⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? Not really. The story was predictable, but not in that breathless anticipation that you’d want from an HEA.
BLURB
The Earl of Wexford, Ruark, made a promise to his father that he won’t get married before his 30th birthday. The aim of this vow was to make sure that he didn’t rush into something that he would later regret, since it seems like Ruark has a habit of losing his heart all to easily. Cassandra convinces Ruark to pretend to be her suitor, both because it will give her a little more time to find a husband on her own and it will aggravate her father, who has no tolerance for Ruark.
MY THOUGHTS
Well, we all know where this is headed, right? Especially since Ruark and Cassandra had shared a “moment” in a dark closet not too long ago.
I didn’t really care much for Cassandra. She was uber confident, but her love for Ruark was always more background noise than anything else while she was quite seriously searching for a more suitable husband. Now, this particular plot device is not new, but what was different here is that I never got the impression that Cassandra was passionate in her feelings about the fact that she can’t be with Ruark specifically. She seemed more upset about the fact that her father was forcing her towards marriage. To me she felt a bit fickle in her feelings and actions.
Ruark had a lot of soul searching to do, the poor man. It’s hard to live your entire life by one set of rules, only to realize that need to be revised for you to embrace happiness. He, at least, was a lot more consistent in his thoughts and actions and feelings towards Cassandra.
I started out not liking Cassandra’s father at all but ended up loving him. Underneath all the gruff and bluster is a heart that loves his daughter very much. The plot was a bit convoluted with Cassandra and Ruark’s ever-changing minds. They made me a bit dizzy, in all honesty. I can’t say that I was heavily invested in them getting together.
This is the third book in the Phoenix Club series, but it reads well on its own.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Were you hooked by that book? Let me know in the comments below.
Genre: Historical Romance
