Book Review: Ruthless by Anne Stuart

Ruthless by Anne Stuart
Length: 409 Pages
Genres: Historical Romance
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Trigger Warnings in this book for Mentions of Rape (Done to the heroine at seventeen and mentioned by the Hero as something he has done in the past) and Pedophilia, Murder, Violence, Consensual Non-Consent, Incest, and a Hostage Situation between the Hero and Heroine

I've been meaning to get around to reading some Anne Stuart for quite some time, as I've heard almost nothing but good about her work (even from my own very discerning sister!). I chose to start with the series that appealed to me the most, with the first one set in 1768 in Paris and featuring the infamous "King of Hell", Viscount Francis Rohan.

Right away, I was struck by the strength and practicality of the heroine, Elinor Harriman. She is a woman who has had nothing but hardship in her life. Her mother, the once clever and charming Lady Caroline, has been struck down by the Spanish Disease, which is better known now as syphilis. All her life, she has been mistreated by her mother, and left to care for her younger sister, Lydia. Now, her mother, in one of her more lucid states, has taken the last of their money and run off to gamble it away. The place she is going is rumored to have Satanic orgies, black magic, and sacrificial virgins. It is the Viscount Rohan's domain, and his group of hedonists, the Heavenly Host, are in the middle of one of their revels.

Francis Rohan is known as the "King of Hell"--he is beautiful, dangerously so, and has an appetite for pleasure that few can compete with. Unfortunately, after many years of having all the delights a man could hope for, he's left bored. Until one night, when a destitute young woman walks into his own personal underworld and offers him something he hasn't had--a female immune to his charms. Now, he must have her, is determined to not take no for an answer,

Anne Stuart is know for her "dark romances" and even darker heroes. This is a book that will be too much for some readers, maybe for most--the hero is as horrible as he claims and often does horrible things to the heroine, such as using Elinor's virginal younger sister as leverage in keeping her where he wants her. He is the type of man that in real life, you would run far, far away from (and you would be wise to do so). This is a book that is a total guilty pleasure, and if you like such dark things it will surely appeal to you. I wish there had been a less abrupt ending, but the characters of Elinor and Rohan (and all the delicious things they get up to) are one of a kind, and so I couldn't give this anything less than five stars. Now, I'm on to read the rest!