Review: A Lady's Rules For Ruin (The Lions and the Lilies #2) by Jennifer Haymore

                                     

Print Length: 384 pages

Publisher: Entangled, Amara (November 28, 2023)

From Goodreads.com: She’s found the perfect plan to avoid marriage…

Miss Frances Cherrington has long been criticized as independent and prickly. And she’s fine with it. Truth be told, she’d prefer to be a spinster—damn her family’s desires. But it’s a conversation with the devilishly handsome yet highly infuriating Earl of Winthrop that inspires the perfect escape from her nuptial troubles. Frances could ensure that no one will marry her—by happily ruining her own reputation…

The Earl of Winthrop knows more about ruin than anyone suspects. He’s just uncovered a secret that would tear his name—and everything he’s worked for—to the ground. Certainly, marriage is out of the question…to say nothing of his growing attraction to the forthright and delectable Miss Cherrington.

Though all London is abuzz with Frances’s “disgrace,” she’s determined to use her freedom however she sees fit. Even if it means spending more time with a man who sets her body on fire. But when Frances’s misdeeds catch up to her, the ruinous disaster she finds herself in blazes out of control, taking all of her options with it.

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My Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Let me being by saying that is the first book in this series that I have read. I thought I had read the prior one, but apparently I had read a different book with a similar concept. That fact did not stop me from understanding or enjoying this one. 

Now, on the whole I DID enjoy this story, even though I had several issues with it. Let me clarify these issues are not with the author's writing style, as I feel she was a way of drawing the reader in and keeping the pace even without getting bogged down in too many details. My problems are all with the story itself. 

My problem wasn't even really with Frances who knew enough about how society worked to know that if she were ruined, her family would also be affected, yet she acted surprised when this happened. No, my problem was with her entire family. Not a single one of them actually listened to Frances when she made HER wishes and desires known, all assuming that because they were either older or married (or both) THEY knew better than she did what SHE wanted. And even when her twin tried to help, she still did it in an extremely stupid way (why would you carry a secret letter out of your sisters room in plain sight knowing that your brother knew where you had been and would be suspicious of the letter no matter if he saw you just coming out of her room or somewhere else in the house? Why not hide the letter somewhere on your person until you can get it to where it needs to go?

Most horrid of all was her brother Charles who not only tends to like to jump to conclusions, but also resort to cruel tactics instead of shutting the heck up and LISTENING for once. The majority of the drama of the last part of the book could have been avoided if he just put his own stubborn pride aside and LISTENED to his sister instead of hurling false accusations at her. Even when she finally does end up getting married just as he wanted (and to an Earl no less), Charles still cannot put aside his pride. In fact, not only does he not attend the wedding at all, but it takes him another six months or more to go see his sister and apologize. 

On the opposite side of this, I enjoyed Evan's character and his commitment to do right by his half-brothers as not many members of the ton would have recognized that they had half-brother's much less taken them in and raised them. I also found the brothers be delightful and I very much enjoyed the way they were instrumental to finally bringing our two characters together for their happily-ever-after. 

All things considered, I do believe this novel will appeal to fans of historical romance novels, although I am warning you, Charles is a real piece of work. 

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

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                                        A Lady's Rules For Ruin is available on Amazon.com