Customer Reviews

Twice Tempted by a Rogue

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

One thing Rhys St. Maur, the newly appointed Lord Ashworth knows for sure is that fate wants him to live. Having suffered brutal beatings growing up, horrendous battles in war, and just being all around roughed-up, he is still standing and breathing. His body is covered in scars and the deepest are hidden under the skin.

Last in the village of Buckleigh-in-the-Moor when he was seventeen, many years have passed since his family's estate burned to the ground. He still hears the horses cries as the stable burned that terrible night. Now he is back to see what is left of his family's estate. Stopping at The Three Hounds Inn for the night, he meets a blast from the past. Meredith Lane Maddox, who grew up with him. For Meredith, she has been infatuated with Rhys ever since she was young skinny and girl. Rhys is very attracted to the adult, widowed Merry Lane.

Upon inspection of the ruins of his family's estate, he comes to realize the entire village suffered a loss that night. When his family left, the tenants stopped receiving money. The vicar was forced to leave town. The only driving force in town is Meredith's inn. Feeling extremely guilty over these events, and really having nothing else in his life to live for, Rhys decides to stay in the small town and start making a difference. To redeem himself. For starters, he wants to rebuild his home and marry Meredith. Although these words make Meredith's heart all a flutter, the inn is her life. She doesn't want someone taking care of her. She also doesn't trust that Rhys is actually going to stay permanently.

As started in book one, One Dance With a Duke, the murder investigation of Leo, the founder of the Stud Club continues as the remaining members try to find the man responsible. Julian Bellamy comes into town with a lead. As Rhys makes his presence known in town, many townsfolk see his return as more of a threat. Rhys not only has to prove himself to the villagers, but to Meredith as well.

Twice Tempted by a Rogue is the second book in Tessa Dare's Stud Club trilogy. I'll say right off the bat, I loved Rhys and I had problems with Meredith. Rhys is just a big hunkin' man full of sweetness. Oh, he has anger and has lived a hard physical life. But he treats Meredith with the utmost respect. He truly wants a companion, a lover, a wife. He feels like he owes Meredith something better in life since she has worked so hard to repair the damage his family leaving caused.

I liked Meredith in the sense that she was not shy when it came to telling Rhys that she wanted him. She is not a virgin and did not hide her lust filled glances toward him at all. What became tiresome was her lack of communication and indecisiveness. One minute she thought she loved him and wanted him, and the next she decided she only wanted to have sex and that is it. She also kept secrets from him and I never truly understood why. Rhys kept saying- I want to marry you and take care of you. Meredith took this as, she wasn't allowed to run her inn anymore, hanging onto that as her reason not to get married. By the end, she contradicts herself.

Although Meredith and I didn't see eye to eye, Tessa Dare still writes wonderful romance. There is a scene with the simple act of Rhys taking off Meredith's apron that becomes anything but simple. She just adds something special to her romance scenes that make them so rich. The last book in the trilogy features Julian and I also look forward to the resolve of the murder that took place in book one.

Tessa Dare is such an amazing romance author. Her writing seems to be improving, if that were even possible. I don't want Mrs. Dare to think that that was an insult of any sort, though the substance of the writing is a lot deeper than the first trilogy I read, either that, or the love scenes are just that much more intense. I really loved the setting for this book, it sounded very beautiful and the author was absolutely wonderful at describing it. The danger scenes were really scary and had me reading as fast as I could to find out what was going to happen. I really loved the main characters in this book also. They were loveable and strong-willed, and very very identifiable. The dialogue was a lot darker than the first book in this trilogy, but it matched the characters, a lot less laughter, though that was still present. I really liked this one and can't wait for the last book in the trilogy.

I definitely preferred the storyline in Twice Tempted by a Rogue to that of the first in the trilogy One Dance with a Duke. I loved the idea of someone that felt so worthless and unlovable (Rhys) paired with someone that had always loved him no matter what (Meredith). I think this is the first book I've read that had a widow so that was a welcome change for me! I liked how confident she was in her abilities to take care of the people that frequented her inn. I also really liked that the mystery of the murder of the Stud Club founder took a back seat for most of the book, a lot less horse talk.

We did get to learn a bit more about Julian who takes center stage in the third and final book, Three Nights with a Scoundrel. In the first book I didn't really like him but he's starting to grow on me and we are also introduced to Cora who plays a role in the mystery and has a sorted past but ends up fighting for a new life for herself, I liked that!

Rhys and Meredith's back and forth keep me going through most of the book, with new revelations about their shared past constantly being brought up but towards the end I started to feel like the magic was sort of fading for me. I don't know what it was, maybe the predictability of the genre? I really don't know. Overall still a fun book

This book is absolutely horrible. The "hero" has been gone for 14 years and within a day decides he's going to marry the heroine (Meredith) who runs an inn. I have read many, and I mean many books where the heroine is either a nanny or a governess, even companion to an aunt or sister. But...an innkeeper??? I don't think so. Let's not forget that he's of the gentry, a bloody Lord! Although I have a huge issue with Meredith being an innkeeper, the fact that she has slept with a number of men is what destroyed the book for me. Meredith is very nonchalant about her actions and Rhys is a man scarred with no personality. I'm trying to make myself finish this book because I hate to not finish a book despite how horrible it is. The plot is also very contrived without any merit. The entire book is devoid of any true emotion and the forced relationship between the h/h is stilted and without any passion. With as many books as I've read, this is probably the 3rd book that I've written a review on. That alone should let you know how bad this book is. The positive reviews are wrong.

Okay, this may sound silly, but I tend to get a little teary whenever I read a decent romance. When I picked up Twice Tempted, I wasn't expecting it to completely blow Book 1 out of the waters - holy SMOKED KIPPER, did I ever bawl my eyes out! Which is why I am writing the review for Book 2 first - don't get me wrong, I adored Book 1 (One Dance With A Duke) - but I loved Twice Tempted so much more! I don't think I've met a more emotionally-charged couple than Meredith and Rhys - they were so achingly love/hate, yes/no, go away/come back - that I just got swept in their relationship. It was really adorable to see Rhys try to bully Meredith into marrying him after one day and, even though she refused, he went ahead with building their cottage with his bare hands to prove his seriousness. Not to mention, I laughed at how he tries to circumvent Meredith's adamant refusal and carries on with their "engagement" because he knows she'll cave eventually. He only got more attractive when he finally listens to Meredith and attempts to woo her, though he manages to always say and do the wrong things. His intentions and sincerity were just to die for - and it is simply mind-boggling to see how long Meredith tried to resist him! Meredith, on the other hand, was not the usual virgin-in-distress - she was perfectly capable of handling herself and running an inn to drive the entire village's economy. It was great to see a woman who wasn't inhibited by manners and societal rules, but instead independent and hard-working! She didn't need Rhys and his lordly riches - she could manage just fine on her own financially - but Meredith didn't count on falling in love with Rhys for just being himself, a 110% sincere man who is trying very hard to do the gentlemanly thing despite wanting to do all sorts of naughty things to her! Twice Tempted was such an unexpected delight! The plot was very engaging with a whole motley crew of characters, and Ms. Dare threw in a few plot twists that kept my curiosity purring like a contented cat - and when I finally hit the final aha!, was I ever stunned! Quite simply, the title sums my reaction very accurately since I am sorely tempted to re-read at least once more (maybe twice!) and dream about Rhys and his Wolverine-like gorgeousness some more!

[...]

I really enjoyed One Dance With a Duke, so I went back to the book store and got Twice Tempted by a Rogue, hoping it would be just as good, but it was even better! It's surprising (and a bit disappointing) that this author is still not very famous, because her writing is just fantastic. :)

Rhys St. Maur has survived every disgrace thrown his way in life by Fate. His luck is a thing of wonder. After spending years away from home, he returns to the moor of Devonshire as a war hero with an infinite number of scars, inside and out. He hopes to redeem himself by making the village profitable again, giving work and a way to survive to everyone who still lives there. After all, that is his job as the new Lord of Ashworth. Problem is, nobody wants him there, and they make it very clear, with angry mobs, threats and just plain trouble.

But Meredith Maddox may just be the only exception. When he meets little ol' Merry Lane again, a girl was once nothing more than freckles and bone, but is now a beautiful and independent widowed innkeeper, he suddenly decides to marry her.

Meredith believes Rhys wants to try and make things right for the village, but she's also sure that he'll leave just as abruptly as he appeared. She's been in love with him ever since they were just teens and she used to help her father out in old Lord Ashworth's stables. Now she has the chance to seduce him... but he comes up with this marriage nonsense and how he wants to wait until their wedding night! (even if itkills him).

In this second volume of the Stud Club mystery, we see more of the still unsolved murder of Leo Chatwick. Julian Bellamy has located the only witness, the whore Cora, who ends up staying at The Three Hounds, Meredith's inn, for protection. The girl turns out to be more helpful than Merry expected her to be.

The funniest thing about the book is the title. 'Twice Tempted by a Rogue'. Sure, here Meredith has her second chance with Rhys, but it's actually her who does most of the tempting during the first half of the book. LOL. The poor guy was doing his best to save themselves until theit wedding night, but the girl sure made things harder. Quite literally. LOL!!! Sorry, sorry...

I'm not really that big a fan of historicals, but once in a while I find a wonderful gem like this one. Rhys is such a dear character, he makes you want to take him in his arms and try to cure all his wounds... he's now one of my favorite characters ever. And Meredith is so, so strong. She's done everything she had to do to survive, and never depended on anyone else but herself. It was lovely to see how the two of them came to be together, accept each other's dreams and plans and just... be happy.

If you like heart-touching romance, pure fun, mystery and lots tension (of all kinds), then try Twice Tempted by a Rogue. You'll enjoy it, I'm sure.

Twice Tempted by a Rogue
Reviewed by Suz(Under the Covers Book Blog)

Rhys, Lord Ashworth, has decided to go back to his childhood home despite all the violent ghosts of this past that live there. After having a hellish childhood he has tried most his life to find ways to die, but with no success, he joined the army and charged headlong into every fight, but always he survives where other men die. Now he is back and determined to build something and equally determined to have Meredith Maddox, the owner of the Inn, the only source of income on his lands, as his wife.

This was a really good book and I enjoyed it a little more then I did the first in this series One Dance with a Duke, I think this was because I preferred the characters of Rhys and Merry. I am a little bit of a sucker for a tortured hero, and Rhys definitely fit the bill with his heartbreaking childhood, self loathing and pinch of violence. And Merry, she was a stong female character and I liked that she didn't give into Rhys straight away.

This also had a small secondary romance as well! I love a book that has a secondary romance! But, I was a little disappointed that we didn't see Amelia and Spencer from the first book, I like to check in with previous HEAs make sure that all is well in paradise.

This was another great read in this trilogy, I don't think this is going to be on my favourite books list, but it is worth reading if you want some quality historical romance.

This is my least favourite of an excellent series, yet I enjoyed it a lot more than many other books of this genre, and still gave it four stars.

The start was not engaging enough. I tried to read it a few times and put it aside. Once I got into it, though, things changed, and I found the rough and tough Rhys and the strong and determined Meredith to be well-thought-out characters who are consistent throughout the story.

Tessa Dare is great at creating visual images. You almost feel like you are eating at The Three Hounds, admiring the sweaty Rhys building the cottage, or watching the bar brawl in person.

The ongoing mystery of the murder of Leo Chatwick continues and the characters of Bellamy and Faraday are brought back into the picture, tying together the three books of this series. The surprise ending, identifying who was attacking Rhys and his plans for his future at Ashworth, was an added bonus that was not at all expected, but tied in well to the story overall.

The biggest problem is where was the twice in the "Twice Tempted by a Rogue"? Rhys was certainly a rogue, but Meredith was tempted by him over and over, with the sexual tension at first (while he insisted they be married); the intense passion once they actually slept together, even though she wanted to remain independent; the scene where she sees him shirtless; and the way she protected him whenever he got into trouble. The only thing I can think of is that she was in love with him as a child and then tempted by him as an adult. This adds up to a lot of times she was tempted, though!

I read all 3 books in this series and loved them all. I will be buying more Tessa Dare books.

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 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.