Monday

Twice Tempted by a Rogue by Tessa Dare


The murder mystery that started in One Dance with a Duke, continues in the second in the Stud Club trilogy, Twice Tempted by a Rogue.
http://tessadare.com/news/

Ah, another book I was looking forward to and had a hard time finishing. This was really a bummer m-a-n, because I think Tessa Dare is one of the better writers in the crop of new writers that have come out in the last couple of years. I started to read the book, then put it down, read another book, started this one again and keep putting it down. I found the pacing to be uneven and was disappointed in the lack of character development. And the murder mystery was like the buzzing of a mosquito, a tad bit irritating.

Rhys and Meredith are not your typical romance couple. Well, Meredith isn't. I liked Meredith, or Merry. She's not your normal heroine. For one thing, she's a widow, not a virgin, and has had lovers since her husband died. So, she knows what she wants... which is to live at her inn and make a living at it. When her eyes fall on Rhys, she knows that she wants him in her bed. Rhys on the other hand, is a more typical romance hero - he's one of those battle-scared, tortured, angst-filled guys who needs the love of a good woman to make life worth living. He sees Merry and knows that she is his destiny and that they must marry and becomes totally obsessed with making that happen. He is also obsessed with righting all the wrongs on the community he left 12 years before.

There are some amusing parts, especially when Merry thinks there is something wrong with Rhys' man-parts because he won't be seduced, but after awhile Rhys' "I won't be seduced till you promise to marry me" routine became a little much and when he caved in, he seemed to do so with nary any regret. I like both characters separately, but together I don't think they made such a good pair and I couldn't buy into the HEA for these two.

I also didn't quite understand Rhys' reaction to Meredith's secret. He was so obsessed with marrying her, I didn't think anything that she could have done would hinder that, but evidently I was wrong.

Anyway, I am looking forward and keeping my fingers crossed for the next book in the series. This one should wrap up the murder, and have a guilt-ridden hero and a blind heroine... what more could one hope for in a romance novel!

Time/Place: Regency England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Hot

1 comment:

Melissa said...

It took 2 weeks. The only reason I finished it was to continue the murder mystery that is in the trilogy.