #megcabot #romance #novel #comingofage #teenage #love #attraction #princess #princessstories #ladyvictoria #novel #review #bookreview #readerssnapshot
Profile Image for fulano.
1,117 reviews75 followers
August 14, 2020
TW/CW:
casual mention of British colonization of India, tiger poaching, internalized misogyny, g-slur.

So this one was still fun, but had a lot more issues than Meg's previous teen historical romance. Victoria was definitely tougher to like on page. She has a "not like other girls" mentality because of having been raised in India, and thus being unique for her more brazen manners than the girls she has newly met in England. She is often bratty and spoiled, and schemes and maneuvers other's lives to her liking. I can see that many people would not like her. I should really mention that I did find one interaction in the book disturbing. The protagonist mentions that she shoots tigers back in India and I thought that was truly in bad taste. It is only in one chapter but I could've done without reading that. This book is something that I found myself enjoying still, Meg Cabot is simply an enjoyable author.
Profile Image for Rosina.
637 reviews13 followers
November 22, 2018
Well I think I may have enjoyed this more if I'd have read it when I was younger. But it was a quick read and some of the characters were interesting enough.
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
462 reviews37 followers
February 6, 2021
This a teen romance novel, set in the Regency era in England. Expect a lot of fluff, a lot of flirting, a lot of naivety, and a lot of cliches. Does that make it bad? No, because if you're going into this expecting something deeper, you've picked up the wrong book. This is a harmless "junk food" read, with an unreliable narrator who you either wish to strangle or just shake your head at them and sigh affectionately.

Victoria is a 16-year-old pampered, orphaned heiress, who is just self-absorbed enough to believe she should rule over everyone's lives because she knows best (supposedly), but also has a kind heart that has nothing but good intentions toward those around her. She's stubborn and naive, but also free-spirited and feisty. She's the kind of heroine I would have had very mixed feelings about when I was younger, but now that I'm an adult, I just shake my head and laugh at her foolishness. We were all 16 and stupid at one time, or we will be someday. Let her grow and change. And she does! (Eventually.)

All in all, this was a sweet little dive into the world of "romance novels," which is my reading theme this month, so now I'm far more willing to look forward to my next romantic reads....
Profile Image for Carson.
115 reviews2 followers
August 4, 2015
Read in one sitting on ebook. I liked this title more than the Avon True Romance for Teens title I read several years previously that took place in the Wild West. This could be because I'm older or that it took place in England.

Lady Victoria, orphaned daughter of a duke, has lived on an island her entire sixteen years of life, being cared for by her three uncles. Victoria is more likely to carry an elephant gun than a purse and this alienates her from her family in England. Her parents died of cholera when she was very young and now that she's come of age, she will stay with her mothers family. On the boat ride over, she is proposed to and says yes even though she's known the gentleman less than two days.
Once arriving in town, she discovers the captain of her ship is close to her family. She loathes the man, or does she?
Rumors start swirling about the intentions of Victoria's husband to be. Is she wanted for her intellect or her inheritance? Is she wanted at all? Victoria is attracted to those who need to be with her. She wants a great show of a romantic gesture. What she wants is not always what she deserves.
Profile Image for J.
61 reviews3 followers
November 24, 2014
Cabot writes stories about well-meaning, determined, independent heroines overcoming life's obstacles with spirit and finding love, during lots of flirting, with someone that challenges them. In other words, fluffy stories. But sometimes it's nice to read a fluffy HEA story, and Cabot never disappoints. From her fluff has quality and apparently Cabot can apply that quality to historical stories about the perils of coming out in English society after leaving British India in search of a husband as well as supermodels, mediums, or a girl struck by lightning. Despite being thoroughly predictable, or maybe because of it, Victoria and the Rogue is a funny and entertaining read. 3.5 parasol stars.
Profile Image for ♛✨Christine ♛✨.
490 reviews70 followers
February 24, 2015
An old, old, old favourite. If I ever feel in the mood to escape back into my childhood I would probably read this...mmm...maybe... Who knows.

Remembering back to my Year 9 days this was probably the first time I read a Young Adult Historical Romance. It's a good romance novel to recommend for YA without all the 18+ literature usually in the mature romances.

A perfect classic historical romance :)
Profile Image for Bookbitswritings.
175 reviews
May 26, 2015
I don't want to give it 1 star..............I did not like it but loathed and hated it ............It was sooooooooooo stupid.
So it's about a girl who agrees to marry a guy in order to get the other guy jealous.....realizes she does wrong rushes to the 2nd one........... realizes she is in love with him.......expected to marry him.....................TADA the END


Profile Image for Stefanie.
1,610 reviews23 followers
February 26, 2015
I wanted to love this because it's Meg Cabot but I just couldn't. I mean I m glad I did eventually read it as I've wanted to for the past three years. The last fifty pages though had me very intrigued though.
Profile Image for Virginia.
98 reviews
July 26, 2009
This was like being inside Lydia Bennett's head. Ugh! The leading man made up for it, though.
Profile Image for Pauline.
544 reviews15 followers
July 3, 2019
A present from my wonderful daughter for Christmas. twelve books for the year. This was my July read. Surely this will be my favourite of the twelve books as I LOVED it!!!! Do you know when you just need a book to sweep you away? Well, this is it. I was not aware of the people around me, all I was aware of was Victoria and Hugo. A wonderful book which I could not put down until the adventure was complete. Now I need to find another book which is of a similar vein and of similar excellence! The search is on.
Profile Image for Jaqueline Miguel.
446 reviews46 followers
June 6, 2022
Romance de ficção histórica para jovens adultos. Um género não muito usual, mas de que gosto bastante. Já tinha gostado do Nicola e o Visconde na altura que o li e este não lhe fica muito atrás. Gostei mais da Nicola do que da Victoria, em termos de protagonista. A confissão de amor do outro também foi melhor. Ambos têm cenas de "rapto", mas foram feitas de forma bastante diferente. Ainda assim é um romance fofinho, reconfortante. Uma leitura que nos deixa relaxados e felizes e, por vezes, empolgados nos momentos de maior tensão. Uma leitura que para mim sabe como um chocolate quente no inverno ou um gelado no verão.
Profile Image for Lupita.
93 reviews9 followers
February 7, 2022
Me encantó este libro, tiene lo que más me gusta el cliché enemies to lovers.
Pero me hizo falta la boda, se queda en que se el capitán le dice a Víctoria que se van a casar, pero a mí siempre me falta la boda
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for meg.
1,461 reviews18 followers
Read
March 25, 2024
Who greenlit the deeply cursed covers for these books. Anyway very cute
Displaying 1 - 30 of 475 reviews

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