I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc.

I rated this book 4.25 stars. Julia Bennet has a unique narrative that I enjoyed reading. This is the second book I've read of hers, and her subject matter is darker and grittier than the historical romances I usually read, but her characters are compelling.

This story is about Evangeline "Evie" Jones and Alex Stanton, the Duke of Harcastle. Evangeline is a medium and spiritualist, who makes her living holding seances and the like. Alex loves uncovering frauds and fakers, and he's determined to prove that Evangeline is one of the biggest frauds around. Unfortunately for Alex, he instantly falls in lust with Evangeline, and he has to combat his need to expose her with his desire for her.

I enjoyed the play between these two needs within Alex where Evangeline was concerned. And it was interesting to see how the class difference was to be eventually resolved. I am looking forward to reading more of Bennet's books.

This was a DNF. I did not realize this book was the second in a series when I requested it, and I have no desire to read the first book.

2nd book from the author and the series, and I was glad that it somehow ended up okay towards the end.

I would say that when it comes to the characters, I was more intrigued by Evie and Alex compared to the 1st book. The plot was also more intriguing, in my opinion, and the whole spiritual medium at play here was something I find exciting especially for the part of Evie and Alex since it's a bridge on their developing romance and other conflict at bay.

There's also a little bit of thrilling and pinning moments towards these characters and plot, and I was really hoping it would transcend more and give me this good rising action and climax but unfortunately, it quite ended up a little bit off and barely okay.

The same on the first book, I was really hoping that the gothic part or content here would be more pronounced, but in my opinion, it wasn't really gothic 'gothic' for me.

Although the romance department was okay, I wish it was more developed because it ended up a little bit forced to me, and the attraction felt superficial as well for some parts. I would say the smut department was at least descent.

I also wished that the pacing of the plot was a little smoother and more engaging because some parts were kind of dragging to mem

Overall, I would say it was an okay read for me. It could have been better on those parts I pointed out.

Thank you, author, for the e-arc opportunity via Netgalley.


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Date Released: September 24, 2024
Date Read and Reviewed: October 20- October 25, 2024
Ratings: 3⭐️
Spice: 🌶🌶

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for a honest review.
I did DNF after reading more than half the book.
The pacing was a bit slow and there were some things about the characters that just felt rushed without a developed relationship. I couldn’t find the connection I needed to continue reading.

Overall I think this book had so much potential but ended up being a let down for me. I loved the tension between the MMC and FMC, but it was very slow to get to any plot or romance payoff and ended up losing my interest.

The first half of the book was good and compelling but the ending was way too melodramatic for me and it felt like an afterthought to me. The writing was good and FMC was cunning but it all came to the caste differences and a tortured duke. I personally felt that the story was way too long and stretched and dramatic so much.
overall this story is 3.5 stars for me

THE RUIN OF EVANGELINE JONES is a steamy historical romance about a duke who's obsessed with uncovering frauds and the spiritualist that he falls for. i loved julia bennet's THE WORST WOMAN IN LONDON so i was all too excited to read her new novel and it did not disappoint! i absolutely loved alex and evie's chemistry and how they got off on the wrong foot but couldn't ignore the pull between them. they both felt like very well-rounded characters and i found their individual character arcs very satisfying, but i especially loved seeing them come together, take down the bad guy, and fall in love. if you're a fan of historical romances, this one is definitely for you! thanks to netgalley and the author for the advanced copy!

Genre: historical romance
London, 1888

Alex Stanton, Duke of Harcastle, knows he ought to marry an heiress and save the dukedom from financial ruin, but instead he’s out investigating charlatan spiritualists. His current target is Miss Evangeline Jones. She’s not only a spiritualist, but Alex once purchased a scandalous photo of her that shows an entirely different woman from the prim spiritualist. Even from the moment he wants to uncover her for the fraud he believes her to be, he still wants to take her to bed. Evie, on the other hand, just wants to do her job. She’s in a precarious position as a grifter and someone who earns her living on this stage, controlled by the man who raised her, a man who wants his revenge on the duke.

This is a republication of one of Julia Bennet’s earlier books, but I picked it up for the first time. One of the things I can count on with Bennet is a clever setup (not always the easiest to explain in a blurb) and an even cleverer solution. She genuinely surprises me with the decisions she makes, but they also always work, and as an indie author, she has the ability to try things other authors aren’t.

My favorite parts of The Ruin of Evangeline Jones all come towards the end of the book, so unfortunately I can’t talk about them in a review. But just know that the solution to Alex’s problems is perfect, and the commitment Evie and Alex make to one another is one of my favorites.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the author for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Another intriguing and unique romance. Loved both the main characters and can’t wait for more of the authors work.

I have extremely mixed feelings on this. Throughout the whole book it seems as the main character Evangeline will eventually be rid of and potentially get justice on the man who has used her for most of her life. Instead, that revenge is never really gained and Evangeline just lives her life in harmony with her lover, which isn't a bad thing. The book does a good job on impressing on the readers what it is like to be a women in society, and the terrors that most have to go through just to survive. Because of that, I was disappointed that the villain in the story never really got his comeuppance.

A Duke who spends his time defrauding charlatans vs the spiritualist/medium who has captivated him. Alex Stanton has just inherited a dukedom but his true passion is defrauding fakes... and his current obsession is the Spiritualist/Medium by the name of Evangeline "Evie" Jones. Alex is determined to unmask her but she's a slippery one. Evie has spent her life working towards her freedom and is now working to pay off a debt she owes to the man who took her in... but he's beginning to ask her to do things she doesn't want to do and she's afraid of what will happen if the handsome duke who is determined to unmask her does.... Alex offers Evie a bargain, if she will allow him to spend one with her and if he cant prove she's fake he'll pay her and if he succeeds she'll leave and make a public statement explaining her tricks. Yet the more time they spend together the more their attraction to each other begin to grow... but a relationship between a Duke and a poor medium could never work... yet for the first time in his life Alex finds himself falling in love and he might risk it all to be with Evie, if only they could both free Evie from her benefactor. This was a fun historical romance with way more spice than I anticipated. I loved the dynamic between Alex and Evie as it starts off as a friendly rivalry between two people who perfectly match each other and turns into a loving relationship. The book was a fun read and had me turning every page until the end. I can't wait to read more from this author and to see if she writes more in this series!

Release Date: September 24,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Julia Bennet for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This had more angst than expected given the reserved nature of the 2 MCs or maybe because of their reserve (still waters and all). But once they admit their feelings, the scenes become quite steamy. It does feel like part of a series since there is a major story thread left hanging. There was also reference to suspicious characters that didn’t resolve into anything.

The premise was quite interesting and is what captured my attention. Evie is a spiritual medium with a very interesting past. Alex is a cynic out to expose Evie as a fraud. Little do they know their meeting was orchestrated by Captain, Evie’s mentor. There is more history there that is not fully delved into which also leans towards a continuation. I really liked the “behind the scenes” descriptions of some of the séance set ups. There is a very gothic feel to the story. I don’t think there were any scenes taking place during a sunny day!

Talk about meet-cute! They meet around the seance table as she manifests his deceased father!

Evangeline Jones is the best psychic medium in London and she is a complete fraud.

Alex Stanton is the Duke of Harcastle and he’s devoted to outing fake spiritualist!

Obviously, a perfect pairing!

Author Julia Bennet does a great job creating the dichotomy between these two characters while simultaneously making a compelling case for the attraction between them!

Both are doing the best they can in the world with the cards they have been dealt. Both eventually open up to the other to see that what is on the surface is only a facade. Alex may be a Duke, but he knows what it is to grow up under harsh conditions. Where Julia is native to the seedier side of London have started her life in a brothel. She may deceive her clients with parlor tricks and slight of hand, but she has a code of ethics she lives by as she plies her dishonest trade for the man who rescued her from a more dire strait.

The chemistry and attraction is electric off this odd couple pairing. I loved the game of cat and mouse that is their courtship!

Full of grit and sparks, this is a historical romance that you don’t want to miss!

I spent way too long trying to find the perfect quote but they are all too long because this book was amazing. Pcking one small out of context quote felt wrong because the whole passage was freaking amazing.

I loved Evie and Alex. They are definitely enemies to lovers but that doesn’t feel exactly right because Alex is OBSESSED before even meets Evie. And I really liked the gothic spiritualist aesthetic of the book. It was dark and gloomy and perfect for spooky season!!

This had a great plot, it was quick moving and like all good romance novels it gave me an HEA after giving me a heart attack. Definitely recommend for readers who love spooky season, Halloween, and spicy gothic romances!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Evie is a good actress, or rather a good performer. She’s one of London’s most wanted mediums in the Victorian era. But she is a performer, she tricks her clients into thinking that their beloved departed can communicate with her, they can know what’s become of them through her… but it is a lie, and Alex, duke of Harcastle is set on unmasking her, and he is a stubborn man. However, even though Evie is a scammer, things are not as simple as they seem.

I had so much fun reading the love story between a bottoned-up medium and a gloomy duke that I read the book in less than two days. Julia Bennet’s writing is very straightforward and she sets the tone of a gothic novel in its right measure, not too dark but still obscure. And in the process she puts on the table themes like poverty, privilege, hunger, and the lengths women had to go in order to survive when they were poor and alone in life. Evie is an example of that, but there are others referred in the novel that had it so much worse. That doesn’t mean that privileged people had it easy either, so according to the writer, in the end it depends on the circumstances, and these circumstances could vary.

The romance doesn’t come clearly on the page until the second half of the book, of course there’s attraction and crushing, but I didn’t feel the sentiment until later. That can be both good and bad; good because a slow development gives it a natural aspect, bad because a badly written transition could make it hard to believe. In this case I think Julia Bennet has a reason to not show and tell early because it’s a forbidden love, the class difference is so wide that it’s natural that both Alex and Evie keep their feelings a secret to each other until they need to keep the secret between themselves. Them against the world and the status quo.

Spicy male female Victorian gothic romance. This is the 2nd standalone book in the Harcastle Inheritance Gothic Romance series. I have not read the first book The Madness of Miss Grey but intend to. I really enjoyed the female lead and her mentor. The actual writing and prose were very good, but even though it's a pretty short book it took me a bit to read. I think there were parts that drug a tad and I didn't care for the ending. It was an imperfect but enjoyable read.

I enjoyed reading this. It wasn’t quite what I expected but not in a bad way. It’s quite dark and twisty and I loved the way spiritualism was worked into the plot. This was definitely a book where the external plot mattered just as much as the romance, and I was fascinated to see how it all pieced together.

The romance, though, was very solid. Alex and Evie were very likable characters who were easy to root for. They had great chemistry; the sexual tension was so delicious in parts. The sex scenes were short but very well-written and steamy. But there was also a really nice emotional side to this book and I liked how their feelings developed from lust to love. The ending of the romance felt very satisfactory to me; it was an ending I wished more historical romance books took.

That said, I found the conclusion of the external plotline a bit underwhelming and, at times, hard to follow. I’m still not quite sure about the motivations of a particular character; I felt like it could have been fleshed out more as I found the explanation a bit vague. The final confrontation also didn’t quite work for me, but it did lead to the ending of the romance that I liked, so I can’t fully complain!

Overall I found this to be a really entertaining and refreshing historical romance. I liked the characters, the plot felt different, and the chemistry was great. I’d definitely read more from this author again and I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a historical romance with a bit of spookiness thrown in. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.

Content Notes: References to child prostitution and child sexual abuse, child abuse, forced institutionalisation in an asylum, references to intimate partner violence, violence, death of a parent, controlling and coercive behaviour, gun violence, near death experience, scenes of illness, grief, sexual harassment.

This story is a gothic romance with an enemies to lovers trope and is the second book in the series. It can be read as a stand alone as I haven't read the first. The idea of someone setting out to proof a medium is a fake and then them falling in love is not a new one as I have read this before but it is the first where the medium is a fake. The idea was interesting enough and the book is well written but it just didn't hold my interest. The pace isn't even and this made it feel a bit flat and there was no build up to love between the character just instalove which didn't feel very authentic. Overall it was ok just a bit blah. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

“He didn’t believe in spirits. Otherwise, he might be tempted to say this woman had the devil in her.”

Evangeline Jones has worked her way up from nothing, she’s built a life as a spiritualist and a medium, and she’s not ready to let it all go just because a bore duke is determined to uncover her.

Alex Staton may have a dukedom to save but what he’s really looking forward to is spending more time with the charlatan that’s made him lose his sleep, not only because he wants her to accept she’s a fraud, but also because he knows what’s behind that cold exterior.

What they do not know is that having them together is what someone else has planned and what it will mean for both their lives.

I hadn’t read historical romance in a while, and this is the first book I’ve had the chance to read from this author, so I really didn’t know what to expect, but I was greatly surprised.

From the beginning I found Evangeline's life interesting. Like the duke, I was intrigued by her trickery. Both, Evie and Alex stole my heart, they made me laugh, they made me want to cry, also made me blush, and made me want to fall in love.

I wish we could’ve had a longer ending, left me hanging with how they lost the enemy and what will happen once they start again, but I enjoyed the writing a lot, its pace and how simple it was to follow the line.

If you are like me and want to explore this genre a little more, please give this story a try, it’ll not disappoint!