Ravish Me with Rubies by Jane Feather

Tracy’s rating: 2.5/3 of 5 stars

Series: The London Jewels Trilogy, #3

Release Date: January 26, 2021

2.5 stars rounded up.

When Petra Rutherford’s brother Jonathan asks her to join him for tea at Westminster to help him charm a member of parliament, she is stunned to see Guy Granville, Baron Ashton – a man she met and fell in love with ten years ago. And the man who broke her schoolgirl’s heart. She is barely civil to him – much to his surprise, as he holds fond memories of the girl he spent a summer with years ago. Shaken by the encounter, Petra vows to get her long-overdue revenge on Guy – she will charm him, enchant him, and then leave him with a broken heart.

Things don’t go as planned and her vow of revenge falls to the wayside and Petra finds herself falling under his spell once more – but this time she is wiser, she knows that Guy is a rake and promises to guard her heart. But the more time they spend together, the more they want and finally, Guy realizes that she is perfect for him and asks her to marry – it seems like HEA is a given – but soon they will have to face facts – they are both stubborn and when they find themselves on opposite sides of the Women’s Suffrage Movement – their love will be put to the test.

I am torn by this book – on one hand, it was different and I liked that Guy and Petra stayed true to their differing opinions – and while it made Guy appear to be a jerk in the eyes of a 21st-century reader – he was probably one of the most historically authentic heroes I have ever read. However, on the other hand, there is a whole lotta ICK – they meet when he is 24 and she is 14 – he spends time with her, kisses her, dances with her, etc. – later when confronted about his actions to her, claims that he had no idea she had feelings for him and then he says she was just a child – OK, so why are you KISSING a child? It was introduced early in the book and honestly, I just couldn’t shake the creepiness of it out of my mind – so that was definitely not a point in the book’s favor. Of the three books, this one was probably the most sexual – but the love scenes were far from steamy, they were downplayed and merely warm. The book was interesting, with misunderstandings, warm love scenes, cameos with the former “Jewels”, cameos with true historical figures, a meddling ex-mistress, and a HEA. I really wish there had been an epilogue as this is the final book and I would have liked to have a peek into their HEA, as well as Fenella and Diana’s – but overall, it was an OK read, and aside from the kind gross child molester vibe at the beginning – I think this might be the best STORY of the three books.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher. *