In a nutshell: 
 I almost gave up on Dearest Rogue. I was already halfway finished and there still wasn't any significant developments in James and Phoebe's relationship. To make matters worse, I was already at my wits end with Phoebe and her spoiled attitude. Maximus was equally irritating with his fiercely autocratic and arrogant disposition. Save for James, I really couldn't give a fuck about any of the characters (it's my first book in the Maiden Lane series so I don't have any prior attachments to any of them). That's usually enough reason for me to throw in the towel. But damn, I liked James too much for me to leave him without knowing his happily ever after. 
 And so I continued reading. 
 And I found out that things, actually, get better. Phoebe actually stopped being such a pain in the ass and matured. Maximus eventually received a well-deserved kick to his ego. And James finally got rid of all his insecurities and realised that love was worth all the risks. I was prepared to barely tolerate their existence until the end, but I surprised myself by ending up genuinely liking them. The character development was definitely artfully done, subtle yet convincing. 
 By the way, Ms. Elizabeth Hoyt deserves an award for creating James. He was so delicious and sweet and everything you would want in a hero. He was perfect for Phoebe (once she realised this and matured). And they had such good chemistry! 
 And the sex. Dear Lord, can we talk about THE SEX? IT WAS SO HOT I HAD TO FAN MYSELF. 
 SERIOUSLY. MY GOD. I felt my cheeks burning when I read those parts. I think they did it like 4 times, if you won't include the rubbing scene. That number seemed rather excessive to me, but hey, who am I to complain, eh? 
 The plot was okay, but the kidnappings, just like the love scenes, seemed too much. 
 Overall, I really liked this. It took me a while to actually realise that I liked it, though. Haha. The pace was slow at the start, but the characters developed well and the romance was great. I would probably read the other books in the series, though I have some reservations about Eve's and Artemis' stories.