When Tempting a Rogue

When Tempting a Rogue by Kathryn Smith 905

Years ago Lord Trystan Kane was an easy going boy who fell in love with the older, more sophisticated and worldly, Vienne La Rieux. But when he declared his love she kicked him out of her life and he has spent the intervening years trying to become a man that Vienne could be proud of, someone she could not just turn away from, even while claiming that he no longer cares for her. Vienne has become a fixture in London society, skirting the edges of society, running the immensely popular and slightly scandalous Saints Row where members of the ton could come for a privacy and notoriety. Her newest venture is an emporium, an old-fashioned mall, and Trystan has maneuvered his way into a a 50% share and Vienne is horrified to discover that her spurned ex- lover is her new partner. At first she is worried that Trystan only wants revenge but it quickly becomes apparent that the frivolous young man she had been involved with is smarter, more determined, and wants to make money for himself by making the best of this potentially lucrative investment.

Their new partnership forces the two of them into close proximity on numerous occasions and they fall into a comfortably and friendly routine with business breakfasts at his hotel room and afternoons spent at the building site where they share their ideas for making their project work. But not everyone thinks the idea of a site designed entirely for shoppers' convenience is a good idea and many believe that it will lead women into vice and cause them to spend all their husbands money. Someone has been sabotaging the site and causing little accidents to occur, including some that put Vienne in danger. Seeing how Trystan looks out for her causes Vienne to worry that he is falling for her again because an incident in her past has convinced her that she is not worthy of love and she definitely does not think she is good enough for Trystan. But being with Vienne is all Trystan wants and he knows he needs her in his life, even if it means causing both of them a little pain in order to convince her that they belong together no matter what either of their pasts' may hold.

Vienne was different than most romance novel heroines because she was older, although I don't recall being told exactly how old she was, and she was FAR more worldly. She had a past, including many lovers whom she had actually enjoyed having sex with, and she was very capable of taking care of herself and was very independent in a genuine way (and not in the rather pathetic way most female protagonists claim to be). I love that she was so intelligent and ventured into capitalistic pursuits and that she unapologetically took lovers and controlled her relationships. She was the one with the tortured past, not Trystan, and while I admired that, I felt like a little too much was made over what happened to me. Maybe it was realistic, but I didn't see an intelligent, self-assured woman like Vienne blaming herself for years over something that was obviously not her fault. I also thought it got to be a little much when it was used as the be all and end all excuse for why she was so reluctant to fall in love; same as the way I feel about many heroes who don't ever want to fall in love.

Trystan was not much different from other romance novel heroes; he was a take charge alpha male who worked hard and had a strong head for business and cared for those under him, but he was not a member of the peerage. His determination to prove himself to Vienne was admirable and showed how much he needed her in his life so I enjoyed that. Their relationship was well developed and, while much of their love was lingering from their past acquaintance, I could still feel like they were re-learning each other and falling in love with the new person they had each become. They spent a lot of time getting to know each other and I love how dedicated Trystan was to proving to Vienne that they belonged together. There was not very much sex between them but their openness about sex lead to what little their was being really hot and steamy. The subplot about the emporium was very well done, it was minor enough to let the romance shine through, but also kept me turning pages to see what would happen. I also enjoyed reading about the relationship each of them had with their siblings; it was a nice addition.

Rating: The book was enjoyable and I certainly like Vienne and the development of their relationship, but I feel like I have been giving better books 4 hearts so I will give it 3.

When Marrying a Scoundrel

When Marrying a Scoundrel by Kathryn Smith 928

Years ago Sadie O'Rourke married Jack Farrington despite the vast difference between their standings as she is an Irish horse-breeder's daughter and he is the heir to his grandfather's earldom. When he is cut off he decides after a couple years of marriage to head off and make his fortune with the help of his friend Trystan, who is the Duke of Ryeton's younger brother. Soon his letters stop coming and after a horrible tragedy Sadie believes he is never coming back, so she packs up and leaves him. He is heartbroken when he comes back and finds her gone after she had promised to wait for him. Several years later he runs into her at Saint's Row, the exclusive and scandalous club run by Vienne le Rieux, where she has set up as a fortune teller/ tea leaf reader. He has never believed in tea leaf reading but neither can help but remember all the good times and the love they had.

When Sadie discovers that Jack is part of the management team she wants help from to open her tea shop she is upset and he threatens to withhold funds. But it is impossible for the two of them to stay away from each other as the two of them have a past that was full of love and pain. Lady Gosling wants Jack for herself as she sees him as her meal ticket out of a loveless and painful marriage and she is not pleased to discover that Jack is still mooning after Sadie. Things begin to look up for Sadie and Jack but there are still secrets between the two of them as Sadie had turned to Jack's grandfather when she had needed help during Jack's absence and she worries that he will turn up in London and ruin everything for them. And Sadie is hurt that Jack does not believe in her abilities. Both of them have a lot to make up for and can only circumvent those trying to keep them apart together.

Jack and Sadie were two really great characters who throughout the course of the book undergo numerous little psychological changes that end up making them perfect for each other. There are so many obstacles in the way between the people who are actively trying to keep them apart to their past together and what really impressed me was the way that the two of them worked together to overcome it all. It very easily could have gotten too maudlin with them going into despair over who left who years ago, and while there was a really good amount of time spent on them being angsty and them talking about what happened, it never crossed over into inappropriate territory. I also really liked how their past together was talked about and that it was really happy and it was only a misunderstanding of sorts that kept them apart for so long. It made their reconciliation more believable.

And of course there was his disbelief in her abilities that was handled so very well. Although he didn't believe in her abilities he knew that he wanted her to be happy and he so wanted her to be happy that he was willing to give her a chance. The only part I didn't really like was her insistence that they could not be together because of his station even though he was willing to overlook it and all of their friends were as well. It seemed a little excessive. Their obstacles, in the form of Jack's grandfather and Lady Gosling, were also very well done as they both had understandable motives and were given real stories to make them more human and not just evil villains. There were obvious references to the happiness of the previous couple in the series and to what I assume will be upcoming books, and it was a little annoying (of course Ryeton and his wife are having a baby!) but nothing too bad.

Rating: A very well written book with two people who were genuinely in love with each other and worked with the other to make things work.

When Seducing a Duke

When Seducing a Duke by Kathryn Smith 613

For years Rose Danvers has wanted Greydon Kane, Duke of Ryeton, and he has reciprocated by lusting after her for years. But Grey promised Rose's father on his deathbed that he would not touch Rose and would instead find her a good marriage, and as her guardian he has been doing his best to get thoughts of her out of his head. He has been a recluse from society ever since his face had been sliced open by an attacker. No one knows who the attacker was but everyone suspects it is one of Grey's many spurned lovers, from when he was a heartless rake. On one of his few journeys out, he attends a masked party and ends up with a woman who reminds him so much of Rose. When Rose sees him out on the real world, she is both disappointed and relieved that he does not recognize her as his midnight lady. When Rose reveals herself he decides the best way to handle everything would be to marry her off to someone her father would approve of.

But Rose is not at all amenable to this solution and sets out on a mini course to try to win Grey; reading scandalous magazines, flirting with other men, and spending as much time with him as possible. But Rose is a social butterfly who has enough scandals in her past, what with her fathers death, and he does not want to add to her problems by adding his scandal ridden past to hers and he does not want her to come to resent him when he does not join her on her social outings. Despite his best efforts it is not long before the two are caught in a scandalous situation and Grey decides that they should marry. Eventually his past does begin to catch up with bothof them and Rose does not know how much longer she can stand the gossip and the whispering. Both Grey and Rose are on the edge, both knowing they need the other in their life, but also not sure if they're ready to make the necessary sacrifices to make their relationship work.

I could tell fairly early on in this book that I was going to enjoy it as Rose and Grey immediately came across as two characters with so much emotional turmoil going on and I could not wait to see them work it out with the other's help. The first thing that presents itself is Grey's crippling fear of going back out into society that he cleverly disguises as hatred of the hypocrisy in society. It would have been a little cringe worthy if it did not really wind itself through all the elements of the book and it is explored from so many angles by different characters that it becomes more than a problem, it is a part of who he is. And it is so much better because it is obvious that Rose is just the woman who is meant to help him work through all of his issues and bring him back out. Grey has an admittedly very dissolute past that it took a lot of work on Smith's part to make him a worthy hero for Rose, and she cleverly makes him so- but really he only becomes good enough for Rose with her help.

Their relationship happens mainly on an emotional level as they work to sort out their issues and really support each other, such as when Rose learns the truth about her father's death, but it is also quite physical. There is a lot of sex between these two and it is absolutely scorching; these two are very compatible in bed. I admit I was a little irritated at first about the plot about her father not wanting the match between them, but once again Smith is very deft with her plot devices and makes it work very well in the story. I love that Rose went after what she wanted and even running away and making such scandalous decisions fit in with her character and she was so just so brave and caring, willing to stick up for herself and those she loved. I was rather hoping that the book was setting up a series based on his siblings, but although there is a series coming along, it involves other people from the scandalous club.

Rating: The characters worked very well together and so many great plot angles that brought out the best in both of them and really strengthened an already well written romance.