If You Desire [Anglais] [Poche]

I enjoyed this book so much more than the first in the series. I'm a sucker for unrequited love stories and "If You Desire" fits the bill. Kresley Cole did such a convincing job of making this reader feel the emotional turmoil Hugh MacCarrick went through for the love of his life. I had no doubt that Hugh and Jane would be together forever.

Jane and Hugh have loved each other for ten years. However, Hugh felt he was never good enough for her so he left without a word to become an assassin for the Crown.

Ten years later, Jane is on the cusp of becoming engaged to an earl and has moved on with her life, or so she thought. Danger has struck and only one man can protect her, but at what cost? He must marry her, against both of their better judgements, to protect her. For it will be a temporary marriage, to remain unconsummated, and dissolved as soon as the Danger has been disposed of. Jane, angered at the decision, vows to torture Hugh with lust and she succeeds. Hugh has loved her for so long and is powerless to resist her, but resist her he does.

What follows is an intense love story with super hot sensual tension, very steamy love scenes, hero-jealousy, and the hero is to die for. I took off half a star because the dialogue was a bit too modern for the time period and threw me at first, but by the end I was so engrossed it didn't bother me at all.

"If You Desire" is a definite keeper and I cannot wait for "If You Deceive". I also recommend: Captain of All Pleasures and The Price of Pleasure by Kresley Cole.

If You Desire is the sequel to If You Dare, one of my all time favorite romance novels. This is Hugh's story, one of Courtland's brothers who we met in If You Dare. (Ethan will get his own story in If You Deceive.) The background to this series is a Scottish family curse that prevents these three yummy alpha-male brothers from ultimately finding true love. Or does it?

Hugh is summonsed to London to ultimately protect Jane, a woman who he aches for but hasn't seen in ten years, from a man who wants revenge from her father. Hugh and Jane were once quite close, and Jane thought they were to marry. Then Hugh disappears breaking her heart. She is frustrated to no end when she finally sees him again. After a brief re-introduction with unexpected results (I wont spoil this, but will say it sets the tone for the rest of the book) Hugh whisks Jane away to safety, or so they believe.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and can't wait for the next in the series. It was a fun, sexy read. Jane made a great heroine, and no doubt fans will love her. She is a smart, warm-hearted woman that knows how to have fun. She was such a fun tease to Hugh too! I would have to say she was the best part of this book, hands down.

My problem with the book lies more with Hugh. I felt he was too much of an opposite for Jane. He spent much of his time rejecting Jane and brooding. It got old, and I never felt his passion for Jane to the same level she desired him. I felt his desperation and his angst, but not his passion. I love the alpha-male hero, but Hugh was too serious and lacked that naughty humor which most romance novel alpha-males have. In the end, this book just didn't have the same level of steam I am used to from Kresley Cole. Oh, there is plenty of hot scenes but they just were not as steamy as I have come to know from her books. But overall, this is a very enjoyable romance with a fun and sexy adventure story.

Here is a fun tidbit (and NO spoilers): After reading If You Desire, I realized that all three of these stories happen much along the same time line. If you read If You Dare and the teaser chapter for If You Deceive, you can see some parallels in the stories that happen at the same place and time - just from a different vantage point. I loved this writing style, and now I can't wait for Ethan's book as you can really see where his story begins. Kresley Cole uses this writing style in her After Dark series too. Her books are all stand alone, but it does make it fun to see a familiar scene unfold from a different angle.

Whether she's writing paranormals or historicals, Kresley Cole knows how to blend witty dialogue with sexual tension to create a book you simply can't put down. Her voice is unique in both genres, and although that voice is also very modern (and her heroines are also modern) the stories are so engaging that I don't think you'll mind the contemporary feel to those of her books (like this one) that take place in the 19th century.

If You Desire features Hugh, a man with two main secrets regarding his job and his family. He has been in love with Jane Weyland for years, but because of his profession and his belief in a curse that appears to have doomed himself and his brothers to unhappiness, he runs and hides from her for a decade. When circumstances force them into marriage, the fun begins.

The romance between Hugh and Jane is at turns suspenseful, romantic, sensual, and angsty. I thought the narrative flowed perfectly and as soon as I turned the last page I wanted to read Ethan's story (coming next month in If You Deceive). Jane is sharp, smart and sarcastic, but all in an endearing way while Hugh is stalwart, a little bit dangerous and so smitten it's impossible not to root for him to have what he wants.

I truly enjoyed this novel. Kresley Cole gets better with every book she writes and I think this is definitely my favorite historical she's written.