Ruthless

House of Rohan Series, Book 1

By: Anne Stuart

Narrated by: Susan Ericksen

Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Few outsiders will ever witness the dark misdeeds of the Heavenly Host. And among this secret society, where exiled Georgian aristocrats gather to indulge their carnal desires, fewer still can match the insatiable appetite of their chief provocateur, the mysterious Viscount Rohan. Pursuit of physical pleasure is both his preferred pastime and his most pressing urge, until he encounters the fascination of a woman who won't be swayed. And while his dark seduction appalls the pure and impoverished Elinor Harriman, she finds herself intrigued...and secretly drawn to the man behind the desire.

©2010 Anne Kristine Stuart Ohlrogge (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Witty, inventive, dark and sexy---a wild adventure for the mind...and the heart." (Susan Wiggs)

Not your typical historical romance!

A dark hero meets a sharp-tongued leading lady in this page turning story of a most unusual romance. If you’re looking for a light and fun historical you won’t find it here, don’t let the cover fool you, RUTHLESS is not for the tame reader who prefers a sweet romantic courting.

Known to many as the King of Hell, Viscount Francis Rohan leads a life of decadent indulgence and debauchery as leader of the Heavenly Host, an exclusive group of individuals who share his carnal appetites. When the less than shy Elinor Harriman storms into one of Rohan’s infamous parties looking for her mother, he’s instantly captivated by her bold and feisty personality. To Rohan Elinor presents an unexpected and challenging conquest, one that he gladly welcomes.

This is my first audiobook with Susan Ericksen as a narrator but it definitely won’t be my last. Her transition between accents is flawless and the male characters are believable. Ericksen’s narration really brings the story to life with her inflections and tone, you’re quickly transported back in time with Elinor and Rohan! Her depiction of Rohan is stellar, his arrogance and charm is is perfectly conveyed and Elinor’s quick wit is very entertaining. I’d venture to say listening made this book a better read.

While most readers will think Francis Rohan is not worthy of the hero title I found him enigmatic, intriguing and sexy…don’t judge me! Rohan is confident and mysterious, with a touch of darkness that makes him both dangerous and alluring. He’s said to be very experienced in the game of seduction, but I like that Anne Stuart leaves most of Rohan’s past sexual escapades to our imagination. Rohan might be an aristocrat but he is no gentleman, he lives life on his own terms and doesn’t apologize for it. I’ll admit he’s not swoon-worthy, I’d probably even say he’s detestable at times, but I couldn’t get enough of the King of Hell. I really applaud Anne Stuart for taking a chance and giving us somewhat of an anti-hero in Rohan that inspires empathy.

Elinor Harriman is not the standard leading lady you find in historicals. She’s an odd beauty with an opinionated personality who’s had a tumultuous upbringing with a not so loving mother, but is still a strong woman. I get her devotion to her younger sister, but I didn’t have much sympathy for her bitch of a mother who took advantage of her. She reminds me of Elizabeth Bennett, in the way that she compares herself to her sister’s beauty and finds herself lacking, it didn’t help that her sister’s name is also Lydia! She constantly refers to her nose as her worst feature, calling it the Harriman nose (inherited by her father) which got old after a while, but I guess every girl is her worst critic. Elinor’s loyalty is to her family for which she’s sacrificed her own happiness and the possibility of a future, her selflessness is admirable. She’s a complex character who struggles with doing the right thing or giving into temptation. I love that Elinor doesn’t let her tortured past define her and realizes that there’s nothing wrong with putting herself first for once.

Aside from the main characters, we’re also introduced to Rohan’s best friend and right hand man, Charles Reading. He’s more of a mystery than Rohan and I was intrigued by his character and the possible romance between him and Elinor’s younger sister Lydia. Their moments together were brief but sweet and I found myself liking their chemistry a little more than our main couple. I hope Anne Stuart gives us more of Charles and Lydia soon!

The chemistry between Rohan and Elinor starts off as flirty banter before anything gets serious between them. Rohan is instantly drawn to Elinor’s sharp tongue and while his intentions are to bed her, he soon realizes that his charms won’t work so easily on her. It was great to see Elinor play hard to get and Rohan’s frustration at the start of their relationship. Their relationship isn’t insta-love, coming together after a tragedy View Spoiler » which allows them to spend time together under the same roof and really get to know one another. My only tiff with this romance is that I expected more smexy times with this couple, especially with Rohan’s reputation. We go from one steamy scene in a stagecoach to nothing for a very long time. If I recall there were two sex scenes towards the end of the story but nothing memorable to rave about. All in all I did enjoy them as a couple. It’s not your typical feel good romance, but these two characters compliment each other perfectly.

If you’re like me and love to step out of the box with romance novels, this book is for you. RUTHLESS is a slow paced, dark romance with a little mystery that keeps you engaged from beginning to end. The ending felt a bit rushed for my tastes, but I was glad that Rohan and Elinor got their HEA after everything they’ve been through. Anne Stuart delivers a refreshing take on a “cookie-cutter” genre with her Byronic heroes and strong female protagonists in the House of Rohan series. I’ve found a new series and author to covet!

Weird

So weird that I’m actually going to. Get number two. After humming and hahhing I’m going for it. Probably will get them all. It’s the kind of series that drives you. For stars ⭐️……..

Pretty Ruthless

I really enjoyed this book but I can see where it's not for everyone. The main character is a very unlikeable person and this is not your typical romance novel. There is some dark content and it's hard to imagine a HEA ending. However, Anne Stuart does an excellent job of pulling it off. This book has some very interesting twists and turns and some very delicious side characters. Overall I really enjoyed this one and will continue on to the next book. My only complaint is with the ending. There should have been an epilogue or another chapter since it just ends so abruptly.

Disappointing

Based on the other reviews, I was really expecting more from this book ... as in, a likeable (or even vaguely relatable) protagonist. Instead I spent hours with a snarky, obstinate, rude, nonsensical lead character who spewed vitriol at the well-intentioned characters trying to help her. I ended up rooting for the bad guy in the book, simply because he didn't like her, either.

Definite Bad Boy Hero!

Would you listen to Ruthless again? Why?

If I had it to do over I would definitely buy Ruthless again. Will I listen to it again? No. I never listen to fiction books a second time, nor do I reread books I've read before. There are too many new books out there to be discovered.

But I did very much enjoy this book.

I enjoyed both the hero and the heroine. The heroine had wounds...and the hero was definitely a bad boy. I am quite fond of bad boy heroes. There is something about the bad boy becoming good that I find powerful in romance.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ruthless?

There were many...but I don't want to give away anything.

What does Susan Ericksen bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I know a lot of people care a lot about the narration. I primarily listen to audio books so that I can do other things while enjoying a story. She provided the ability to be mobile while listening.

I liked the way she did the voices of the various characters.

Marginal at best

I hated Eleanor's low self esteem it did not match her tuff no nonsense persona. She allowed her mother to abuse her. Everyone deserved happiness but her. To be so outspoken she appeared weak a lot. The whining was to long at 14 hrs. It did have its moments, but once again not 14 hrs worth.

drags out and then just ends

narration was great, one hand I could understand Elinor's behavior, but it became waring; it's one of those things where the supposedly smart character does stupid things/out of character thingd (like her attempted escape; SO many reasons why her character would never have been so trusting or risked her sister); it dragged on a bit, although the writing was good, but then, the book just else-ithere's a HEA, but it's extremely incomplete and so many things left hanging-things (kind of one of those endings where you have to assume things get resolved) may or may not be covered in the next books. The end, honestly, the truncation of the story, kind of ruined it for me.

Dark story brings 2 romances to light

Any additional comments?

Dark cynical men have let an ugly past define their future meet women with equally ugly past who continue to have hope. The characters are well written and you are not quite are who are the good ones and who the bad. The choices are never clear which keeps the story unpredictable. The narrator is excellent and the story intriguing and sensual. Very entertaining.

Fabulous

I got this on a whim and I was not disappointed with any of it.

Narration brings this riveting book alive

Would you listen to Ruthless again? Why?

Ericksen's reading makes this book unforgettable. This is a somewhat dark romance, with sometimes disturbing and graphic sexual content that frankly likely epitomize post-revolutionary France (and England). It's likely more realistic than some when it comes to the mores of the wealthy in Europe in the 1700s. Aristocrats lived high, and some with amoral abandon, amid the poor and folks like Elinor, members of titled-families who'd hit hard times. Makes clear the tough choices, and consequences for women. And Viscount Rohan is one of the most troubled "heroes'' I've come across in a novel. Which is probably a good thing. He's complicated, dark and sometimes cruel. Likely a more honest figure than many of the "bad boys'' in popular romance fiction, who often have unrealistic hearts of gold. Rohan generally does not, reflecting his horrible childhood in England.

What other book might you compare Ruthless to and why?

Its gritty nature reminds me a bit of "A Gentleman Undone,'' by Cecilia Grant, which centers on the troubled lives of soldiers and courtesans -- prostitutes, actually -- in the early 1800s. The characters in that book, like this one, are NOT saints -- sometimes trying to make decent choices, but often stumbling. That book also is narrated by Susan Ericksen, which is probably the biggest reason that I'd recommend both audiobooks. She makes these rather rugged historical romances come alive.

Which scene was your favorite?

For emotional power, probably the scenes where Viscount Rohan loses his control after Elinor comes clean about her scarred sexual past. And also the final HEA confrontation on the English cliffs.