Resplendent in Ruby (Colors of Scandal Book 10)

Julianna Leah Winslow, Viscountess of Mayborne, was widowed three years ago. Her son, Benjamin, is ready to take up residence at Mayborne Court as the new Viscount. While packing her late husband’s personal effects to clear the home for her son, Julianna comes across a jade elephant that bears haunting memories of a different time. In an effort to finally bring some closure to the past, she summons James Percival Holles, the Earl of Braxton. Reluctantly, James decides to go and gain his own closure. Every time they meet, however, sparks fly and embers they long thought had been banked and put out come blazing back to life. The passion between them cannot be denied, but the feelings they have need to be put into words or they will repeat the past again and again.

The feelings Julianna and James have are so intense and raw they emanate from the pages! The complex relationship keeps the reader invested until the final page. There is a distinct lack of supporting characters, and thus a lack of intrigue one expects in a historical romance. The pages are aflame with the steamy passion between Julianna and James, although the lack of hesitance to engage in these steamy scenes does seem out of character with the morals of this period. As the two face the same situation time and time again, it begins to be predictable and lacks a development of their relationship. However, the individual character development is terrific as the endearing characters learn to trust their feelings. “Resplendent in Ruby” is number 10 in the Colors of Scandal series, but can most definitely be read as a stand-alone.

Cara Cieslak