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jackiehorne's review against another edition
Clunky writing and unpleasant characters made me put this down after the first two chapters.
scoutmomskf's review against another edition
4.0
Good book with some deeply emotional scenes. Anthony is a well-known rake who has made it clear that he will never marry. His reputation has earned him the name Lord of Wicked. When we first see him, he is making a bet with his brother as to which of them will sleep with a particular woman first. Even more disturbing is his intention to "stir the pot" by dancing with the woman's innocent cousin.
Melissa wants nothing more than to find a husband she can love and who will love her. But her wastrel brother is determined to sell her off to the highest bidder for his own benefit. Though she knows that Anthony is not the man for her, she can't deny her attraction to him. Her dance with him leaves her flustered and even more enamored of him.
Thanks to interference and a bit of trickery, Anthony ends up in Melissa's bed instead of Cassandra's, which he doesn't realize until it's too late. Anthony may be a rake, but he is also an honorable man and proposes marriage. He's a little surprised when she resists, but he prevails. The dilemma he faces is how to resist his attraction to her.
Overall, I liked both Melissa and Anthony, though Anthony took a while to win me over. He comes across as very cold and manipulative at the beginning, as he deceives Melissa about his plans for their marriage. I began to soften toward him as more of his background was revealed, and how the horrors he experienced made him fear treating his own child the way he was treated. Avoiding the prospect altogether seemed his only option. Melissa was a terrific heroine. She is feisty and independent, determined to get the outcome she wants. She is also a kind and caring woman, as shown by the type of charity work she does. I liked the way she doesn't just sit back and accept others' decisions but stands up for her own needs.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Anthony and Melissa. The sparks between them are strong from the beginning. Anthony is determined to keep Melissa at a distance, but she doesn't make it easy on him, to the point where he uses some truly cruel methods to drive her away from him. I loved that Melissa isn't quite so easy to drive away. It takes her a few days, but she realizes that while his words say one thing, his body says something entirely different. I loved the way she used her intellect to learn the ways of love to win him over. It was great fun to see Anthony tormented by his desire for his wife, to the point of being unable to carry on the way he had planned.
There were several misunderstandings between them, brought about by their differing outlooks on life. Melissa tends to see the good in people first and foremost, and acts accordingly, while Anthony always sees the worst. The first major misunderstanding, regarding the London slave market, ended up showing that they had more in common than they knew. Sometimes their misunderstandings caused them to behave badly toward the other, but eventually, they would learn the truth and find ways to make amends.
One of the things I loved best about Melissa was her refusal to give up on Anthony. The more she learned about his past, the more she admired the way that he had overcome it, even if he didn't think so. I was in tears for her as he pushed her away in ways that did his best to destroy her dreams and make her hate him. Even though it broke her heart, she still couldn't stop loving him. I ached for Anthony, who was so consumed by guilt over things in his past that he couldn't see the things that he did right. He really wanted to be the husband that Melissa deserved, but believed that he was unredeemable. I loved that it was his friends Samantha and Freddie who finally broke through his walls, and how they showed him that he would never be like his father. Having seen the light, Anthony has to find a way to win back Melissa. I loved seeing him expose his vulnerability to her. Even more, I loved how she was able to make him see that it wasn't her forgiveness he needed. I loved the epilogue and seeing the huge difference in Anthony and the happiness that radiates from them both.
One of the most unusual things about this book is that it deals with a subject rarely seen in Regency romances - slavery. I don't think I've ever read a book that talked about the selling of black slaves in England during that time period. I loved that both Melissa and Anthony were involved in fighting it, though in vastly different ways. There was an element of suspense in the book also, as Anthony's fight became far more personal than he ever expected. My heart was in my throat as Melissa became the focal point of Anthony's greatest enemy. The final confrontation was intense with several twists before the ultimate resolution.
I thoroughly enjoyed Anthony's friends and relations and their determination to save him. Though Richard and his mother's methods were underhanded, they were effective. I liked Richard's obvious love for his brother and his efforts to help Anthony and Melissa after their marriage. Rufus intrigues me and I look forward to reading his book, as well as Richard's.
Melissa wants nothing more than to find a husband she can love and who will love her. But her wastrel brother is determined to sell her off to the highest bidder for his own benefit. Though she knows that Anthony is not the man for her, she can't deny her attraction to him. Her dance with him leaves her flustered and even more enamored of him.
Thanks to interference and a bit of trickery, Anthony ends up in Melissa's bed instead of Cassandra's, which he doesn't realize until it's too late. Anthony may be a rake, but he is also an honorable man and proposes marriage. He's a little surprised when she resists, but he prevails. The dilemma he faces is how to resist his attraction to her.
Overall, I liked both Melissa and Anthony, though Anthony took a while to win me over. He comes across as very cold and manipulative at the beginning, as he deceives Melissa about his plans for their marriage. I began to soften toward him as more of his background was revealed, and how the horrors he experienced made him fear treating his own child the way he was treated. Avoiding the prospect altogether seemed his only option. Melissa was a terrific heroine. She is feisty and independent, determined to get the outcome she wants. She is also a kind and caring woman, as shown by the type of charity work she does. I liked the way she doesn't just sit back and accept others' decisions but stands up for her own needs.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Anthony and Melissa. The sparks between them are strong from the beginning. Anthony is determined to keep Melissa at a distance, but she doesn't make it easy on him, to the point where he uses some truly cruel methods to drive her away from him. I loved that Melissa isn't quite so easy to drive away. It takes her a few days, but she realizes that while his words say one thing, his body says something entirely different. I loved the way she used her intellect to learn the ways of love to win him over. It was great fun to see Anthony tormented by his desire for his wife, to the point of being unable to carry on the way he had planned.
There were several misunderstandings between them, brought about by their differing outlooks on life. Melissa tends to see the good in people first and foremost, and acts accordingly, while Anthony always sees the worst. The first major misunderstanding, regarding the London slave market, ended up showing that they had more in common than they knew. Sometimes their misunderstandings caused them to behave badly toward the other, but eventually, they would learn the truth and find ways to make amends.
One of the things I loved best about Melissa was her refusal to give up on Anthony. The more she learned about his past, the more she admired the way that he had overcome it, even if he didn't think so. I was in tears for her as he pushed her away in ways that did his best to destroy her dreams and make her hate him. Even though it broke her heart, she still couldn't stop loving him. I ached for Anthony, who was so consumed by guilt over things in his past that he couldn't see the things that he did right. He really wanted to be the husband that Melissa deserved, but believed that he was unredeemable. I loved that it was his friends Samantha and Freddie who finally broke through his walls, and how they showed him that he would never be like his father. Having seen the light, Anthony has to find a way to win back Melissa. I loved seeing him expose his vulnerability to her. Even more, I loved how she was able to make him see that it wasn't her forgiveness he needed. I loved the epilogue and seeing the huge difference in Anthony and the happiness that radiates from them both.
One of the most unusual things about this book is that it deals with a subject rarely seen in Regency romances - slavery. I don't think I've ever read a book that talked about the selling of black slaves in England during that time period. I loved that both Melissa and Anthony were involved in fighting it, though in vastly different ways. There was an element of suspense in the book also, as Anthony's fight became far more personal than he ever expected. My heart was in my throat as Melissa became the focal point of Anthony's greatest enemy. The final confrontation was intense with several twists before the ultimate resolution.
I thoroughly enjoyed Anthony's friends and relations and their determination to save him. Though Richard and his mother's methods were underhanded, they were effective. I liked Richard's obvious love for his brother and his efforts to help Anthony and Melissa after their marriage. Rufus intrigues me and I look forward to reading his book, as well as Richard's.
novelesque_life's review against another edition
4.0
4 STARS
Melissa wants one thing from marriage and that is love while Anthony wants to avoid matrimony altogether. One night Anthony enters Melissa's bedroom thinking it is her look alike widowed cousin and changes both their lives.
To save Melissa's reputation the two must marry - Melissa loves Anthony but only wants him if he loves her. Anthony will marry Melissa who will get his mother, brother and ton off his back but he can never get her pregnant with his genes. And to make things worse there are people out there to hurt the couple. Distracted with the push and pull of lust and doing right the two may not know the danger out there.
I enjoyed this historical romance as the hero and heroine have good chemistry and are both tortured souls. Anthony has a very dark side but as Melissa breaks into his heart he becomes softer and redeemable. I would compare Anthony to Anne Stuart's dark tortured heroes with many flaws. This first novel has great promise for the series.
Melissa wants one thing from marriage and that is love while Anthony wants to avoid matrimony altogether. One night Anthony enters Melissa's bedroom thinking it is her look alike widowed cousin and changes both their lives.
To save Melissa's reputation the two must marry - Melissa loves Anthony but only wants him if he loves her. Anthony will marry Melissa who will get his mother, brother and ton off his back but he can never get her pregnant with his genes. And to make things worse there are people out there to hurt the couple. Distracted with the push and pull of lust and doing right the two may not know the danger out there.
I enjoyed this historical romance as the hero and heroine have good chemistry and are both tortured souls. Anthony has a very dark side but as Melissa breaks into his heart he becomes softer and redeemable. I would compare Anthony to Anne Stuart's dark tortured heroes with many flaws. This first novel has great promise for the series.
rhodaj's review against another edition
4.0
As I won this book as part of First Reads, I would firstly like to thank the author for the opportunity to read and review this book!
Firstly, I have to say that I like historical fiction, however am not a fan of the romance genre. This book certainly sounded interesting enough for me to enter the competition though, although the historical part of it was of more interest to me. Having said that, I am no expert on time periods etc - I just enjoy the genre :-)
Ok, on to Invitation to Ruin.....I really enjoyed it! There were a few parts that were a little gushy to me, including near the end (I won't spoil it for others by saying why) and although I'm no prude, every male character seemed to have an erection 90% of the time, which was a little excessive to me.
The storyline was good, although not overly surprising, however the thing that really draws you in to this story are the characters. I admired the characters, I liked them and I felt close to them, as if they were people that I knew! I wanted to know what happened to them, because I liked them! Both of the main characters, Melissa & Anthony were strong characters, and were extremely well developed.
I think the author has done a really good job on her debut novel and I would look out for her work again. I can honestly say I have made it through a romance novel now without any eye-rolling to the heavens :-)
Firstly, I have to say that I like historical fiction, however am not a fan of the romance genre. This book certainly sounded interesting enough for me to enter the competition though, although the historical part of it was of more interest to me. Having said that, I am no expert on time periods etc - I just enjoy the genre :-)
Ok, on to Invitation to Ruin.....I really enjoyed it! There were a few parts that were a little gushy to me, including near the end (I won't spoil it for others by saying why) and although I'm no prude, every male character seemed to have an erection 90% of the time, which was a little excessive to me.
The storyline was good, although not overly surprising, however the thing that really draws you in to this story are the characters. I admired the characters, I liked them and I felt close to them, as if they were people that I knew! I wanted to know what happened to them, because I liked them! Both of the main characters, Melissa & Anthony were strong characters, and were extremely well developed.
I think the author has done a really good job on her debut novel and I would look out for her work again. I can honestly say I have made it through a romance novel now without any eye-rolling to the heavens :-)
jkh107's review
1.0
This book starts out with a mistaken-identity rape of sleeping respectable girl (instead of her slutty cousin). Well, it seems mistaken but it soon becomes quite clear that the hero has been set up by his TOTALLY INSANE family members to do this because they think this girl is right for him (WTF? moment #1).
At any rate, this little horrorshow inevitably, as this is a Regency romance, leads to an engagement as opposed to prosecution. But the hero is adverse to having children--he doesn't want to pass on his father's legacy of abuse--so he won't repeat his "mistake" with his fiancee/wife although he's been a total manslut to date (WTF? moment #2).
While the hero and heroine are trying to establish their relationship, a pair of perverted (in graphic detail!) villains/slavers try to keep this pair apart by kidnapping the heroine in order to sell her as a sex slave. The villains in this book are over the top in their awfulness, and I was really put off by the detail about their sadistic sexual practices and also the horrible assault on the heroine (which itself was sort of waved away by the characters at the end as a total nonissue, in the final WTF? moment of the book--see spoilers for more detail).
Near the end of the book, the villain perpetuates an sexual assault on the heroine. Which is totally NOT DEALT WITH at all in the book--the characters are all like "Oh, she wasn't raped, thank God" and the heroine is told and decides not even to tell her husband about it--like being forced to give oral sex is really not "rape rape" (to quote Whoopi Goldberg). The emotional fallout from this sort of thing in the real world--especially the Regency milieu when oral sex was probably considered sodomy or an act against nature--would have been intense, and IMO it should have been dealt with in some way during the denouement. I'm still getting hot face thinking about it.
I really can't in good conscience recommend this book. Major chunks of plot made no sense at all and too much of it was repulsive but written in a way that made you wonder if it wasn't meant to be titillating too. Just...ugh.
At any rate, this little horrorshow inevitably, as this is a Regency romance, leads to an engagement as opposed to prosecution. But the hero is adverse to having children--he doesn't want to pass on his father's legacy of abuse--so he won't repeat his "mistake" with his fiancee/wife although he's been a total manslut to date (WTF? moment #2).
While the hero and heroine are trying to establish their relationship, a pair of perverted (in graphic detail!) villains/slavers try to keep this pair apart by kidnapping the heroine in order to sell her as a sex slave. The villains in this book are over the top in their awfulness, and I was really put off by the detail about their sadistic sexual practices and also the horrible assault on the heroine (which itself was sort of waved away by the characters at the end as a total nonissue, in the final WTF? moment of the book--see spoilers for more detail).
I really can't in good conscience recommend this book. Major chunks of plot made no sense at all and too much of it was repulsive but written in a way that made you wonder if it wasn't meant to be titillating too. Just...ugh.
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