To Ruin the Duke: A Regency Romance Where a Lady's Wicked Seduction Exposes an Impostor's Deceit

by Debra Mullins

A disreputable duke

All of London is abuzz with the shocking exploits of Thornton Matherton, Duke of Wyldehaven, a man as sinful and wild as his name. He plays fast and loose with money, drink, and women. Or does he? An impostor has tarnished Thornton's good name, and the real duke will not rest until he has proven his virtue.

A righteous lady

Abandoned by her aristocratic father when she was a child, Miranda Fontaine despises the nobility. Despite her distrust, she visits the Duke of Wyldehaven on an urgent mission. Determined to keep a deathbed promise, Miranda will do whatever it takes to pin down the notorious duke . . . even if it means seducing him herself.

Passion's ruin

Desperate to escape the web of deceit and clear his name, Thomas cannot bear the distraction of Miranda's supple skin and alluring eyes. Her beauty will be his undoing . . . and her bed will be the site of his most wicked ruin . . .

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Regency, Historical Fiction, Fiction

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 20, 2009

About the author

(from website)I hate writing bios. They always seem so cut and dried. But you came to my website to learn more about me, so here goes.

I’m the oldest of four sisters, and we are full-blooded Irish on our father’s side. Oh, and our house had one bathroom. If you have any questions about where I got my flair for drama, just imagine that scenario on a Saturday night when four teen-aged girls need to get ready for their dates all at the same time.

‘Nuff said.

So, I am the writer in the family, though I always had a secret dream to be a torch singer. You know, like Michelle Pfeiffer in The Fabulous Baker Boys. My voice is OK, but the only place I feel comfortable singing is in the shower, so that was out. Besides, my sister Kate would kill me. She’s the singer in the family. Seriously, she sang at Carnegie Hall once (yeah, as part of a choir and with the orchestra and a bunch of other people, but Carnegie Hall! How many people can say that and be telling the truth?)

Anyway, I settled on writer and left the singing to Kate. My other two sisters are both artists, and no, they don’t have anything in the Louvre, but my sister Christine paints her house constantly, always changing the décor in her kids’ rooms. So you see? Creative impetus will out, and there’s no stopping it. Better to just give in and have the chocolate standing by for those moments of Artistic Frustration.

After giving up my torch singer aspirations (but before I fully accepted that I am A Writer) I gave serious thought to a practical career. The term “starving artist” was not conceived out of whimsy, you know, and I did have a fondness for food and shelter. So, soon after high school, I considered a career as a simultaneous interpreter for the UN.

I heard you giggle. Yes, I did. So let me clarify by adding that I have a gift for languages and had already taken several years of Spanish, French and Italian by the time I graduated high school, AND I had done the exchange thing in France, where I lived for a summer with a family, speaking nothing but French. So there.

Ahem. Anyway, in order to be a simultaneous interpreter, you need to know five languages. I had four under my belt (since I do know grammar and punctuation, I consider English the fourth language). I just had to learn one more language.

But that never happened. I chose True Love over College, then got married and started a family young.

Yes, you can laugh now.

Anyway, years pass. I gave in to my natural tendency to be a storyteller and started working on the one thing I had ever finished—a hand-written, 100 page “novel” about a Spanish pirate that I had completed in junior high. As an adult, I still felt there was a story there. That novel evolved into my first published work, ONCE A MISTRESS (Written in English, though my pirate does say cool Spanish words like mi amor and mi querida. Sigh. Swoon!) In 1996, ONCE A MISTRESS was a finalist in the prestigious Golden Heart competition run by Romance Writers of America. Two years later—OK, on January 26, 1998 at 4:06PM—Avon Books called and offered to publish my opus.

So there you go. I’ve written eight more books since then, often utilizing my knowledge of other languages for flavor. I visited the old West with DONOVAN’S BED and THE LAWMAN’S SURRENDER. (Oh, and DONOVAN’S BED was a finalist for RWA’s RITA Award for Best Short Historical in 2001, which is like an Oscar nomination in the land of romance writing. How cool is that?) Then I visited the Regency era. I won the NJ Romance Writers Golden Leaf Award for Best Historical (2003) with A NECESSARY BRIDE. In 2005, THREE NIGHTS… was nominated for Best Historical Romance in competition for Virginia Romance Writers’ prestigious Holt Medallion.

All of my Regency historicals have been optioned as featured selections by Doubleday Book Club and Rhapsody Book Club. My books have also been translated into Hungarian, Russian, and Portuguese f

Reviews

[Lynsey A · Rating 4 out of 5]

If someone is looking for a relaxing light hearted read then Debra Mullins latest book is for you. I discovered her about 4 or 5 years ago when I ordered Three Nights... from a book club. I really enjoyed that one (it contained one of my favorite themes - baby/pregnancy). So, every now and then I pick up one of her books.

This was a pretty entertaining read. It definitely kept me turning the pages to find out what happens with the imposter. The villian was pretty obvious, a half brother, but it didn't really take away from the story for me. I just kept wanting him to get revealed. He, of course, was revealed in the end but the rest of the ton never really found out about the imposter (at least nothing we saw - no epilogue). That was one bit of disappointment.

There were really two stories in one book. Not only do we have an imposter blackening Wlyde's real name but also threatening letters are sent to Miranda. I was surprised who the culprit was as I guessed the wrong member of the family.

This was a heart-warming story. Wylde was a decent man and did not have any rake like qualities. He wasn't ruthless and didn't seduce Miranda into his bed. He was a very likable hero. He was patient with her.

Miranda was a tough heroine who didn't give in despite her obvious attraction to Wylde. She went to his bed only when she was ready and stuck by her beliefs. Her reasons for giving into Wylde were definitely believable. She was a heroine to admire.

If you're looking for a light fluffy read this one is it.

[Edwina " I LoveBooks" "Deb" · Rating 1 out of 5]

First let me say the Hero Duke Wyldehaven was a WIMP I didn't like the way he was portrayed. For the longest time he just let someone else assume his identity and paid all the bills the imposture incurred, Please wasn't he suppose to be a Duke!!!! Their was very little Romance between the Hero/Heroin, No sexual chemistry at all. When they Finally get around to Making Love it is WHAM BAM THANK YOU MAM!!!!Miranda, a Virgin only feels a Sting and than The Duke reaches his climax and its over!!! That is what one calls Boring Sex!!! Please read authors like Lisa Kleypas Seduce Me At Midnight or Seduce Me At Sunrise or her Wallflower series and see how Romance Novels should be Written Their is also the wonderful author Julia London!!! Sorry Debra Mullins needs to take notes!!! I guess I have to continue searching for new Romance Authors!!

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been burned by Mullins before, so I wasn't expecting much from this book. I'm happy to report that it was much better than expected. Both main characters were well done, and I appreciated their romance, though I do wish more focus had been on them and less on the mystery surrounding the Duke's impostor.

The ending left me feeling unsatisfied as well, as it came about abruptly.

[Alaina Patterson · Rating 1 out of 5]

For the full review (and to discover the type of cheese this book most closely resembles), follow the link to the entry at That's What She Read.

[Tracy T. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audible Review-

So this was decent. Not boring, not exciting. I really liked Miranda. She had spunk. The Duke of Wyldehaven was okay for the most part, sometimes he was annoying. The attraction was okay at best.

There were some twists and turns that were fun, albeit a bit ridiculous and could no way happen, but this is fiction so it is expected.

As for the narration, it was okay. The narrator needs to work on the male voices a bit. Otherwise, it wasn't the worst narration I have listened too.

This was included in my ARP (audible romance program) Subscription so it was worth it.

[Bronwyn Rykiert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miranda Fontaine made a promise to her dying friend, that she would take her new born son to his father so that he can be raised by his father and in the right society. When Miranda goes to London to present James to his father Thornton Matherton, the Duke of Wyldehaven, Thornton denies parenthood and sends Miranda on her way but not before he realized she makes him feel and no-one has done that for a long time.

It turns out that there is someone masquerading as the Duke of Wyldehaven and he is leaving behind a lot of scandal. Thornton himself has been at his country residence still in mourning for his wife and unborn child who died 2 years previously. To keep up his good name Thornton keeps paying for deeds that this imposter is leaving behind.

Miranda and Thornton run into each other around town and he decides to put her and James up in a house until he can get to the bottom of his problems. In the meantime he has thoughts of bedding her?

I have enjoyed all of Debra Mullins’ books and this one was just as good but there are some things in the story that don’t seem to fit but overall a good story.

[Jo Reads Romance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Engaging story that falls a little flat
3 stars

To fulfil a promise she made to her dying friend, Miranda Fontaine knows she must find Thornton Matherton, Duke of Wyldehaven. The sinful duke has been shocking the ton with tales of his drinking, gambling and debauchery and he is also the father of the baby Miranda now must care for.

Wylde has made it his mission to show the ton he's not as disreputable as his father. That's not so easy when he realises there's someone posing as him and dragging his good name through the mud with scandalous exploits. He certainly doesn't have time for a woman who claims he has a son.

Add in threats, betrayal and many secrets and soon Miranda and Wylde feel that they can only trust each other. But is trust all they feel?

If I'm honest, this book fell short of my expectations. There was quite a lot going on and while a lot of it was far fetched, some of it was needlessly pointless.

With so much going on, the romance often took a back seat and there wasn't really enough interaction for me to ultimately believe in the happy ever after. Miranda and Wylde were enjoyable enough characters but I would have liked to see a little more depth to both them and their feelings. The love scenes were a little tepid, probably due to the lack of emotion between the two main characters.

Another annoyance of mine was the lack of epilogue. It was as if the danger was over, everything's fine so the book was concluded without tying up a few loose ends. I'm hoping there are books concerning Wylde's friends so we can see what happens with those loose ends.

I really wasn't sure how many stars to give this book. The good points are that it is written well and I never got bored or felt it was a burden to continue with the story. It's also engaging and readable despite all its other faults and so I'll have to give it a high 3 stars.

[mer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf @ 13%

It was boring.

Read: 30/05/2019-02/06/2019

[Mimi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Snore Snore BORE!!!!!

[Ylenia Attardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meraviglioso e avvincente!

[Marika · Rating 1 out of 5]

⛔️(in notes)

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit different, underworld romp with upper class mystery. Nothing massively "special" but i enjoyed it, the author writes well and it fliws well, all plot elements covered nicely.

[Naima · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miranda Fontaine dipercaya sahabatnya untuk mengasuh bayinya ketika dia meninggal. Sahabatnya juga memintanya untuk mencarikan ayah kandung bayinya, agar dididik sebagaimana ayahnya.
Thorton Matherton, Duke of Wyldehaden mengubur dirinya di estat selama dua tahun setelah kematian istri dan calon bayinya. Karenanya ia terkejut ketika ditegur sahabatnya akan tingkah buruknya di tempat judi. Dia bersumpah belum pernah kemana-mana selama dua tahun tersebut. Ia curiga ada seseorang yang menyamar menjadi dirinya dan berusaha merusak reputasi yang susah payah diperbaikinya sejak skandal yang dibuat ayahnya dulu.

Belum selesai keterkejutannya, tiba-tiba seorang gadis menerjang masuk ke dalam hidupnya dan menuntutnya bertanggung jawab atas bayi sahabatnya. Miranda Fontaine yakin Thorton-lah ayah bayi itu. Tentu saja Thorton menyangkal, bagaimana bisa ia merayu dan mencumbu seorang perempuan ketika ia tengah berduka? Sayangnya Miranda tak semudah itu diyakinkan. Apalagi nenek Thorton sendiri meyakinkannya kalau bayi itu memang berdarah Matherton.

Dari awal dibikin penasaran sama penirunya Thorton ini, pingin tau apa motifnya, dan geregetan setengah mati sama Thorton yang kayaknya lamban banget merespon segala tuduhan. anggota Bow street aja nggak keliatan pinternya di sini. alih alih menyelidiki siapa peniru Thorton malah sibuk membututi Miranda. Ughh capek deh. Lumayan banyak kejutan di dalamnya. Dan salut sama kegigihan Miranda yang keukeuh menolak segala rayuan Thorton. Memang sempat hampir2 menyerah sih tapi lumayanlah usaha penolakkannya hehehe. Jadi ada harga dirinya sedikit gitu lho jadi wanita.

[Nessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

THIS STORY WAS RATHER PREDICTABLE AND STORYLINE WAS AVERAGE, NOTHING WE MAY NOT HAVE ENCOUNTERED BEFORE.

OUR HERO is a Duke who has an impersonator masquerading around London as him, engaging in activities that defiles his reputation with duels, seduction and fights. The puzzled man has only returned to town from his country home after 2 years of mourning the death of his wife who accidentally committed suicide when she drank a potion to be rid of their baby. The Duke's character is pretty much a standard...there wasn't anything compelling about him that screams 'Alpha Vampire' magnetism vibe (of course this isnt a PNR). The story pretty much goes on about him trying to woo the heroine while he gets around to discovering the identity of the villian.

OUR HEROINE is a by blow of her famous actress of a mother and aristocratic father, one she never knew. When her friend leaves her in charge of her baby, she becomes a lioness out to seek the justice needed for baby James. However she doesnt expect the Duke to deny the child and obviously she thought that he was just trying to save his pride as a peer member. But somehow their lives are intertwined when she takes on the identity of a widowed Contessa, and becomes quite the famous singer. Her character is quite solid, she's loyal, responsible and steadfast. She has quite the dignity for a woman and i think that's what i like most about her.

OVERALL it was okay. Nothing that gets you excited about, just a very normal NORMAL HR.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Not just a simple tale of two lovers, but so much more.

The Duke is being blamed for all sorts of bad things that an unknown villain is doing in his name in London. Miranda is trying to be the respectable woman her mother never was as an actress. It is a tale of two people who don't deny their feelings for each other, but are going through the heartbreaking experience that sometimes life doesn't let us choose our paths.

The plot with the villain was sometimes predictable, but not so much that it wasn't thrilling. The ending was a little abrupt on this storyline, but again, not so much that you felt robbed. It was a great story about two people who really are a victim of circumstance.

Wylde truly is an honorable, devastated and devastating hero, who is very used to being a Duke. Miranda is an honorable bastard daughter who is desperately trying to do the right thing by her friend. They both acknowledge their attraction to each other pretty early on despite no warm and fuzzies yet. It was refreshing to have such honesty after reading several books with the only obstacle being the misunderstanding or the "I don't like you" denial thing.

A few really heart melting moments, a few (very few) passionate moments, and some great banter between all the characters made this book an enjoyable read. Not a full five stars, but definitely worth your time.

[Swee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a 3.5 stars which I have rounded it up to a 4-star read. I liked the feisty heroine. However, I was more ambivalent about the hero. I wasn't quite sure if he were an alpha male or otherwise. I was enjoying the book until it all dissolved into a puddle of gooey sweetness in the last quarter of the book where the protagonists, I thought, behaved in manners contrary to character. The ending also seemed far too rushed, like the author ran out of pages, and had to wrap everything up neatly in a minimum number of words.

[DeAnna · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's not to love about TO RUIN THE DUKE? There's a dashing, misunderstood hero. A gorgeous heroine with a generous heart and plucky attitude. And the delicate dance that keeps them coming together and pulling them apart is so well crafted that it keeps you guessing right up to the end. Oh, and I have to mention that there's also a very clever subplot about identity theft that gives this historical romance a modern twist.

[Libby Waterford · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable twisty tale of identity theft, mistaken identities, alter identities, and illicit liaisons. Miranda was an appealing modern heroine, with a sensible amount of self-preservation and determined to be self-sufficient in a world that makes it difficult to be so. Sometimes I wondered what she saw in the hero, Wylde, who was honorable (sort of) but a little staid compared to the rest of the characters.

[Lori Yvette Fernandez Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wish this book had been a bit longer. I would loved to have read an epilogue for this one as the suffering these characters went through has earned them a seriously happy ending! It was a good read, but there were some elements that were either unresolved or could have been better utilized to make it a five star book for me. I loved the writing style and characterization, however, so it was an excellent job by Ms. Mullins!

[ReeCee · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Duke was a bit stupid and a lot arrogant, and I did not like the way this book was written at all. I have enjoyed other Debra Mullins books in the past, but this one left me completely exasperated. This is one of those books when just a few words of explanation could have cleared so much up for everyone invovlved.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

hmmm....I don't know what to say about this book. It was a quick read, in my opinion, which I think offered really nothing new or have any riveting sexual chemistry.I, also, find that the ending was rushed and it didn't close the story well

[Monique Takens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik heb de Nederlands talige versie gelezen ( Hertog in opspraak - Candlelight Historische roman 904 )
Dit is het 3e boek van deze schrijfster wat ik gelezen heb ( CH 800 , 830 heb ik hiervoor gelezen ) ,net als bij het 1e boek ook nu weer regelmatig opvul / herhaling blablabla .

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the story interesting and it kept me engrossed. The play between the hero and heroine was fun to read. I may read her other books.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, charming tale about a duke who is ruined by love...in all the best ways: a good woman and a child.

[Theresa Contreras · Rating 4 out of 5]

debra mullins does it again with To Ruin The Duke! loved this book, a wonderful story about two broken people finding eachother and falling in love.. 4.5

[Gypsie Holley · Rating 3 out of 5]

a great fluff read!

[Lyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

In spite of the non-sequiturs and logical lacking, wholly it is still a not bad book worthwhile reviewing & contemplating.

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[Sharyn]

Read but can't remember it now to rate

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise, fairly executed. There was so much going on with the plot, though, that I felt the characters go flat just a little bit.