This book was not one of Ms. London's best to me. It was hard for me to stay focused and interested in the character's and plot of this book. ( )

THE RUTHLESS CHARMER is a story of misunderstanding and a severe lack of communication. If Julian Dane, Earl Kettering, and Claudia Whitney would have just talked to each other things would have been a little easier on each of them. Claudia is so caught up on how unfair life is to woman that she cannot see that Julian is a very caring and compassionate man. I don’t understand even after finishing the book how she could think that Julian had pushed his friend, Phillip, to be killed. All three of the surviving Rogues of Regent Street blame themselves for Phillip’s death even though there was little any of them could have done. This story is also about the problem of inequality that women faced in Regency England. If a woman wasn't married there was little available for her to earn a living. Just as today there were woman that needed to work to help support their family but those jobs that were available were back breaking and the pay was much less for the same work. While things have improved there is still some of this still today.

Julian is the man so many of us would want to raise our children. He is also the perfect tortured hero. He wasn't abused but he has faced tragedy after tragedy. He has raised his sisters after the death of his father. He is caring and feels deeply for all four of the girls. Anyone that suffers so over the unforeseen death of one of those girls cannot be a terrible person. Julian also blames himself for the death of his friend again there was little he could do to prevent it. I would not want Julian as an enemy because he would be ruthless in his revenge. I am surprised that he didn't do more to take care of the abuser that his youngest sister married. I know that there wasn't much that he could do in that time period but an accident would have been so easy to arrange. Yes I can be a little blood thirsty when abuse is involved. I like Julian very much and I hope to hear more about him in future books.

Claudia is at times not a likable person, through most of the story she is quite as narrow minded as the rest of the ton. She is so wrapped up in the inequality of woman that she paints all men with the same brush. A small slight from Julian has sent her mind that he is a despicable rake. I am surprised that she ever realizes that he is more than what she has imagined. I also realize that her work with disadvantage woman that she has seen the worst that men can do but she can’t seem to separate the worse for the rest. I am surprised that she changes so much in the last half of the book. Claudia’s father is one of those men that should have been sterilized before he could reproduce. He cares little for his daughter when is ruined. He is more concerned for his reputation and his position in government than he is for Claudia. He is one of the men that were so much of the force behind keeping women in their rightful place.

Finally we come to Sophie; she is a spoiled child that really should have been spanked once in a while. While she is forced to grow up after she runs off and elopes it doesn't excuse her running off when Julian tries to prevent her from making a mistake. She doesn't listen to his concerns being very sure she knows more than he ever can. If eloping wasn't a big enough scandal she then is force to get a divorce because the man she marries is abusing her. I do hope that she can find some to care for her. It is a very sad part of the story.

Again Ms. London has written a story full of emotion and well thought out and written characters. The man that marries Sophie and the lord that belittles Claudia at every turn are so contemptible that you want to take care of them yourself. I would really like to see something tragic happen to the lord that makes Claudia’s life so miserable. While there isn't much steamy sex there is enough to be enjoyable and pant worthy. This is a very example of a historical romance written over a decade ago. ( )

This is the 2nd book in the Rogues of Regent Street trilogy. I absolutely loved the first book, and loved the 3rd, but this one...

The "ruthless charmer" of the title is Julian, one of the three remaining Rogues of Regent Street. Along with his friends, he's still recovering from the suicide of Phillip. Julian blames himself because he was also attracted to Claudia, the young woman Phillip was hoping to marry. He fears that his jealousy distanced him from Phillip and kept him from seeing when to intervene sooner. He's also very afraid that when Phillip became more drunk, broke, and desperate, prompting Julian to warn Claudia away from Phillip, that it pushed Phillip over the edge.

Julian is still very much attracted to Claudia, an attraction which started in her teens when she was friends with Julian's sisters. But she's distant to him, so he projects his guilt, and assumes that she's mourning Phillip and blames him for Phillip's death.

Claudia does blame Julian, as a matter of fact, and not just for Phillip's death. It all dates back to a ball when she was 17 (she's now 25), when Julian promised to return for a dance with her and never did. Since then, she's built him up in her mind as the world's worst rogue, and has convinced herself that he not only coerced Phillip into drinking, gambling, and debauchery, but that he warned her away from Phillip because he didn't think she was good enough for his friend.

Misunderstandings like this are my very least favorite kind of romance plot, and in The Ruthless Charmer it's exacerbated because even once Julian and Claudia act on their attraction and are forced to marry, they still persist in their assumptions.

I actually rather liked the misunderstanding after their first lovemaking, when Claudia is afraid that Julian was disgusted by her enthusiasm--that rings very true for the times. But there are so many misunderstandings, and I really wanted to lock this couple in a closet and force them to talk.

Worst was the situation with Julian's younger sister Sophie, a stubborn, spoiled brat. She's infatuated with an abusive fortune hunter who's sweet-talked the naive young girl into believing he loves her and that Julian is being unfair to them both by trying to keep them apart.

So rather than actually explain what the problem is, Julian just lays down the law: Sophie's not to see him, period, whereupon Claudia, disregarding the contradictions with what she's learned about Julian's character, decides to believe Sophie's version and assists the two "lovebirds" who elope.

At that point, I almost felt that Sophie deserved the abuse, I was so completely irritated by her. Almost. I'm not an idiot.

I've probably spoiled too much of the plot already--sorry about that (though you'll see this much and more in the Amazon reviews). I won't tell you how the problems are resolved, at least.

On the positive side, the situations--even the misunderstandings, irritating though I found them--were very true to the times. A male head of the family wouldn't find it necessary to explain why his sister should stay away from a particular man, for example. And Claudia, as an early feminist, was equally understandable in her blind quest for independence. It doesn't make me like reading about them, though.

And I did very much enjoy the descriptions of the life of women of all stations in Regency-era England. As an early feminist, Claudia made a good lens through which to view their lives.

Julia London is--and remains--a must-buy author for me. Whether The Ruthless Charmer is a mis-step or just a matter of having pushed my buttons, I'm not sure, but since this is the only book of hers that I haven't absolutely loved, I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt. ( )