When her double life catches up with her, she must use all of her wits to survive.
Craving freedom and adventure, Rose Clairmont is far more interested in operating her secret smuggling activities at her father’s estate than looking for a respectable husband. So when a handsome man with ties to piracy stumbles over her during her debutante ball, Rose congratulates herself on being ruined and expects to be sent home in disgrace…until he agrees to marry her.
Forever besmirched by his father’s pirate reputation, Anthony Germaine wishes to uphold the law as a Bow Street Runner. When he sneaks into a ball hoping to join, he’s tossed out and falls on a woman hiding in the garden. Society is abuzz and Anthony, despite his roots, is a gentleman. But when he visits her estate to court his bride-to-be, he realizes there’s more to Rose than meets the eye. And she’s in danger.
Suddenly, playing it safe no longer appeals and Anthony contemplates an adventure that will prove as dangerous to his life as it is to his heart.
Titles in the Daughters of Disgrace series include — The Road to Ruin – The Slide into Ruin – The Fall into Ruin –
Title: The Fall into Ruin
Series: Daughters of Disgrace #3
Author: Bronwyn Stuart
Genre: Regency Romance (Historical)
Published: February 22, 2021
Publisher: Tule Publishing
My Rating: 4.5 stars
The Fall into Ruin, which is the third title in the Daughters of Disgrace series, takes readers on a roller coaster ride of double lives, trying to do what’s right, and discovering that love happens unexpectedly – even in the midst of chaos and danger.
I had such a good time with Rose and Anthony in a world that I’ve become comfortable with, and returning characters that add so much to this “plans gone wrong” romance. Rose has no interest nor intent on finding a “good” marriage or taking part in her debut – but her nasty father has other ideas. She’d much rather be dealing with smuggling operations than planning a wedding to a man she had no intent upon marrying. Anthony might have unintentionally ruined her in the ton’s eyes, but his actions worked out perfectly for Rose since she believed she would be sent home to live a spinster’s life in disgrace with her on the side activities uninterrupted. All that changed when Anthony agreed to marry the woman whose future he’d ruined while trying to do the right thing. What a mess for them both!
I don’t like to pick a favorite in a series, because I usually enjoy them immensely anyway. But I have to admit that I now have a soft spot for The Fall into Ruin. I adored Rose. She’s strong, stubborn, and determined to live her life as she sees fit, and a husband doesn’t fit in anywhere in her future plans. Anthony is just swoon-worthy as a man who needs to clean up his family’s reputation enough to be able to work in a professional capacity in taking down the bad guys, and there are a lot of them around. Oh, Rose and Anthony have something in common – they just don’t know it yet.
As always with this author, the writing is smooth, the plot engaging with enough twists to keep everyone satisfied. I enjoyed watching Rose and Anthony find their way to each other through the misadventures of their first meeting, the secrets they’re keeping, and the troubles tossed in their path to happiness. This is a couple who just worked for me, in spite of a rocky beginning for them. If you love a Regency Romance with a touch of danger, a couple to be rooting for as you laugh and fall in love along with them, some truly nasty folks, and a bit of a mystery as well – then this entire series, and especially The Fall into Ruin would be perfect for you.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Tule Publishing. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
Available for your favorite e-reader, mine is the Kindle
