A Lady's Rules for Ruin by Jennifer Haymore is such a wonderful read. I am over the moon after receiving the advanced copy. The whole book just so sweet.

I love France's character. She such a bold and brave woman who will do everything to achieve what she want. That's including planning for her own ruin just to escape the marriage market. She is such a unique character.

This is a very unique and interesting story which have a lot of plot twist. Despite having their family issue, reader are able to feel the sexual tension between Frances and Evan. There's a lot of temptations and explicit spicy scenes.

This book have a little bit of suspense, angst, sweet romance, high sexual tension, hot spicy scenes, heart breaking moments and tears. I'll definitely be waiting for more books from Jennifer Haymore and I'm looking forward to read the next story perhaps about those Winthrop brothers.

The first few pages I wasn’t so sure I’d enjoy the style and then after giving it a few more I was so happy to continue! It is such a sweet romance - although it is quite, not fantastical necessarily, but very soap opera esque. I’d say spice level is like a 1.5🌶️ for my tastes, but, the story is so fun it’s not a diminishing matter.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a pretty good addition to the series and I am looking forward to more. This was a good read.

I really enjoy Jennifer Haymore's writing, but this book didn't get to the love mark for me. I completely sympathized with FMC Frances' desire not to be pushed towards marriage, but I thought her decision to ruin herself was not super well thought out and did not properly consider the possible consequences to others - something she realized far too late. It seemed at times like she was an incredibly naive girl trying to play at being a sophisticated woman. I felt similarly about MMC Evan. He is very sweet but seems at times to not be concentrating on the right things or solutions. I did love his quick devotion to his three young half-brothers and how the boys got to play a role in finally bringing Frances and Evan back together.

The steaminess was good if again approached with a more lackadaisical feel than I would expect from two aristocratics during this time period. The family's willingness to go along with Charles' villainy did not speak well of them, and while I appreciated Harriet eventually coming to Frances' support, to me it seemed a bit too little too late.

Still, well-written and the characters were developed enough for me to have actual reactions to and thoughts about them 2.5 stars rounded to 3, and I will still look for Jennifer Haymore's next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.

Frances Cherrington wants to be a spinster and never marry. Her family endlessly demands that she goes to balls, smile and tries to snag a husband, but Frances views marriage as just another stifling prison where someone else can dictate what she does and where she goes, instead of just living her own life however she sees fit. But no matter how often she tells her family that she doesn’t want to marry, nobody listens. Her brother and her four sisters keep badgering her to be polite, smile more often, engage with eligible men and dance at every outing she is expected to visit. Their endless pressure and critique drives her crazy so one day she decides to ruin her reputation and thus no longer be an eligible candidate for marriage. After kissing a odious man who leaves the continent, she’s free and starts spending more and more of her time taking care of an orphaned boy and the Earl of Winthrop, who turns out to be related. But although she’s relieved that her family leaves her alone regarding visiting social functions, she wasn’t prepared for the level of scorn she receives from society, or the backlash to her relatives… so when an unexpected and unwanted ‘solution’ to her troubles presents itself, she’s confused and devastated and torn, because what must she do now?!
The setting was refreshing; not many books have the heroine ruin herself and have her deal with the backlash as an unmarried and ruined woman. I liked Frances, although it was clear she didn’t think through about the consequences of her decision to get ruined, what it would do for her family. I found her rather naïve in that regard. And I would have expected a woman bold enough to get herself ruined would stand up to her <i>very</i> controlling brother! She acts like a little girl, being cowed by her older brother, who acts as her father. Why can’t she stand up to him and just refuse to do his bidding? I would! Instead she just let her brother dictate her life - again - and just give up. After all that she did to escape such a life… Besides that, it is a refreshing plot and a story many will enjoy. I loved Evan’s gifts for Frances. The epilogue wrapped up any loose ends, and everybody gets their happily ever after.
Thank you Netgalley and the Entangled Publishing for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Frances is a woman whose family only thinks about trying to get her married but she wants freedom. Evan is an earl who finds out he has 3 illegitimate brothers and decides to raise them. Evan and Frances already know each other but have a chance meeting at the orphanage and through his brothers keep meeting. I thought this book was sweet- definitely felt the love story with alot of steamy parts! A must read!

Thanks to Entangled and NetGalley for this ARC!
Enjoyable regency romance read, a standalone but technically part of a series too, I’ll have to check the others out!

I enjoyed this book’s inclusion of a social cause to help drive the plot, which is refreshing when so many such books focus much more on the whimsy of rich folk’s life.

Absolutely adorable!! If you have a soft spot for kids in need - this is the heartwarming, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers regency romance you need to read this fall! (Pub Date: November 28th, 2023)

A SHORT PREVIEW: Miss Frances Charrington's family has just barely escaped the poor house.. but to maintain their societal standing, they have turned their sights on Frances to marry. While vowing to remain a spinster and concocting hair-brained schemes to stay so - finds a worthy adversary in the Earl of Winthrop. The Earl of Winthrop, though? He's got even more secrets and more to lose.

***Part of a series but can be read as a standalone Regency romance!!

Regency romance is always so much better when the characters are championing a cause - because we all know baths were rare and kindness even more scarce. I like to think that were I regency-era character - championing impoverished children would have been something I would have delighted in. Especially as a lady with no options for education etc.?

Whenever I read characters like Miss Frances Charrington, I'm immediately drawn to their feisty nature. We know they have their flaws as headstrong heroines.. but that makes them more relatable!!! There's an exchange with France's brother Charles and she - you'll know when you get there - that had me almost in tears. Times are so different but still somewhat the same in how one person's actions can shape a family.

NOTES:
- CWs: child abus3 and poor conditions of orphanages discussed

**Thank you to Entangled Publishing, LLC, Entangled: Amara & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

Oh my my my....Jennifer took me on adventure so detailed I felt I was there. If you're looking for a breathtaking adventure full of twists and turns this is the story that will expel you into an adventure that you will never forget.