Fool Me Twice (Rules for the Reckless Book 2)

I'm not entirely sure why I bought this book back in April but I put off reading it until now. The reviews are very varied and some suggest that the H is a bit dominant and possessive. I'm leery of modern historicals and was convinced this was going to be a sort of historical version of 50 SOG. It wasn't at all like that and although there are lots of reviews I'm going to sum it up quickly just to help undecided buyers. I haven't read any of the other books in this series and it isn't necessary to have as it does stand alone. The h is trying to get evidence against a villainous Lord trying to kill her off and she ends up working as the housekeeper to the H, a duke. The H is hiding in his house after discovering what his late wife had done behind his back. He virtually lives in his rooms, never goes out and refuses to sort his household out. The h begins sorting out his unruly staff whilst befriending the H. Her main goal though is to try to recover some letters that the H has in his room, this means getting him out of his room. The main characters start off on the wrong foot with the H throwing things at her. They banter for a good part of the story.+++Spoilers+++I knew that there were going to be modern elements to this story, which I never enjoy but in this case I did understand them. The h is an illegitimate child and has been in service therefore no ideal wife for the H. The sexual tension is nicely built up for most of the book and the love scenes weren't too overdone. My romantic soul didn't love the fact that the H knowingly took the h's innocence without intending on giving her anything in the future. It was the h's choice and she didn't leap into bed with him at the first opportunity. She had a modern outlook and didn't have much belief in having a hea for herself. It was all very credible.It was a good story and I don't think it deserved some of the very negative reviews it received.

Meridith Duran has become my favorite historical romance author. Her ability with the written word is glorious. Her characters are fully developed, and the dialog is intelligent. In this book, there is a scene where the H & h are sitting by a pond in the country. There, they engage on that old word game of: Suppose we were brought up here? Etc. It was poignant and revealed how they were coming to be able to begin to put a name to what they were feeling for each other.I am 70, and have just started reading HR books over the past 3 months during an illness. I go through most of them too quickly because the writing is barely on a 5th grade level, the characters are flat, and romance doesn't develop; rather, you get lust progressing from 0-to-60 in a page. I enjoy well written and well placed sexual encounters, but those alone cannot carry a novel. Ms. Duran understands this. I enjoy her prose and skill in building up to those encounters.I usually buy 2 to 3 Kindle novels a day since I have been ill, and jump from reading one to another. I cannot do that with Ms. Duran's books. They are too intense and emotionally gripping so that although I want to read another of her books, I have to wait a day or so before reading another of her books. She is the HR genre's equivalent of Donna Tartt.

"Why torment yourself with happy endings if you don't believe one is possible."THE STORY: Olivia Mather comes to the home of the Duke of Marwick masquerading as a housekeeper to find secrets of the man who has been hounding her for years. She hopes to find the Duke's secret files and use it to give herself some peace. What Olivia discovers is that the Duke has retreated into his rooms after the death of his wife and doesn't come out. Olivia realizes that she needs to get him out of his room in order to search it. Thus, begins her efforts to help the Duke take control of his life again.Alastair de Grey had everything. After a childhood filled with his parent's scandal, Alastair had become the "kingmaker" -- a political leader with the perfect wife. When his wife died of an overdose, Alastair discovered that she was sleeping with his political enemies. Alastair's fear of scandal and his deep desire for vengeance result in him retreating from the world. When the temporary housekeeper comes into his home, she doesn't treat him as the duke, but needles and challenges him.OPINION: Simply sublime. At times dark and angsty, at times sweet and gentle, the story of a strong but desperate woman and a man who is dealing with his own disappointments is a fresh complex and romantic story.The central conflict in this story is between Olivia and Alastair. The sparring and challenges that go on between the two is so satisfying. I especially loved how Olivia begins by trying to get Alastair out of his room for her own purposes, but quickly becomes engaged in helping him because she wants him to recover himself.Olivia is such an incredibly strong character. She is moral even as she lies. She is unselfish even when she has good reason to take something for herself.Alastair was not a likeable character in the prior book THAT SCANDALOUS SUMMER but this book redeems him. He is definitely a character that lives in shades of grey. He has judged himself harshly but it is his recognition of his mistakes that ultimately makes him likeable.One of my favorite parts of the book is how Alastair's mental state is depicted. When the book begins, Alastair has pulled into himself and his point of view clearly demonstrates this. As he opens up, his interior dialogue becomes more normal.Powerful story about how people deal with the disappointments in their lives.WORTH MENTIONING: The ultimate plot point was a complete surprise to me. I like books that can do that.FINAL DECISION: I highly recommend this book. My favorite Duran book so far.CONNECTED BOOKS: FOOL ME TWICE is the second book in The Rules for the Reckless series. While it follows directly from the previous book in the series, this book can be read as a standalone.STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

Meredith Duran won me over with Duke Of Shadows - I read every one of her novels with anticipated excitement. This one is no exception. I loved the way that Alistair sees the world from his prospective & the uniqueness of the approach that MD uses & therefore it makes perfect sense when he meets, gets challenged by Olivia & is drawn into her persona. MD makes him think in the same way that our thought processes transpire & that in itself gets you under the character's skin. Leave nothing behind with the heroine of the piece as she has a purpose to save herself & therefore infiltrates his household & along the way saves him. Their "scenes" together are so exciting & when he rescues her - WOW - the pages are "un-put-down-able" - no one writes like this - exceptional tension - gripping- magnificent- I would recommend this & its on my shelf as a keeper - deserves 5 stars & more. I have not given any of the story away - suffice it to say that it does not flounder but gets to the point over & over again- loved it - bring on the next one please.........

Again, something I read based on the reviews of readers whose opinions I have come to value - it has been well reviewed so I will just add that this was an exceptionally good story in this genre; there were no plots and ploys used to 'make' a story, rather a flowing narrative that gripped from the beginning to the end. I cannot imagine that anyone would fail to be captivated by the two main protagonists, each with their own very genuine problems and how they help one another to resolve those problems in a believable, practical way. There were, for me, some amazing lines for each character, heart-rending, uplifting and a whole range of emotions in between! Thoroughly recommend, and I will now read the rest of this series, although I get the impression that this is the oustanding book in that series.

I started years ago when I bought 'The Duke of Shadows' and I absolutely loved that one. It was long before I had a Kindle and I had always remembered the impact that that book had made on me, so I searched for it again and bought it on Kindle.Then, I discovered that she had written more books so I took a chance on the 'Rules for the Reckless' and I was immediately drawn in once more with such interesting characters with multi-layered personalities that I enjoyed reading about without wanting to put them down; I just wanted to be back with them until the last page. We met the two main characters in the first book, of course.The above book was quite complicated and deep with an interesting plot and a wordy and intelligent dialogue that I love. I had part of the plot tagged quite early on but I didn't let that stop me enjoying all the eventual twists and turns; the sex was quite thrilling, too. I loved the ending with everything tied up beautifully.

This is my favourite in this set of stories. Alastair is in a self-destructive pit of despair brought about by the treachery of his deceased wife and refuses to leave his room threatening violence to those who disturb him; Olivia's life is threatened by someone from her past and rescue may be found among Alastair's papers so she enters his house as a servant but needs access to his room. So, she takes him on and gradually drags him back into the world he has rejected. Their developing relationship is beautifully described - there's humour, pathos, romance, hot love-scenes and an entirely fabulous rescue and happy-ever-after. Delicious!

Loved the story and loved the characters. Lots of moments to make you smile. Great read. Only disappointment is there is no epilogue.