Ruthless by Anne Stuart

I was in the mood for some literary meringue… a tasty treat without much substance. Ruthless had a bit more substance than I expected, but it definitely fit the bill. I haven’t read much romance, as I’ve noted in the past, but I’ve been moving beyond my usual genres in an effort to defuse some of my literary snobbishness. There’s not much I can say about Ruthless, other than that it was a quick, enjoyable read. It is what it is–a romance novel with a fast plot, a dash of mystery, a bit of banter, a dark hero with an inscrutable past, and an unlikely heroine who redeems him against his will (and her better judgment). There was sex, but nothing so graphic that it would put off readers who don’t enjoy such scenes. The novel is part of a trilogy, but it seems that the volumes can be read individually.

Speaking of three-volume novels, I am suddenly reminded of one of my favorite scenes from “The Importance of Being Earnest”… so I leave you with some Wilde.

Miss Prism: Do not speak slightingly of the three-volume novel, Cecily. I wrote one myself in earlier days.

Cecily: Did you really, Miss Prism? How wonderfully clever you are! I hope it did not end happily? I don’t like novels that end happily. They depress me so much.

Miss Prism: The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what Fiction means.