SINS OF A RUTHLESS ROGUE by Anna Randol

Publisher:  Avon

Published:   March 26, 2013

ISBN:  978-0062231352

Genre:   Historical Romance  

Format:  Paperback
Obtained via:  Publisher

Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina Gina@loveromancesandmorereviews.com

TWO HEARTS

 

Some ten years ago Clayton Campbell, then 17, thought he was in love with Olivia Swift.  Her father owned the nearby mill where money for the Bank of England was made. He, a town boy, but a boy who had won her heart.  Sure of his love for her and hers for him when Clayton discovered what Olivia’s father was up to creating extra bank notes, he confided in her.  Olivia in turn ran to her father and in no time Clayton was set to hang.

But the government had something else in mind for Clayton and instead of sending him to the gallows he was sent, along with Madeline Valdan and a third member, Ian, to become spies.  Now, with his pardon in hand, Clayton thirst for revenge against the man who took away his love and his life.  He returns home determined to shut down the mill the Swift family still owns.

Clayton, however, is not without other enemies and one has followed him to Olivia’s door step where she is captured and taken off to Russia.  There intrigue abounds, catching Olivia and Clayton into a web of deceit including the planned assassination of the Czar himself.  Amid all the drama and deception, can the couple once again find their way to each other?  Can Clayton put aside the past and let the love he once felt for Olivia return?  Or will their enemies tear them apart once and for all?

I really enjoyed book one of Anna Randol’s Sinners Trio series, SINS OF A VIRGIN.  Once I picked that book up I couldn’t put it down and wondered why I had let such a good read sit on my TBR for far too long.  In SINS OF A VIRGIN Ms. Randol brought Madeline and Gabriel to life.  They had such great chemistry and the story was not only a wonderful romance but a fast paced mystery.  I couldn’t wait to dig into book two, SINS OF A RUTHLESS ROGUE. 

For me, SINS OF A RUTHLESS ROGUE suffered from what I’m finding to be “secondbookitis”.  It just fell so short of book 1 I wondered if I was reading the same author.  My impression of Clayton in SINS OF A VIRGIN was that of an older man. I definitely didn’t picture him as someone in their mid to late 20’s and there was nothing about his character that lent itself to a romantic hero.  He was even less so with how he was portrayed in SINS OF A RUTHLESS ROGUE.  I could not relate to Olivia on any level. 

The two dimensional characters aside, the dialogue was stilted and choppy.  Even though the characters all supposedly spoke Russian the dialogue read like the characters were using an English to Russian dictionary rather than letting the language flow. 

I did enjoy some of the snowy visuals.  The idea of riding about in a sleigh on a snowy night does have romantic appeal and it was a fun addition to the story.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.