The step-sibling dynamic was surprisingly okay, to be honest. It reminded me a lot of "A Secret Love" by Stephanie Laurens, but here, they took it a step further by making them actual step-siblings. However, I had an issue with him using her childhood nickname. Unlike in Laurens' book, where the nicknames evolved, here they remained stuck in the past.

3.5 because the story didn't really hit its stride until about 60% of the way through.

Genteel-bred ladies... at a whorehouse? ...Mmmkay...
Initially, I found Rosalie and Declan insufferable, but Declan won me.

It was cute and different. ( )

A Debutante's Guide to Ruin
4 Stars

Content Warning: This book contains tropes that some readers may find offensive, i.e.,references to child molestation, attempted rape, and a sexual relationship between step-siblings

Penniless and homeless, Rosalie Hughes has only one person to turn to, her step-brother, Declan whom she hasn't seen for over a decade. Declan, the Duke of Banbury, quickly decides that the easiest solution to Rosalie's situation is to marry her off as soon as possible. Of course, Rosalie has other ideas that include donning a disguise and infiltrating a notorious sex club of which Declan is a member . . .

For me, the step-siblings-in-love trope was not an issue in this particular book as Rosalie and Declan are neither biologically related nor are they raised together as brother and sister. Both Rosalie and Declan are appealing characters. Although he starts out as a bit of a jerk, she handles his aloofness with aplomb, and their superficial familial connection grows into a strong emotional bond with intense attraction and chemistry.

The secret-keeping trope revolving around Rosalie's disguise, which has the potential to ruin a book, is handled well here without any unnecessary prevarication or undue angst. The secondary storyline revolving around Rosalie's despicable mother is very disturbing with some skin-crawling moments. The climax and resolution are, however, quite similar to one of Jordan's other works - Wicked in Your Arms.

In sum, this is an enjoyable read overall, and the hints at the love/hate relationship between Declan's cousin and his best friend has me looking forward to their story.

( )

dnf at 40%

i know that they are not actually siblings and this book reminds me of this fact every 10 pages or so but somehow it still creeps me out ( )

Good chemistry. ( )

Reading this romance, it felt much more in line with older romances I read from the 90s and early 00s, rather than its publication date of 2014. There's a lot more damsel in distress than I go in for these days and while usually things like cousin marriage doesn't phase me, I could not stop being a little weirded out by the fact that the romantic leads are step-siblings (why I'm not weirded out by the exact same dynamic in Clueless I honestly don't know. Paul Rudd makes everything ok, maybe?). The book isn't bad and Sophie Jordan's writing is good enough that I'd consider picking up another of her novels but I won't recommend this one. ( )