Ravish Me with Rubies

2.5 stars rounded up

Petra Rutherford is surprised when her brother’s goals in his House of Commons legislation bring her face to face with the man she fell head over heels for as a young girl, only to have him leave without even a goodbye. Now she’s determined she’ll do the same to Guy Granville, now Baron Ashton, by getting him interested and then humiliating him with her lack of interest. Unfortunately, her plan is threatened by the fact that she’s still very susceptible to his charms.

Guy completely loses himself in Petra’s pursuit, forgetting all about the face that he’s never considered love and certainly not marriage or commitment. Now he must work to make Petra see that he’s sincere in his affections this time around.

I finished this a few days ago but I’ve struggled with writing the review because I have such mixed feelings. I think this story is probably the strongest in the series but that doesn’t come without several issues. There’s a 10 year age gape here, which doesn’t bother me as my own parents have the same age difference. However, Petra and Guy first met when she’s just 14 and he’s 24 and he actively leads her on and then doesn’t understand why she’s still upset by his leaving when they meet again another ten years later. This was a very formative pain for her and he doesn’t even remember it. The whole thing felt sleazy and I think it set the tone for him always being the dominant figure in their relationship and her always being slightly on the back foot. Guy’s competence was nice but he was too arrogant and his need to control absolutely everything got old fast. Though there were a great many love scenes, they were fairly lukewarm and I never really felt like Guy and Petra had much chemistry or real connection beyond lust. I’m not sure he ever actually said “I love you” to her. Even after their marriage, everyone keeps warning her about him and basically how he’ll never be loyal and that really took away from the romance for me because I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Though I think it was meant to show just how special Petra was to him, it just didn’t feel very romantic to me.

Nonetheless, I still almost excused this and liked Guy a bit anyway up until he still wholeheartedly wanted Petra to wear the new and fashionable style of corset even after a doctor explained the harm it does to the body. He supposedly fell in love with Petra for marching to her own drum and then actively set about trying to change her. Petra was a staunch suffragette from the beginning and yet Guy still seems surprised at how strong she is in her convictions. I also desperately wanted to see him give his mistress a well-deserved set down, but when he supposedly did, it was all off page so who knows if he redeemed himself that way or not. Otherwise, our characters didn’t really do much besides drink lots of alcohol and eat lavish dinners. Though this was actually the strongest story of the series for me, it was still not a favorite and I thought the ending was rather abrupt. I think it would’ve been well-served by an epilogue, but I did enjoy seeing Diana and Rupert as well as Edward and Fenella together and doing well. I also liked the side characters of Charlie and Jonathan, perhaps in fact more than the main characters. Overall, Petra and Guy were both extremely stubborn and I was glad to see them at least try for a compromise, especially Guy who was so used to having his own way. The flow was a bit jerky and quite slow in parts, but those who like the lavish Victorian setting and a rather tumultuous age-gap relationship will enjoy this.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Petra Rutherford is certain she isn’t the first dreamy-eyed girl that devilishly handsome Baron Granville of Ashton has loved and left behind. But when her brother’s political ambitions place her before him once more, she’s determined to give Guy Granville his own taste of torment. What better way to best a scoundrel than by luring his interest before bringing things to an abrupt, embarrassing end? The only flaw in her gem of a plan is her still powerful attraction to the dazzling nemesis . Guy Granville is disarmed by Petra’s bold pursuit of him, so much so that he forgets he never intended to fall in love much less entertain thoughts of marriage.
A well written book that flowed well but whilst I liked Petra I was very lukewarm towards Guy. My twenty first century brain couldn’t get past a twenty four year old man kissing & nearly seducing a fourteen year old girl, it felt like grooming to me. I also didn’t feel that there was much chemistry between them at the start, it did grow but even at the end it was still only tepid. I did enjoy that they both stuck to their beliefs even though it didn’t make for a peaceful marriage. I also wish there had been an epilogue to bring the series to a close
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

This third book in The London Jewels Trilogy is about Petra Rutherford, who is feeling a bit like an outsider with her two best friends since they were schoolgirls, since Fenella and Diana are now married. AS their parents were never really engaged with their children, she is very close with her brother Jonathan (Joth). Joth, now a young member of Parliament, is very earnest about representing his constituents and asks Petra to join him for tea to charm Guy Granville, Lord Ashton, whom he seeks to aid him to support his bill. Little does Joth know, that Petra and Guy have history, when she was an innocent 14 and Granville a bit of a lecherous 24. She had a crush on him and he broke her heart, not that he was aware of it. Now he is enchanted with the grown up Petra and she seeks maybe a bit of revenge.

The author uses the movement of the Suffragists to add interest to the characters. All three women are supporters. Guy never gave it much thought. There is a villainess, Granville’s on again off again mistress. And Petra seems to totally eschew the idea of having a maid along to keep her reputation, even falling into Guy’s bed, without any promises. This part just doesn’t fit the time period. So I have mixed feelings about the story, but the writing is excellent.

I read an ARC from NetGalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Right off the bat, I was more than a little weirded out by this novel. Or more specifically the fact that when these two first met Petra was 14 to Guy’s 24. Even if it was nothing more than a flirtation, this is still a grown man flirting with a child. The fact that he admits she responded well to his “gentle lovemaking” is even more concerning.

To make matters worse, while Petra seems to have grown somewhat in the intervening 10 years, it would appear that Guy is still the same overbearing arse he always was. He never takes into consideration how his words and actions may be perceived by others around him (case in point when Petra’s sister invites her and her friends to join him and Guy for lunch and then Guy dominates everything about the outing, including paying for everything).

Time and again, we watch as Guy takes liberties with Petra being told how she’s “unable to resist” him even though she is the one who sets out to “use” him. Even though he makes no promises to her, nor does he declare any deep feelings for her, he still lures her into his bed over and over (and can we talk about the fact that somehow even though she ends up in his bed in the middle of the afternoon not one servant ever sees her, nor one nosy neighbor ever notice a single woman of marriageable age visiting a single man daily without a chaperone?

One thing that should have been a huge element to this story was Petra’s involvement in the women’s suffrage movement, but even that is pushed to the side and used really no more as a conflict (seeing as how Guy could never support her in the one thing she claims to be most passionate about). I also wish that the author would have gone forward with Petra’s plan of “revenge” against Guy. I think it would have been more interesting to watch them fall for each other whilst she was engaging in said plot than to have her just fall into his arms again.

All things considered, this is an author I would read more from down the road as they do have a strong writing style even when I’m not enamored with the way they go about telling their stories.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

The story development was great. You get to know the characters and the times. It is the first of 3 books and I enjoyed them all.

I like this author and I liked almost everything about this book.
Petra Rutherford fancied herself in love with Baron Granville of Ashton when she was 14 years old. Now her brother’s political ambitions place her before him once more, and she’s determined to put this rake who broke her heart in his place.
Guy Granville is disarmed by Petra’s bold personality and soon find himself in love and entertaining thoughts of marriage. Now, if only the fiery Petra would stop sparring with him long enough to surrender to him completely–and allow him to convince her that his riches, his rubies, and his heart belong with her…
I think is really interesting the way the right of women to vote is approached. I also enjoy reading about cars and more comfortable clothes in a modern era that we usually see in HR. There are great dialogs, her friends are funny and smart, and there are sexy times. The only thing I didn´t feel comfortable about was how young Petra was when Guy almost seduced her the first time. She seemed too young even for that period of time.
But mostly is an interesting book, easy to read and enjoyable.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Good book. When Petra meets Guy Granville again, she remembers how he broke her fourteen-year-old heart and decides to give him a taste of his own medicine. She’s ten years older now and confident that she can resist his well-known charm. The grown-up Petra intrigues Guy, and he quickly forgets his usual love them and leave them attitude.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Petra and Guy. They met when she was fourteen, and he was twenty-four and spent a great deal of time together. (Okay, yes, the age difference at that point is perhaps a little questionable.) Even then, Petra was different from other girls, and Guy enjoyed her company. Petra’s schoolgirl heart fell hard for him, and she was devastated when he left without a word. Their first meeting ten years later was a bit awkward. Petra was quite cool to him, while Guy was thoroughly entranced. Petra comes up with a plan to get even by drawing him in and then dumping him the way he did to her. She didn’t count on her old feelings coming back even stronger.

The sparks between Guy and Petra were intense, and not just the sparks of attraction. Both of them are strong-willed and clash frequently. Guy tends to be high-handed, taking control of situations without considering other’s feelings. Petra, who is protective of her friends and family, has no trouble calling him out when he does so. She also has to work hard to keep him from running over her wishes when they are together. This sets up some interesting confrontations. It isn’t long before Petra gives up her plans for revenge and enjoys the time she spends with him. Guy also finds himself more entranced by her than he expected. With the time they spend together, the attraction between them soon burns out of control. I loved Guy’s “aha” moment when he realized that he wants it all with Petra and impulsively proposes.

However, neither Petra nor Guy quite realizes what marriage will require from them. Clashes begin immediately over wedding plans. Both Petra and Guy had good reasons for their wishes, and it took some effort for them to find a compromise. Fortunately, they do, and the wedding and honeymoon proceed on schedule and with rave reviews from both of them. But Petra and Guy stand on opposite sides of one significant issue – women’s suffrage. Guy had no idea how deeply involved in the movement Petra is at first, and it comes as quite a shock when he finds out. I ached for Petra as she realized that, unlike her friends Diana and Fenella’s husbands, hers does not support her views and work. I wanted to shake Guy over his attitude toward her thoughts. This sets up a devastating confrontation when her involvement in a suffrage event clashes with his position in the House of Lords. While I empathized somewhat with Guy, he could have handled things much better. Petra, too, was not entirely blameless. I liked the ending, as Guy discovered he could change given the right motivation, and Petra also learned the art of compromise.

I liked seeing Diana and Fenella from the first two books and getting a glimpse of their happy marriages. I love the close friendship between the three women and how they support each other. I think the story would have benefitted from an epilogue, maybe a few years on, to see how all three couples have turned out.

Petra Rutherford was a suffragette, intelligent, and kind. She was meeting her brother for tea, at Parliament, on the terrace. Her brother, Jonathan had invited someone to join them. Guy Granville, Baron Ashton, He tried to make conversation and she was surprised. They had met ten years ago, she was fourteen and he was twenty-four. He had flirted, smiled, and seemed generally to enjoy her, and then the next day he was gone. She was so embarrassed, hurt, and stunned.
Guy Granville, was in the House of Lords, Jonathan, her brother was a junior member of The commons. He acted more like her father than a husband. He was very set in some ways but he seemed to look on her as if she was a breath of Spring. I think he tried to consider her even though she couldn’t see it.
When she was 14 I believe, she was too young for a man of twenty-four. How could she understand what the whole adult thing meant? how could she act adult when she was still a child. When they met ten years later, she knew about the adult world and how to maneuver her way around. I enjoyed the book and I recommend it highly.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.