Review: Resplendent Ruin by Bella J
Contemporary/Erotic Romance
Released: November 16, 2015
Liquid Silver Books

Reviewed by Sheena

Juliette Mason had it all—the perfect job, the perfect home, the perfect fiancé. She lived the perfect life. Until everything started to slowly fall apart.
Daniel, her attractive and success-driven fiancé, was the love of her life. For years she wanted nothing more than to finally walk down the aisle, to be Mrs. Daniel Clarke. But as time went by, the cracks in their relationship started to come to the surface, and Juliette found herself in a place she never imagined she would be. It was a place where she started to question everything about her life and her dreams, a place where nothing about her life made sense anymore—a place where she found Knox Taylor.
Knox didn’t count on falling in love. In fact, Knox didn’t count on anything really. He was blissfully happy living a fast life of reckless behavior, impulsive decisions, and beautiful women. He lived the perfect life of a flourishing bachelor—but then she happened.

Favorite Quote: “Why, you arrogant son of a-”

I prefer the word cocksure,” he said with a coy smile.  That was the first time Juliette noticed his dimples. Dammit they’re hot!

He called her his Duchess….she was looking to escape her gilded cage. 

The heroine is a cheater.  No smoke signals, no wrapping it up in a bow and calling it pretty.  She cheats on her man and does so with reckless abandon at her most vulnerable point.  I spent most of this book in awe. Primarily at myself because I did not cast it off and bail given the seediness of the love triangle.  Geeze, do I hate cheating in my romance novels. However, once I saw the dynamic between Juliette and her betrothed, Daniel, I was far more curious than pissed off.

A woman, seeming with everything, spends her days suffering uncontrollable thoughts of what she is missing.  She sits on a shelf, a pretty gilded shelf, but a shelf nonetheless and longs for her man to come home- in the figurative and physical sense.  On paper Juliette and Daniel are a shoo in for a traditional romance HEA, until tragedy strikes.  Both are gorgeous, comfortably wealthy, young, driven, educated and in love. He, the son of the man who founded a successful firm with her father.  She the prim and proper perfect woman for him is CFO of their father’s firm.  They fall in love, his father dies and Daniel assumes his right as the heir and CEO of the firm.  Then Daniel loses sight of Juliette.  Beautiful, neglected, lonely Juliette.  It is only logical that she waiver in her commitment and fall down the rabbit hole where her attraction leads her to another man- right?   The rub- Daniel isn’t a douchelord.  You see, in order for most romance novels where there is infidelity to work, the woman is typically ball and chained to a huge dick- and not in the good way that just made you smirk. Daniel is characterized as caught up in his profession, duty bound to make his father proud he is a workaholic yet loving, apologetic and quite tenderhearted toward Juliette.  Yes, over the past two years (you know, since his father DIED) he has had to assume a huge mantle of responsibility and prematurely step into his father’s shoes as CEO. So sure, dude’s missed a few date nights.  I quickly found myself sympathizing with Daniel and mentally chastising Juliette for not being as understanding as she probably could have been.  Annnnnd this was the beginning of my conundrum.

When Juliette meets Knox, sparks, fly, his oooey gooey sapphire eyes burn holes, etc etc.  But I’m not buying it.  I am too busy side eyeing Juliette to really register how hot Knox is, but their magnetism is duly noted.  He is her polar opposite.  Wild, bad, tattooed and seemingly just living life from pillar to post (but it is very clear he is wealthy) chasing down the sun on the open road sitting pretty on his Ducati.  They take an immediate mutual interest, there is a lot of requisite push and pull (Juliette has a conscience attack whenever things heat up).  Soon enough/finally (if you are in Knox’s head, heh) the affair is consummated and all hell quite literally breaks loose.

He knew the minute he saw her standing on the other side of the door last week, wearing her uptight coat and Margret Thatcher gloves that he would have loved to strip her of all her sophistication as he screwed her straight into the twenty-first century. Oh, and when she looked at him with those disapproving eyes as he cracked open his first beer of the day-oooooh, he wanted to bend her over and make sure she couldn’t walk for days, mainly just to teach her a lesson, of course.  To show her that he might not be one of the perfectly groomed, suit-and-tie guys that she usually mingled with up there in her little high-society circles, be he sure as hell had what it took to make her scream his name over and over, and over again.

I figured  the plot twist the second or third time Knox appeared in the story so for the most part, I stuck around because, though I was no huge fan of the main couple, the writing itself, the story was very compelling. I didn’t want to put it down.  Too much happens that will spoil for some readers but I will dance close to the edge and say that how Bella J handled what I can only call a particular character’s  assassination has given me much pause.  By chapter 22 in a book of 24 chapters, I found myself rethinking all of my damn allegiances and more than a little put out at the effort! Then I considered what had just happened- I was forced to see everyone in a new light- fluorescent- and very unforgiving and it was well….interesting!! 

Resplendent Ruin  is sexy and compelling.  It reads like a psychological thriller- without the horror- and I need to find someone else who has read this novel so we can over think it together- with wine.  I did not care for most of the heroines actions.  She annihilated any sympathy I had for her “plight”and never fully recovered-I’d say  her redemption was tenuous at best. The (anti?) hero, Knox, gave me so many red flags, it was impossible for me to root for his cause.  I seriously kept waiting for the chapter where we find out he is manic depressive.  The husband/other hero, is probably the most interesting “other man” (I know- ironic) I have read about in a long while.  There were a few chapters that delved inside his head and I wish there had been more.  Bella J did her best work with the supporting characters.  Never a dull moment with them as they were multi-dimensional and freaking interesting.  Juliette’s spitfire little sister Lexi (who is featured in book, 2, Resplendent Rush) is probably the best book-sister ever– and the real prize, a meddling, Mother Dearest-type mom who quite literally drives Juliette to drinking. I totally appreciate the foundation Bella J set with this series starter.  She is a new to me author and I believe this is a debut novel.  To that I say well done and this may be an author to watch for as she hones her craft even more.  One thing’s for sure, she’s got the smex down!

“I’m angry because I want you so goddamn much I can barely breathe.  I’m angry because when I kiss you, it’s like I’m alive for the first time in my fucking life,” He leaned closer and pressed her harder against the metal of the car, then parted her legs with his thigh…I’m angry because I want to fuck you until my name is a prayer on your lips.”

“With an almost inaudible whisper, he said, “Don’t ever stop touching me Duchess.”

He turned around and kissed her.  He kissed her like his life depended on it, like her kiss was a requisite for him to breathe.  A soft moan escaped her lips while his passion filled her to the brim.  With every touch of his lips, with every stroke of his tongue she succumbed once again to what burned brightly between them…”Just one more time,” her body screamed at her…

I would be remiss to neglect mentioning the few inconsistencies and “wait, what-hunh?” moments that didn’t always jive with what I was led to believe or read early on in the novel.  However, these little bumps were not damaging enough to take away too much from the reading experience.  This is not a happy love story.  It has a very melancholy vibe that is pervasive- even when we see the love triangle shatter and a HEA is revealed.  So far I am bewilderingly sold and will be back January 11, 2016 when Resplendent Rush releases.  I am already invested lock, stock and barrel with Lexi and Levi and if it is 1/2 as interesting as Resplendent Ruin, I will stick with this series for the long haul.

Grade: C+
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