Review copy was received from Publicity team. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Desperate by Ruth Mitchell Series: Modern Jane #3
on September 30, 2025
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 293
Format: eARC
Source: Publicity team
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Stylist Caroline Bingham dresses each day as if she might meet her worst enemy or greatest love.
Wyatt Knox just might be both.
Wyatt has the dubious distinction of being the guy who convinced Caroline’s boyfriend of seven years to dump her four days before her wedding.
So when Wyatt’s father hires Caroline to spiff up his son’s wardrobe, she jumps at the chance to torture Wyatt and get revenge on her ex.
***
Wyatt doesn’t need or want a makeover. Even if his dad claims it will help his growing business, converting vintage cars to electric vehicles. But then again, agreeing to the whole crazy scheme would mean more time with Caroline…
Ever since he accidentally kissed his cousin’s girlfriend at a family reunion, Wyatt has had a thing for Caroline. It doesn’t matter that she’d rather date a lawyer than a mechanic, that she blames him for her cancelled wedding and she usually greets him with a scowl and an insult. The heart wants what the heart wants.
Having made his fortune giving old cars new life, Wyatt is a champion of lost causes. And he’s not quite ready to give up on Caroline. He is determined to win her prickly heart, even if it takes a little plotting, shameless flirting, a few stolen kisses and a whole closet of ugly clothing.
The story in which the mean girl gets out of her own way and gets her happy. Ruth Mitchell’s sparkling romantic comedy series continues to entertain and make me sigh with pleasure.
Desperate is the third of the Modern Jane series of romcom standalones. This could be read out of order and quite easily, but the earlier couples and other characters do sidle through and readers can recognize them as such.
Caroline Bingham is a fashionist Ace and she is driven career-wise and her personal goals. While she is doing pretty well with that career, her private desire for a rich husband and a family… not so much. It didn’t help with her fiancé’s cousin lays one on her and the guy calls off the wedding right before the nuptials. She sure would like to get back at Wyatt for ruining it all, and now, thanks to his dad, who wants his save-the-world son to get a makeover, Caroline plots a fitting revenge for Wyatt and her ex.
Wyatt Knox is not just any mechanic. He’s working to take restored old cars and convert them to electric. He’s serious about important matters and not a rich playboy. He likes challenges and he really likes tart Caroline Bingham. She’s not making it easy and despises him in her high brow way, but he sticks at it and starts to soften the hard-core personality she is. Caroline is so busy looking for Mr. Rich and Right with the suave looks that she might miss out on something better if she’s not careful.
Like previous books, Desperate has some light-hearted even laughter-inducing moments, sparkling repartee, modern takes on not one, but two classics (P&P and My Fair Lady), well-developed romance plot and characters, and easy-read writing style that pulls the reader into the moment rather well.
I’m always up for a redeem the villain-type story. To be fair, Caroline was never an actual villain in earlier books, but no, she wasn’t anyone’s preferred bestie, either. She’s nuanced as is Wyatt. I wasn’t fond of what broke them apart late in the story, but at least it was brief and I had an overall warm glowing feeling when all was said and done.
There is more to come in this series based on hints and I’m glad to know it as I’ve grown fond of these Modern Jane sweet Contemporary RomComs.
As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing.Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators.Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance.Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.
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I do like seeing a sort of villain make a positive change. Sounds like a fun reimagining spinoff in the P&P world.