She Was Already Ruined

Expected Publication:  February 19th, 2013

The Rake to Ruin Her (Ransleigh Rogues # 1)

By: Julia Justiss

Harlequin

ISBN-13: 9780373297290

Once a rake…

Known as "Magnificent Max," diplomat Max Ransleigh was famed for his lethal charm until a political betrayal left him exiled from government and his reputation in tatters. He seems a very unlikely savior for a well-bred young lady.

Except that Miss Caroline Denby doesn't want to be saved… she wants to be ruined! To Caroline, getting married is tantamount to a death sentence, and meeting the rakish Max at a house party seems the answer to her prayers…. Surely this rogue won't hesitate to put his bad reputation to good use?

Review

     Caroline Denby is mourning the loss of her beloved Father and trying to hold on to the control/ownership of the family's horse-stud business.  But her Stepmama had other ideas and won't rest until Caro is married off to the first gentleman that will have her.  Besides being reluctant to be subservient to a man who may not approve of the business, Caro doesn't want to have children because almost every woman in her family has died in childbirth.  So she propositions Max Ransleigh, a notrious rogue with a ruined political career, in hopes of him making her un-marriageable.  When he declines her offer, but scandal erupts in an entirely unexpected way, Max and Caro end up newlyweds.  But will they be able to make things work?  Can the rogue and the bluestocking fall in love for real?  This book was cute.  That sentence pretty much sums it up for me.  I didn't find any lasting feeling for it when I finished reading and the characters had too many moments of odd two-dimensional personality.  Caro was a bold, honest and beautiful woman who just wanted to keep her freedom.  Max was a little too modern thinking and politically correct to really fit into the time period of the book, but he was a good guy all in all.  The whole Napoleonic War background and Max's struggle to clear his name of diplomatic wrongdoing were just not my cup of tea.  And the amount of time that he and Caro spent in angsty agony over their respective personal issues, really got on my nerves.  To be honest I thought that this book didn't have very good romance in it.  I thought it would have been more interesting if it had picked a direction - it all felt very aimless.  Yeah right!  Like Caro would have gotten away from that situation still in polite society, with her reputation intact.  Overall, a fluffy read that I will probably forget all about by the time it's published.

VERDICT:  3/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is February 19th, 2013.*