The Ruin of a Rogue
Miranda Neville

Genre:
Historical
Heat Level: Hot
Rating:

Charm, wit, and nerves of steel have helped Marcus Lithgow gamble his way across the Continent. But when his heart is at stake, all bets are off for this most perfect rogue . . .

Anne Brotherton is sick and tired of being an heiress. She cannot bring herself to marry a fortune hunter. Why can't men like her for her sharp mind and kind heart rather than her impressive dowry? Just when she is about to bow to her fate as a confirmed spinster, she meets the handsome and charming Marcus Lithgow.

It's been years since Marcus set foot in England—why toy with the ton when he can fleece wealthy fools in Paris and Rome? Yet everything changes when he inherits a ramshackle estate. Marcus's first and only chance at a respectable life needs funding . . . the kind Anne Brotherton can provide. Such a wallflower should be ripe for the picking. So why does Marcus feel like he's the one hanging by a thread?

She nearly falls for Marcus's smooth seduction. But when Anne realizes she's being strung along, a lust for payback empowers her like never before. Two can play the game of deception. The game of love, however, has its own rules . . .

Series: Wild Quartet

Review

This is the second book in Neville’s latest series, Wild Quartet. I loved the Burgundy Club books, and with this new series Neville’s signature style of strong voice, passionate heroines, and heroes in desperate need of fixing are present.

The rogue is Marcus Lithgow, a penniless Viscount who’s in desperate need of funds. Those who read the first book will remember Marcus as the ‘low-down, dirty deceiver’ who tried to split Caro up from her wonderful, stuffy Duke, Robert. Now he’s moved onto Caro’s niece Anne. Marcus is determined to win her hand and all her cash or at least her innocent so he can be paid off to disappear. Anne’s not as dumb as she look’s though, nor innocent and when she happens to overhear Marcus’ vows to relieve her of her virginity war is declared!

The characters are absolutely delicious. The dialogue, the conflict Marcus and Anne make a great enemy to lovers pair. Not that they become lovers, but you know the drill. Hijinks ensure and sweet Anne is not nice. Marcus gets his fair share of revenge as well. He’s definitely a bit tortured and Anne’s perservance and ethics drive the rogue-ish devil to the straight and narrow.

Again, this book had a strong heroine who was determined to forge her own path in life. Her personality isn’t off-putting and I loved her immensely. Sometimes strong feminine leads can come off as over-bearing, but she only attacked when being taken advantage of. Her tenacity was definitely a strength and a weakness, but Anne grows a bunch. She also learns to use her voice to seek out her desires.

Marcus is such a broken soul. He’s had nothing but bad influences and only ever embraced the naughty traits rather than trying something new. I found myself constantly rooting for him because I’m a sucker for bad boys. His motives are not always pure, but in unguarded moments he lets down his pretenses and I got to see the bad boy routine was just that, an act. Both characters go through such a transformation from beginning to end it’s impossible to see how they weren’t meant for each other.

The subplot of a mysterious treasure left by Marcus’ father and Anne’s ability to finally get to dig in the earth for archeological finds were brilliant and added the right mix of tension, information, and tied together with the story line. Sometimes I find subplots slow down the pacing, but in this book the pacing never suffers. There is also the addition of several surprise twists that I didn’t expect and an ending that shocked me.

Overall, if you haven’t read a Miranda Neville novel yet this is the one you need to get.

For those who enjoy Laura Lee Guhrke.

Reviewed by Landra