Frances doesn’t want to marry and finds herself coming up with a plan to get out of it. I liked the fact that she was a strong character who spoke her mind (the fact that she made lists was cute). Evan was just a nice character all round; trying to do well for his brothers, that integrity gave him extra points in my eyes.

I had to stop myself from reading this in one sitting!! It was so poignant and perfect, and I wanted more of these characters. The story keeps moving from the first chapter, and I didn't want to put it down. I was so worried these two would not be able to end up together, the world seemed stacked against them. The whole story was so well done, and the way all of the plot pieces came together was satisfying. Truly a great read.

After seeing the title, I knew I had to read this book. I'm so glad I did! "A Lady's Rules for Ruin", I mean how intriguing. Why would anyone sign up to be "ruined"? How exactly will she ruin herself? What are these rules? What could possibly drive a lady to make this choice? Who would agree to help her ruin herself? I had to know the answers. Miss Frances Cherrington is tired of her family telling her how to feel, how to act and what to think. She's her own person and everyone telling her how to live her life is driving her crazy. After a short conversation with the very attractive Earl of Winthrop, she has come to one conclusion, in order to live her life the way she wants she must ruin her reputation. The Earl of Winthrop enjoys talking to Miss Cherrington and is completely confused after their brief conversation. His whole world is about to change due to his father's indiscretions. Their two worlds seem to collide at every turn. I was yelling at the book, "no, no, no", "OMGoodness", "why!?", "don't do it!", etc. This book had my emotions all over the place. I couldn't stop reading, couldn't stop turning the page, and hated when I had to put it down. I was invested in these characters and what happened to them. I loved this book! I will definitely recommend this book and read more from this author.

A woman that doesn't want to marry is a rare creature especially for a historical romance, byt Frances knows exactly what she wants and decides to take matters into her own hands and ruin her reputation in order to get her control of life back.

Her family doesn't feel the same but they need her to lay low for a bit so she is left on her own devices. Her first choice is to volunteer on a boys home and provide help in any way she can.

What she doesn't expect is the Evan, an earl who she has kept her distance from to also have an interest in the boys home.

Evan has learned some suprising news about this late father but he is determined to make everything right, his first step is to uncover all of his secrets.

What he doesn't acount for is meeting Frances in front of him each step on the way.

This was just delightful! The perfect mix of fun and romance.

I loved seeing Evan and Frances together and how they teamed up to help the boys. It was very sweet and the romance was wonderful.


* I received an ARC and this is my honest opinion.

》ARC Review: A Lady’s Rules for Ruin《

This book ended up being quite a lovely surprise. I felt satisfied upon reading it and was absolutely grinning with every scene featuring the young brothers. Not to mention swooning over the main love story. Definitely a book historical romance lovers won’t want to miss! 3.5✨

The leads of this tale, Frances and Evan, are a perfectly imperfect match. Their chemistry is a gorgeous thing to see evolve, and their arc a joy to watch. But what I really loved from this book was the found family— an unexpected trope. I loved Evans’ little brothers so very much. The young brothers help move the plot forward, bringing our leads together in a natural way, allowing their love story to unfold.

That said, I did think the book dragged towards the middle. The beginning was engaging, the ending was fantastic, but my attention really waned in the middle. Nevertheless, that ending was dynamite! I probably should not have been surprised with the direction this ending took, but I was, in the best way! It invigorated much needed energy into the book. It brought my attention back to the story and I felt engaged and excited again. So while I wish the middle had a bit more oomph, the ending more than made up for that. Closing the story on a high note.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Frances and Evan. I didn't know what to expect from this one!! Frances is tired of the pressures from her family to join the marriage mart and find a husband, so she decides to ruin herself (perhaps a bit implausible). While Evan, who has had a tendre for her, discovers he has several illegitimate brothers. They continue to be thrown together as they both navigate the consequences of these actions and discoveries, and I loved seeing how things progressed. Very much enjoyed this one and it stands well on its own

4.5 Stars! I loved this so much, I basically devoured this. This was a cute budding love story that started out with the FMC dead set on never being married, so much so that she's willing to do anything to prevent it from happening. The character development was so endearing and I got closure from one of the characters who was sooo terrible to the FMC. I loved the growth of the children as well. The spice level was 1-2, but who needs lots of spice when you have so many heartfelt declarations of love!?

Thank you, NetGalley, Entangled Publishing, and Author for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Lady's Rules for Ruin
by Jennifer Haymore
Pub Date: 28 Nov 2023

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.

Each book in The Lions and Lilies series is STANDALONE:
* The Duke's Rules Of Engagement
* A Lady's Rules for Ruin

It was an okay story. I enjoyed the first one more. It flowed much nicer. I liked the characters but it was hard to stay engaged in the story.

A Duke’s Rules of Engagement was one of my fave reads from last year so I was eager to read book 2. Frances ruins her reputation on purpose to escape her family’s pressure to marry. Evan suddenly learns he has illegitimate half-brothers along with another secret.

Frances alternately wanted to break from her family and go her own way, or protect them and cater to them, so she seemed inconsistent. Her family was so terrible it was a caricature and the resolution was drawn out. This was still highly readable, but Evan was a little flat. I never felt much chemistry between these two, not like Jo and Matthew book 1. This was a little too insta-just for me.

I loved Evan and Frances. 2 souls who have yet to find their identity wholly and completely

Evan learns that he is illegitimate and has found 3 brothers that his father has outside of his wedlock. His journey in the book is not only to deal with the blow from about his birth but also acting pseudo father figure to his little brothers. And then there are his feelings for Frances, deep, sensual and confusing.

Frances is lost in a family of achievers and is trying to find out her passion in life but is being pressured by them to marry. She deliberately ruins herself and through chance encounters (interspersed with lots of hot loving) helps Evan deal with his new brothers.
Her plan to ruin herself comes back to bite her, but eventually things work out for the lovebirds.

Great read would recommend.

This author is becoming a favorite author to read in the historical romance genre. She stretches the boundaries of what is acceptable and unacceptable in the confines of the era. She’s unafraid to show the characters with emotion and heat, steam, and all of those other sexy vibes.

A second book in a series, but definitely a standalone, the author takes a deep dive into the forced marriages issue of the day with a character that would rather ruin herself than be forced into a loveless marriage. The family pressure is strong in this one and many unforgivable acts are committed by the family as well.

On the other hand, we have a blooming romance, some adorable siblings, and a surprising turn of events that keep those pages flipping. I love how the author does not shy away from harsh topics and builds the love connection in a unique and fun way.

Haymore brings us a richly developed burning love match that is steamy and loaded with causes that will suck you in so much you will find yourself definitely taking sides, if not ready to throw your book, phone, e-reader, etc. This story is unique and loaded with twists that captivate!

A Lady’s Rules for Ruin is a fabulous read and not to be missed! Check out book 1 as it is a winner too!

I am a huge fan of regency romance, so it may be that I've read "too much" at this point, but this book came across like a poor caricature of the genre. Too much "instalove" and not enough real conflict.

A heartmeltingly touching, steamy, fun-filled, romance!
A marvel of slow burn, opening of hearts, meeting of minds, romance that rings with first impressions not always being the right one. As acceptance grows and shifts into a recognition of dependency and understanding that explodes with a delightfully palpable chemistry and blooms with steamy intimacy, that so effortlessly made me like, connect and love the five at its heart equality and immeasurably...I could of happily remained in their presence for hours.
A romance that has the power to make me care about its characters, feel their pain, frustrations, joy and radiate with hope, for them desperately, to have the strength to overcome their insecurities, or find that person that raises them up and gives them that feeling of worth, purpose and support they so desperately crave, or didn't realise they needed, is my kind of tale and Haymore delivered in spade loads with A LADY'S RULES FOR RUIN.
I connected so easily with Frances, Evan and the boys on every emotional level. They sooo slide under my skin, made my heart melt and stole a piece of it in the process...that I couldn't help the tears falling throughout the last quarter of the book and cheering them on wholeheartedly.
An author that's so firmly cemented herself on my must read list, I no longer read the blurbs for fear they will give away any secrets or spoil each surprise, so I can ultimately savour each twist and turn in their journey to a HEA as they ebb and flow towards me!
A wonderful romance, with a captivating plot that glows with the warmth of finding those you truly connect with, who understand you and choose to hold you close as family. While giving you the freedom to be who you truly are, or support that strive to find out just who you want that person to be. LOVED IT...highly recommended!

Miss Frances Cherrington would rather be a spinster and have agency over herself, but her family keeps forcing her into the marriage mart. An unlikely conversation with Evan, Earl of Winthrop, inspires an escape from her nuptial troubles: ruination! Evan didn't mean to give Frances such ideas; he was dealing with his own secret scandal. The two find themselves pushed together in an unexpected fashion, but can Frances and Evan be honest with each other before the past catches up to them?

This is the second book in The Lions and Lilies series. It is a standalone, but the hero from the first story is friends with Evan and makes an appearance.

This book surprised me...in a good way. While the main characters begin the story together, they seemed to go their separate ways and I wasn't quite sure how the author was going to pull their plot strings back together. I really liked how much time the characters spent together and how much of their lives they shared with each other. The last third of the story went very quickly because I wanted to punch Frances's brother in the face, so I had to keep reading to get to the HEA.

Tropes: Spinster, Compromised, Ruined, Forced Proximity, Children as a Plot Point

Steam: 3

* I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

3.5 rounded to four stars. There was so much I liked about this book. I loved the main characters and how their relationship developed. I loved how the FMC had to completely reevaluate her assessment of the MMC. And the kids….oh, the kids. They were wonderful.

But I hated the FMC’s family—in particular her brother—with the fire of 1000 suns. Without spoiling anything, I had to skip through THOSE chapters—you’ll know when you get to them—because I just could not take her brother’s misogynistic abuse. The apology was far too little, way too late.

I loved so much of this book, but those chapters killed the good feelings I had. This was my first book by this author; I will definitely give her another try, but I am really hoping this type of plot device isn’t common for her.

4 Stars! Such a cute read! This is the second book in ‘The Lions and the Lilies’ series and can be read as a standalone. The main character are Frances Cherrigton and the Earl of Winthrop, Evan Locke. I liked both main characters and I enjoyed their banter. This book is a slow burn with naive decisions, friends to lovers, historical romance with an overly controlling brother and some spicy ‘sexy times’!
The only thing I wasn’t loving was how easily solved the issue could have been but how difficult they made it seem. Other than that, I really enjoyed reading this book. I enjoyed the first book in the series also so I’d recommend both of these books because I am loving this author!
*I received this book at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

4.5 Stars

My first read by Jennifer Haymore and I’m already hooked! She gave us two dynamic characters with hardships to overcome while they fell in love.

Miss Frances Cherrington is the last of the Cherrington siblings still on the marriage mart. At the age of twenty-five, she’s close to spinsterhood, but not close enough. When she bumps into Evan Locke, The Earl of Winthrop, at a masquerade, the idea of ruining herself sparks. She knows her twin sister wants her to explore a relationship with a friend of theirs, Mr. Salt, but he will be leaving for a year long archeological dig the next morning. Frances strikes up a conversation with Mr. Salt, kisses him where she knows she’ll be seen and walks away. The next day, the gossip rags draw a caricature of her kiss and she is firmly ruined. Some unexpected consequences arise when her brother learns of the travesty.

All while Frances deals with her problems, Evan digs into his own. He is alerted that his philander of a father has at least one blow-by that he was supporting. When he goes to meet seven-year-old Bobby, the lad is with Frances who just started volunteering at the boys home. Once they meet Bobby, they learn about another blow-by, twelve-year-old Jasper. At eleven, the boys are kicked out of the home and sent to work. Jasper works delivering coal throughout the city of London, but Evan finds him and brings both of his brothers home. Through it all, Frances becomes more involved in Evan’s growing family, but more secrets keep the pair from declaring their feelings and making things permanent.

While some might characterize Frances as a wallflower, I would not. All of her siblings have found their passions in life and someone to share them with. While Frances is knowledgable in many things, she is aimless when it comes to her passion. The idea of volunteering at the boys home was the only thing on her list of possible passions she felt a spark for. Meeting Bobby brought out her maternal side and when she met Jasper, her passion began to build. The fact that these charming boys were Evan’s brothers ignited her passion for him.

While Evan fumbles through his duties as an older brother, he explores his feelings for Frances. I loved Evan’s charm and dedication. His erupting passion for Frances had me pining for their happily ever after. Of course, more bumps in the road came to halt their happiness.

Haywood gives us one twist after another. Tears are likely a good idea to keep close while reading. The last several chapters are a road I never saw coming. I woke up at five am just so I could finish reading it. This is the second book in the series so I’m excited to see who Haywood will choose next to find their happily ever after.

I received A Lady's Rules for Ruin for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I got about 20% into this book and just wasn’t loving it. This was my first book in this time period (not sure when but seems comparable to bridgerton) and I just wasn’t drawn in. I think others may find this book enjoyable but it just wasn’t for me. DNF

It had been a while since I'd come across a historical romance book that I enjoyed as much as this one. I was truly captivated by the story, and I found myself unable to put it down, finishing it in just a few hours. The writing was not only engaging but also had its moments of humor, making the reading experience all the more enjoyable.

The characters were charming, and what stood out was how well the author differentiated the children, a rarity when there are multiple of them in a story. The love story woven throughout the book was enchanting. The main characters shared a sweet chemistry, and I admired how the author orchestrated their frequent and comical encounters in seemingly impossible situations.

Frances' journey, breaking free from the constraints of her family, especially her brother, and discovering her own path, with Evan's support, was a highlight for me. Equally heartwarming was how both Frances and Evan found a sense of family in each other and the boys.

But let me not forget the last 50 pages or so... I was filled with anger and devastation on behalf of poor Frances. I almost couldn't believe that we would actually get our Happy Ever After (HEA). Fortunately, that turned out to be the case. 'Gott sei dank,' as we say in German.

I willingly read and provided a review for an advanced copy of this book. All the thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely mine.