Ruthless (The House of Rohan, #1) by Anne Stuart
Series: The House of Rohan #1
Published by MIRA on July 20, 2010
Genres: Historical
Pages: 409
Goodreads

FINAL DECISION: Dark and not always likable hero but I really enjoy that he is a real jaded rake and not just a happy go lucky guy. The story is dark and angsty and very hot.

THE STORY: Elinor Harriman’s family is sliding into poverty as her mother has the pox and she has a lovely younger sister to care for. When her mother takes what little the family has left and runs off to gamble at a gathering of the Heavenly Host (a group of people dedicated to sin and vice), Elinor has no choice but to follow and bring her mother home. Searching for her mother, Elinor meets Viscount Francis Rohan, a jaded and depraved man with dark desires. Rohan finds Elinor intriguing and the two begin a relationship that sits on the razor edge between caring and using.

OPINION: I loved this book. The hero is dark and until the end it is never clear whether he will turn out to be the villain or the hero. He acts in a despicable manner for much of the book and yet Stuart has a way of making me root for him. Because while he seems to have fallen far into the dark and evil, he still has a soul worth saving by the end.

Elinor operates as his salvation. She is a difficult character to read and her actions are not always reasonable — until we discover her secret.

This is not a story for the faint of heart or those looking for the typical romance story. These characters travel into dark areas of sin and vice and their own tortured souls.

WORTH MENTIONING: Anne Stuart write anti-heroes. These are alpha men who ride the edge between being so unlikable as to be the villains of the story and being the redemptive heroes. Her book are not for everyone. These are not modern nice guy heroes.

CONNECTED BOOKS: RUTHLESS is the first book in the House of Rohan series. There is a prequel book, but this book is a standalone from that story.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.