Review: My Rogue to Ruin (The Wild Wynchesters, #4) by Erica Ridley

                                    

Print Length: 352 pages

Publisher: Forever, Grand Central Publishing (September 12, 2023)

From Goodreads.com: Lord Adrian Webb is a no-good, roguish, rakish scoundrel of the first order, which is why his father sends him to the Continent and cuts him off without a farthing. When (penniless) in Rome, what's a disgraced gentleman to do, but dabble in some light forgery? After all, better to leave the original works of art where they belong instead of some English snob's drawing room. But soon his scheme snowballs out of control, and a blackmailer is out to ruin him.

The Wynchester family is known for their daring capers to help those in need. Until now, Marjorie has always let her siblings take the lead when it comes to planning undercover work. But someone in London is trying to pass off counterfeits and this time she's the only one with the skill needed to find the culprit. Her investigations lead her straight to Lord Adrian Webb. But every time Marjorie thinks she's figured Adrian out, she learns something new that turns all her assumptions on their head. He's a sinner. A saint. A heartless scoundrel. A loyal brother. A liar. A good kisser. Er…wait… She can't afford to lose herself in the passionate embrace of a man she'll have to turn over to the magistrate as soon as the case is closed.

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My Rating: 3 stars out of 5

This was a cute read, however I felt that it dragged on unnecessarily in areas that had nothing to do with the romance, which to me, made that aspect of the book feel rushed and a tad unbelievable. 

Adrian was notorious for being a rake, that was even the reason for his banishment, so the fact that he immediately decided to make sexual jokes upon meeting Marjorie was just a major turn off for me. I get it, he was trying to scare her off, but as the story went on and the innuendos continued, it made it harder and harder for me to believe that he had genuine feelings for Marjorie and wasn't just lusting after her. The fact that they seemed to jump from strangers to friends to being "in love" also didn't help. 

And while I enjoyed the idea of them being in cahoots to bring down the villain, the execution was just too far-fetched for me. 

To begin with. We are lead to believe that the villain has guards everywhere, and therefore knows everything about what goes on in his domain. Except after Marjorie is told she cannot leave the house, Adrian manages to get past the two guards stationed to watch them and into her room to find.... two of her siblings AND a goat. I'm still trying to figure out how that happened. Also there were moments when a bird was able to fly into the window to announce (and deliver) messages, but no one noticed? Or heard?

And not only that, but then random people (as elderly as they may look) start showing up in the alleyway to converse with the "prisoner" in the workshop and the sniper on the roof just lets it happen? Yeah, the elderly couple made their "intentions" known, but there is no way it didn't come across as odd for the sniper and something that should have been reported to the boss. 

Aside from those areas, this was a really cute read that I think will appeal to fans of this series, or those who enjoy rooting for the underdog (as these two definitely were). I would read more from this author! 

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.

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                                            My Rogue to Ruin is available on Amazon.com