Always a Temptress by Eileen Dreyer

When I first started reading Always a Temptress, I wasn't exactly sure how I felt about it. Just that I was really angry at both Kate and Harry. Especially Harry! Just because Kate apparently "betrayed" him when they were younger, he finds fault in her at everything she does. It's the usual misunderstanding where Kate believes that Harry betrayed her and he believes that she betrayed him. But the most surprising aspect of this book in the beginning was of Kate's dark secret... about her marriage to the Duke of Murther. Previously in Never a Gentleman, we knew the relationship between Kate and Harry was a special one. They hated each other, but why?

Ten years ago, Kate and Harry were the best of friends. Well, they were actually more than friends. They were both in love with one another. But because of their social status: Kate, a Duke's daughter, and Harry, the second son of a squire, Harry believed that his dream of marrying her was too high of a dream. Apparently right after, his love for Kate ended due to some unknown reason to the readers and Harry left to go to war. It turns out that Kate's father had lied to Harry, which lead him to believe that Kate had betrayed him. Ugh. Harry why are you so stupid? Another thing that frustated me was the fact that Harry took way too long to redeem himself for Kate. In my opinion, I think Kate should have gotten someone who was much more worthy of her. Oh well!

In the end, through the twists and turns of their relationship, everything fell right into place. I liked Always a Temptress, but sadly it was not my favorite book from the Drake's Rakes series. Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for giving me permission to read this ARC!

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Never a Gentleman by Eileen Dreyer

You would think that after having your heart being ripped out from you (this is figuratively by the way) repeatedly, there would not be a single trace of love left inside any longer, right? I admit that this book was brought to my attention by the numerous amount of negative reviews and its somewhat controversial plot. Yes, I did understand why Diccan did what he did... but I condemn him for the way he enacted it. My heart constantly broke for Grace because throughout their entire marrigage of convenience, Diccan never gave her the time of day whatsoever. And yet... she still tried so hard to please him and make their marriage a real one. Without realizing it, she ends up falling in love with the one man who can never love her for who she is.

Oh dear, this book tore my heart out into little pieces and placed it back all together again in the end. Never a Gentleman is definitely not to everyone's taste... but if you take a look deeper into Diccan's character, you'll realize that he is also hurting as well. From there, I think you can sort of justify his actions and see why he did what he did to protect Grace. But man, the infamous scene where Grace sees Diccan making love with his mistress was just so... sad, horrifying, and heartbreaking. As if his treatment to her at their manor wasn't enough! Sure, the author described Grace as this strong woman who can supposedly take on anything that is thrown her way. But really? Even the strongest people fall. Love tends to turn the bravest of hearts into cowards and ultimately, Grace became one of its victim.

One of the things that I'm actually glad Eileen Dreyer provided was that readers also get a sense of what was going on in Diccan's mind. While their marriage was one of convenience, he slowly starts falling in love with Grace and sees her for her true nature. It took a near-death experience for him to realize it though! Overall, I really love the whole premise of this book and its characters. I hated the Diccan in the beginning and ended up falling in love with him towards the end... that's really something, you know? The ending was absolutely beautiful because it was just the ending that Grace deserves! I am definitely looking forward to Kate's book with Henry, her childhood friend and supposed nemesis that she betrayed. I'm assuming that they had some sort of relationship before and something happened.

Anyway, great book that's full of heart, tears, and joy. You won't regret reading this book!

Rating: ★★★★★