ARC Review: A Rogue to Ruin (The Pretenders #3) by Darcy Burke
12:00
Series: The Pretenders #3
Author: Darcy Burke
Published February 23rd 2021 by Darcy Burke Publishing
Goodreads Synopsis
From USA Today bestselling author Darcy Burke, your next Regency obsession: The Pretenders! Set in Burke’s popular world of The Untouchables, indulge in the saga of a trio of siblings who excel at being something they’re not. Can a dauntless Bow Street Runner, a devastated viscount, and a disillusioned Society miss unravel their secrets?
Anne Pemberton was one of the Season’s most popular young misses until her betrothed was arrested for extortion at their wedding. Now a social pariah, she can’t help but think back to the dashing gentleman she met before the Season started. Though they spent several afternoons exploring East London together, they never disclosed their names. They did, however, share a kiss, and Anne can’t forget it—or him.
Former thief Rafe Blackwell is now a respectable gentleman with one goal: to take down the man who murdered his parents. Reunited with Anne, their attraction still blazes strong, and he can’t let her get too close, for his heart is forever cold and his mission too desperate. But when Anne seeks to save him—both emotionally and physically—he’ll have to embrace the darkness or risk losing the only light he’s ever known.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
Anne Pemberton is in London for her first season, when she meets a handsome stranger, who she dubs Lord Bodyguard, at a book store. They spend their Thursday afternoons together, never revealing their true identities, and she soon falls in love. However, her parents are adamant she marries, especially after her sister Jane's perceived ruined reputation, and so she is betrothed to Gilbert Chamberlain. However, when he is arrested for extortion on their wedding day, she finds herself ruined, and in hiding with her sister. Anne can't stop thinking about Lord Bodyguard, and when she spots him in her brother-in-law's hallway, and discovers his true identity, Rafe Bowles (Blackwell), she won't let him slip through her fingers again. For Rafe, he has vague memories of his parents, before he and his sister, Selina, were stolen away to London at a young age. He has many identities, from the Vicar, to Blackwell, Bowles, and now perhaps the long lost heir to an Earldom? He can't believe his luck, but it appears that his uncle, the current Earl, may have had a hand in the fire that took his parents, and was meant to take him too. He wants to keep Anne at arms length, and not ruin her with his past, but it's difficult to do, and perhaps he needs her more than he could imagine? Will Rafe be able to discover the truth about his lineage, or will his past come back to haunt him?
After binging this series, I can safely say this was the perfect ending anyone could've asked for. Any and all questions you may have had previously have been answered, and then some. Rafe had intrigued me every time we saw him in the previous books, and learning what he got up to in the time he and Selina had been separated was lovely, as was seeing his softer side, and him being vulnerable with Anne. I just love stories like this, when the long lost heir is discovered, and it brought together the perfect mix of mystery and intrigue, with the added bonus of a wonderful romance, all neatly tied together with a bow. Anne and Rafe had a chemistry that was unreal - though they aren't my favourite couple of the series - and the moments we saw between them in the prologue were simply beautiful as a meet cute. There were some moments between them when I wanted to laugh, and others cry, but it was so real and natural. I'm so pleased with the conclusion, and the way all three main characters from the series get the closure they've been looking for. I can't wait for Darcy's next book!
Dates Read:
Rating
4 Stars
0 comments