A SEASON OF RUIN is book two in Anna Bradley's Sutherland
Scandals series. When I first got A SEASON OF RUIN, I
started at the beginning and intended to flip through it
in order to get a feel for the story before truly
starting it. It soon became apparent that A SEASON OF
RUIN is the kind of book that is completely addictive, and
I was unable to stop reading until the very end. In
general, stories with a rake as the hero usually have
oodles of witty repartee, and A SEASON OF RUIN does not
disappoint.
I love a good farce and there is something decidedly and
deliciously farcical about Robyn Sutherland and Lily
Somerset's relationship in A SEASON OF RUIN. Lily is
newly Robyn's sister-in-law, living in the family home,
being sponsored by his mother and good friends with his
sisters. All of those things make her the equivalent of
poison ivy in his eyes. Anna Bradley throws together
these two very unlikely lovers in a very erotic encounter
in the dark when Robyn mistakes Lily for another
paramour. I like that Anna Bradley writes the scene twice
--from both perspectives--so that readers get to
experience it through both characters. The sensuality of
this chance meeting will make you shiver as you read
along.
The fallout from the scandalous behavior between Robyn
and Lily, and how they respond to it, tells the reader a
lot about who they are. Learning about Lily's mother
makes me understand Lily's behavior a little better. The
tailspin, that their mutual sexual frustration throws
Lily and Robyn into, makes for some entertaining
storytelling. I particularly love Robyn's often confused
state. It's almost as if Lily is employing reverse
psychology on Robyn without him knowing it. The
developments toward the end involving Lily's family add
an interesting complication to the story. Having a
romantic rival makes Robyn a little crazy and
desperate--which is very amusing--but also spurs him to be a
better
romantic hero. The contrast between Robyn and Lord
Atherton serves to accentuate what Lily and the reader
likes best about Robyn.
A SEASON OF RUIN is an enthralling romance about a rake
who stumbles into love and the lady who catches him. I am
no stranger to historical romances and the concept of
ruination, but Anna Bradley very skillfully captures the
ton as a very terrifying collective. I look forward to
seeing what delights Anna Bradley has in store for her
next book.
Anna Bradley, author of A Wicked Way to Win an
Earl, continues her Sutherland Scandals series with a
tantalizing new Regency romance filled with opulence,
elegance, and forbidden desire...
Lily Somerset’s plan for the London season is simple:
courtship, marriage to a respectable gentleman, then the
comfortable existence of a proper Lady. That is, until one
tiny misstep leaves Lily on the edge of social ruin, forcing
her to depend on a wicked rogue to save her reputation.
Robyn Sutherland doesn’t save reputations—he sullies them.
He'd rather be drawn and quartered than find himself
spending the season as Lily's escort. But he has no choice
but to stay until her tattered standing is mended.
What begins as a ruse to deceive London soon flames into an
uncontrollable passion. Robyn calls to the wild spirit that
lurks beneath Lily’s prim exterior, and Lily awakens the
hero’s heart within Robyn. But can these unlikely lovers
trust themselves enough to let desire overrule reason?
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