What. A. Book. Holy cow. Compared to the predecessor of Proof by Seduction, Trial by Desire is a standout novel. All of Milan's powers and preferences are on full display. Our hero Ned absolutely worships his wife while not just being the wind beneath her wings. He has his own strengths and personality to compliment Kate. The themes and background of the romance are poignant, complex, and gritty. This is quintessential Milan, so if you love her style, you sill love this book.

After marrying Kate because he compromised her, Ned goes off to China to try and fix his life, leaving his wife behind because he doesn't realize just how much she desires him. In his absence, Kate fills her days with abducting and rescuing abused wives. When he comes back, he threatens to throw all of her carefully laid plans into disarray: she's hiding the wife of his best friend, and she's also very distracted by how attractive he is.

What I really liked about this novel is that, not only do Ned and Kate complement each other, their journeys are very similar. Both characters are tired of being underestimated. They want to be appreciated and to be viewed as having value and strength. After some bumbling about, the two finally figure out a language that allows them to communicate these issues to one another, and it's quite beautiful. I absolutely loved reading about them opening up, accepting each other, and coming together. Both characters are inspiring and wonderful, in their own way. Ned is super empathetic, and you can't help but fall for him. Meanwhile, Kate is pragmatic and strong-willed, and I loved her character. She felt distinct from Milan's other strong heroines and not just because of her work. The way she went about life was unique to her, and I appreciated that. So many times, romance authors write heroines who are strong and feisty, but always in the same way. Kate was her own person, and it's why she and Ned gelled so well. If either one was more generic, the story would not have worked as well as it did.

My biggest gripe is that I am not at all surprised that it took them ~300 pages to get together. Their initial attempts to open up backfire spectacularly because they're talking in weird metaphors. No wonder they couldn't understand each other. Honestly, I also had no idea what they were talking about either, so I'm not at all surprised they didn't get along. This weird pacing or writing style or whatever it was made it really difficult for me to sink into it, at first. Around the halfway point, they hit a breakthrough because they finally stopped talking in metaphors. This is something I've noticed Milan does. She fixates on a theme and pounds it to death (see: megalodons from The Devil Comes Courting). This causes the writing to become clunky because it has to fit into this theme she's created, even if it's sometimes awkward.

Please note, this book is about surviving abuse and suicide attempts. It gets pretty real, at times, but if that is enough to trigger you, then I would steer clear of this book. It's not what I would call a "happy" book so much as a "triumphant" book. The characters really struggle and go through some tough moments, but it makes the ending that much more meaningful, in my opinion. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. The main characters had really interesting backstories and intricate relationships I didn't realize this was part of a series and now I'm going to go back and read the first one to see how it all started. ( )

I’m not really into historical romances, and yet I really appreciate Milan’s attempts to create unusual situations in which mostly privileged men and women fight the prejudices of the time and place (which I understand is between the Regency and the Victorians, if I have it right). This round, it’s a hero who’s chosen to fight his depression by running away from his new marriage. When he comes back, he has to win over his profoundly pissed-off wife, who has secrets of her own surrounding her covert rescues of abused women. The attraction between them feels real, and the barriers are mostly internal but not misunderstanding-based. ( )

Wonderful story, characters and humor, great voice. Simply loved it. ( )

The more and more I read of Courtney Milan the more and more I fall in love with her work. I LOVED 'Proof by Seduction' so I was so excited to have the opportunity to read Ned's story. The end of Seduction pretty much set up the events that start out in 'Trial By Desire'. Anyway..on to the good stuff, shall we?

I love...can you guess...the characters! I love the vividness in which Courtney Milan paints Ned and Kate. They are strong, vivid people in my mind not just characters I read in a book. I love the way she makes them come together slow and I especially love the sensuality and eroticism of this story.The scene (that was extensively talked about on twitter that made me run and start reading) was the scene where Ned...took matters into his own hands and then Kate walks in and then they proceed to have a small conversation...*sigh* it was HOT! and beautifully written!

I like the plot as well...the bad guy in this story is a pretty bad guy and I love how his wife gets her end...just perfect! I also truly enjoyed the interesting themes...while reading I was making notes and trying to decide what was wrong with Ned ...and then I was thinking about it how it would seem to have what I think he has back then...probably difficult and scary (just as Ned describes). I will ask the author on that one. I love the other interesting nuances and historical inputs...who would stand up to a man who was doing that to his wife back then? not many....very interesting indeed.

I love everything about this story...the one complaint I had was it starts out slow...about halfway though it gets hot and edgy and I was unable to put it down. You won't either. Authors like Courtney Milan are the reasons I stick around for historical romance! She makes smart stories and smart characters that grab the reader and keep the sucked in! You have to read this book! ( )