Seduce Me At Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas

Book 2 in the Hathaway Series

www.lisakleypas.com

Kleypas writes a tortured hero to rival that of Loretta Chase’s Dain (Lord of Scoundrels). Kev Merripen is our hero in this novel, a gypsy rescued from the brink of death as a boy and brought up under the tender and loving care of the Hathaway family. Kleypas does a wonderful job writing the back story; Kev’s love for Win (Winnifred Hathaway) started as a boy and I loved watching it grow as they both grew older. However, Kleypas didn’t take too much time with the childhood, which was good. It was a perfect balance, actually, of his childhood love growing into his quiet, adult obsession (yes, I know it sounds creepy, but it sort of is an obsession... a good one, I swear).

Kev refuses to believe he’s good enough for Win – he is a large man, and because of his very violent past he’s afraid of what he could do to his gentle Win (especially since she’s an invalid for much of the story). Win, however, loves him too much to let him go, and decides to get well and show him she's not weak any longer and he can love her. She goes away for a few years to a clinic in France and makes a wonderful recovery, and comes home to pursue her sullen love once more. Win really wants their relationship to flourish – but time and again he pushes her away until she gets disheartened and turns to another suitor, agreeing to marry him for all the wrong reasons (including imminent scandal).

It’s then some of the Hathaway family (who love both Win and Kev very much) step forward and knock some sense into him before it’s too late and we get our gorgeous HEA. Most of the plot, obviously, revolves around Kev and Win, however the sub-plot is a mystery of sorts surrounding a tattoo of a pooka (Irish nightmare horse) on both Kev and his brother-in-law Cam’s arm. There’s some drama regarding that, and a murder attempt, as well as an armoire that gets lit on fire (FAVORITE SCENE OF THE YEAR), but the plot is pretty contained, letting the reader focus mostly on Kev and Win. It was an explosive, passionate, wildly hot read that I would recommend to anyone. The characters are beautifully developed with great background. All in all, a great tortured hero and a beautifully strong heroine.

Favorite quotes:

“Perhaps she wasn’t altogether unhappy, having to stay,” Win had suggested, her eyes twinkling. “After all, Hades did make her his queen. And the story says he possessed ‘the riches of the earth.’”

“A rich husband,” Amelia had said, “doesn’t change the fact that Persephone’s main residence is in an undesirable location with no view whatsoever. Just think of the difficulties in leasing it out during the off-months.”

He had said the sky should always be blue for her.

“Have we locked away the silver?” he [Kev] had asked Cam earlier, when the Gypsies from the river campsite had begun pouring into the house, dressed in colorful clothes and jingling finery.

“Phral,” Cam had said cheerfully, “there’s no need for that. They’re family.”
“It’s because they’re our family that I want the silver locked away.”

“Sexy”ness rating: Wow. *clears throat*

Overall Rating: B+

Bottom Line: If you like tortured heroes, this is soooo a book for you. Strong heroines and sexy gypsies await!

Pages: 384
Published: April 1, 2010
Genre: Historical