Was approved to read this, downloaded it, and then proceeded to binge-read the whole thing. I am such a sucker for a marriage of convenience, especially when the MMC is broody and unwilling to admit that he has feelings for the FMC. It was very much giving Bridgerton and Tessa Dare vibes with that. And the spice... Whew. It may not have been as extremely detailed as other books I have read, but it was something else to see it illustrated.

I would have liked to see more between the two main characters. I felt as though there was not enough, and maybe I am thinking that more because I am used to more development in non-graphic forms of novels. I did enjoy all the side characters and would LOVE to see this turned into a series where we get to see every story in their own book! Would highly recommend this book to someone looking for a short and fun historical romance.

Ruined has the same vibe as Bridgerton but in a graphic novel format! Rumors are swirling about Catherine having lost her virtue but when Andrew learns about her sizeable dowry he knows that he can save his family home from debt. They agree to marry each other but could they actually fall in love?

Thank you to NetGalley, FirstSecond Books, and the author for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I requested this because the synopsis and cover were both intriguing. A regency graphic novel? Sure! Sounds good! Unfortunately the art style on the front didn't match the art style of the contents, which was too bad. And the synopsis WAS in tune with Bridgerton to a certain extent: side plots, modern standards for representation, graphic nudity etc. (Personally I could have done without the explicit body parts but that's just me.)

However, I was disappointed in the fashion, which was sort of lackluster in the book, especially since much was made of the lady's maid's talents in that department. Her fancy ball dress looked pretty much like every other dress. And I have to say that as heartwarming as the lady's maid's story and the sister's story were, they did the MCs a big disservice. A graphic novel is much shorter than a regular novel and there is much less written content. It's almost like a short story with pictures. There wasn't enough time to properly develop the main characters. Coupled with the fact that plot-wise the main characters' actions weren't well justified or explained, I felt largely unconnected and uninvested in the story overall.

What *was* good? I'll give full points for a nice Well, as previously mentioned, the lady's maid had a really interesting story arc and I would have been interested in having the entirety of the story be about her. The sister had a cute side plot but it had a fairly shallow plot trajectory, so I would agree it was best kept as a side plot. I also enjoyed the agoraphobic sister of the male MC and I was hoping there would be more about her. It's just not a great sign when literally every other character besides the two main characters is more interesting. YMMV.

Puede ser el cómic con el dibujo más feo que he leído en la vida.
Agradezco mucho el intento de hacer una novela romántica enagüil con aires de los Bridgerton televisivos, con sus guarrerismos y todo, en este formato pero hace aguas por todos lados, la historia, el ritmo, el dibujo… Hay demasiadas cosas metidas en una historia tan breve y te pierdes cada dos por tres.
Un buen intento pero un resultado pfffff

This was a fast-paced graphic novel that I think fans of Bridgerton would really enjoy. Rumor has it that Catherine Benson has lost her virtue, though, no one is able to agree on the details. What respectable man could want to marry her now? Enter Andrew Daveners. His family's estate is in desperate need of repairs and Catherine's dowry could prove to be the solution. The two are wed and enter a marriage of convenience. Unexpectedly a passion starts to bloom between them but falling in love could be the very thing that tears their marriage apart.

I honestly would love to see more historical romances put into graphic novel format. It's such a popular genre and certainly it is lovely to see rather than just read stories set in the Regency period. That said, there were things I liked about this version and a lot that I just never connected with or enjoyed. This is very much a modern interpretation of an historical romance: much like the Netflix series Bridgerton it is color blind in casting, has individuals of all body types, and features LGBQT side characters.

Story: Catherine Benson thought she was in love and gave herself to a man who never intended to wed her. Ruined, she recognizes that her only future now is spinsterhood or an arranged marriage. Andrew Davenport is barely holding on to his estate - years of neglect, mismanagement, and lack of funds means there is little left for his sister and himself to survive. An arranged marriage is fine for both except for one small detail: Catherine still believes in love and suddenly finds herself falling for her capable and honorable husband.

The plot is one we've seen many times - an arranged marriage leading to love. But as noted earlier, this is a modern take on the genre: the art style is modern and kind of chunky, there are several very graphic scenes, and the characters feel a bit too anachronistic. It is a gentle love story but one that is greatly diluted by a heavy focus on side characters and their goals/tribulations separate from the main couple. Their stories just weren't compelling enough to want to follow any of them: from a former lady's maid looking to start her own clothing design business, a relative dealing with agoraphobia, to a sister dealing with her feelings toward a same gender friend.

I wasn't a fan of the artwork at all. The fashion of the era being willowy and boyish thanks to Empress Josephine and the empire style, just wasn't well represented here. Especially at the beginning of the book, the artwork was very chunky and kind of clunky. There wasn't much interest in the fashion and only in the latter half of the book did the artwork firm up and become a bit more confident. Too much of it felt too modern in expression and style to really fit an almost old fashioned historical romance. I wanted so much more from the art- to really experience the era, the grand clothing and homes, and all the wonderful details. This art was just too spartan in that regard.

In all, I would love to see more books of this nature. This one didn't work for me but it feels there is so much that could be done with historical romances in the regency period. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

I really enjoyed this book. I hope the author continues to write more books in the future. I can't wait to see what this author releases in the future.

This is my first graphic novel here on Netgalley and thank you for this eARC. Thank you First Second and Netgalley for an eARC of this novel.

This was a cozy romance read. There is always a certain charm in witnessing a couple involved in a marriage of convenience turned into falling for each other kinda thing. I think this does happen in real life especially for those countries where arranged marriages is still practiced in their culture. This kind of trope just feels incredibly fitting.

I was a little bit disappointed with the artwork though, I thought it was going to be similar to the cover but alas it was not. I appreciate the portrayal of the Regency period though - for me it's one of the most interesting periods and I always enjoy TV shows, books in that era.

While I typically devour graphic novels, the pacing in this particular one left me a bit unsatisfied. I found it to be somewhat sluggish, leading to moments of boredom, which ultimately influenced my rating. However, if you like regency romance era, they say this is similar to Bridgerton but I've never really read or seen that one -- you may like this graphic novel.

Sarah Vaughn's 'Ruined' is a compelling read with well-developed characters. While there were moments where the pacing could have been tighter, Andrew's depth and charm added a layer of richness to the story, making it a solid 4-star experience overall.

I normally love this artist's work, but the panels in this book felt a little flat. I don't know if it was an effect of reading a digital ARC, but it just felt like the illustrations could have been so much better. The story was nice, though, if a bit simple.

As it turns out, regency romance translates exceptionally well to graphic novel format. Ruined was proof of that. The story - following a familiar romance pattern of a marriage of convenience that turns into something more - was illustrated with gorgeous coloring and visuals, making it immersive and lovely to read. And since it was a graphic novel, I devoured Ruined in one sitting.

My only real complaint about this book is that the story itself fell a little flat at times. The reader is thrust into the middle of things, and while Catherine and Andrew's pasts are ultimately explained, I felt a bit lost in the beginning. Much of the tension that might exist in narrative in a traditional romance novel was missing here, and while the illustrations were kinetic and able to communicate a lot, there was still a level of interiority that wasn't ever present.

Still, I loved finding a new way to experience a favorite genre, and definitely recommend this book to other histrom fans!

3.75/5

This was a sweet marriage of convenience to lovers romance. I liked all of the characters and particularly enjoyed how the supporting cast were also developed. One couple even reminded me of Patience & Esther. I love Searle's art and this was no exception.

I love Sarah Winifred Searle's art so much that I would be tempted to pick it up no matter what, but I fell in love with the plot, too. Sarah Vaughn took the story that isn't often told and turned it into its own love story, and I loved the entire book. I can't wait to snag a physical copy and read it again!

I love a good romance, and Ruined hit the spot. I enjoyed the way they created a graphic novel of a historic romance. It had similar effects, but with graphic images (lol). The illustrations were not the best, and I found the story line a bit stilted. I thought the romance was cute (I'm a sucker for a brooding hero). Catherine's character did not have too much character development, but her character is great form the get-go. Her sense of responsibility and self-lessness at her new home as the Lady of the house evident in the way she provided for her household. Andrew's realisation of his love for Catherine is ever so adorable.

In this work's universe queer relationships are normal, however patriarchy is still alive and perpetuated? That aspect of the book confused me a little. Overall, I would recommend this book!

I love a good Regency romance so this one caught my eye. The fact that I've not seen a graphic novel done in this genre before only prompted me to request it faster.

Honestly, I thought this was ok. I don't know if it's because I'm used to not having pictures with my story but I'm still on the fence as to whether I think the art took away from the story. Overall the story was pretty standard - marriage of convenience that eventually turns into more. I just don't think I connected with these characters very much. Admittedly it was a shorter story so that might just be due to the length.

All that to say, while this was a quick and easy read, I'm not sure about how I feel about historical romance in graphic novel format and again, that is probably just me and my taste as the story itself wasn't out of the ordinary for the genre.

Just as the comps promised, RUINED evokes Pride and Prejudice or Bridgerton vibes. It was absolutely charming, I read it in one sitting. And though RUINED comes in at about 300 pages, I would have happily read twice as much about this couple.

This is a quick, fun read for those of us who are fans of the regency romance. It's led by all the familiar tropes and delivers them reliably. Making a graphic novel isn't as easy as it may seem and this one is done very well. I'd like to see more genre romance done in this style. I hope the author/illustrator have plans for more.

I wanted to love this so badly. Unfortunately, it just missed a few steps for me.

First, I did enjoy the main storyline and characters - I do wish there was a bit more buildup in the relationship between our two main characters. However, there were quite a few subplots and none of them felt fully developed; it truly felt like the author was trying to put too much into the story.

For me, I enjoyed how Bridgerton-esque this graphic novel was; there were gay and BIPOC characters. However, to some, it may feel slightly too close to source material.

As a side note, I wasn't prepare for this graphic novel to be...that graphic. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it - but definitely wasn't prepared. So, those that prefer closed door romances should just be aware of that!

If you like Bridgerton and the spiciness of a good regency romance, this graphic novel is for you! Catherine is marrying Andrew out of necessity: her reputation has been tarnished and she's not getting any younger. Andrew had the weight of the family name and legacy fall on his shoulders, but has no way to finance it all. When the two get hitched, neither expects to fall in love... but to tolerably live together to assuage society.

Word of warning: this graphic novel does get rather spicy (I had to stop reading it in public - that level of spicy).

This was beautifully written and illustrated! This was so wholesome! I love stories like this. Graphic novel, historical, romance.
Count me in!!!