Pride & Passion
4 Stars

Synopsis
Lady Lucy Ashton has given up on love but insists that the man she marries must be passionate. Unfortunately, her prospective husband, Adrian York, Duke of Sussex is cold and controlled - or is he? Adrian wants Lucy more than anything and although he knows all of her secrets, he fears her rejection if she should learn of his own past. Can these two unlikely lovers overcome their pride and achieve a passion unlike any other?

Review
A decent sequel but not as intense as the first book.

Note: The series should be read in order otherwise it might be difficult to follow the Brethren Guardian story arc.

Unfortunately, the heroine is insufferable and childish for most of the book and I never managed to warm up to her. First, she pines for her dead lover for 1/4 of the book only to get over him quickly enough once Adrian kisses her senseless. Then she sulks about being tricked into a marriage that she actually wanted in the first place. Her conflicting cold/hot/cold attitude is seriously annoying.

Adrian, in contrast, is simply divine with his cold and brooding facade concealing a sensual and passionate nature. Moreover, he has some of the most sexually charged and swoonworthy dialogue ever. The twist involving his scandalous secret, while interesting, is way too obvious from the start but it leads to some sweet moments when Lucy learns the truth.

There is little to no progression in the continuing story arc and even though Orpheus's identity is supposedly revealed - he and his agenda remain an enigma.

The tantalizing glimpses into the past relationship of the secondary characters, Elizabeth and Iain, are the real highlight of the book. They have excellent chemistry and Iain is definitely a rake in need of redemption. The book ends on cliffhanger, which is precisely why I waited to read this book until after Temptation & Twilight was published. Looking forward to seeing what happens next. ( )

Neglected as a child and growing up in a lonely sad home with parents who barely cared she was alive, the heroine had a friend-the only friend she had ever known. A local street boy-the son of a butcher. In him she shared an innocent love but her father sent him away-deeming him completely unworthy of his daughter. She never saw that boy again but she still keeps the crafted dollhouse bed he gave her- secreting it away in her room and hiding it from her father. Now grown, she still is burdened with a heavy sense of sadness and loneliness but she's found herself two friends. Her cousin and the blind girl have quickly become a sense of happiness for her. She doesn't however enjoy the company of her friends brother. Her father has decreed that the Duke should be her husband and the man in question in quite gun ho at the idea and a woman of her station should be pleased with the idea of marrying so well. But the heroine isn't just any woman. She is fiercely stubborn and she thinks the hero a compete bore. In many ways he remind her of he father. Stern, devoid of humor and entirely ruled by his title and what sort a man a Duke should be. No she much prefers passion and drama and she finds such qualities in the arms of her lover. Once thought dead, the heroine is shocked to learn her artist is alive and accused of murder by the hero and the Guardians. Refusing to believe the notion, she'll do anything to see him again. The hero has loved the feisty, beautiful yet cold heroine for as long as he can remember. Longer in fact than he could ever admit to. But despite his intense love and craving for her, he's never made his feeling known. How could a man pour his heart out to a woman who quite apparently can't stand the sight of him? A man has his pride. But it's gotten to the point where he can't hide himself any more. Pushed to the edge by jealousy, by fear for her safety and by his desire to have her for his own, he begins to show her just how passionate a man he can be. But the heroine is blind to his true feelings. She thinks his love is nothing more than lust and his desire to have her for wife is all about possessing a well bred woman and having her pop out his heir. It's almost painful the way she spoke to him at times. Her harsh words and obvious contempt made me wince, especially when the hero had to contain just how badly they curt him to the quick. But their romance was a long drawn out battle and a constant up hill climb. The hero would gain ground, making the heroine desire him-even if she fought it tooth and nail but his secrecy and her eagerness to believe the worst of him would only succeed in him losing ground. The heroine did however begin to see the truth of her lovers nature and at the same time she would also begin to see the hero's true character. She began to admit that he was not like her father, that growing up under the oppressive and abusive hand of his own father made him into a decent man who is so full of love. Over all I really enjoyed this story. It has some paranormal aspects what with the fortune teller and the artifacts the hero and his society protect but they were veiled and not a key part of the story. Regardless it's enough to make it onto my shelf and I'm happy it's so because as I said I quite liked this book. The sense of heartache and longing pouring from the hero made me want to comfort him and slap the heroine. But at the same time I couldn't dislike her regardless of how ignorant and blind she was throughout the story because of her childhood and her insecurities. Sure the pacing was a tad slow and the villain was not caught nor the fight against the relic thief put to rest, I found the cat and mouse game between the lead characters engaging. This did make me excited to read the next book in the series. ( )

Ghastly. Stupid plot: the Guardian Brethren, relics, curses, revenge. Sweet love story, but the heroine was so unlikable, until suddenly she wasn't. I'd like to know who Orpheus (the villain) is, but I'm not planning to read the next book just to find out. ( )

PRIDE & PASSION by Charlotte Featherstone is another exciting historical romance set in Victorian England. It is the second in "The Brethren Guardians",but can be read as a stand alone. See "Seduction & Scandal". It is written with a twist or two. With complex characters who will capture your heart as they succumb to their desires,passions,a scandal or two and of course a little blackmail scheme that turns into a dangerous plot. In the wonderful,exciting world of Victorian England,"Pride & Passion" takes the readers from the ballroom to the bedroom and everywhere in between. As this young couple,Lucy Ashton and Duke of Sussex find they are not what each other thought they where. The Duke is not some stuffy,man but a passionate man,who knows what a lady wants and has a secret or two. Lady Lucy is a passionate women who also has secrets. Together, these two characters will find their heart's desire in each other's arms,if they can survive the passion and pride. Another delightful,fast paced,story with adventure and passion,what not to enjoy. Received for an honest review from Net Galley and the publisher. Details can be found at HQN,the author's website and My Book Addiction and More/My Book Addiction Reviews.

*Coming soon at HQN

Temptation and Twilight Book Three of the Brethren Guardians 2012 *

RATING: 4

HEAT RATING: MILD

REVIEWED BY: AprilR,My Book Addiction and More ( )

Lord Sussex, one of three men who keeps a family secret their enemy Orpheus will do anything to possess, finds himself enamored with Lucy Ashton. But he has just presented her with evidence that her lover, long thought dead, may be alive and working for Sussex's enemy.

Lucy finds Sussex cold and dispassionate, someone she could not imagine spending her life with. Resentment is added when he informs (not asks) her she will be his wife. Though her feelings towards him become confused when he starts showing some of that passion he feels towards her.

As I said in my review of the first book in this series, I adore Featherstone's heroes. She is great at doing dark, brooding heroes. I wasn't sure what to expect with Sussex. He does have a bit of a dark history, and he presents himself more subdued than he actually is. I ended up enjoying his character very much once he let his passion for Lucy show. And he has even a bigger secret he is hiding from her. One, I will admit, I kind of saw coming.

I thought I might have some troubles liking Lucy after reading the first book. Annoying is the word that comes to mind. Her complete devotion to her maybe dead lover seemed kind of over the top. But she wasn't quite as annoying in this book, I thought. Maybe because we got more of her thought process and history.

My enjoyment of the story was slightly interrupted about 3/4 of the way through. For a moment I thought I was reading a dream sequence. The emotions and actions of Lucy did a 180, and left me confused. I was happy we got some sweetness out of the two together, I just found it rather abrupt.

Alynwick's story is next. He seems to be the most damaged of the three heroes. Which makes sense, because it seems authors tend to save the third book for the darkest hero.

ARC provided by NetGalley. ( )