Ruthless

June 21, 2010
Stuart (Fire and Ice) launches a trilogy with this dark, intense, and sometimes unsettling historical romance. In 1760s Paris, penniless British noblewoman Elinor Harriman is struggling to support her family when her ill mother runs away to an orgy held by Viscount Rohan, a mysterious libertine known as the King of Hell. This sets in motion a chain of events that draws Elinor and Rohan into a fierce contest of wills and desires. Stuart's writing is crisp and quick, and her characters are finely and memorably drawn, but Rohan's often violent and predatory treatment of Elinor goes well beyond what most readers will find acceptable in an ostensible hero, especially given Elinor's traumatic childhood. Notions of the reformatory power of love fall flat against these grim scenes, which uncomfortably detract from an otherwise enjoyable and powerful story.

August 1, 2010

Desperate to keep her pox-ridden, irresponsible mother from losing the last of their dwindling funds, innocent Elinor Harriman goes after her and ends up at a dissolute, hellish party where she attracts the unexpected attentions of the host, Viscount Rohan, the King of Hell, himself. She has no idea that the attraction will last or that she will return his regard--or that she will need his help when her life is threatened. An intrepid heroine with a fear of rats and a deeply flawed hero who is not beyond redemption find love and salvation in this story that juxtaposes depravity with innocence in a fascinating emotional chiaroscuro that will keep the pages turning. VERDICT Stuart's dark tale of aristocratic decadence and licentiousness among British expats in mid-18th-century Paris will chill the naive and singe the pages--and this is just the first in a trilogy. Stuart (Silver Falls) lives in Vermont.

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