When a wager goes wrong … deception if it means winning a wager. And that puts Jane in a most precarious position.
A formidable duke will marry a plain Jane …
For Harrison Lacey, the Duke of Blackmore, protecting his family honor is not a choice, it is a necessity. So, when his cad of a brother humiliates the unwitting Lady Jane, Harrison must make it right, even if it means marrying the chit himself.
And a marriage of convenience will become so much more …
Her reputation hanging by a thread, Jane agrees to wed the arrogant Duke of Blackmore, although she’s convinced it will result in frostbite. Only after lingering glances lead to devastating kisses does she begin to suspect the truth: Perhaps—just perhaps—her duke is not as cold as he appears.
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Even though I write contemporary romance, I LOVE being swept away to another time by reading historical romance. And Elisa Braden was one of my best new discoveries over the past two years. Her heroines are feisty, well-rounded, strong women, despite the obstacles of that time. They are all my favorites! But, lucky for you, Cads and Dukes is on sale this week! I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.
The daring exploits of Lady Jane land her in ruin. She is forced to marry the most haughty Duke in the country to save her sisters from ruin also. There are trying times ahead but with love and deep understanding they manage to make it through the trials. The next in the series will be about the Duke’s younger brother who caused Lady Jane’s ruin. Great reading.
A scandalous trick to win a bet puts Jane in a precarious position when she is caught. Offered and wed, Jane finds herself married to a man who is afraid to love. Breaking down his walls will be her only hope for happiness.
A passionate and emotional love story.
Entertaining, well developed story line
This was a good romance. Jane is plain and she knows it. She accepts it but she is also smart, sweet and has a wonderful personality. It was great to see that Harrison learned to look at HER and fall in love with the person she was. He had to battle a few of his own demons, but the end was worth it.
1. Sometimes I’d like to strangle men who believe separating themselves from “the women they love” is protecting them from themselves.
2. Communication is ALWAYS the best way to handle ANYTHING.
3. Beauty is only skin deep. Look deeper; that’s where you’ll find it.
Being one of those deeper beauties, this filled my soul so fully. (It doesn’t matter that people other than my parents have said “[I] am the beauty of the family”; if I don’t believe it, it’s hard to accept.) I focused on my soul; even my brother recognized that. That’s the importance of this novel. You go, Jane!
4.5 Stars!
I’m not sure why I waited nearly three years before picking up the second book in the Rescued from Ruin series, since I absolutely loved the first book (The Madness of Viscount Atherbourne.) I won’t be making that mistake again. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, as well. In fact, I find myself questioning many of the traditionally published HR’s that I’ve recently read. As far as enjoyment, story retention, romantic tension, and the desire to keep turning pages, this book had them beat. I know that I read the book blurb years ago, but I didn’t re-read it before diving in and the author actually surprised me with its direction. Having previous experience with the author, I knew that I would enjoy the writing, but add two of my favorite tropes (marriage of convenience and enemies to lovers,) and I was in reader nirvana. The characterizations of Harrison and Jane were consistent, but not always flattering and yet they still won me over. I know that some readers will have issues with Harrison and his staid and brusque manner, but I loved his steadiness with all things except when it came to Jane’s magnetic pull. With Jane’s physical description in the story, I found it extremely intriguing and beautiful of those which drew Harrison to her. For example, her hands. The author’s ability to describe the beauty and delight of Jane’s delicate hands convinced me of why I have so thoroughly enjoyed her writing. It wasn’t simply the typical physical descriptions we often read in romance and it has me excited to see what other surprises this author might have in future reads.
I spent equal time listening to the audio book when not reading and it was a fabulous production. Definitely, a narrator I will listen to again.
Jane and Harrison are two of my favorite characters ever in a book! I love that this story had so much humor and heart. And heat! The Rescued from Ruin series will go down as one of romances best if not finest.
This book had so many elements that make up a wonderful read for me. The plain Jane trope, marriage to advert scandal, a heroine who is bookish as well as a bit shy, and a hero who displays some swoony moments of jealous possessiveness. When you add in a broken hero, things can sometimes get a little sticky. That’s the point where an author can make it or break it for me. In this case, Harrison’s brokenness and the heroine’s consequent making him whole was fresh and unique in that it highlighted this shy, doomed to be a spinster’s inner strength. I absolutely loved watching her come into her own while avoiding all the common methods of doing so.
I absolutely loved this story, these characters, and even the secondary characters. The angst is a tad more than mid level in places and once I started I simply could not put this book down. This is romance at its finest.
Dual POV
The second in this wonderful series by Elisa Braden has become one of my favorites in the historical romance genre.
Wallflower Jane Huxley, in her third season and ignored by most of the ton, becomes the subject of a wager entered into by Colin Lacey, brother of the Duke of Blackmore. Left humiliated and a laughingstock, she is doomed for ruination, until one of the most pompous and arrogant men she’s ever met steps in to save her. Upon learning of the disgrace his brother has brought upon Jane, Harrison Lacey must offer the protection of his name and title to maintain the honor of his family and the reputations of Jane and her sisters. Once their marriage is entered into, nothing proceeds as expected. To him, she was plain and predictable, and then… she was his weakness. To her, he was cold, hardened and sanctimonious, and then… with just a look, she was lost.
If you have not yet read Elisa Braden’s books, you must give them a try. The storylines are captivating, and the characters amazing. Each book in this series is unique and wonderful, but this one, Harrison and Jane’s story, is so beautiful, and touches my heart each time I read it. I promise you will love it too.
Lady Jane Huxley is nothing if not plain, bookish and boring. After a gentleman befriends her she helps him by breaking into a house to retrieve a mythical necklace. She is stuck in the window trying to get in and thinks this to herself. It doesnt matter. You must get through, Jane. If you are caught here, ruination shall be the least of your worries. Does Jane get caught? Read and find out. The book has great characters. This should probably be read by eighteen and older as its steamy.
It is a real Romantic book. I need information and interest to be added to this type of book to find it interesting. If you want sex explained. Go for it.
I liked the plain-Jane gets the guy aspect of the book, but the plot never lived up to its potential. There was no logical development to the relationship between the hero and heroine. And having every single encounter as a super-charged super-steamy or super-cold-must-resist -the-urge moment was just TIRING.
After the whole “Oh he’s turned on by my hands and I can use this” epiphany, it just became a chick-porno-flick trying to figure out how to stage the next encounter. It was too much, and I missed the depiction of actual roots of “love” growing between the two. Maybe the author was writing for an audience that equates kinkiness to love???
I have read all the books available so far in this series and I have enjoyed each one. The stories have been lovely. The characters are well defined. I am also very pleased with the continuity between books. When you read series like I do – one book after another, you easily catch the anomalies where the author has stated something in one book and then it is different in the next book. I didn’t see any anomalies in this series. I really like this author’s storytelling abilities and I will continue to read everything she writes.
Good storyline, enjoyable read
This series has good humor and great stories. I’ve enjoyed them, and will read them again.
Very enjoyable read. Recommend – it made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me happy.
Characters are wonderful, plain Jane is so real-life. Loved this book.
Loved it. Had to buy the rest in this series