Invitation to Ruin by Bronwen Evans

First Published: 8 Feb 2011
Publisher: Brava
Pages: 327
Format: Paperback
Finished Date: 9 June 2012

Synopsis

One Good Lady Is About to Go Bad. . .

The only thing Miss Melissa Goodly has ever wanted out of a marriage is love. But any hope of that dissolves one wild night, when she loses herself in the arms of the most irresistible--and unobtainable--man in all of England. For when they are discovered in a position as compromising as it is pleasurable, she has no choice but to accept his proposal.

Avowed bachelor Anthony Craven, Earl of Wickham, never meant to seduce an innocent like Melissa. Yet now that the damage is done, it does seem like she'd make a very convenient wife. After all, she is so naive he won't have to worry about ever being tempted. Or so he thinks, until the vows are spoken and they are left alone--and his new bride reveals a streak just as brazen and unrestrained as his own. . .

My Rating

My Review

Invitation to Ruin was an amazing book. When I first started it, I thought it was just alright, nothing really special. But halfway through the book, when I saw the love shared by the characters, all I can say is wow.

The hero was everything I adored and the heroine? Simply amazing. I admire her so damn much. Its not always I like the heroine more than the hero, but for this book, the heroine is simply perfect. Of course, it having a great storyline was something that added to its appeal too! :)

So. Let’s begin, shall we? Plot first. Invitation to Ruin had the usual historical romance plot. Rake with a tortured soul who doesn’t believe in love meets a sweet girl who completely believes in love. And then without knowing it, rake falls in love with girl and they have their HEA after some conflict. Well, this book wasn’t really any different. However, it was the way the story was written that really did it justice. Though there were some flaws, which I will talk about later, it was a really enjoyable read.

Anthony is a rake of the worst order. He has no care and concern about society’s demands and just does what he wants to do. Of course, there’s a reason for this. Growing up with the kind of father he had, torn away from a mother’s love, Anthony very quickly saw the horrors of real life. I won’t say what his father did to him or what he was made to do but just note that it was horrible. Very horrible. So essentially, Anthony is a rake with a tortured soul who doesn’t believe in love anymore. My favorite kind of hero. I know I know, cliché yes, but sometimes its this simple cliché things that really make the love beautiful.

As for Melissa, she’s a good and kind girl. Not much is known about her background, but she did grow up in a good family. However, she is being forced to marry due to her brother needing money urgently. And her brother is just the meanest person. Imagine practically selling your flesh and blood just to get money. Horrible. But. What I want to say about Melissa is that she’s the strongest heroine I’ve read about. She is truly amazing. Never has any heroine had me clapping so much in admiration. Even when Anthony was so damn horrible to her, she never gave up, she just kept trying and trying. That spirit of hers was never truly broken no matter how much Anthony rejected her.

I’ll try to say this without any spoilers. Essentially what happens is that Anthony is forced to marry Melissa, but wants it to be a white marriage to prevent any children. He doesn’t want children cos he fears they’ll turn out bad. In what sense bad, I’ll leave it to you to read and find out! However, Melissa doesn’t know anything of this. She just thinks that Anthony doesn’t want her. However, she has always wanted a marriage with love, and after what his brother and mother has told her, she is determined to be the woman that Anthony falls in love with, the woman that can heal his tortured soul.

Of course, she succeeds. But reading about how she succeeded was beautiful. I have never admired any heroine more. Her strength of will to keep trying was simply applaudable. She loved him almost from the start and no matter what he did to try and discourage that love, she never gave in. She wanted to be the woman to change him, and she tried so hard. But she did succeed. Guess it just shows hard work pays off yeah? :)

There was one part I particularly enjoyed. I won’t say what it is, just suffice to say I was really happy when it happened. Essentially, Anthony though that Melissa had done something wrong. He went to confront her, having already decided that she was guilty. But when he reached her, he still gave her a chance to explain herself and when she did, trusted her immediately. I like that sense of communication the 2 characters had.

But my favorite part by far was when Anthony realised he loved Melissa. Those were the most beautiful words I’ve read in a long, long time. I’m not gonna say what it is, cos I don’t wanna spoil it for those who haven’t read the book yet. But the second I read those words, I started crying. Not the few drops of tears kind. The really full out tears rolling down your cheeks kind. I just went back and read those few sentences again and again (and cried again and again), because that was just how beautiful it was. I guess it was because you realise how much Anthony loved Melissa and I don’t know, it just completely tugged on my heartstrings when I read it.

So yes, Invitation to Ruin was a really good read. I will definitely be looking forward to many more of Bronwen Evan’s books! :)

Note: I received this review copy from the author, Bronwen Evans, free of charge, in exchange for a honest review. I received no other compensation whatsoever.