Book Review: Breathless by Anne Stuart

Miranda Rohan, the heroine in book three of the House of Rohan trilogy, is abducted and ruined as part of a revenge plan concocted by Lucien de Malheur, a criminal known as The Scorpion who blames Miranda’s brother for the suicide death of de Malheur’s sister.

Set aside by an unforgiving society, Miranda adapts to her new status and lives quite contentedly outside the bounds of propriety, thwarting de Malheur’s vengeance to the extent that he decides to take matters into his own hands by kidnapping Miranda and whisking her away to his moldering family estate, where he plans to place her beyond the reach of her family while he exacts his revenge.

Unfortunately, Miranda has learned nothing from her earlier experience. When a creepy, scarred man enters her life under suspicious circumstances, she instantly feels a kinship with him because he is a society outcast. Once Miranda realizes de Malheur’s intentions toward her not honorable, it is too late and she’s imprisoned in a fast traveling carriage, speeding toward an unknown fate.

Lucien de Malheur fails to overcome his bad-boy status. His desire for vengeance against the innocent sister of his enemy motivates him through too much of the novel, and his determination not to soften his heart toward Miranda makes it difficult for the reader’s heart to soften toward him. Miranda and Lucien make an odd couple because Miranda approaches challenges with a falsely cheery resolve to endure, prompting Lucien to plan new ways to humiliate and subjugate her.

The true romance in Breathless is found in the charming love story between Miranda’s friend Jane and a charming jewel thief.


Lisa Marie

Review of Ruthless by Anne Stuart

Book One in the House of Rohan Trilogy: King of Hell or King of Disco?

Elinor Harriman faces a dilemma. Her father has died, leaving his fortune to Elinor’s cousin, and her mother Lady Caroline is a gambling-addicted, former party girl now in the late stages of syphilis. When Elinor learns her mother has entered the chateau of the infamous “King of Hell,” she follows Lady Caroline into the lion’s den to prevent her from gambling away what little money the family has left.

Francis Rohan, le Comte de Giverney, is bored, narcissistic, and incredibly handsome. Rohan is the leader of The Heavenly Host, an assemblage of hedonistic émigrés who celebrate the sins of the flesh and other indulgences. Elinor crashes a Heavenly Host revel, demanding Rohan’s aid in locating her mother among the partygoers, and the plucky, shabbily clothed young woman awakens Rohan from his ennui. The ensuing protracted game of cat and mouse between innocent and determined seducer provides an entertaining read.

Rohan’s eighteenth-century roué is reminiscent of a 1970’s disco king ala Tony Manero from Saturday Night Fever. Resplendent in satin and lace and diamond-studded high heels, Rohan presides over a sex, drugs, and harpsichord bash while his modern counterpart strikes a pose in his white suit in a Studio 54-esque setting where sex, drugs, and rock and roll prevail.

Like his Disco King counterpart, the King of Hell seems a bit of a poser. Despite being a self-professed villain, the majority of Rohan’s actions are respectable. His most noticeable flaw is vanity, and his kindness toward Elinor and her sister Lydia cannot be totally put down to self-interest. Rohan finds Elinor intriguing, and his initial intent to exploit Elinor’s innocence eventually forms the path to his own salvation as the world-weary rake is transformed into a man with a heart and soul.

Lisa Marie