My Rogue to Ruin by Erica Ridley - Book Review

Series: The Wild Wynchesters #4 (Standalone) 

Publication Date: 12th Sep 2023

Genre: Historical Romance 

3.7 Stars 

One Liner: Entertaining 

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Lord Adrian Webb is a rakish scoundrel banished from the country by his father around ten years ago. He is back in London to meet his little sister, Iris, the only family member whose opinion matters to him. However, his little forgery, a source of his income, lands Adrian in hot water. 

The Wynchester family has its own rules. They will do almost anything to help those who need it. They are knights in shining armor, with varied skills to their names. Marjorie is the youngest sister, an artist, and a wallflower protected by the family. 

However, when they get a case of counterfeit pennies, Marjorie steps up to solve it. This leads her straight to Adrian and his heart. But the duo has a few hurdles to clear before they can talk about their personal lives. The villain, after all, will stop at nothing. 

The story comes in the third-person POV of Adrian and Marjorie. 

My Thoughts: 

Though the book is the fourth in the series, it reads well as a standalone. The couples from the previous books have their HEA and have minor to moderate roles in this one. 

The book is what I’d call a contemporary-themed historical romance. Even though the setting is 1818, the characters, storyline, and diversity come from today’s world. You’ll have to go with the flow to enjoy this one. 

I like that the heroine is partially deaf (due to smallpox) and an expert at forgery. Well, she’s also an artist and comes from a found family with versatile talents. Some of them do read like caricatures, but the warmth between the siblings and the family makes up for the lack of character depth. 

The main leads are decent enough and easy to root for, so that’s a definite plus. They aren’t complex or multilayered, but I wasn’t expecting that, anyway. As expected, Adrian is a good man, though he prefers to use his reputation to keep people away. I like how he years for family love and support. 

There’s enough humor, drama, and action to keep the reader interested. Snowley is very much a ruthless villain who looks like a dear old grandpa. Even though the stakes are high, the book doesn’t feel intense. It is meant to be a lighthearted romance (Steam 1.5 max). 

The climax happens in stages. We see a series of events with multiple issues cropping up one after another. However, they are neatly tackled and sorted to bring HEA. 

I love the sort of dual epilogue in this one. The second last chapter could have been an epilogue, but it isn’t. We have a final proper epilogue that hints at the next book. Though I haven’t read the previous books (I’m familiar with the titles but didn’t realize they belonged to the same series), I intend to check out the next one. Well, why wouldn’t I when the FMC is the murder-loving Elizabeth? 

There’s quite a bit of filler content (not sure how much will be edited in the final version). Still, it doesn’t weigh down the pacing much. I could sustain a good momentum when reading and finished the book in 2 days. 

And I have to mention Tickletums, the homing hedgehog being trained by Jacob. I mean… how cute is that? We also have a messenger crow, a sheep (Ophelia), and a bunch of other animals. But Tickletums gets my vote. 

To summarize, My Rogue to Ruin is a lighthearted Regency romance with modern fittings. It’s an entertainer and should be treated as such, even if it manages to deal with a couple of serious topics. Don’t look for logic in this one! 

Thank you, NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), for the eARC. 

#NetGalley #MyRoguetoRuin