Review - - Two Ruins Make a Right

Two Ruins Make a Right

by Janna MacGregor

Publisher: Janna MacGregor

Release Date: July 22, 2025

Reviewed by PJ

Lady Nellwyn “Nell” Whitton and Mr. James Richardson absolutely detest each other—and for good reason. A broken engagement (fine, let’s be blunt: a spectacular jilting) tends to sour a romance.

Eight years later, fate—or possibly a bored deity with questionable judgment—leaves Nell stranded precisely where she’d least like to be: on James’s doorstep. And because fate loves a good laugh, James is hosting a house party, determined to fulfill his spirited daughter's fondest wish, finding a new mother. In short, he’s bride-hunting, and Nell has inconveniently crashed the party.

James instantly suspects Nell of plotting revenge by sabotaging his meticulously planned party. Nell would prefer to marry a turnip and would have a more engaging conversation with it as well. Clearly, the universe delights in tormenting these two. When Nell’s sister and James’s cousin stroll into a compromising embrace, scandal becomes as inevitable as an overly sweet punch at a country gathering.

Now, reluctantly allied, Nell and James must confront their tangled pasts to safeguard their families’ futures. Yet house parties, full of moonlit alcoves, whispered gossip, and impulsive decisions, inevitably lead to one ruination after another.

And perhaps, if they’re lucky, this second scandal might just ruin them for anyone else...forever.

Dear reader, Two Ruins Make a Right was initially published as a novella in The Young and the Ruin anthology. I’ve added a prologue and several new scenes to make it a novel. I hope you enjoy this updated version.

PJ's Thoughts:

Are you in the mood for a second-chance, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers, forced-proximity, historical romance? That's exactly what Janna MacGregor brings to the table with her (newly revised and expanded) Two Ruins Make a Right. 

Fate was having fun the day Nell's carriage brakes down in front of widower James's home at the very moment he begins his search for a new wife and mother for his young daughter. Nell was once the woman James thought would be his forever love and mother of his children but Nell's family forced her to break his heart (without explanation). Needless to say, he is not happy to see her. Unfortunately, his beloved daughter is thrilled. Things are about to get sticky.

I love when couples are given a second chance to get things right. There's a lot of emotional baggage to sort through before these two will be ready to open their hearts again though. The feelings are still there but forgiveness, understanding, and healing will be necessary before they are able to move forward. James gets there first but the lessons Nell needs to learn take much longer. Her experiences have changed her profoundly, causing her to make decisions for herself and others that she thinks are grounded in love when they are actually made from a position of fear. It adds another layer of complexity to her character and to the eventual happy endings (yes, there are two).

The supporting cast adds another layer of humor, emotion, and conflict to the overall story. I especially enjoyed James's adorable daughter (who steals every scene she's in), his matchmaking aunt, and Nell's younger sister. They add richness and texture to the story while also smoothing Nell's rigid edges and helping her grow. 

If hard-won, second-chance historical romances are your jam, give this one a try.