Fool Me Twice (Rules for the Reckless, #2) in Around the World in 80 Books

Jul 01, 2014 Nadine in NY Jones rated it liked it

Shelves: romance, historical-romance, era-victorian

I've got some issues with this book.

First, the good. The writing is great, of course. And I loved the characters - they felt real, not cookie cutter. Olivia was tall and beautiful and smart and adaptable and brave and reasonably level-headed. Marwick was complex, wounded, dark, kind, and noble. I'm not doing them justice with those descriptions, so here's a sample:

He lunged ... and his face was the face of the man who had closeted himself in a dark room to prevent murder, but now was in the

I've got some issues with this book.

First, the good. The writing is great, of course. And I loved the characters - they felt real, not cookie cutter. Olivia was tall and beautiful and smart and adaptable and brave and reasonably level-headed. Marwick was complex, wounded, dark, kind, and noble. I'm not doing them justice with those descriptions, so here's a sample:

He lunged ... and his face was the face of the man who had closeted himself in a dark room to prevent murder, but now was in the light. His fury was quick, bare knuckled, graceless.

I love how we slowly learn how their personalities mesh, how they seem to be made for each other; I love how THEY slowly learn this too. I love how their romance grows so slowly and wonderfully. I can't wait to see how they manage to get to their happy ending. And hello! look at that gorgeous cover!!!

And now, my issues. First one is the big one. When we spend most of our time (as readers) inside the head of the main character, I find it very very irritating when that character's secrets are intentionally kept secret from us, the reader. It creates a distance. I found didn't really care that much about Olivia because I was being kept at arm's length. The really frustrating thing is that when we get to her big reveal, and we finally discover what she's got in her head ... it's not all that huge. The story would have been just as strong (stronger!) and intriguing if we had known that all along. This pretty much kept me from loving this book.

Second issue is a smaller one, but very distracting. Hygiene, and the effects of such. First, Marwick had stayed locked in his room for months and months - his room is smelly, his hair is shaggy, his face is scruffy ... wait, what? Scruffy? Wouldn't he be sporting a full on down to the shoulders BEARD after 6 or so months? Okay, I let that one go - maybe his valet was able to shave him every week or so during his self-inflicted isolation. Next, Olivia throws up - and yeah sure she rinses her mouth, but ... she vomits! And a few minutes later he kisses her? on the MOUTH??????? Uh, NO! (And then the vomit sits in the chamber pot next to the bed all night???) And finally, (view spoiler) I was so completely distracted by all that.

And, okay, I guess I have a third issue, but I am hoping this one ceases to bother me when I get to the ending. Olivia has grown up an illegitimate child - she's seen society ostracizing her mother because she had an affair and a child out of wedlock, she's felt the loneliness and rejection of society herself. And her she goes and ... has an affair? I don't know. I mean, Olivia herself clearly THINKS about this, and is clearly comfortable with her decision. And Marwick clearly thinks about it too, and feels some misgivings (but of course he is so hot for her he can't keep his paws off her, because, hello? romance!) So I think this isn't an issue so much as a facet of the plot. When Olivia walks through her old village, and all the villagers still despise her, I really felt her loneliness, and I felt the impact that her beginning love affair w/ Marwick might have on her life, and I think we were supposed to feel that. So I guess this isn't so much a quibble as a thing that made me uncomfortable.

Honestly, those issues are small things. And the things I loved about this book are BIG things. But in the end, it just didn't grab me.

I would like to add, more as a note to myself than anything, that I finished this while sitting in court. And my sit in court was ended by the happy happy words: "Case dismissed!" ...more

Like · see review