title: Ruined by Nature
author: Pierson, Rachel
description: One ruined Season. Half-French debutante Amelia Bouchard has long struggled to be a proper English lady. Vivacious, temperamental, and musically gifted, she dreams of the stage more than a life of interchangeable balls and stifling afternoon teas. Her brother, a displaced comte, insists that Amy marry to save their family from financial devastation, but his plans are thwarted when her reputation is dealt an unexpected setback. Banished to Gravethorne Castle - a place of painful memories and dangerous secrets - by her powerful uncle, Amy wonders if her life can grow any more complicated. Then she is kidnapped by common criminals with murky motivations, and the one man who can help her is the same one she cannot stand. leads to a reckless affair. As a barrister, Lucas Bellamy is used to making enemies, but no one has proved as worthy a foe as Amy Bouchard, his best friend's sister. With an estate in tatters and no fortune to speak of, Lucas has no time to become embroiled in Amy's present crisis. Yet when he falls into the role of unlikely hero, arguing with the exasperating beauty blossoms into a connection that neither of them expects. As the dangers come closer to home, Lucas and Amy are swept away in a web of lies, violence, betrayal, politics, and an overwhelming passion that might ruin them both. Ruined by Nature is the first book in a trilogy about Amy Bouchard and Lucas Bellamy. It is not a standalone novel.