Note: this was a re-read for me (I didn't realize I had requested it again in the new cover) but it did hold up. My only change to the review is that is did make a little more sense with "The Madness of Miss Grey" under my belt. Enjoy!

I liked this book, it was a nice quick read with some cool historical backstory about the spiritualist movement. It made for a delightful afternoon of reading, and if that isn't the real point of books, what is?

You can see the quality research behind the story. Without spoiling anything, the book provides very good insight into the culture, and mechanics, of spiritualism at this time. The characters had potential to be very interesting and did not rely too heavily on “tragic backstory” beyond what was necessary to explain how everyone got to this point in our story. The story gives a happily ever after with just enough twists and turns to make it worth it.

My only caveat is that I sometimes felt like understanding the characters would have made more sense had I read the first book in the series. Not in a subtle “interconnected story way, but in a “clearly I am just missing information so let's just move on” way. That said, I am requesting the previous book and am excited to fill in the gaps. I look forward to seeing how this author grows and hope to see more titles in the future.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.**
☆Review is live on Goodreads as of 8/8/2024.☆

4⭐️
3🌶

I think that The Ruin of Evangeline Jones is perfect for those looking for a quick, spicy, historical romance with a flare for dramatics! The spicy scenes are well done, and Alex and Evie are perfect for each other.
If you're looking for something that has a lot of substance and extravagant plot, this isn't quite it, but it is a good read and I found it enjoyable!

🏰 Spiritual Mediums in Victorian England
🏰 Enemies to Lovers
🏰 Gothic romance

I went straight from the first book in the Harcastle series (which I loved) to this one, so I was already immersed in Alex Seaton's (the Duke of Harcastle) life. Some of the characters from the Madness of Miss Grey show up in this book, and though it's not necessary to have read, it was handy to have some context.

The events of this story take place about 6 years after the end of the first book, when Alex has assumed the responsibilities of the Dukedom after the death of his awful father. He is still obsessed with exposing mediums as frauds and has focused his sights on one in particular.

Evangeline Jones is not exactly what she seems. She appears to be an uptight, prim medium but underneath she is passionate and a little bit wild. She is also struggling to get free of the bonds of her life - she just needs a little help from a friend. Alex and Evangeline are powerfully drawn to each other, even though they could spell each other's ruin. This tension is what makes the story so engaging.

I don't know how I had missed these author's books until recently. I love the style of writing and the characters' depth of emotion. There's plenty of banter, as well as steam, and Evie and Alex stayed with me long after I had put down the book.

Again, this could have been a 5 star read for me, but the ending just felt a little unresolved. Our protagonists find happiness, never fear. It's just that my personal preference is for absolute justice to be served in the end. Not very realistic, I know, but that's what I like. Having said that, I hope this leaves room for Ellis' story. I would love to continue reading about this interesting family.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I read the first book by this author and really enjoyed it so I was intrigued to see the ARC for this book. I was not disappointed, the characters and plot were interesting and the book was a fast, easy read because it moved well and the topics and characters were engrossing. 5 stars

Read if you like: medium fmc, duke mmc, blackmail, traumatic pasts, trapped fmc, betrayal, class difference

Evangeline and Alex both had rough pasts and needed to escape their crappy situations. The gothic atmosphere and promising book description had me interested but sadly it was a let down.

I wasn’t a fan of how their romance began. I wanted to be wooed. I wanted tension and chemistry. He just liked her because he was weirdly attached to a photo - which gives me the ick

I will say that when it hit the 50%(ish) mark it did get better. They started to actually have conversations and get to know each other, but I just felt that it was all very meh

Overall it was an okay book, but I won’t be picking it up again or recommending to my friends

Ugh I loved this so much. Like I was hooked so early, and cover gives vibes I love. ❤️ So many good moments

uhm holy moly this one is so good!!!!! i instantly loved evie and her cool composure when dealing with evwryone from the duke to the captain and i loved her friendship with mags but what elevated this story for.me was the intense yearning we see from very early on from the duke. we see his vulnerabilities and how he copes with them and watching his relationship with evie grow is so fun. and the spice was A++++

I think the book is good, but there's plenty of room for it to be great. I'm still wondering when or how did Evie and Alex fell in love, and I have plenty of questions regarding many things: Ellis, how did Alex not know there was a door in the Blue Room, why bother turning Evie into a medium before he even knew about Alex disdain for them...?
My wondering mind aside, you can read and enjoy the book if you don't try to make sense out of everything.

While technically book 2 in a series, this historical fiction can be read as a standalone.

Evangeline Jones is a spiritualist—or so everyone thinks. She spends her days travelling Victorian era London attempting to connect the living with the dead.

Alex Stanton, recently minted Duke of Harcastle, is determined to expose her as a fraud.

The following story is an enemies to lovers tale in which a bet is made—Harcastle has one week to expose Evie for what she is. If he succeeds, she will publicly admit she is a fraud. If he does not, he will cease his attempts forever.

I enjoyed the writing and the plot, as well as the setting of this novel (I love a good Victorian Era London), however, this book felt long at times. The ending was satisfying but I also think it would benefit from some sort of epilogue so it does not seem as abrupt.

This book will release on September 24, 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the privilege of reading this ARC in exchange for an honest review. (less)

If you're looking for a complex female protagonist, detailed and interesting insights into the spiritualist profession, and simmering sexual tension, this book is for you. And the ending really delivers!⁠ This book is the second in the Harcastle Inheritance series (the first of which, The Madness of Miss Grey, we recently reviewed). It employs several of our favorite romance tropes in new and interesting ways - including the Carriage Hookup, the Impoverished Nobleman who Must Marry an Heiress, the Secret Goodbye Hookup (we have to get a better name for that one), and more.⁠

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

A great follow up to The Madness of Miss Grey. Class differences are rarely handled this well historical romances, especially of this disparity. Its thrilling, sexy and very intimate. Thank god for Julia Barrett for bringing back Gothic Romances!

A very melodramatic gothic romance that I couldn’t put down. It felt a bit rushed both the romance and the muster but it was enjoyable. Need to add the first book in the series to my TBR.

I received a copy from netgalley and the publisher.

First things first, I love the cover. 😍
The story, pacing and dialogue are good, the atmosphere is nicely built, and it is refreshing and a bit different from most of the books I read. 🙂
However, I wish there were more romance, and it took me a long time to finish it. I think I would've loved it more if I had the book in my hands, not an e-book. This is the first time I felt this way. 🧐

A nicely atmospheric historical romance, set in London during the height of the Spiritualist movement. She is a medium with growing popularity, he is a cantankerous aristocrat on a mission to expose charlatans. Let the games begin!

Overall, a really good read, though it occasionally strays from a standard of affirmative consent. The characters are interesting, the atmosphere nicely built, and the plot is just convoluted enough to keep you turning pages.

This is a quick enough read and well-written but I don't think it was for me personally.

The description was interesting to me; I've never read anything set in late 1800s and the spiritualism craze of the time is a unique premise for a historical romance. Photographs, phonographs, and other recent inventions of the time were referenced which was fun but the FMC being a medium features in the first third and then is mostly irrelevant. The rest of the plot is a bit convoluted and wasn't particularly moving to me.

I liked the FMC but found the MMC creepy (yes in fact that is a weird item to keep with you on your person) and entirely unlikeable. Their romance and immediate getting together made no sense given their social statuses and the context of their acquaintance. The ending was a pleasant surprise but was very abrupt and could have used a smoother finish.

Thank you Xpresso Book Tours for the arc!

I actually really enjoyed this book and loved reading about Evie, my only wish is that we'd gotten more of her because her character was interesting!! The pacing was good and so was the dialogue. I do wish we got more romantic scenes between Evie and Alex, but otherwise this was great!

Alex Stanton, a new duke, is passionate about exposing frauds. He targets Evangeline "Evie" Jones, a spiritualist he believes is a charlatan, and challenges her to prove her authenticity. They strike a deal: if he can't prove she's a fraud within a week, he'll stop his attempts; if he succeeds, she'll retire and reveal her tricks. Despite their animosity, an unexpected attraction and tenderness develop between them. Unbeknownst to both, a sinister plot is at play, bringing them together for darker purposes.

While this book is a fast read, steamy, kinda fun, and a bit anachronistic in its views (which I love), it felt basic and simple. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it for the most part, I like that is not quite like other books of the same genre and that it has a bit of a gothic vibe to it, but I found myself wanting for more: more depth to the characters, a better pacing (especially after the 70% mark or so), more attention to the secondary characters.

I don't know, I like the premise and some of the execution, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if it weren't for that. I will say that I like the main characters a lot, and they were the reason I kept reading until the end.

The Ruin of Evangeline jones
By Julia Bennet
3.5

This was such a such and steamy historical romance with cool gothic vibes! I loved everything about this! Especially how fierce and strong Evangeline was! Think of a gothic and slightly more modern Pride and Prejudice! I’m a huge P&P and Bridgerton fan but it’s never translated into me reading many historical romances but now that I have a few under my belt, I’m a big fan! There’s something about hate to lovers and forbidden love that just works for me ✨ I think there’s some pacing issues after the 60% because it felt like a considerable chunk was just waiting for stuff to happen to prolong the end. Other than this this was a really fun and surprisingly steamy read!

I will now be going back to read Helen’s story because forbidden love in a medical setting that sounds too tempting to skip over!

Thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for this gifted arc!

Surprisingly good. Fast read, felt kind of feminist and contemporary which was nice, i dont even like most period drama books. But I mean its kind of a simplistic basic book, lacks depth!

This book was just okay to me. It took a long time to finish the last few chapters because it didn’t hold my interest and I chose to read a few other books instead.
I enjoyed the premise- this book is very unique compared to other books in the same genre. It was refreshing to read a book set in this time period that didn’t follow the same road map as all of the others.