Yay! The last of The Pretenders trio gets his story. We've been reading about Rafe since The Spitfire Societies' A Duke Will Never Do. And FINALLY, we get our answers about the mysterious Rafe.

Anne Pemberton, the sister of Jane (see A Duke Will Never Do) was I won't say jilted but... maybe, saved at the altar when her intended's machinations were exposed and then he was promptly arrested (again see A Duke Will Never Do). Now, Anne is a social nightmare. But before she was set to wed for duty to her family, she met and promptly lost her heart a gentleman that taught her how to live. Rafe Blackwell hasn't had it easy in life and he has had to do a great many things to survive that is best not discussed in civilized society, but now he has let the mantle of the "vicar" lie and has picked up the Backwell name once more. His sister has wed a man of good standing and his "adopted" sister has also begun a life in respectable society. Rafe has decided to leave his life of ill repute and seek out more respectable endeavors. He has also started remembering pieces of his and Selina's life before they were cast onto the streets of London working as pickpockets. With a stroke of luck, Beatrix finds a clue to the Blackwell's past, and even luckier he is thrust back into the world of the mysterious woman he shared adventurous and entertaining afternoons with while exploring his favorite London entertainments as well as one unforgettable kiss.

I hate to say, A Rogue to Ruin was my least favorite of The Pretenders series. I don't know. I just found it highly unlikely that Rafe, the vicar, would deign to entertain a society young Miss around London. I guess I just saw him more as a rake and more... I guess... scandalous than that? That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the book, I just found it highly... unlikely for his character or what I thought his character would do? I did like that Rafe in his life as the vicar and Mr. Bowles took care of his community. He sponsored children to help get them out of a life of thievery and helped them get honorable jobs. I absolutely loved the righting of old wrongs and how the family mystery was solved.

As always, Darcy Burke writes wonderfully entertaining historical romances and A Rogue to Ruin is no exception. I look forward to her next series!

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

5 stars

The third book in the Pretenders series. You don't need to have read the others because the author gives enough back story. There are other characters that turn up from some of the other series which leads to a lovely community feel.
I think we all like a bad boy and Rafe has been an intriguing character from previous stories so I was really interested in solving his mystery. He meets Anne in a book store and starts a platonic relationship but they don't share their names. Her parents persuade her to get engaged and so she has to miss their last meeting. Her fiancee jilts her for the good reason that he is a villain. There are links between Rafe and what's happened to Chamberlain but of course Anne is unaware. Anne is good friends with Selina, Rafe's sister via the Spitfire Society so of course they meet up and though Rafe doesn't want to ruin Anne by that time Anne knows she loves him and is fiesty enough to grab what she needs. Her godfather has a major part in the story as does Rafe's brother in law, Henry. I'd really recommend that you read it, the mystery is good and the passionate scenes well written. I really wanted the HEA.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a wonderful story. No matter what happens, you should be able to depend on your family. Rafe and Selina had been kidnapped as young children. They were supposed to die in the fire that burned down their house and killed almost everyone there, peers and servants, alike. They had been given to Edgar, the nurse's brother. They were taken to London and were forced into criminal careers. Then they were sold to criminal gangs. He finally saved enough and sent his sister to boarding school for her protection. He was afraid that she would not want to be with him because of his past so he stopped writing. They were separated for about twenty years. So many things were going on.
Anne Pemberton met Rafe when she went to Hatchard's bookstore and was being accosted by two men. He stepped in. They started seeing each other and meeting at Hatchard's once a week and seeing the sights for a couple of hours. She loved it and she was starting to become attached to Rafe.
It was a good match but he had been married before and lost both his wife and the child she was carrying. He also felt he was not worthy of her because of his past. He didn't have a title. I enjoyed the bantering and how she felt she did not have to do anything she did not want to. Then she went on her merry way getting into trouble. They both had a very hard life but survived It. An excellent tale and I was able to read it in one sitting. It was entertaining and fun. The characters were wonderful. Anne was sweet and supportive as was her family and they all wanted to help Rafe and Selina. So refreshing seeing a family jump in to help.
I received this ARC from Net galley and voluntarily reviewed it.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

I have read the previous books by this author and liked that this book kind of ties up a bunch of loose ends and brings two story lines together for a great closing book!

For the H, we have Rafe, who we met when his sister and adopted sister started out in their life of fortune telling. This brings in a Bow Street Runner into the mix. For the h, we have Anne, who we met when her sister declared her independence and was not going to be on the Marriage Mart!

It really adds to the story to know the background of all these people and their connections but you could still read the story as a stand alone and enjoy it.

Previous books, there is a bit of a mystery when Selina and Rafe remember seeing a folly from when they were children. This book continues that quest for answers and brings them some surprising results!

I loved that all these previous couples and their families were able to unite and support Rafe and Anne and resolve the threat to them. I think it was especially great that Anne's brother in law was there when his parents had been murdered by an employee of the Vicar (Rafe). That has to be rough on family dinners...lol

Really enjoyed this book, and can say that it was hard to put this one down until the end as I wanted to know how they were going to overcome the danger and get their HEA!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3907512041

Love the author but I didn’t enjoy this one. I think the series needs to be read in order. Full review at link above. Will update in the future.

You know a book is good when you are already making up ways to write yourself into it after the first chapter. This may be the third book in Burke's "The Pretenders" series but I read it as a standalone. It took me one day. I was ALL IN from Chapter 1. The main couple meet-cute in a book store. Yes. Thank you. I'll have some more!

Then, there's an interesting plot, plenty of hot sex scenes, and roguish redemption. This is the fifth Darcy Burke romance I've read and I have never been unsatisfied. She's the kind of author that after one book, you make plans to read her whole catalog. Her characters are so dang likeable, the romance is off the charts and the conflict is always compelling. She takes all of your emotions and makes them zing. This one and the "Love is All Around" Christmas series are definitely my favorite so far.

As always! Darcy Burke has come out with another fantastic book! I think I’m becoming quite the fan of these novels. Highly recommend it, you’ll finish it within an hour it’s that interesting!

This book was a really fun and enjoyable read. The characters were relatable and had great depth. I definitely recommend it and will be ordering copies for my library.

A Rogue to Ruin is another winner from Darcy Burke! I love that the Vicar finally got his HEA. He’s endured so many transformations and, in a few stories, seemed to be the true villain. It’s great to know his full history and see him find vindication and support for his ability to survive.

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I did not read the other books in this series, so I did not know what character had what story.

I liked Anne, her sister and Rafe, but could not stand Rafe’s sister Selina. Maybe she was in the other books, but she seemed like a spoiled 29 year old brat in this book. She and Beatrix were not my favorite characters, as they took away from the story of Anne and Rafe.
Rafe wants to figure out what happened to him and his sister 27 years ago and I understand the plot there and the connection to Anne.

There were a lot of other characters that were either named by their titles or their first names and that got confusing at times.

Thank you to Darcey Burke for the book through NetGalley.

Very interesting read and intriguing plot! Anne and Rafe meet by chance in a bookshop. They keep their identities anonymous to each other and decide to meet every week to have adventures around London, becoming friends and slowly falling for each other until Anne is a no-show one day. Months later, they meet again after Anne's failed engagement and it is discovered that Rafe is the long-lost son of a dead earl.

I liked the mystery around Rafe's past and how we slowly got pieces revealed to us, rather than just being told a ton of exposition at once. I also enjoyed Anne's personality -- it's always nice to have a main character who always tries to be kind and optimistic. I thought it was very interesting to have a story focused on the man having to learn how to be a noble, rather than the other way around as per usual in HRs. Another nice change is that Rafe genuinely had a checkered past of questionable morals, unlike many other HR heros whose "dark" actions are more mild than they are made out to be.

However, I feel like the pacing of Anne and Rafe's relationship was a bit uneven. While I thought Rafe's POV of the relationship seemed reasonable (considering his past experience in love), I feel like it was a bit unrealistic how quickly Anne realized she was in love. I think the story also could have benefited from a bit more exploration of Rafe's past relationship, which would have given his and Anne's relationship more depth. I also feel like there was a loose end that didn't get tied up at the end in Rafe's conflict over one of the reasons he proposed to Anne -- though it's not a big deal, it would have been nice if him and Anne had some kind of confrontation over that. It also felt like they made up from their big fight before even really talking about and only talked about it after their NSFW activites which just didn't really make sense to me.

But despite my hang-ups about the relationship development, overall this was a fun read and I loved Rafe's backstory!

Received this as an ARC via NetGalley.

An excellent conclusion to the series. Be sure to read the first two in the series, as while this book is a standalone, people and events are mentioned from the previous books. Even some characters from a wider series were mentioned. So I'll be sure to look for those.
A really enjoyable read.

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Darcy Burke has a success with a Rogue to Ruin. I definitely recommend this book and look forward to another story by the talented, skilled Darcy Burke.

Anne Pemberton was one of the Season’s most popular young misses until her betrothed was arrested for extortion at their wedding. Now a social pariah, she can’t help but think back to the dashing gentleman she met before the Season started.When I started reading I couldn't put it down.Darcy Burke is magnifysent and amazing writer.I cannot wait to read more of there books.Keep up the great work.You should definitely read this book.Can't wait for the next book

The initial meeting and subsequent outings between Lord Bodyguard and Misses Dazzling could have gone on forever; it was just that adorable. Rafe Blackwell and Anne Pemberton discovered, a bit to soon, that all good things must come to an end as reality set in hard for both this pair. Luckily, Anne had enough optimism and charisma to keep the levity going despite the hardships they both had faced and would soon come up against.
A very heartwarming story of a perfectly matched couple.

A Rogue to Ruin, by Darcy Burke, is a solid choice for those who like a series Regency romance with both heart and heat and with some suspense thrown in. The main characters, Anne and Rafe, come across as well suited in spite of their very different upbringings, and I found myself rooting for then from the get go.

The book is the third in the Untouchables Pretenders series, which I believe is a spinoff of Burke's prolific Untouchables series. For me, it was my first Burke novel ever. While the book read fine for me as a standalone, it was very clear that a substantial number of the secondary characters were main characters from previous Untouchables novels. In each instance, the author included a few-sentence summary of each; I tend to find that type of content tedious as it comes out somewhat forced, and these summaries were no exception. In fact, it was apparent that parts of this story actually played out in previous novels, which may have cheapened this story a little bit. Specifically, I'm thinking of the fact that Anne's great scandal--her betrothed's arrest at their wedding--happened in a previous novel somewhere in between this novel's prologue and it's first chapter. That it was redacted from this novel was a tad disorienting for me. Moreso, Rafe's tragic backstory seems to have played out over the course of several novels, leaving me feeling like I missed out somewhat. (But perhaps that's an excellent marketing strategy!)

All that said, for fans of the series, these cameos and Anne and Rafe getting their story will probably be squee worthy. For me, once I got into the rhythm of the story--and it was a fast and enjoyable read--I didn't care so much about all that I may have missed by starting a series at its end.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks!

This is the third book in Darcy Burke’s Pretenders series, but it’s also strongly connected with the world of her Untouchables and Spitfire Society series. Now if you’re a big fan and have read all of these, you’ll undoubtedly recognise all the recurring characters and be delighted to see them again. If you’ve only read intermittently in the series - like me - you may find yourself a little bemused by a rather large cast. Honestly, just keeping track of all the hero’s identities was quite an undertaking; Rafe Bowles, aka Rafe Blackwell, aka The Vicar, aka the long lost heir to the earldom of Stone… it was no wonder Rafe couldn’t always keep track of who knew what about him, exactly, and defaulted to not telling anyone anything unless he absolutely had to, which of course leads to major conflict with his heroine. It’s never good to keep secrets from the woman you’re planning to marry.

When her first fiancé was arrested literally at the altar on their wedding day, Anne Pemberton was left to try and pick up the pieces of a reputation shattered through no fault of her own. She really shouldn’t involve herself with a man who doesn’t seem to have a past, but she can’t seem to safeguard her heart when Rafe is around.

This is a complicated plot with intertwining families and characters who obviously got major storylines of their own in previous books heavily involved. I did enjoy it a lot and I didn’t have any significant difficulty in following along as enough detail was sketched in for me to understand the background. I was fascinated enough by both Selina and Beatrix (who got their stories in the first two books in this series) that I’ll probably pick up those books to read as well if I get the opportunity. Five stars for a great read; Darcy Burke never fails to deliver, but be prepared for an enormous cast you’ll need to expend some brainpower on keeping straight in your mind.

It probably would help to read the previous books in this series to understand who the characters in this book are. I had read several of them but I didn't remember the previous books very well. Our heroine is a young lady who was, fortunately, left standing at the altar when her groom was arrested for villainous acts. His "removal" was largely due to a bad guy turned good guy who is the H of this volume of the series. I found the trope slightly worn out, as we frequently have characters who as children were raised in the stews of London who then grow up and become enormously successful either by embracing their criminal past and making a fortune of it or getting out of the stews to become enormously rich and powerful in "business" but still unwelcomed by the nobility specifically because they aren't born with "noble" blood. I still don't understand how these impoverished children always grow up to speak "the King's English" -- where did they learn to talk that way if they lived in the slums all the time? Anyway, they do, so then the H here meets the h in a bookstore and they form an anonymous (no names exchanged) friendship, then circumstances keep them apart temporarily. When they do manage to meet up again, it's the usual "I'm not good enough for her" and "I don't care if he is not a part of the aristocracy" pattern. It held my interest, at least enough to finish the book, but it didn't impress me as anything special. It certainly wasn't bad, but it is not that memorable to me. #NetGalley #ARoguetoRuin Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the book for me to read and review.

During the height of the 1819 London social season Anne Pemberton glides along as one of the most desirable on the Marriage Mart, until disaster strikes, tainting her reputation and shrinking her options. Is it the end of her marital dreams, or an opportunity to pursue a deeper connection with the intriguing stranger she met in a bookshop one afternoon? Former thief Rafe Blackwell is mad, bad, and dangerous for a respectable woman to know. His true identity and the details of his past are mysteries, even to Rafe. Someone`s willing to kill to ensure they remain unsolved. For that reason and many more Rafe tries to convince himself and Anne that he's not good enough to love her. Anne disagrees, producing a tenderhearted, super sexy, perfectly pitched conclusion to this Pretenders series.

A compelling cast of multifaceted characters populate overlapping networks of family by blood, by choice, and strange bedfellows, mixing a rich blend of inner conflicts, divided loyalties, and charm. If Anne and Rafe's fractious love story had a modern theme song, “We Found Love" by Rihanna would make a suitable one. Fans of the overall tone of Eloisa James's Desperate Duchesses by the Numbers series should also enjoy Darcy Burke whose storytelling talents are undeniable.

The third book in the Pretenders series, A Rogue to Ruin was very much a great way to end the series. Unanswered questions from the first two books were resolved, several characters made reappearances, and it was nice to finally read Rafe's story.

This was an enjoyable, light historical romance, one to read when you don't want to think too hard but you still want those fuzzy feelings and a light mystery to keep things interesting. It was also better then the previous book in the series.

The female main character, Anne, was also a lovely heroine, one who knows what she wants and goes after it, in her own gentle way. The romance was a bit lackluster, with the occasional fuzzy feels, but the plot was stronger than the chemistry between the characters (not that the plot was that strong. Again, a light and comfortable read!)

The book had a satisfying ending, both for Rafe's story and the series itself.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.