The Romantic Ruse

By: Barbara Goss

Narrated by: Ann M. Thompson

Length: 4 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Amazon Best Seller in April 2016.

Desperate circumstances called for bold action. Lily couldn't resist the invitation to masquerade as her friend Emma to escape an undesired courtship. Her ruse backfires when she falls in love with Emma's intended. How could she possibly tell him her real identity? This deceit has also put her life in danger. Gus finds her working in a saloon and turns his back on her. Now her main objective is to win him back - no matter what it takes. A sizzling clean romance.

©2015 Barbara Goss (P)2017 Barbara Goss

Great Read

The Romantic Ruse was another great read by Barbara Goss. Lily is desperate to get away from circumstances that are beyond her control. Her friend Emma invites her to masquerade as Emma to escape an undesired courtship. She ends up falling in love with Emma’s intended, Gus. Unfortunately the ruse puts her life in danger and Gus turns his back on her when he finds her working at a saloon. She will do anything to win him back. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more by Barbara Goss.

The Romantic Ruse

The Romantic Ruse
: Barbara Goss

A historical fiction with romance, lies, kidnapping and a chance to love. There are twists and turns that will keep the listener wondering what's next.




The narration was well done. The characters were well portrayed by Ann M. Thompson.



"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Not what I expected

Any additional comments?

It was OK to begin with but I thought it went down hill after that. The heroin I felt made stupid mistakes. She didn't seem to think through things before she acted. I also didn't believe that she would work in saloon when she had other options. I also felt that they forgave her too easily and she expected repercussions yet she did not fight for what she really wanted!!

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

I was expecting a little bit more.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Probably not, it was too stiff and I couldn't relate to the characters.

Would you recommend The Romantic Ruse to your friends? Why or why not?

No, for the same reason I just answered to the previous question.

Would you be willing to try another one of Ann M. Thompson’s performances?

I might, She may do better with a different book, or perhaps I need to just read The Romantic Ruse instead of listening to it to be sure.

Did The Romantic Ruse inspire you to do anything?

not really

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Romantic Ruse

i like all of Barbara Goss books. she has a way of writing stories that pull you into it. This one is the same. it's an excellent story with a good story line and good characters and some twist and turns. Ann M Thomas did a good job narraiting this book..

full of suspense and twists at every junction

I received a free copy in return for a fair review. This was a fun and crazy book about what two people will do for love! From the description you know the gist of the story, but let me tell you, it’s not what you expect! So many twist and turns, every time I thought I knew what was going to play out, I was shocked or surprised, angry at the characters or disappointed! I love going through so many emotions reading a book! Thanks Barbara for such enjoyment! I look forward to reading more of your books! I recommend this book for those who don’t want a predictable romance! Which should be all of you! Enjoy! I know I did!

Update** May 19, 2017

I enjoyed the audio version of this book. The narrator did a good job, but sometimes when two women were talking I had a hard time figuring out who was speaking because their voices were too similar. I had read this book over a year ago and had forgotten some of the twists and turns!

Clean Western

4/5 The Romantic Ruse by Barbara Goss
Narrated by Ann M. Thompson
Summary:
Lily Brewer flees an unwanted courtship by using a train ticket intended for her friend, Emma. Before she can come clean to Gus about the deception, she’s kidnapped.

Additional Comments:
- The romance in the story is of the instant variety.
- The villain’s pretty clear-cut.
- I had a little trouble figuring out the sibling and married pairs in here. (Emma and James; Lily and Charles) Emma is Lily’s friend and Charles’s wife.
- Barbara Goss usually has happy endings as dictated by the romance genre, but these two had a bit of a rougher journey to get there than most.
- It’s almost a comedy of errors with the missed near chances and sheer number of misunderstandings. I confess to doing a fair amount of yelling at these characters. (Get it together and talk it out, people. No, don’t tell her that, you moron. That’s the worst advice you could possibly give her.) I suppose that makes them more realistic as well as infuriating.
- Ann M. Thompson’s performance was fine.

Conclusion:
If you like slightly clueless but nevertheless lovable characters and clean western romance, give it a go.
*I received this book for free. I voluntarily chose to review it.

Interesting Take on Mail Order Brides

I got this book via audiobook boom. This love story was very rocky and filled with several twists and turns. But it was a good clean romance that was filled with kidnappings, threats of beatings, betrayal, and deceit. The hero was a man of strong character but he was also flawed. But in the end, he saved the girl and won a wife.The narrator was good and fit the story. I also enjoyed that the secondary characters also found love.

Fun Western Romance

Any additional comments?

Lily has no interest in an arranged marriage and flees, pretending to be her friend Emma. When she falls for Gus, Emma's intended, the deceit backfires in grand fashion. Let the fun begin!

Fast-paced and loaded with adventure, The Romantic Ruse is sure to please. Filled with twists and turns, this was such a fun listen! Gus and Lily's road to love was definitely a bumpy one, fraught with peril and distrust. Oh, the things we do for love. The narration was very good and enhanced my listening experience. The Romantic Ruse was a pleasure to listen to and I would recommend it.

I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator. This review is my honest opinion.

The Romantic Ruse

Barbara Goss writes some of the most wholesome romantic westerns, if that's want you're after well look no further.
Always beautifully written, and this audiobook was a pleasure to listen.