Tristan is the first book in the Ruins of Emblem (can I just say how much I love the name of this series? perfect.) series. It’s a spin-off of Cora Brent’s Gentry Brothers and Gentry Generation series. And it’s the perfect way to spin off a series. We are treated to characters that we already know and care about! While I am always on the lookout for new series, I won’t lie, having this one start with Cadence and Tristan is what brought me here.

Cadence is Cord and Sayler’s daughter. Tristan is Curtis’ brother. What an amazing way to bring all of the Gentry series together. And having this spin off take place in Emblem is a total win, imo. We’ve seen a little of Emblem. And we know the history the Gentry’s have there. Making this town the setting of a new series is yet another way to connect everything. I love it.

The story itself was good. I love that Cadence doesn’t fall into the same category as many other heroines in the romance genre. She might be good, but she’s not the angelic good girl we see perceived too often. No virginal saint here. She also knows that Tristan is involved in things that aren’t legal, but she doesn’t ask him to change. She accepts him for who he is. While Tristan isn’t a bad guy, he’s doing some illegal, albeit not really harmful, things. And he’s content with it. I like that the only thing that really changes for him is that he realizes he doesn’t want to end up in the Emblem prison. He doesn’t have some huge personality change. He just knows that if he keeps doing what he’s doing, he could go to jail. He also decides it’s time to show up for his family, Curtis and Brecken. I thought Brent did a fantastic job of making the reconciliation with the three Mulligan brothers seem realistic.

While Tristan isn’t a saint, he’s also not a “manwhore”, which I appreciate. He’s been with a lot of women, in the past, so maybe it’s that he’s a “reformed manwhore”. Either way it’s nice to not have to read about the hero with a bunch of other women right before he meets the heroine. I’m just over that entire thing.

We’re treated to a few Gentry appearances, which is always welcome. And we meet the heroine of the next Ruins of Emblem book, Leah.

As evident by my reviews of other Cora Brent works, I am a fan. She was one of, if not the first, author I read when I got back into reading romance after a long romance reading hiatus. I absolutely love her characters. As I read more, however, I will say that her writing style isn’t always my favorite. It is much more “tell” when I’d rather be shown.

Still, if you’re looking for realistic, likable characters and little angst, I’d recommend this one.