*sigh* Can I find a way to un-read this book? Because I would kill to be able to read it and discover the magic of it all over again. It was perfect. *sigh* Can I find a way to un-read this book? Because I would kill to be able to read it and discover the magic of it all over again. It was perfect. *sigh* Perfect.
Last September I was minding my own business when a GR friend urged me to read a book she had loved. I looked and realized that I had put that very same book on my wishlist a while ago but had never bought it. So I took the plunge and grabbed myself a copy. That book was Seven Secrets of Seduction (the first book in this series) and it opened a whole new world to me. I loved it so much that I immediately bought Mallory’s backlist. I have slowly been working my way through them—forcing myself not to rush and read them all in one big gulp.
I have enjoyed her backlist (some more than others), but nothing came quite close to my love of SSoS. I was almost starting to think that nothing would be able to top it in my eyes. How amazing to find out that not only did I love the first book in this series enough to make it one of my favorite books of 2010, but I loved the second book just as much!
So, let’s talk about this book… This book had absolutely killer sexual tension. I am a total sucker for it, and oh, Anne Mallory is awesome at writing it. The tension and the emotion breathed off the pages and sucked me in. I was absolutely dying for them to be able to find a way to touch each other at one point. “Soon” was such torture for me. I loved it!
I also loved the heroine, Charlotte. She was thrust in a situation at the beginning of the book that was just horrible, but she didn’t break. She had her moment of despair when she was alone and then she stood up and did what had to be done. I loved that she walked into that situation with no illusions and took victory away from everyone who had been attempting to manipulate her. She made the choice, not them. I cannot resist a strong heroine.
Roman was another fabulous character. He had a mix of St. Vincent and Derek Craven in him, but was totally unique. He was bold, sexy, and confident and was always plotting. Roman never did anything without thinking many steps ahead. The world was almost like a giant chess game to him.
And when they were together—ah, magic. They were both such strong characters, but we got to see their fears and weaknesses. That vulnerability and the way they couldn’t stay away from each other, even though it would have made the future easier, made their characters have a lot of depth.
This was a very character driven romance. It was all about Roman and Charlotte without too much focus put on outside influences--other than how they affected them and their relationship. It was great because we got to know them so well. Once the characters started falling for each other there was very little angsting over their feelings. They may not have admitted them to each other yet, but they were aware of their own feelings and didn’t waste time irritating me by denying them.
I got to a certain point in the book and realized that Roman was playing a very deep game. I wasn’t sure what exactly he was doing in the background, so that layer of mystery really added a nice feature to the book. I wasn’t sure what his ultimate goal was and the stray little comments he made here and there when talking to his friends had me very unsure of how things were going to end up by the end of the book. And when I found out at the end what his plot had been the whole time—well, I was surprised, but it really made sense when I thought about what he told her in the beginning.
While the emotions between Charlotte and Roman were beautiful, this book wasn’t just excellent because of that. There was some great humor and dialogue between side characters as well. At one point Roman invited Charlotte to a game with his brother. The resulting humor and teasing between certain characters was hilarious.
Speaking of Roman’s brother… Man, Andreas was a jerk. By the end of the book I understood where he was coming from and did like him, but it was touch and go there for a while. He is a very dark, angry man at times and I am intensely curious to see how his romance will develop later this year.
So, in closing…I loved this book. Loved, loved, loved it. If you read Seven Secrets of Seduction and hated it, well…this one probably won’t work for you that well either. But if you enjoyed it or are curious about this book and this author, then I urge you to go pick up this book. And then come back and talk to me about it. ;)
Favorite Quote:
There it was again, that hitch in her voice after he touched her.
The sound made him want to do things to her. Dirty, animalistic things. To bruise her lips with his, muss her perfectly coiffed hair while scraping her on the sheets, blotch her skin with feral color as she lost track of her own name--head tilted back, eyes glazed, unintelligible sounds emerging.
I really loved Mickey. Silence was enjoyable too, but at times I felt like you could insert any naive, innocent romance heroine in her plac*4.5 Stars*
I really loved Mickey. Silence was enjoyable too, but at times I felt like you could insert any naive, innocent romance heroine in her place and still have the same story. Mickey was the driving force of the book and, truth be told,Silence's most important role was drawing him out of himself. I still enjoyed it, but it kept me from absolutely loving it.
I liked how intensely it focused on their interactions together. I really loved watching Mickey open himself up to her. He was a fabulous hero and was never sugarcoated--which I was thankful for. At the end of the book he's still Mickey, he just learned to open himself up to love and to prize something more than wealth and power.
I wasn't surprised at all by the identity of the Ghost. I wonder how his book will turn out. ...more
I seem to have a problem being engaged by this writer. I can see the skill, and know that I would usually enjoy the characters, but something still hoI seem to have a problem being engaged by this writer. I can see the skill, and know that I would usually enjoy the characters, but something still holds me back. I like them, but it's a kind of distant liking. I never really feel invested in their characters. I was coasting along feeling rather disappointed, but then came Rhys's breaking point, and I was sucked in!
Rhys was a very interesting character. In the beginning he didn't really match up with the personality I had imagined while reading One Dance with a Duke, the first book in the trilogy. He was a lot more in control of himself for one, and he was a lot sweeter and more bashful than I had supposed. I liked the sweetness, but it also made it really hard for me understand how suicidal he was.
Rhys didn't want to kill himself, but he pushed for someone to do it for him. He stared death in the eye time and time again and dared it to take him. At times he even begged. So being told about that side of him, I found it very hard to align the two versions of him that I was presented with. Which was the one that didn't make any sense? The old broken Rhys, or the new happy, well adjusted Rhys? I couldn't get involved with him because I couldn't see him. But all that changed when Rhys finally lost his hold on his past self. Finally I saw him and understood how much of himself he had suppressed, and why. In that moment I saw the anguish and the rage at others, and himself. I saw his self loathing and shame, and it was heart breaking. That was the moment that the book truly made me feel what the characters felt.
I loved Meredith, but she frustrated me too. I sympathized with her so much in the beginning of their relationship. When Rhys was stuck in his "fate" mindset I couldn't really get behind him. I could get behind Meredith though. Her anger about his belief that they would have ended up in this moment, with this relationship, no matter what was very understandable. All her hard work and struggles didn't matter because fate would have made it work out for the best even if she hadn't tried? I loved how she tested his faith in his "fate" belief. That's one way to shock a man into your point of view.
Meredith's view on sex was very refreshing. She wasn't a virgin, and she liked pleasure. She had no qualms about spending an enjoyable evening with a man if it seemed right to both of them. I really liked the role reversal in Meredith and Rhys's relationship. She was the one trying to get into his pants, and he was the one trying to convince her to marry him. I cracked up when she snuck into his room to see if he had a war injury or not! At times Meredith's devotion to the village became tedious. Especially because none of them seemed like very likable people. But when we heard her big secret I understood her position a little better.
Speaking of her big secret, I really wish she had told Rhys right when he told her his. I really think he would have taken the whole thing better if she hadn't waited. I can understand that she was frightened, but I still couldn't help but empathize with Rhys more. Maybe it was because he finally seemed broken.
I liked getting to see Bellamy again and hearing a few more clues about him. He has been the one I've fixated on the most ever since the first book. I just want to understand who he is and why he plays these roles. He was his typical cranky self in this book, and he didn't make any more friends along the way, but he came through when he was needed. I hope I'm not disappointed in his book!
One of the biggest problems I had with this book was the village's reaction to Rhys. I know his dad was a bad guy, but he wasn't that bad. I really don't see where he inspired enough rage (in the villagers that is, not Rhys) to make the lower class threaten a lord's life. I would think that village would be afraid to bring the law into it. It's not the same as killing a peasant. The law cares more. So, where did the torch-bearing mob get the gumption to do that?
The reveal at the very end surprised me. I can't figure out if I'm pleased, or feeling like it came out of nowhere. I really didn't expect it either way. ...more
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