They Say Opposites Attract • Twice Tempted by a Rogue

Twice Tempted by a Rogue by Tessa Dare
Series: Stud Club #2
Previous Book: One Dance with a Duke
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: June 22, 2010
Source/Format: Bought || Kindle e-book

Luck is a double-edged sword for brooding war hero Rhys St. Maur. His death wish went unanswered on the battlefield, while fate allowed the murder of his good friend in the elite gentlemen’s society known as the Stud Club. Out of options, Rhys returns to his ancestral home on the moors of Devonshire, expecting anything but a chance at redemption in the arms of a beautiful innkeeper who dares him to take on the demons of his past—and the sweet temptation of a woman’s love.

Meredith Maddox believes in hard work, not fate; romance isn’t part of her plan. But when Rhys returns, battle-scarred, world-weary, and more attractive than ever, the lovely widow is torn between determination and desire. As a deep mystery and dangerous smugglers threaten much more than their passionate reckoning, Meredith discovers that she must trust everything to a wager her heart placed long ago.

Another well-written historical romance from Tessa Dare! The second book in the Stud Club trilogy, Twice Tempted by a Rogue, does not disappoint. I may not have loved this novel as much as the first, but it still told a beautiful love story between Rhys St. Mayr and Meredith Maddox and I enjoyed reading it.

One of the nice things about this book was the change in setting. We are taken far away from the ballrooms of London into the village of Buckleigh-on-the-Moor and treated to a more rustic view of Regency England. I liked exploring this new location and imagining it in my head - wild, natural and unpredictable.

I always enjoy stories about characters who've known each other for a long while and end up falling in love, as in the case of this tale. It is beautiful to watch the developing relationship and that's truly one of the aspects that kept me reading this book.

Merry and Rhys are interesting characters to read about. Merry is the independent, strong-willed and self-sufficient innkeeper of the Three Hounds; Rhys is the wounded, reticent Lord Ashworth who is haunted by his terrible past. To watch these characters as they reveal their vulnerability is interesting, heart-rending and lovely.

But what I think I liked best of all is how they were complete opposites in the way they lived - Rhys believed in destiny and fate, while Merry was all about choice. It's something that really hit me hard as I was reading, and I loved watching them learn to embrace the other's perspective and compromise when it came to what they believed. It's a very likable historical romance and a fitting addition to the Stud Club trilogy.