Our Couple, Rafe & Anne, have a unconventional meeting, especially for 1819. In a bookshop, which I love, and with only the intention of having a lovely time. Meeting once a week to explore London, Rafe is a very good travel guide, he knows lots of interesting places. They grow closer but each knows it can't become anything serious. A chance meeting a while later is a good but rocky start to a lovely HEA.

#DarcyBurke #ARogueToRuin #ThePrentenders #historicalromance #booklovers ( )

Discoveries!

I loved that bad boy Rafe Blackwell (Bowles) met the woman he finds irresistible in a bookstore. Anne Pemberton has suffered a setback, well really a close escape, when her fiancé turns out to be a crook, an extortionist. She was left at the altar. (Rafe was involved in this). Needless to say society places their disapproval on Anne.
Anne’s not worried. “Much to [her] parents’ horror, she’d declared herself a spinster and moved into a house in Cavendish Square owned by her friend Phoebe, who was now the Marchioness of Ripley.”
Unfortunately her godfather is worried by her declaration of independence and seems to be pushing her towards engaging in social events.
Meanwhile Rafe is hiding a secret, a tawdry background in the underbelly of London, abut how he arrived there and who he is is clouded. He has been searching for information he can only see in dreams.
As Rafe and Anne become more closely involved with each other their world is about to be shocked.
A pleasing read where secrets have power and surface impressions are not always true.

A Darcy Burke Publication ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change ( )

A Rogue to Ruin by Darcy Burke
The Pretenders # 3

With Rafe’s story this trilogy ends BUT what a series and an ending this proved to be! Family, friends, intrigue, cunning, survival, enduring love and support for one another has seen Selina and her sister-of-the-heart Beatrix find their happily ever after. And, with that same support and love the two women will assist where they can as Rafe, their brother, moves forward into the life he has envisioned and also finds his future happiness with an incredible woman.

What I liked:
* Rafe: a good man who has done whatever, well almost whatever, it took to survive, thrive, and keep those he loves as safe as he can. His desire has been to become a man his father, a man he can’t remember well, would be proud of.
* Anne: smart, intrepid, engaging, outspoken, knows what she wants, suffered a scandal, and yet she is so much more. I liked her and liked her with Rafe…a WHOLE lot!
* That Selina, Beatrix and their husbands were brought into play in this book.
* Gradually finding out who the characters in this trilogy REALLY were – felt good!
* That the bad guy was exposed for what he truly was
* That one of the cousins was not a bad guy and wondering if he might show up in a future book to find his own HEA.
* The series – all of it! The characters, writing, steamy and other bits. Can’t wait to find out what this author will come up with next!

What I didn’t like:
* The person(s) I was meant not to like
* Knowing that the life of youth on the streets was as bad as or worse than those of the main characters in this trilogy.

Did I like this book? Definitely!
Will I read more by this author? Without a doubt!!

Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars ( )

I received an ARC of this book to read through a reading group. All opinions are my own.
A Rogue to Ruin is the third book in Darcy Burke’s delightful The Pretenders series and one I’ve been waiting to read because the character of Rafe Blackwell intrigued me. He’s one of those dark heroes with lots of layers to unwrap. I advise reading the series in order as there is a mystery running through it and it’s resolved in this book. The heroine Anne Pemberton is spunky, adventurous, not afraid to ask for what she wants, as well as being kind and intelligent. The trope is friends to lovers with a mystery to be solved, lots of adventure, a nasty villain and friends and family that have your back. I enjoyed this book immensely and highly recommend reading it. Steam Level: Medium. Publishing Date: February 23, 2021. #ARogueToRuin #DarcyBurke #HistoricalRomance #HistoricalRomanceSeries #bookstagram #bookstagrammer ( )

I began reading this series with some trepidation because I’m not a fan of people presenting themselves as something they are not. However, since I’ve never read anything I didn’t like from this author, I decided to give it a try. Goodness, I’m glad I did! I have thoroughly enjoyed each of the books in the series, and this one just puts the icing on the cake! It is definitely the best book of the series because – the characters are absolutely wonderful – we get a lovely, lovely wrap-up of all of the threads in the series – we see an odious villain get his just deserts – and we also get to see a vile and odious recurring character get her comeuppance. YAY!

One of the things I love about this for a series wrap-up is that the romance between Rafe and Anne is definitely front-and-center, but Selina and Harry (A Secret Surrender), Thomas and Beatrix (A Scandalous Bargain), and Jane and Anthony (A Duke Will Never Do) all have pivotal roles in the story because it is an ending for them as well. I’m not saying you have to have read those books to enjoy this story – but if you have read them, this is even more meaningful for you. The writing is excellent, the characters are fully formed and delightfully executed, and the plot – OMGoodness. We suspected much of it but weren’t sure – and then the extra that we didn’t suspect – OMGoodness.

Rafe Blackwell (Bowles) has been known by several names and professions since he and his sister, Selina, were ‘rescued’ from their home by their nanny and then their ‘uncle’. They don’t remember their parents, nor are they sure what happened to them – they were mere babes when they were rescued. With an abundant amount of determination and ambition Rafe has worked himself up through London’s criminal underworld and has now divested himself of all of those criminal assets. He is determined to now be a gentleman, respectable, and accepted by society. He’s rich enough, handsome enough – but if society learns of his background, he’ll be ruined as will his sister and her new husband. Rafe was married once to a woman he loved, but she and their unborn child were murdered. Now, he’ll never allow himself to feel that hurt again.

Anne Pemberton isn’t exactly exiled from society, but she isn’t really welcomed with open arms either. Anne was betrothed and on her wedding day, the groom was arrested for extortion right at the altar. She’s voluntarily kept herself away from social events since that time and is seriously considering declaring herself a spinster. If only she knew who ‘Lord Bodyguard’ really was… She’d met him in Hatchard’s Bookshop before she was ever betrothed and even though they met a number of times, they never exchanged names because he didn’t wish to do so. She had fallen head-over-heels for him, but when her parents made her concentrate on the season and didn’t allow her excursions to Hatchard’s anymore, she had no way to find him. He was Lord Bodyguard and she was Mrs. Dazzling. It was an enchanting time for her – until she couldn’t find him again – though she looked at every social gathering. Then, along came a man who reminded her a bit of Lord Bodyguard, so she accepted his proposal. Now, look at her – living with her married sister Jane and her husband Anthony.

Rafe and his sister Selina have begun unearthing more and more clues about their origins, but in order to validate a very important find, they need to have access to a certain country estate. Since a certain Viscount owes Rafe a favor, he heads to his home to ask him to somehow get Rafe, Selina, and Harry an invitation to visit that estate. Imagine his total shock when one of the people he sees at the Viscount’s home is Mrs. Dazzling, and she turns out to be his sister-in-law, Miss Anne Pemberton.

The action and adventure really kick off with that meeting. What an exciting adventure it is too! We have huge betrayal, murder, attempted murder, romance, scandal, secrets, danger – well, you name it and we have it. This is one of those stories you’ll read in one sitting – at least I did. I couldn’t put it down.

You will absolutely love both Rafe and Anne. Anne is pretty much an open book and has no secrets – she just views everyone and everything in the most positive light no matter how much negativity there seems to be around her. She’s a beautiful soul. Rafe has seen all the worst life has to offer and his outside is a hardened shell – but on the inside – Oh! On the inside – he’s the sweetest, most caring, loveliest man you could ask for.

I can happily recommend this book and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ( )