The Bad Luck Bride by Janna MacGregor

IS MARRIAGE A BLESSING OR A CURSE?

A man of honor, Alexander Hallworth, Marquess of Pembrooke, will not rest until he exacts revenge on the man who destroyed his family. Just one more piece must fall into place for him to succeed. He needs to convince his enemy’s fiancée, the tragically beautiful Lady Claire Cavensham, to marry him instead.

Lady Claire’s curse has always left her one misstep away from social ruin Her past three engagements have gone awry, and now her fourth is headed in the same direction. . .until Alex, a man she barely even knows, shocks the ton and Claire by announcing their engagement. What begins as a sham turns into something deeper, and more passionate, than either Claire or Alex could have imagined. But when their secrets are revealed, will the truth behind their union scandalize them both or is their love strong enough to break the curse and lead them toward their happily ever after?

EXCERPT

 Alex smiled in earnest. “I would never allow you to be humiliated in front of society. I’m trying to help you.” Somehow, he had to convince her of that fact, then the idea of marrying him would be much easier to accept.

She blinked rapidly, then turned back to him and, for an instant, appeared startled to see him there. “That’s very gallant, my lord. Truly, thank you for the effort. But I must leave.”

Review: Twice Tempted by Eileen Dreyer

Fiona Ferguson and her twin sister Mairead are missing. Sisters of an alleged traitor, they have been cast out by their noble grandfather, who believes their brother's reputation will taint them. Furious at the old man's behavior, Drake's Rakes Alex Knight and Chuffy Wilde set out to find the sisters.

What Alex and Chuffy don't know is that they are also leading agents for the traitorous cabal The Lions right to the women. Caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse, the sisters and their rescuers are forced farther and farther into the slums of London to escape not only the Lions, but Minette Ferrar, a notorious assassin looking to revenge herself on Ian Ferguson by killing his sisters. What Fiona Ferguson cannot escape, though, is the dawning realization that she is falling in love with Alex Knight, who is burdened with secrets that pose the most danger of all.

In an effort to finish books I've started, then put away for one reason or another, I sat down and made myself read Twice Tempted.  I have read all the Drake's Rakes novels (Always a Temptress was my favorite of the series), so it was pretty easy to put myself back into this world, even though it's been several years.

The pacing of the story moved well -- we know Alex and Fiona will have a HEA; we assume Minette, the assassin, will be caught and the threat neutralized -- but once Chuffy and Mairead's connection became obvious, I was glad to see Chuffy get a HEA as well.   He has been my favorite minor character since the first novel.

The main issue I had with Twice Tempted is that it felt like a series finale.  All the loose ends were tied neatly, and I found myself speed reading simply to reach The End without having a real sense of connection between Fiona and Alex.  Still, all's well that end's well, and I'm glad Drake's Rakes ended well. 

(A very special thank you to Forever Romance, Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Twice Tempted.) 

Eagerly Anticipating -- May 2017