Racing to Ruin

Unlike the other debutantes of the Season, Sabrina Bennett has no desire to find a husband; for Sabrina has her whole life mapped out for herself: she's going to spend her life in solitude, reading and writing articles for the newspapers: a husband and children would only mess up this rosy dream she has for her future. Unfortunately for Sabrina, her grandfather wants her married and off his hands. So Sabrina comes up with what she thinks of as a brilliant plan to engineer her own social ruin, and so ensuring that her dreams will come true. With her sister's (Amanda) help, she draws up a list of rakes with which to carry out her plan. What Sabrina doesn't know is that Amanda has hopes of forestalling this harebrained scheme. Amanda skillfully maneuvers Sabrina into the path of Hunter Lancaster, the Earl of Greystone, a man with the rather sordid reputaion of having fathered his own stepsister's child. Amanda knows that Hunter is not the scoundrel that society has painted him out to be, and feels that Sabrina will be safe with him. Hunter is furious when Sabrina propositions him to ruin her, and quite ruthlessly shots down her request. Little does Hunter expect that his path will cross Sabrina's again so soon after that! The next morning brings news of the horrific murder of a young debutante, Lady Jane. Sabrina is determined to discover who the murderer is, and invites herself to the house party of one of the suspects. Horrified at the turn of events, Amanda goes to Hunter for help. And so Hunter finds himself tracking down Sabrina, and assisting her (much against his will) in going through their "host's" personal effects. Imagine Hunter's surprise when Sabrina comes across a signet ring with a rather unique pattern that seems to suggest that Hunter's sister's seducer and the dead debutante's murder are somehow tied together. But how? However even before either Sabrina or Hunter can proceed with their investigations, all hell breaks loose. Somehow word of their outing has been leaked and Hunter is forced to offer for Sabrina, even as she is forced to accept his proposal of marriage. Can these two who seemingly have so little in common and who seem to grate on each other's nerves make this hasty marriage work? And will Hunter and Sabrina discover who murdered Lady Jane?I rather enjoyed "Racing to Ruin." It was a really fun read. Sabrina Bennett is so spunky, smart and vivacious, that she completely disarmed me even as I groaned over her rather teenage tendency to carry out a scheme without thinking it through! It is this pluck and resolution that makes her the perfect match for Hunter Lancaster in spite of the very obvious age difference between them. I also liked that Stacey Brown devoted quite a few chapters to showing these two trying to make their marriage work, and coming to terms with their different expectations. Something else that made this novel really enjoyable for me was Hunter and Sabrina's witty repartee. It's been quite a while since

Sabrina Bennett refuses to allow her abusive grandfather dictate her future; rather, she plans her own ruin so that she might retire to the country where she may follow her intellectual interests. With her sister's aid, Sabrina decides upon the notorious rake Hunter Lancaster, Earl of Greystone to be the means to her ruin. Certainly he won't refuse her request.Hunter can't help comparing the impetuous Sabrina to his beloved sister because of her innocent naiveté. Like Julia, Sabrina's youth and inexperience leads her to believe in the best of people, even to her own detriment. However, that shared innocence prevents him from accepting Sabrina's outlandish offer. Hunter finds himself wildly attracted to the young minx, perhaps because she offers such marvelous respite from his otherwise jaded existence. Soon, much to his own surprise, Hunter finds himself protecting Sabrina, rather than ruining her. Indeed, soon he finds himself going to great lengths to protect her, even at the risk of his beloved freedom.These characters are often at cross-purposes, saying one thing and meaning another, and then suddenly so directly honest as to be touching. While they are charming, attractive characters, their own deceptions that end in misunderstandings, can leave the reader quite frustrated. Indeed, their dishonesty regarding their emotions toward one another can be quite infuriating. Nevertheless, the dark mystery that binds the plot of the story, as well as the charming romance that builds between the hero and heroine, makes RACING TO RUIN a very pleasant read. Recommended.

Great premise -- young innocent tries to avoid marriage by getting "ruined" -- chooses honorable rake for the deed. I'd buy it again - which is my personal standard for romance novels.