I'm hooked on this series. I want to find out what happens to all the characters. ( )

This is probably actually a 2.5 star book for me, but there wasn't anything absolutely horrid in it so I'm rounding up. Because the story takes place nearly 10 years after the opening scenes and the characters were separated for that time, it required A LOT of two characters standing around taking turns filling the other in on the missed events of the past decade. And it's just very difficult to make recapping stories after the fact as engaging as going through them with the characters. Also, pretty much the entire justification for the first half of the book rests on the characters daftly clinging to some faulty conclusions despite all likelihood pointing against it, and I get why it was written that way and tried to just give it a pass, but it really went beyond any sort of believability. At a certain point, either the characters are entirely witless or the circumstances are bullshit. To just continue on and on, as if that weren't the case, almost starts to feel insulting as a reader. Those were the two most bothersome issues for me, but a significant third was the inconsistencies in the description of their relationship. One moment it would be 'they had loved each other so very deeply!' then the very next they'd be thinking about how 'they really hadn't known the other person at all and hadn't even shared the most basic things about themselves', then that they'd had 'such an incredible sex life', but also 'he'd been too young and reserved to ever ask her to actually touch either of their genitals and she'd been to shy to even touch his chest', then the next thing you know they'd be 'rhapsodizing about all their memories of the other, they'd never forget their smells and kisses and how they'd always do such and such' and then, like the very next page, how 'they had only been married a week after all and only known each other for a few weeks before that'. ... Which is it?? It felt like Jeffries had zero cares for consistency and just chose whatever suited her point from moment to moment. . Also, the hero seemed weirdly opposed to reason. He would argue some emotional claim and the heroine would reply with something backed up by facts, and he would literally respond with something like 'damn you and your logic!', without being the least bit sardonic! Once or twice you could ignore, but he really did it quite a lot. Some people are like that I suppose, but it was kind of a weird quality in a hero. I didn't particularly care for him for large parts of the book, but from time to time he impressed me. The heroine also ended up seeming a bit overly apologetic. Nothing was horrid though, and the book got a bit better towards the end I thought. ( )

This is a story of second chance at love and even though I found the romance predictable, the rest of the story was not.

As was the case with the first book in this series, this is another complex story featuring even more complex characters. Once more I had to concentrate very hard in order to follow the story and in the end I liked it.

I'm actually glad that this series is turning out to be this complex in nature.

Melanie for b2b
Complimentary copy provided by the publisher ( )

Wow I really enjoyed this. It was heavy on the back story in the beginning and a lot of the action happens in the last 40% or so. Victor is really a sweetie. Isa is so strong and determined, I loved her. Overall this book was very entertaining. 4 Stars

Read With Me: When the Rogue Retuns ( )

Very good second chance/reunion story. Ten years ago Victor and Isa were very much in love and newly married. Victor was working as a guard for a jeweler and Isa was working for the same jeweler. She has a talent for making beautiful imitation jewels. Isa's sister and brother-in-law have forced her to make a fake set of Dutch royal jewels and are planning to switch them for the real thing. Isa has thought of a way to stop them, but is drugged by her sister, and her relatives pull off the switch anyway. The next day, Isa is told by her sister that Victor helped them, then left to throw authorities off the trail, but would join them later. Meanwhile, Victor finds a note from his wife telling him she has left him because he isn't good enough for her, leaving him to take the blame for the theft.

Ten years later, both have moved on. Victor has discovered that he is the cousin of a Duke (What the Duke Desires). He's living in London, but society life isn't for him, he's worked for his living his whole life. So he goes to the Manton Agency and asks if he can work for them. They send him to Edinburgh to investigate a woman who may be trying to dupe a wealthy young baron into marrying her. The description of the woman sounds a lot like his wife, so he's eager to check her out. He's been searching for her the whole time. Meanwhile, after Victor abandoned her, Isa found herself pregnant and desperate to get away from her family, She created a new identity for herself and apprenticed to a jeweler moving to Edinburgh. She now has a successful career and a nine year old daughter she loves dearly.

Isa is stunned to see Victor in Edinburgh. She is certain that he's only there to ask her to make more fakes for him to use to steal more jewels. At the same time, Victor thinks that Isa is after a way to steal the baron's family gems. After several days where Victor tries to get Isa alone, he finally succeeds, and makes his accusations. Isa is stunned by what he says, and has her own accusations to make. When they actually take the time to compare stories, they realize that they were set up by her relatives and have spent ten years hating each other for no reason. Of the two, Victor has the harder time letting go of his anger and seeing that he has blamed Isa for something that she didn't do. Now they have to decide if their marriage is able to be saved.

Isa and Victor had been very young when they married and both had had their own insecurities. Victor's childhood hadn't been good, with a father who had kidnapped another man's son, and later died a syphilitic madman. Victor had become a soldier fighting the French until the war ended. He had been afraid to share his past with Isa, certain she would leave him if she knew about his past. When he was questioned about the jewels' disappearance, the authorities accused him of working with Isa, using his own past against him. He didn't want to believe that she had used him, but her disappearance had him doubting himself, though he still wouldn't confirm their accusations. Isa had been young and innocent and believed in Victor's love. She hadn't told him what her relatives were doing because she thought that she could stop them without him having to know. She had a hard time believing such a brave soldier would be interested in her, and her sister used that against her. When Victor never came after her, she believed her sister had been right. Now that they are older and wiser, they realize that they were both used.

I liked the fact that the truth about what happened didn't take too long to come out, and that they actually did believe each other as they worked it out. But both of them are still reluctant to trust the other, sensing that there are unrevealed secrets. Victor still wants Isa's relatives brought to justice, but Isa is afraid that exposing the truth could put both her and Victor in danger, and ruin their daughter's life too. Now that their anger with each other is gone, their old feelings are coming back to the surface. I loved seeing them get to know each other again and try to rebuild their marriage.

I loved the way that Isa has matured over the last ten years. She is no longer the quiet girl, content to let others tell her what to do. She has become strong and independent and has no trouble telling Victor when she doesn't like something that he is doing. However, she still has moments when she isn't sure of his motives for doing something. Victor has also gotten more confident in himself and who he is, but like Isa, still has lapses in his belief in her innocence. He wants his revenge, or justice, on Isa's relatives and has to rethink things when she points out the hazards. I liked seeing them realize that they are stronger together, as long as they can maintain their belief in each other. When Isa's relatives make a reappearance after ten years of leaving Isa alone, Isa's daughter is put into danger. They must find a way to put their trust issues behind them for good if they are going to save Amalie and make a go of their marriage.

I really enjoyed the secondary characters also, and the layers they brought to the story. Baron Rupert was one of the best. He is young and rather awkward socially. He is the Regency version of a nerd, and Isa is one of his few friends. He has a crush on her and is pretty sweet because of it. But he is also a very good friend to her and plays a very big part in Amalie's rescue. He also ends up with a pretty sweet romance of his own. I also loved seeing Max and Tristan and Dom from the first book and seeing how they support Victor. They show up just in time to help Victor and Isa. I loved the ingenuity of their plan and how it all came together. I enjoyed the scene with Tristan and Lady Zoe, and what appears to be the set up for the next book in the series.

*copy received in exchange for honest review. ( )