Customer Reviews

Lord Ruin

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Rakish Duke of Cynssyr has decided it's time for him to get married. Since he only gets the best of everything he's settled on Emily Sinclair, the beautiful youngest sister of mousy, bespecled Anne Sinclair, the sister he actually winds up married to after he accidentally debauches her. How does one accidentally debauch a woman? When circumstances contrive to have her in his bed and flying high on laudanum after she hurts her foot. Neither of them want to marry the other but they both decide to make the best of things, and it certainly helps that they constantly lust after each other.

** This is the second Carolyn Jewel book I've read and it has many of the same problems - the hero has some real character (even if it's an unappealing one), but the heroine is a complete cardboard cutout; flat, boring and lifeless. And while the Ruan (the duke) may have some character it's not the kind that you really want to spend several hours with, being arrogant and thoughtlessly high-handed but without any traits like humor or compassion that would soften his arrogance and make it endearing rather than annoying. As for Anne she's the classic Mary Sue - Jewel constantly writes Ruan thinking about how comfortable he feels with her while providing no reason for him to feel that way. All she ever does is act like a doormat while he makes his dictatorial pronouncements.

It's too bad - I like stories about rakes and bluestocking spinsters but this particular spinster was boring and the rake a real jerk. Although in all honesty I have to say they suit each other perfectly.

under this seemingly sweet regency cover hides a sexy, racy regency read that was throughly enjoyable and well written.

The story starts with a very controversial premise-not to give anything away-the hero is forced to marry the heroine because of an indiscretion caused by a very mistaken identity.

The book centers on the fact that both main characters had some ingrained preconcieved notions of each other, and of the opposite sex in general. Being thrust into marriage they learn about each other, about what love really is, and that they truly are meant to be together.

Unlike the other reviewers, I enjoyed the mystery in the story, especially since Anne was able to help solve it.

Those of you who like traditional regencies, and who may be offended by LOTS of fairly graphic love scenes should skip this one as it is very erotic and explicit.

Ms. Jewel is a great new, talented writer and for a first novel it was excellent. Like another review, I also felt that if there had been more characterization and interaction between the two characters and a few less sex scenes than this book would rate a 5.

Otherwise a spicy glimpse into Regency life, fun and enjoyable. 4 stars!

I liked this book and it is worth about 3 1/2 stars. The love scenes bordered on erotic but were not overboard - they were very sensuous. But anytime I felt Cynssr and Anne were going to come to any understanding in their relationship, there he was taking her against a table - all their furniture must have strong legs!! I would have liked a little more resolution of their feelings and a little better storyline.

Cynssr seemed so loving and wonderful I got a little tired of Anne pushing him away (mentally NOT physically!). It was enjoyable that Cynssr thought she was beautiful when he first saw her asleep in his bed - though all he could remember was her spectacles. I found Anne was too good at hiding her feelings, almost cold. But her life with her father and very lovely sisters must have given her the ability to hide her emotions well. It was nice that Cynssr said he loved her first and was really the one more passionate in his feelings.

Onto a few things I did not like. I almost needed a roster of the other characters in this book. I couldn't keep straight who was who! I even got confused about the victims of the mysterious abductors/kidnappers. It was not a very good mystery since as a reader, I couldn't solve it. I almost thought it was going to turn out to be one of the "good guys." Most of Cynssr's friends did not impress me. In the end I thought, thank goodness Anne didn't marry Devon since I didn't like him that much. The servants were interesting characters.

I will look for the other books this author has written and may well buy others she writes but this book did not stir my emotions even though it stirred "other" feelings.

This is by no means a perfect book, but it's on my keep and re-read shelf. The hints of the characters' backgrounds are so rich and complex, you want to know more than Carolyn Jewel can give you in the length of this book. There is material and characters enough here for 3 books.

The premise is pretty well-worn and quite an old one in the romance genre: Nobleman has his way with a gentlewoman and marries her to save their honor -- his as much as hers because he is a duke with an excellent social and political reputation as well as a notorious sexual one. The initial sexual encounter is not a rape; it positively sizzles. Though (or perhaps because) the heroine is under the influence of laudanum, an opiate, she lose the constraints of her inhibitions. Georgette Heyer's The Devil's Cub (1932)is the most famous and perhaps the first Regency/Georgian based on a potential rape. Laura Kinsale is the only other author I know of to turn a potentially cringeworthy "rape" scene (her hero in Midsummer Moon is the drugged one) to such advantage.

Anne Sinclair is the eldest and plainest of the 4 beautiful Sinclair sisters of Barclay Green -- 1 widowed, 1 married, the remaining 2 spinsters. Ruan Bettancourt, the duke of Cynssyr, is interested in courting Anne's younger sister, Emily. He barely noticed Anne 4 years ago at the wedding of her sister to his good friend Baron Aldreth. They meet again at the country estate of Devon, Baron Bracebridge, also a close friend of Cynssyr.

The day after her sexaul encounter with Cynssyr, during which they were discovered in flagrante delicto, Anne is confronted by her brother-in-law and Cynssyr with a proposal of marriage. During this formal encounter in a country estate drawing room, Anne begins to remember in flashbacks what happened. She is forced to marry the duke of Cynssyr. Jewel doesn't hide the duke's basic selfishness or cynicism nor Anne's surface passivity. And all this happens while Anne has yearned for years for another man who is Cynssyr's best friend, and he for her.

The charm of this story is that so many of the characters are totally surprised by the directions of their feelings, and take each other by surprise. The contrast between the Regency's rigid social structure and the characters' sensuality is emphasized here and elsewhere in the book. The complexity of the relationships is fascinating. Another fine little fillip of sexual tension is the hint of exhibitionism/voyeurism present -- so many of the sex scenes happen in their home's public rooms with potential for discovery by servants.

It is years since this was published and I still wish there was a sequel that gave us more information about the relationship between selfish and somewhat authoritarian Thomas Sinclair and his daughters, Devon Baron Bracebridge's past and future, Thrale and Lucy, and how Mary and Aldreth met. Jewel should spend more time writing historicals than paranormals.

Pretty good story. The love scenes were a little more graphic than I expected--ok, a LOT more--and I was a little disappointed in who the villain turned out to be since I kinda liked the person. But it was surprising, so I can't complain about the suspense. The characters were all very likable and I wonder if there are (or will be) stories involving certain minor characters. :o)

I will not repeat the story line of this book because other reviews have done a good job of that. No one has mentioned that the lead male, Ruan, has a mistress, by the name of Katie Forrest, that we first hear about early in the book on page 54. Ruan marries Anne and then Katie is an ex-mistress, however she never leaves the story, she is mentioned on at least 39 different pages and she is mentioned on each of the last 5 pages of the book as Ruan and Anne declare their love for one another. On one of those last pages, Ruan even asks Katie if she will have him back if he is a divorced man in love with another woman. In a book with 342 pages that means she is mentioned on one out of each 10 pages. I was very tired of reading about Katie. I think this book has a good story line, however I thought there was way, way to much about Katie in it and she is why I only give this book two stars.

I liked this book, but it had serious subplot flaws. The author created two strong, archtypical yet individual characters, and developed real emotional tension between them that was poignant, satisfying and internally coherent. But the spliced-in afterward plot about a sexual predator was just too stupid to be overlooked, and was not woven into the narrative organically. As a reader, every reference to "attacks on women" hit me in the face as "What!? Did I miss something? What book is this from?" It seemed a "Publishing Industry 101" device to give the novel a standard structure. Having the climax be so peripheral to the emotional arc of the story, and the denoument the standard declaration of affection... it was a bad fit on material that was good. I think that this author should obey her inner muse, and not tailor her work to publishing industry standards. But I will certainly give Carolyn Jewel another try, because I understand that this may be her first published novel... and one has to do what one has to do to get published the first time. But now her editors should back way the hell off and give her space to do what she is capable of.

This was a fun read for me. Set during the Regency period of England Lord Ruin finds himself married to a woman he normally would not consider after being found in a less the sterling way (you will just have to read the book). What he did not plan on was enjoying his new wife both in and out of bed. What a concept! Plus there is the added suspense as Ruan looks for a killer that hunts his prey in the ton.

This was a fast paced read with great character development and a interesting plot. It was refreshing to read a romance where the male character is the one fighting for the love of his life instead of the reverse. It was very entertaining to read how this rogue worked for his lady's love.

Pros - the book is well written, the premise (a couple forced into marriage after being caught in the act) was intriguing and I liked some of the supporting characters. The mystery part was actually well developed. I actually had an idea who the accomplice to the villain was. However, the question of how the victims were selected was unanswered, although hinted at.

Cons: Anne came over as wimpy and spineless. Other characters were constantly praising her, for *occasionally* saying something other than 'Yes, sir'. She never stood up to Ruin, whose first name was actually Ruan, who actually treated her with extreme disrespect. One example of the qualities that Ruin admited about her was that she poured coal on a fire rather than calling for a servant. Seriously.

There were a few things in the book inconsistent with the time period. For example, the footmen played at a formal party (which I doubt would ever happen). I think musicians would be engaged. When Anne was discovered in bed (unconscious) with Ruin, there was no question of anyone calling him out if he did not marry her. The idea in the book was that if he had not offered to marry her, then he would have settled money on her and she would retire to the country, without any resistance from her family or the man who had intended to marry her. Furthermore, they were concerned with *him* being ruined and unable to function in Parliament. Really?

Ruin was a complete jerk, and never more so than at the end of the book. It was pretty nauseating. Despite the overwhelming love he supposedly felt for Anne, he asked his ex to come back to him because his wife (his pregnant wife, upstairs recuperating from being kidnapped) would never love him. The ex mistress had come over because she had heard Anne had been killed, and was apparently hoping to pick up the pieces. Anne heard all this, came in, and instead of heaving the coal scuttle at Ruin, and tossing the mistress out on her ear, she confessed her undying love to Ruin. Ewww.

I've read about some heroes who do some real sleazy things, but this one takes the cake. Having sex with a woman who's been drugged. Wow. That alone made him unredeemable to me. I did keep reading though because I did like the heroine.

I will say, someone else called this a steamy read. Yes, yes it is. Anymore steam and I would have been drenched. Not that steam is a bad thing, it's not. But I don't think every conflict between people in romance books can be solved by having sex, apparently that's how these two--more so him--think to handle trouble.

Anyway, this book was not my thing.