Customer Reviews

If You Desire (The MacCarrick Brothers, Book 2)

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I enjoyed this book so much more than the first in the series. I'm a sucker for unrequited love stories and "If You Desire" fits the bill. Kresley Cole did such a convincing job of making this reader feel the emotional turmoil Hugh MacCarrick went through for the love of his life. I had no doubt that Hugh and Jane would be together forever.

Jane and Hugh have loved each other for ten years. However, Hugh felt he was never good enough for her so he left without a word to become an assassin for the Crown.

Ten years later, Jane is on the cusp of becoming engaged to an earl and has moved on with her life, or so she thought. Danger has struck and only one man can protect her, but at what cost? He must marry her, against both of their better judgements, to protect her. For it will be a temporary marriage, to remain unconsummated, and dissolved as soon as the Danger has been disposed of. Jane, angered at the decision, vows to torture Hugh with lust and she succeeds. Hugh has loved her for so long and is powerless to resist her, but resist her he does.

What follows is an intense love story with super hot sensual tension, very steamy love scenes, hero-jealousy, and the hero is to die for. I took off half a star because the dialogue was a bit too modern for the time period and threw me at first, but by the end I was so engrossed it didn't bother me at all.

"If You Desire" is a definite keeper and I cannot wait for "If You Deceive". I also recommend: Captain of All Pleasures and The Price of Pleasure by Kresley Cole.

If You Desire is the sequel to If You Dare, one of my all time favorite romance novels. This is Hugh's story, one of Courtland's brothers who we met in If You Dare. (Ethan will get his own story in If You Deceive.) The background to this series is a Scottish family curse that prevents these three yummy alpha-male brothers from ultimately finding true love. Or does it?

Hugh is summonsed to London to ultimately protect Jane, a woman who he aches for but hasn't seen in ten years, from a man who wants revenge from her father. Hugh and Jane were once quite close, and Jane thought they were to marry. Then Hugh disappears breaking her heart. She is frustrated to no end when she finally sees him again. After a brief re-introduction with unexpected results (I wont spoil this, but will say it sets the tone for the rest of the book) Hugh whisks Jane away to safety, or so they believe.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and can't wait for the next in the series. It was a fun, sexy read. Jane made a great heroine, and no doubt fans will love her. She is a smart, warm-hearted woman that knows how to have fun. She was such a fun tease to Hugh too! I would have to say she was the best part of this book, hands down.

My problem with the book lies more with Hugh. I felt he was too much of an opposite for Jane. He spent much of his time rejecting Jane and brooding. It got old, and I never felt his passion for Jane to the same level she desired him. I felt his desperation and his angst, but not his passion. I love the alpha-male hero, but Hugh was too serious and lacked that naughty humor which most romance novel alpha-males have. In the end, this book just didn't have the same level of steam I am used to from Kresley Cole. Oh, there is plenty of hot scenes but they just were not as steamy as I have come to know from her books. But overall, this is a very enjoyable romance with a fun and sexy adventure story.

Here is a fun tidbit (and NO spoilers): After reading If You Desire, I realized that all three of these stories happen much along the same time line. If you read If You Dare and the teaser chapter for If You Deceive, you can see some parallels in the stories that happen at the same place and time - just from a different vantage point. I loved this writing style, and now I can't wait for Ethan's book as you can really see where his story begins. Kresley Cole uses this writing style in her After Dark series too. Her books are all stand alone, but it does make it fun to see a familiar scene unfold from a different angle.

Whether she's writing paranormals or historicals, Kresley Cole knows how to blend witty dialogue with sexual tension to create a book you simply can't put down. Her voice is unique in both genres, and although that voice is also very modern (and her heroines are also modern) the stories are so engaging that I don't think you'll mind the contemporary feel to those of her books (like this one) that take place in the 19th century.

If You Desire features Hugh, a man with two main secrets regarding his job and his family. He has been in love with Jane Weyland for years, but because of his profession and his belief in a curse that appears to have doomed himself and his brothers to unhappiness, he runs and hides from her for a decade. When circumstances force them into marriage, the fun begins.

The romance between Hugh and Jane is at turns suspenseful, romantic, sensual, and angsty. I thought the narrative flowed perfectly and as soon as I turned the last page I wanted to read Ethan's story (coming next month in If You Deceive). Jane is sharp, smart and sarcastic, but all in an endearing way while Hugh is stalwart, a little bit dangerous and so smitten it's impossible not to root for him to have what he wants.

I truly enjoyed this novel. Kresley Cole gets better with every book she writes and I think this is definitely my favorite historical she's written.

Jane Weyland is the daughter of a London importer and a member of the illustrious Weyland Eight--a group of eight female cousins whose sole mission in life is to indulge in all the dirty vices London society has to offer before settling down. Jane is, arguably, the wildest of the bunch, but while she won't hesitate to read lurid sensation novels or attend parties frequented by courtesans and ne'er-do-wells, her heart is another matter entirely. She gave it away at the tender age of 16 to Hugh MacCarrick, a Scotsman with property bordering her family's. Jane was sure that she and Hugh would wind up together so she flirted with him mercilessly and flaunted her charms while diligently waiting for him to propose. Instead, he did the unthinkable. He left. For a decade.

Ten years later, Jane has forgotten about old "Tears and Years" MacCarrick and moved on with her life. She's still single, but by her choice. When Hugh marches back into town and attempts to insinuate himself into her life again, Jane decides to find a way out. She'll marry the man she's been stringing along just to spite Hugh, because if it's the last thing she does, she will not waste any more tears OR YEARS on Hugh MacCarrick.

Of course Hugh has a good reason for leaving. He knows he's not good enough for Jane so he takes action to ensure that he can never become her husband. Because his family is cursed, Hugh wants to make sure that Jane can't fall for him and be hurt in the process. He leaves for her own benefit, and for that reason is my favorite kind of hero. The dark, dangerous, broken kind. Yum!

I didn't like If You Dare, the first book in the MacCarrick Brothers trilogy. Accordingly, I wasn't exactly eagerly awaiting the sequel. I am, however, a huge Kresley Cole fan, and since I have to wait until the fall for another Immortals After Dark book, I had to have something to give me my fix. This book did just that. It's not up to par with the IAD series by far, and not as good as her earlier historicals like The Captain of All Pleasures either. But Kresley Cole is Kresley Cole and the woman knows how to write romance even when the stories aren't as good as I'd like them to be.

That's the way I feel about If You Desire. It's okay. But it's no A Hunger Like No Other. I love love loved Hugh. But I was indifferent to Jane. I could have taken her or left her. But Hugh alone makes this book worth reading. Well, Hugh and Cole's ability to turn up the heat. Without a doubt this woman knows how to write romance. Now if only she could do it a little faster...

This is the second book in a trilogy about three cursed brothers. The second book picks up before the end of the first so, if you have read the first, you know something the main characters do not. I highly recommend reading these books in order.

Jane is afforded more freedoms than most young women of her age and has a definite independent streak. Her attitude hides a deep hurt caused when Hugh left her without a word at a young age. Jane had been sure they would be married. Hugh had never planned to marry due to a family curse and felt that Jane was above his station anyway. Although he had always loved Jane, he had never realized what his abrupt departure had done to her. When Jane's life is in danger, her father convinces Hugh to take drastic measures to protect her. They are thrown together, in close quarters, with all their unspoken feelings and fears.

This is a real page turner and a great weekend read.

I really didn't like this book at all. Just not enough passion and love scenes between the hero and heroine, the story was really slow, and the heroine was hard to like. If you want a great read "If you decieve" Ethan's story is the best of the series.

Kresley Cole's MacCarrick Brothers trilogy (of which this is the second, the books being If You Dare, If You Desire and If You Deceive) are my favorite highlander romances. She is simply a great romance author. This second book is Hugh and Jane's story and it's a good one. Unrequited love and seething passion set amidst 19th century England and Scotland. I love the way she has woven the family curse around the family's history and the historical setting. You can almost see the highland mountains as they travel north. You won't be disappointed and while I liked this second even better than the first, the third is my overall favorite as I fell in love with Ethan.

I Like it. I tell you to carry a crush for that long is determination great story likable characters. i think its a keeper for the collection and cant wait to read book 3.

I have to say that I loved Courtland's story and thought that this book couldn't be as good, but it was. It literally picks up where the last one left off; Hugh leaving Court to race back to London to protect his beloved Jane after receiving a letter saying she was in grave danger. He has been in love with her for over 10 years. And his attraction to her is nearly driving him crazy. He believes there is a curse on his family; a curse saying that if he and his two brothers marry and find love then their wives will come to a tragic end. So he stoically stayed away from Jane. Untill now. But he vows he will go protect her and than leave her again as soon as she is safe.

In order to protect Jane, Hugh and her spend many long weeks together. The sexual tension between the two is so strong. They are both so in love. Jane was such a strong character. She knew what she wanted, and that was Hugh, and she was willing to do whatever she could to seduce him. And Hugh wants nothing more than to be with her completely, but knows he risks her life if he does. I loved watching the two interact. He was so strong and yet so tender with her. And his Scottish brogue made him even sexier. I loved watching him try to resist Jane, and then finally giving in. He was dark, brooding, and six and a half feet tall. He was also a fierce protector, and I enjoyed watching him take care of Jane. But he also had a vulnerable side to him, he never thought he was worthy of her love, never thought he was good enough. And on top of all of that, he is hiding an important part of his life from Jane, a part he fears she cannot accept. This book is not to be missed. I can't wait to read Ethan's story.

I never thought I would say this but the book is in desperate need of one or two more ... well ... sex scenes. I read it, I liked it (Kresley Cole knows how to write well and spin a story even better) but at the end I felt that s/thing was missing. And going back to "If you Dare", a wonderful read in my opinion, I understood what it was. Sex, ladies and gents.

Kresley Cole, together with Emma Holly, are the two writers who really know how to write a sex scene without giving the feeling that is a cold act. I missed that in this book. I really did <:(