Temptation & Twilight

The Brethren Guardians #3

by Charlotte Featherstone

A blind and heartbroken lady investigates her ancestor’s secret affair—while being tempted back into her own—in this seductive historical romance.Iain Sinclair, Marquis of Alynwick, is certain there is a special hell for him. An unrepentant rake, he holds nothing sacred—except for beautiful Elizabeth York. For years, Alynwick has tried to forget the woman he loved so well and treated so badly. A woman who could hold nothing in her heart for him but hatred.All of society believes Elizabeth, the blind daughter of a duke, to be a proper young lady. But no one knows of her wanton affair with Alynwick. When Lizzy learns of her ancestor’s ancient diary—filled with exotic tales—she longs to uncover the identity of the unnamed lover within. Claiming to have knowledge of the “veiled lady”, Alynwick offers to help her solve the mystery.Eager to be Lizzy’s eyes, Alynwick brings the seductive text to life, and each night it takes greater effort for her to remember his betrayal. With each whispered word, her resolve gives way, without her knowing that a centuries-old secret will lead them to a present-day danger.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Erotica, Ebooks, Regency, Historical Fiction

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 19, 2012

About the author

Hi I write erotic historical romance for Harlequin Spice, as well as erotic paranormal romance under the name Sophie Renwick. In 2011, I'll be debuting my mainstream, Victorian set historicals through HQN.

I love talking about books, and have found some new friends, and really good book recommends here on Goodreads. I really love this community.

Reviews

[UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

(No Spoilers)

Temptation & Twilight is the third and final book in the Brethren Guardians series and is filled with twists & turns, angst & heartache, passion & romance… it’s safe to say, this story has it all, and it’s delivered with so much sensuality that the entire experience feels like a dream.

From his very first words in Seduction & Scandal I’ve been captivated by Iain Sinclair, the man, the kilt and what’s not under it, the brogue that slips through when his guard is down… everything about him has attracted me. We’ve come to see him as an unrepentant rake, a self indulgent man who knows what he wants and will stop at nothing to get it, regardless of who gets hurt. But all that aside, finally getting to know the real Iain, the man who’s so self deprecatingly vulnerable that he dares not show that side of himself to anyone, not even his friends, I couldn’t help but fall hard for him.

We’ve also seen quite a bit of Elizabeth, sister to Adrian, Lord Sussex, in previous books, and yet never really gotten to know her. That all changes in this story as we’re allowed a deeper look into her sightless life, her fears, her dreams… and what an amazing woman she is. Though I knew she and Iain would one day have their own story, I never really felt them as a couple, but all those doubts are gone now and in my mind and heart, they are the perfect match.

Even though we finally learn the true identity of that purely evil being, Orpheus, and understand the true reasons why the Brethren Guardians became his target, I’m sorry to say that this story moved a bit slow for me, the plot never grabbing hold as it did in the previous books. It was Iain and Elizabeth who kept me coming back for more, waiting and watching as they put their pasts, their heartbreak and their mistrust behind him to move forward and find their happily ever after, one so richly deserved.

Temptation & Twilight was provided by netgalley.com in behalf of Harlequin/HQN in exchange for an honest review.

[ᑭᑌᑎƳᗩ [Punya Reviews...] · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review contains spoilers and they're mostly my thoughts as I went with the book...

In my estimation, Iain and Elizabeth are the best pair of the Brethren Guardian series. I’ve no hesitations saying this because this book was just so good and also, to me, the best installment of the series; not just because it was the end of this series but this was full of so much emotion, angst and revelations that caught me by surprise. I was totally cheering for this pair from book #1 and I wasn’t disappointed, all thanks to CF for her wonderful efforts.

First, like my reviews of other two books, the recap of Brethren Guardians for anyone who’s new to it. This series is about the descendents of three Brethren Guardians- Drake Sheldon, Sinjin York and Haelen St. Clair (why St. Clair and not Sinclair is explained here), who were the Templar Knights, given the responsibility to guard the pendant, the chalice and the magical scroll. Their descendents carried on with the responsibilities but recently, the club called the Masonic Club has become a general Gothic style club with Ton members vying to get an entry. Though there are other members or Masons, the real descendents- Jude Sheldon, the Earl of Black, Adrian York, the Duke of Sussex and Iain Sinclair, the Marquis of Alynwick have had their ‘initiations’ just the way their fathers did at their mid-teens, a process made none of them happy. Jude’s family guarded the pendant, Adrian’s the chalice and Iain’s guarded the scroll. It seems like there was a House of Orpheus a longtime ago, which caused troubles for Jude, Adrian and Iain’s fathers and was shut down by them. Anyway, the ‘whys and hows’ of everything were answered and I’ve to say, I’m quite satisfied with the answers. In the 1st book Seduction & Scandal, the trouble was about the pendant. And then there was Jude and Isabella’s shaky relationship where Isabella did almost everything to hurt and deny Jude ‘til the end and in the process made me want to scream in frustration. Jude was always amazing to her, even if a bit forward about his desire for her. But Jude never gave up his perusal of her because of another past incident between them that created a strange atmosphere for the story. Adrian had this complete devotion towards Lucy that I, for god’s sake, couldn’t understand why- until the end of the book that is. Lucy has been quite cranky and rude to Adrian for the most part but thankfully, some of her vulnerabilities I could understand so I wasn’t totally put off by her. In Pride & Passion, new developments about not only Adrian and Lucy’s relationship was revealed but also, we get to learn a lot about the state of Iain and Elizabeth’s shared past; a past is more intimate and convoluted than I initially suspected. The progress of P&P was a bit hazy for me, but after reading Temptation & Twilight, which runs almost simultaneously with P&P, clarified a lot of things. In P&P, Orpheus became bolder on his mad quest of destroying the BGs. There were threats on Lucy’s life and Adrian became involved inadvertently because he would protect her with his life. I loved his absolute obsession over Lucy but at the end of the book, the reason of this ‘obsession’ came into the light (something linking to Adrian’s own dark past, of which Lucy was a vital part too) and took me by surprise. I didn’t expect much from Lucy but she proved to be far more likable. She felt an attraction towards Adrian but was in a confusing situation due to her lover’s unexpected return from the dead. At a point, they were forced to get married, then Lucy knew of Adrian’s ‘real’ identity and there was no way she wouldn’t fall for him now. A bit farfetched after the way she treated him for the better part of the book but the reason was good enough. The ending marked some serious progress.

Already mentioned that, T&T runs almost simultaneously with P&P. Iain, the womanizer Mad Marquis, was already helping the BGs by seducing this woman who claimed to have direct link to Orpheus himself. So far, the BGs didn’t have any choice because they were still baffled about Orpheus’s identity. Iain’s womanizing was never a secret. He is very handsome, a ‘brute’ of a Highlander who loves his share of women. Now, I do love Highlander heroes but not womanizers. But CF has a way of handling her rakes and I can’t help falling for them in the end. By all accounts, I should be grossed out the way this book starts where Iain was with that woman he was seducing. He was dressing up after bouts of sex, the woman naked in his bed, never minding that his valet Sutherland was there, helping him dress. But Iain’s thoughts were different, consumed by someone else. It was apparent that even though he’s good in this ‘game’ and would do anything to help the Guardians, he didn’t like doing it anymore. I was most especially struck by Iain’s thought, the way he feels like a flash boy of the East End. He was tired and lost. IMO, Iain’s sacrifice was much more intense than that of Jude or Adrian. Yes, he himself initiated this plan but it was sort of expected, what with Iain having the reputation as an incorrigible womanizer. By now, we knew that Iain and Elizabeth had a relationship 12 yrs ago, when they were 21 and 18 respectively. At that time, the ‘important’ development of Adrian’s life was happening, thanks to his cold and calculating father. Elizabeth, who was already going blind with the genetic problem, was mostly ignored by the vile man and was left alone in the estate. I think Iain’s father’s estate bordered close to Adrian’s and so it happened. I was, at first, confused about the time length of their affair. I thought it was a onetime thing but apparently, it was one whole summer.

Anyway, this book starts somewhere in the middle of P&P. Iain leaves the woman and goes to that ball where Lucy, Adrian, Isabella, Elizabeth and the others were present. Iain sees Elizabeth laughing and talking with a man called the Earl of Sheldon and he sees red. Iain still can’t but think of Elizabeth as his, even though the snippets of their past hints that he was the one who broke Elizabeth’s heart. He attacks Sheldon, which creates a stir in the crowd. Iain was supposed to fight a duel with that woman’s stupid husband, who was putty in her hands. Iain was disgusted by the whole thing but he can’t avoid it. After the debacle of the ball, Elizabeth and Adrian leave. Jude takes Adrian’s place as Iain’s second. There is an accident before the duel takes place and Iain is badly injured. He assumed he’d die and so, his first thought upon this was of Elizabeth and that he needed to ask for her forgiveness. Jude isn’t so sure about his dying though and even though Iain asked to visit Sussex House, Jude takes Iain to his valet Sutherland to take care of the wound. This changes Iain’s plan for everything, jolting him to the truth. Now, he just has to get Elizabeth back, no matter what. He has to make her see that he has changed, that he can be the man she deserves. And he doesn’t care to return to the ‘duty’ he has been performing on behalf of the BGs anymore, namely the duty of f*cking that woman.

The next morning, Adrian expresses his concern over Iain’s callous behavior. Socially, no one is supposed to know that the BGs know each-other at any level. Iain’s behavior surely puts this secret in line. But Iain is just tired of all these puzzles and games, most of all, his life as a whole. As they chat, Lucy bursts in and then Anastasia, Adrian’s father’s onetime mistress’s body was found dumped at Adrian’s doorstep. She was helping with the BG business but apparently, Orpheus found her out. You can read all these in my review of P&P. Here, we see the whole story mostly from Elizabeth and Iain’s POV so don’t be scared about getting bored. CF handled the whole simultaneous storytelling quite efficiently IMO. Elizabeth genuinely likes Sheldon and she doesn’t appreciate Iain forceful return in her life, not after what he has done to her all those years ago. She was in love, gave herself completely but he walked away, breaking her heart into pieces. And Elizabeth is very mad when Iain tries telling her that she can’t take part in the BG business. Although Iain was scared for Elizabeth’s safety, she interprets his concerns as vengeance. She thinks he’s mocking her, again and trying to take control of her life. I couldn’t blame Elizabeth for not trusting Iain’s intentions, not after I learned of the real depth and pain of their past history. And she was blind. Even though Elizabeth tried to put on a brave façade with her remarkable beauty and poise but she was very vulnerable inside. I adored Elizabeth as the woman she was in the other books and has been in her own. She braved her life altering shortcoming as a warrior, even with a broken heart. Being blind makes her vulnerable because she can’t see the person’s expression, can’t tell if he is lying or not. This issue comes in more than once and plays a vital role in the push and pull of Elizabeth and Iain’s barely shaky relationship. She doesn’t trust him and can’t judge his words. Her body and mind wants to give in since she never stopped loving him but her common sense tells her to stay away, for all the right reasons.

Adrian was also concerned about Elizabeth, and so, when he conveys this, she is willing to concede. But Elizabeth is hurt. Even knowing the fact, the hindrance of her blindness chafes her raw because otherwise she’s a perfectly functioning human being, who is generous and smart too. She is not an invalid though that is how the world thinks of her. While the development of Lucy and Adrian’s relationship is taking place, side-by-side, Iain is determined to win Elizabeth back. His intense focus on wooing Elizabeth gave me mixed feelings. Yes, like Elizabeth, at first, I had doubts. I couldn’t believe he would just want to make things right now, after such a long time. He tried and Elizabeth rebuffed, for a long time. As I said, a constant force of push and pull, which exasperated me more than once. Iain would talk or try to touch him knowingly, Elizabeth’s traitorous body would respond but she’d pull away later. What felt really good was Iain’s focus. He didn’t give up his perusal, not even when Elizabeth’s jibes came his way. He knew he deserved every single thing she said to him. I was taken in by this honesty from him. He never tried to hide anything he has done so far. Most of his vulnerabilities were formed from his childhood, which was spend with an abusive and cold mother and grandfather. She knew about the BG business and ‘trained’ Iain to grow up to be a cold and calculating SOB. Otherwise, he’d get the beating of his life. His father, who controlled his life, agreed. Elizabeth was his only balm, the taste real goodness and he just devoured what she offered. But in the end, he felt scared by the depth of his growing feeling and did the most cowardly thing. Well, I should’ve hated him by all means but only that honesty, that courage to face the truth, made him more endearing to me. And I loved his growly possessiveness where Elizabeth was concerned.

In between, we see Orpheus is still planning his nefarious plans. Now his focus is on Elizabeth and Iain. Anyway, Elizabeth and Sheldon strike a very good friendship. Sheldon is also very keen on the Templar relics. He lived a longtime in the east and ‘Veiled Lady’ who was his lover; scandalous because of the vow of celibacy the Templar Knights had to take. Before going blind, Elizabeth read the book but now her memory is hazy. But she really wants to know who this veiled lady was. This maybe because there is a curse on the House of York and Alynwick where it says that none from these houses can fall in love with each-other, or else the end result will be utter misery. This issue also plays a vital role in their relationship later, when the history behind the curse was revealed. For now, Elizabeth is just fascinated by it and on impulse, tells Sheldon about it. TBH, I liked Sheldon immensely from the get go, so much so that at a point, I was scared that he might turn out to be Orpheus or one of his cronies. Thank God, this didn’t happen. But Sheldon, or Julian, surprised me later with a truth more exciting than I could’ve expected. He was smart and gentle, an avid researcher of anything concerning the Templar Knights. Iain, on the other hand, won’t agree with me. He’s totally jealous of Julian, can’t stand him at all, especially after he spied him with Elizabeth, where she was trying to trace Julian’s profile with her fingertips. Iain longed for that touch (and yes, I believed in his longing) but knew her feelings for him is of utter disgust. He even broke into Julian’s study for investigation as Iain was suspicious of him. Meanwhile, he keeps trying to convince Elizabeth, who just wanted to be left alone. Julian takes Elizabeth to the Templar Church where he was doing new excavations. Julian tries to kiss Elizabeth but realizes that she has reservations for someone else. Later they find out that someone has already been there and digging. It alarms them both.

As the story progresses, Adrian and Lucy is ‘forced’ to get married. While they’re on their honeymoon, Adrian puts Elizabeth’s safety on Iain. Funny thing, even till now, no one suspected the depth of intimacy between these two, so their constant enmity would baffle everyone including Adrian. Iain was finding it hard to concentrate on the BG business, especially seducing that woman for information. I was a bit scared that he would but he didn’t disappoint me. When he is snowed in the townhouse with Elizabeth, Iain, as promised that he’d help her, brings in the diary of the ‘Veiled Lady’, which has been handed down to him from his ancestors and surprises Elizabeth. This diary sheds lights on this woman’s identity, much secret history, the curse of the House of York and Sinclair. Iain reads the diary to Elizabeth, weaving his spell and finally they end up making love. Yet again, no improvement. Later though Iain and Elizabeth finally talk. Iain bares his soul this time, of how much he longed for her and what a fool he has been. Elizabeth feels awful that she can’t see his face and judge if he’s telling the truth or lying. I loved this scene outside the townhouse, as they sat on a bench, Iain describing Elizabeth the snowfall. They go to an opera but that woman makes trouble for them. They fight again and return home. Iain, by now, was frustrated yet elated by her jealousy. He coaxes and makes love to Elizabeth once again, just to prove that he really means what he says. But, Elizabeth baffles him afterwards with her reaction. She breaks into this outburst where all her vulnerabilities and pain about blindness and Iain just pour out. Iain feels ashamed that he has been the cause of such pain for her. I loved Iain more for this. Later as they talk again, Iain confesses his cowardly ways, that he’s been selfish as his parents ‘trained’ him to be. But he has suffered and tried to ease the pain of his stupidity through BG business, drink and women. Iain confirms that he never married the girl his father wanted for him. Then Elizabeth tells him some heartbreaking truth about their long dead past, that it was not only the loss of innocence and trust but that there was also a child. She lost it as she was already blind by then and fell down the stairs. WOW, it got me, just as it did Iain. After this devastating scene, Iain felt that maybe he’s just too late, that maybe he’ll never be the man for Elizabeth. With a lot of despair and pain, he just leaves. Afterwards, Elizabeth is full of remorse as she replays all the facts in her mind.

But soon, Elizabeth is kidnapped by Orpheus’s men. When Iain learns of this, he goes insane. He has no idea where to start and by now, he was already zooming onto a man we’ve seen in previous books. Julian used to know this man from before, who betrayed him and stole some of his findings. Iain and Julian had a chat before, where they talked about this and Elizabeth. They both gauged each-other in that meeting. Iain swallows his pride and asks for Julian’s help. Julian knew where that man can take Elizabeth. On this ride to the Templar Church, more interesting revelations are out, which point at Julian’s ancestry. OMG, I was totally surprised again! Truth be told, the intertwined incidents afterwards took me by surprise over and over again. I totally would like to congratulate CF for making me read the last chapters in one sitting and with bated breath. The whole resolution to the Orpheus mystery was neatly done IMO. Also, the truth about Adrian’s past, that we knew from P&P was now out and open. I thought no one would know about it except Lucy, but so glad that it wasn’t the case.

When it was all over, Iain takes Elizabeth to his own place and makes love to her again. After this, when they talk, something struck Iain hard. That Elizabeth’s blindness is such a terrible, permanent fact, where she is doomed never to be able to see the faces of her loved ones ever again. Iain muses he can’t even think about never seeing her face ever again, or his obsession about watching them making love. It terrifies Iain as he realizes the profundity of Elizabeth’s dark world, which by all means should’ve driven her crazy by now. But not Elizabeth. She was strong before, she is stronger now and Iain can’t help but love her even more. It pains him to think that the last picture of him to Elizabeth was him mocking her and walking away. It shatters Iain. When he, in tears, expresses this, Elizabeth smiles and tells him she doesn’t need to see him to know of his love anymore.

“Oh, God, I would give anything to change the past,” he gasped. “To make it so that the last thing you saw was not me walking away from you. In your memories I am forever one and twenty, and cocky, and sneering, and looking self-righteous. And I’ve changed, Beth,” he gasped, choking on a sob he could not hide. “I want so damn much for you to see how I’ve changed. To see me now. There are no lies in my eyes. No motives other than to show you that I am not the callous man I was. And that I love you…. I love you so damn much.” He was crying. The tears trickled unchecked down his cheeks, dripping onto his lips. She touched them, wiped them away, which only caused them to spill faster and harder.”

This scene totally took my breath away and I couldn’t hold back my tears. It made my heart ache for these two, for all that they’ve suffered. I just wished them love and happiness. 4.5 stars without any qualms whatsoever.

PS: I thought Julian should’ve had his own book but I don’t think that’ll happen as no hints were given. I also mourned the fact that there was no epilogue. I would’ve LOVED to know something about their future, not only Iain and Elizabeth but also Jude-Isabella and Adrian-Lucy. I would seriously miss this series. *sniffs*


This ARC was provided to me by Harlequin/HQN via netgalley which didn’t influence my review and rating in any way.

[Bookswithbenefits · Rating 1 out of 5]

Best line: "There was a special place in hell for men such as him. A small berth closest to the hellfires, one that reeked of smoke and brimstone and rotting souls." (self-description by the hero)

Worst Line: "Ye were supposed to be me second!" (The hero lettin' loose with his oh-so-cliched, passion-induced brogue.)

Synopsis: He's a rake. She's an angel with stores of passion. He seduced her years ago, abandoned her, and then let himself fall into utter ruin and sin trying to do the dirty work for a secret society of folk who guard Templar artifacts. A decade passes and the hero, deciding he just can't take it anymore, decides he must win her back at all costs.

The Good: The story has an interesting premise. On the outside, it seems rather promising. A Rake who wants to reform himself for love. A smart heroine who won't be held down by tradition. Secrets and mystery. The hero is a very interesting and worthy fellow whose paradoxes and demons are intriguing. The heroine, too, is unique and engaging and blind, really a fascinating twist. I want desperately to read about them.

The Bad: It's words on a page that have little life in them. When a woman appears dead in the backyard of one of the central characters, the folk about her care--for a few sentences--but the readers don't feel anything for even that short a time. Any curiosity I have about the main couple dies, too, as page upon page of "mystery" without suspense piles up. The scenes between the main couple can get pretty steamy, but the emotional plot is a hash. He loves her. He's crazy about her. And I think that's just super, but by the middle of the novel there still is almost no emotional development in the main romantic story line. Frankly, I found I couldn't even finish it. This, I assure you, is unheard of. I always finish every novel I pick up... and I will probably finish this one (in a few weeks, when my summer cache is depleted and all the other nummies have been savored.) As I said, I want to read about them, but I don't want to spend hours skimming to get to the heart of the matter because I abominate skimming. No, I want to read.

The Ugly: "There is something worse than an un-finishable book?" you ask. Indeed there is. That's right. You know what I'm talking about, don't you? The Cover.

We've all been there. We're wandering through a bookstore, or maybe  aimlessly searching suggestions, looking at  random lists on Amazon.com for something to read. Happily, we traipse through booktopias convinced that we're going to find something wonderful to read and then… We are greeted with the cover.

Before I begin, I feel I must point out one very simple fact:

Most authors get absolutely no input in their covers, or, if they do, it’s mostly a kind of courtesy. Publishers rule. Authors weep and hope for reprints.

Challenge accepted. Unleashing Mockery… Honestly, as I study this picture, I can see only one thing: Lord Manly-Parts' awkward embrace. He's holding Lady Hairpiece as though he's about to cart her out like a mannequin, or like he's frisking her for weapons, or like, well, like...like...like he's trying to imagine the dress on himself. Lord Many-Parts isn't trying to get the sweet love action. He isn't pulling her close for a heated kiss. No, he's positing her to see if her dress will fit his waist! Take a look if you don't believe me. He's not looking at her neck or her breasts, he's looking at the clothes. He doesn't want the woman. He wants the woman's wardrobe. 

Forgive the cover artists, for they know not what they do.

As posted on http://bookswithbenefits.com

[t malik · Rating 1 out of 5]

i thought i was gonna dislike this book when i read the first two chapters but i did not want to judge the book early on and make up my mind after reading it since it’s a second chance romance i figured there would be some redemption through grovel. i was WRONG.

i liked the banter of the main characters but then the book started to drag on. i didn’t even mind the orpheus mystery but there was so many scenes which were absolutely unnecessary adding nothing to the story at all. it was just mindless conversation between other characters taking so much time away from the mcs that we were barely getting any scenes of them together to show any growth.

whenever we did get any scene it was always something sexual from the hero’s side. the heroine was great, she fought him tooth and nail at every corner rightfully so with the way he treated her in the past. he wants her back doesn’t actually do anything for it. there’s literally no action from his side just baseless words and barely those too because he’s always just saying or thinking about something sexual for her like there’s no emotional depth or growth whatsoever.

by the time we do get a good chunk of their scenes together it’s like 75-80% which is way too late to show good development. this should’ve happened WAY earlier making it hard to see proper growth of their relationship, even then it’s mostly just words that he loves her and hero trying to have sex with her and no clear action to do something to get her back.

i was gonna give it 2 stars up until that point but then we find out the truth about why and how he left her 12yrs ago which made hero’s lack of action EVEN WORSE. if he realised he made a mistake right after leaving her then why didn’t he come back and try to beg for her because it’s not like he was in some far away land, he was literally friends with heroine’s brother. why wait 12 bloody years to do this if he wanted her back with so much desperation?

the fact that 12yrs ago also he lied to her because he wanted to have sex with her making her fall in love with him but then ending up falling in love with her too and leaving her in the shittiest of manners because he was afraid of his feelings for her and worried about marrying someone blind and that his kids might be blind too????? that’s extremely fucked up and the way he tries chalking it up to being young and naive as if the heroine wasn’t young too like he was 21 and her 19.

so after all of that when he immediately realises after leaving her that he messed up why the fuck did he never come black for her in the past 12 years and try to grovel his way into her heart. in the present still mostly seeing her sexually and showing absolutely zero action about being changed with no emotional growth about their relationship being portrayed whatsoever how the heck am i supposed to root for them.
Elizabeth deserves someone 18383929x better than the man Iain is.

[Anna (Bobs Her Hair) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grade: C- or weak 3 stars

The Story
Three aristocratic men, descendants of the Knights Templar, are each secret custodians of sacred relics – a pendant, a chalice, and a scroll - from the Holy Land. They call themselves the Brethren Guardians. An enemy, only known as Orpheus, has been attempting to steal the relics, which allegedly gives a mortal untold power. The Guardians must uncover their enemy’s identify and stop him before all is lost.

Iain Sinclair, Marquis of Alynwick, is a Brethren Guardian and renowned rake. He attempts to seduce his way into the House of Orpheus, a decadent playground for the privileged. It hurts him to fake lust for a woman he hates while Elizabeth York, the woman he truly loves, is near. His sense of duty is tested as danger creeps closer to his Beth.

Elizabeth York, sister to Brethren Guardian and Duke of Sussex, once loved and lost. Iain Sinclair won her eighteen year-old heart and cruelly threw it away. Before a hereditary disease took her eyesight, her last image was of twenty-one year old Iain walking away. He was her beautiful angel. Iain had been nothing but a liar. Twelve years later, she vows never to be foolish and vulnerable again.

My Thoughts
Elizabeth York makes this book! I loved her! Charlotte Featherstone does a commendable job depicting the blind heroine. Despite Elizabeth’s handicap her strengths are emphasized. She never seemed weak. She carries on with dignity. Loved it!

I struggled with Iain Sinclair’s character. He claims to love Beth, yet I rarely saw that love. His thoughts of her were mainly sexual in nature. They made Elizabeth seem an object rather a person. Iain’s abusive childhood is explained, and was supposed to give reason for his callousness. It didn’t excuse his behavior in my eyes. He never seemed worthy of Elizabeth. His rival for her affection made a better candidate the majority of the book. Alas, Iain and Elizabeth’s are meant to be.

Twilight & Temptation is the third book in the Brethren Guardian series and should not be read as a stand-alone. The details of the ongoing storyline are in this book, but not in a manner for a reader new to this series to immediately piece together. While the plot is interesting and has a Raiders of the Lost Arc: The Last Crusade feel to it, there are some inconsistencies in the Brethren Guardian’s behavior. For a secretive group, they would not win any awards or entrance to any intelligence agency. Based on their actions, they should have lost the relics as soon as they inherited their Guardian roles. Orpheus’s identity is revealed and should be a shocker to fans of this series. Overall, this book offers a terrific heroine, a so-so plot, and a damaged Scottish hero (who didn’t win my heart.)

Memorable Moment

“Beth, what do you see?“

She felt his lips tremble beneath her fingers. “I wish… I wish I could see the lies in your eyes,” she answered, giving voice to the truth, and her fears. “They were there before, and I didn’t see it, even though I possessed sight.”

“No, Beth.”

“They’re there now, I’m sure. Carefully concealed by your words, the press of your lips against my hand. But if I looked deep within, I would find them. Wouldn’t I?”

[…]

“Give me a chance to earn your forgiveness. To make you forget the past.”

“How can I when the past has shaped me into what I have become? I can’t forget it, Iain, because to forget it makes me vulnerable, makes it too easy for me to slip back into being the creature I was – naïve and foolish.”



ARC courtesy of Harlequin via Netgalley

[Jess the Romanceaholic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh man, this book was such a delicious blend of agony and awesomeness.

Unfair as it may be, the biggest thing that kept this from being a 5-Star book was Iain's slut-tastic behavior. I love a good reformed rake but having it thrown in my face isn't really something I care for. {Don't worry, that's SO not a spoiler -- Iain's womanizing is something that's harped on for the entire series thus far}

That said...

*falls over* This book really was incredible, with all sorts of angst and anger and bitterness and desperation and lust and heartache and secrets and betrayal and danger and SHOCKING twists and plot developments. Fans of the series are going to simply be blown away.

I wouldn't really recommend it for newcomers to the series because so much of it revolves around the Brethren Guardians and the whole Orpheus thing that's spanned the series, but fans should be aware that this book rehashes quite a bit of the previous novel, just from different POV's.

A very solid 4/5 Stars (and honestly, it might just go up to 4.5 after I've had time to write a full review, but we'll see).

Full reviews and final rating to follow closer to release date.

[Missy · Rating 2 out of 5]

An unsatisfying and anticlimactic end to the mystery and villain that followed all three books.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third book in the Brethren Guardian series had a lot to live up to in my mind and for the most part, it delivers in spades! The only thing that kept this from possibly being an even better story was how it starts. At the end of the previous book, Pride & Passion, it ends on such a cliffhanger with our couple, Iain Sinclair, Marquis of Alynwick and laird to the clan Sinclair and Lady Elizabeth York. Yet this book starts off back a couple weeks which threw me off for a bit. Granted it is seen through Lizzie and Iain's eyes but still, it took about 80 percent of the book to finally get to the cliffhanger. While I appreciate seeing the story through a new way and getting more in depth with our couple, I personally wanted the story to start where the previous one ended.

Elizabeth York was one of my favorite heroines I have read recently. I enjoyed seeing the world through her blindness and thought it was done in a way that was realistic and believable. She is strong and independent and has no qualms speaking her mind as she is on the shelf but is flattered when a handsome earl starts to pay her attention and genuinely seems interested in her for her. However, her heart may not fully be in the relationship as Iain makes his presence known in her life again after the hurtful way they broke things off years ago. Iain took a bit of warming up too as he is a major womanizer and actually is seducing another woman in order to gain information for his secret society, the Brethren Guardians. Thankfully, when he realizes the extent of his feelings for Beth that he thought were buried, he is faithful to Beth. Together, they have a lot to overcome from their past and, again, it takes quite a bit of time until the truth comes out. When Iain finally breaks down and tells Beth his (selfish) reason for leaving her, its very heartbreaking...as is Beth's response.

Overall, this is another heartbreaking, haunting love story from Charlotte Featherstone. She seems to have quick a knack for weaving a sensual romance that will leave your heart pounding one moment and tearing up the next. The end of this book...wow. Just wow. The twists and turns were just wonderful and give a very satisfying conclusion to the mystery surrounding the Brethren Guardians. So even though this book overlaps so much with the previous, but from a different perspective (and done to show the relationship regrow between our couple) it is a definite must read for fans of sensual love stories. 4 stars

I received this eARC from HQN via netgalley.com

[Carol Cork *Young at Heart Oldie* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Temptation & Twilight is the final book in the Brethren Guardian series.

After reading Pride & Passion with the revelation that Iain and Elizabeth had been lovers twelve years ago but it all ended badly, I couldn’t wait to read Temptation & Twilight. It promised to be a compelling and emotionally intense read. I certainly wasn’t disappointed.

In the previous two books, Iain was always the wild card among the Brethren Guardians but he is the one who intrigued me the most. He is an arrogant, heartless, reckless, womanising, hard-drinking rogue. But there is one chink in his armour and her name is Elizabeth York. His Beth

I love Iain’s sheer determination to make Elizabeth see that he has truly changed from the foolish young man who had caused her so much pain and heartbreak; a man worthy of her trust and love. No matter how many times Elizabeth rejects him, he never gives up. Admittedly, at times, he does act like a complete jackass like trying to throttle the poor Earl of Sheldon but somehow I love that show of possessiveness and protectiveness towards Elizabeth. He is, after all, a fierce, hot-headed highlander at heart and what woman can resist that?

I adore Elizabeth. She is a wonderful mixture of strength and vulnerability. Although she doesn’t let her blindness define who she is, there are moments when she gives vent to her anxieties and frustrations. I really feel Ms Featherstone portrays Elizabeth’s blindness in a realistic way including the practicalities of being blind.

I understand why Elizabeth doesn’t want Iain and does everything to push him away. The emotional scars of his betrayal run deep, just how deep we only learn later. She can neither forgive him nor ever trust him again. It was easy to feel the fear and emotional turmoil she goes through as the unwanted feelings for Iain, which she thought had been buried forever, begin to resurface.

Their journey to finding each other again is such an emotional roller-coaster but the scene that touched me the most is when Iain tells Elizabeth the truth of why he left her, knowing that he would lose her forever. His heartfelt words brought tears to my eyes. I truly wanted them to let go of the past and find true happiness.

After the cliff-hanger at the end of Pride & Passion, I wanted to know Orpheus’s identity and why he sought revenge on the Brethren Guardians but I was really disappointed in the mystery element in this book. It seemed to be dragged out and didn’t hold my interest as it had in the previous books. So when Orpheus’s identity is finally revealed, it was rather an anti-climax. But it is Iain's and Elizabeth’s haunting love story that really carries this book.


Casting ideas



Iain Sinclair, Marquis of Alynwick – Christian Bale



Lady Elizabeth York – Penelope Cruz


VERDICT: COMPELLING AND EMOTIONALLY INTENSE

RATING: ★★★★½

[romancelibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would technically rate the final book in The Brethren Guardians trilogy 3.75 stars, but I enjoyed the overarching mystery surrounding the identity of Orpheus a lot so I'm going with 4 stars. I figured out Orpheus's identity in the last book, but the identity of his minion wasn't revealed until this book. The mystery pushed me to finish this trilogy quickly because I was dying for everything to be revealed. However, the climax felt a little underwhelming and was resolved too quickly!

Temptation and Twilight takes place simultaneously as Pride and Passion, so there are many familiar scenes that are repeated in this installment, albeit from either Elizabeth or Iain's perspective.

Temptation and Twilight is a romance between Elizabeth and Iain. They had an affair ten years ago, after which Iain broke Elizabeth's heart. I must confess it took me a long while to warm up to Iain. He's a tortured rake and very alpha. I can understand why some people would completely hate him. I'm weak because Iain & Elizabeth have sizzling chemistry. I initially had a hard time understanding why he had broken Elizabeth's heart and why he was all of a sudden remorseful. But I gradually understood the dynamics in their relationship as the complex layers of their shared past were peeled back. Both characters are extremely vulnerable, though Iain spent the majority of his life hiding his vulnerabilities. There's a particular memorable scene that pushes Elizabeth and Iain to really talk about their past and that scene was exceptionally well-written. All of the layers were peeled back, leaving both Iain and Elizabeth emotionally raw. I was surprised to discover that I ultimately forgave Iain for what he had done years ago. His saving grace: he finally allowed himself to not only open up to Elizabeth, but to actually be vulnerable in front of her. He grovelled, he talked about his feelings, and showed Elizabeth his love so that she could truly understand his motivations. His revelation of the naked truth (both the ugly and good sides of it), his aching honesty, and the way he allowed himself to be vulnerable ultimately won me over.

I also really liked Sheldon as a character and I'm not gonna lie, I definitely shipped him with Elizabeth. He was practically perfect for her, but Elizabeth and Iain shared something otherworldly. So the chemistry between Sheldon and Elizabeth couldn't reach that high level. I would love if Sheldon got his own HEA, but I'm not sure if Ms. Featherstone is still writing...

Finally, an epilogue is definitely needed here to not only wrap all of the Brethren business, but also the HEA of each couple.

[Katie(babs) · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNFed by page 50. I'm not a fan of the hero who is introduced after sleeping with a married woman who he can't stand. He thinks his latest lovers has tiny boobs and not curves he can hold on. What a winner! They jabber on for page after page until he thinks he's going to die. He confronts the heroine who he loves, but for some reason can't have, and basically molests her at some party because he's sexually frustrated although he just had his wick in another honeypot less than an hour before.

So not into whoreish, conceited heroes who are proud they sleep around but get jealous when the innocent spinster heroine dares to smile at another man.

A big pass.

[Sammy Loves Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Love em and Leave em Stars
full review to come

[Jen Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have some very mixed feelings about this book. I've been waiting and waiting for Elizabeth and Alynwick's story ever since we first met them in book one of the trilogy. The way these two clearly pined for one another was captivating and I was very curious to see the big explanation of what drove them apart all those years ago. One of the things that bothered me the most while reading, was the fact that explanation let me down. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I fully expected this story to pick up where the last one left off, but it didn't. In fact, the first 90% of the book overlapped with the timeline of the other stories. I can't say it was redundant, because it wasn't. We see events and perspectives we weren't privy to before. But it did have me off balance, trying to recall details from the other books that are casually referenced here. Not only that, but I kept waiting and waiting for the big kidnapping that ended the last book. I was waiting a long time.

As the story begins, Alynwick is working to seduce a married woman with ties to Orpheus. He was hoping he could use his connection to her to unmask the villain working against the Brethren Guardians. Watching our hero whore himself out did not endear him to me. In fact, I spent the whole story waiting for a redemption of his character that never came.

After being shot in duel, Alynwick comes to the realization that he is in love with Elizabeth and regrets discarding her after their love affair 12 years ago. The thing is, she refuses his advances. She knows him for the manslut he is and will not open herself to trusting him again. So he pushes and she flees. Then he pushes more and she flees again.

I actually did like Lizzie. She is blind, but doesn't want her infirmity to define her. She is still hurt, but wants to keep living her life. She even tries to move on. But Alynwick won't let her. I actually found myself rooting for Sheldon, the other guy courting her. That's not a good sign for the hero.

I didn't feel like Alynwick properly atoned for his actions. He just kept trying to get in Lizzie's pants. Even when she is crying over the hurt he caused her. And then, when he gives his big explanation as to why he left her, instead of making me sympathetic, it actually made me dislike him more.

The writing is very good. Featherstone definitely made me give a damn about what was going to happen. And I was blown away by the villain reveal. It was brilliant and totally unexpected. It made perfect sense for anyone who has been following the series. For a new reader, though, it probably would have been a WTF moment.

I don't know. I just couldn't get past wanting to kick the hero in the 'nads. I never felt like he deserved his happy ending, so when all was said and done I was a bit unsatisfied. Hard to rate, because what was good was very good, but what bothered me --really bothered me.

*ARC Provided by NetGalley

[daemyra, the realm's delight · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is a very interesting one - I've never gone from lukewarm disinterest to captivated sucker caught up in all them feels as quickly as I have with the Brethren Guardians. Honestly? Skip the first book. Sorry Bella and Black but they were the weakest link. Their romance and mystery plot were both unconvincing, and my cynical self says Seduction & Scandal exists only to set up the second and third books. Passion & Pride fared better, ultimately due to the satisfying plot twist, but Adrian and Lucy's relationship still lacked something more.

Yet all the pieces fit in Temptation & Twilight. I was sold by the H+H relationship and the mystery of Orpheus. Everything worked out really well. You will probably guess the identity of Orpheus, particularly if you paid close attention in the second story, but all the loose ends such as the Fourth Templar, the diary of Sinjin and the Veiled Lady were all tidily explained.

I was initially intrigued by Adrian and Lucy, but my heart was completely won over by Alynwick and Elizabeth. Can I say right now I love a good male cry? That was so awesome - to see Alywick's agony and regret for the past. MORE MALE TEARS, PLS. I really bought why Elizabeth did not want to be with him and I was convinced of why Alynwick decided to not stay away anymore. I did tear up when Elizabeth tears up her room, and she speaks from her heart, unaware that she is looking right at Alynwick. Gosh, that was so cinematic.

It was an incredibly bold choice of Charlotte Featherstone to write the story based on the same timeline of the second story but from the viewpoint of Elizabeth and Alynwick. I didn't mind this because I wanted the additional context to the memorable scenes in the second story, although I did think the beginning suffered too much from copy-and-paste. A lot of the dialogue in the beginning scenes is word-for-word; the only change is that the omnipotent third-person narration is less in the head of Adrian, and more in the heads of Elizabeth and Alynwick. It was much more enjoyable when Featherstone wrote scenes that were not already included in the previous story.

All the main couples in the Brethren Guardians series follow this relationship formula:

1. H+H know each other from their past.
2. Heroine does not want to be reminded of the past, and stays away from the hero because he instinctively reminds her of the past, and of a time where she was weak and demoralized.
3. Hero pursues heroine in insta-love fashion.
4. The heroine has a suitor that is connected to the templar legends, and Oracle leader.
5. Heroine resists hero for far too long than is plausible for the plot, but only Elizabeth gets away with it because she actually has a good reason.

So, if you're in the mood for unrequited love on the hero's side, check this out. Both Alynwick and Elizabeth are the strongest characters with the most compelling back stories, and I think it's in large part due to the fact that we get more glimpses of their relationship throughout the story, compared to Bella and Lucy. Bella's past is shrouded in mystery so when we find out about her connection to Black it feels a bit disjointed and random. Meanwhile, Lucy's past childhood love is compelling but how this whole idea of passion vs duty, passion vs love was conveyed didn't really hit all the notes it wanted to hit. Lucy was confusing me about whether Adrian was a prig or a sex god, and whether what she wanted was passion because she was scared of love or if she was cold. Argh! Also, Elizabeth's suitor, Sheldon, needs his own book.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review originally posted at Ramblings From This Chick

Oh. My. Goodness. I could not put this book down. It was everything I was hoping for and so much more. When I first began this series by Charlotte Featherstone I immediately found myself gravitating towards the sparks between Elizabeth and Iain. There was just so much tension between them that I kept hoping that there was a story there. When I finished Charlotte's previous book Pride & Passion and learned that they did indeed have a shared past and that they would be the hero and heroine of the next book, June could not come fast enough. I've been itching to get my hands on this book and believe me it was definitely worth the wait. Oh how I LOVED it.

Twelve years ago when Lady Elizabeth York was just nineteen and Iain Sinclair, Marquis Alynwick was twenty one they had a torrid affair. Both spent the summer learning and loving one another. When Iain began to realize that his feelings for Elizabeth were growing stronger and into love he decided to break things off. He walked away from the only woman who ever held his heart and for the last twelve years he has spent his time living in regret. In an effort to forget his feelings for Elizabeth he has become the most notorious rake in London and has also taken on the moniker Mad Marquis.

For Elizabeth to say the last twelve years were hard for her is a vast understatement. Shortly after Iain walked away from her without any explanation what so ever she lost her eyesight. She has an ailment that was passed on from her mother that caused her to go blind. Because of this, Elizabeth has spent the last twelve years having to rely on others while at the same time keeping the love affair she had with Iain a secret from everyone. She is still hurt and in pain and definitely doesn't want anything to do with Iain. To make matters worse is the fact that he is a Brethren Guardian along with her brother and he is constantly around.

When Iain is involved in a duel, and slightly injured he begins to realize that he doesn't want to ignore what is in his heart anymore. He is tired of denying himself of Elizabeth and the love he feels for her. He was foolish to walkaway all those years ago and he is determined to make her see that he is changed and that he loves her.

I seriously was anxious the whole entire time I read this book. I felt the pain both Elizabeth and Iain were experiencing and I felt the love they both felt for one another. There was just so many sparks between the two and I found myself quickly turning the pages to see what was going to happen. Would Elizabeth finally relent and forgive Iain for his past transgressions? Why exactly did Iain leave in the first place if he loved her so much? Seriously, I couldn't stop reading, watching everything unfold. These two have both been to hell and back and there was one specific scene with Elizabeth that broke my heart. I could feel her pain and I just wanted to make it better.

The author did such a good job conveying the pain and love between these two characters. Their story was truly one of redemption and forgiveness. If you are looking for a book that is filled with angst and drama I highly recommend Temptation & Twilight. It is definitely my favorite of the series and it is definitely going on my keeper shelf.

**ARC copy provided by NetGalley**

[Alycia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars out of five.

I couldn't wait for this book, the last of The Brethren Guardians Trilogy. I really liked Elizabeth York, the beautiful, blind sister of the Duke of Sussex. She was such a likable character and I wanted her to find her own happiness. I also liked the fact that she wasn't like every other heroine that one reads about in a historical romance.

Iain Sinclair is from the previous books as well, I wanted more information every time I read about him. The Marquis of Alynwick seemed so illusive, and yet like there was more to him, and there definitely was. It was amazing how he could hold on to this love and desire of Elizabeth for so long and also think that he had a black heart, that the devil wouldn't want him.

This book picks up not long after book 2, "Pride and Passion." There is the usual mystery plot with the House of Orpheus as one of the main ongoing stories. Sometimes this plot took center stage, other times we are focused on the interaction between Elizabeth and Alynwick. Sometimes I felt that the pace was slow, however that is not the case for the entire story. Some times it is utterly engrossing.

I loved how Iain was tortured especially about the hold his father had on his upbringing and how him and Elizabeth were star-crossed lovers when they were younger. Every time she rejected him, I wished that she would soften to him. I don't want to give any spoilers away, but recommend this book to fans of the series. I do recommend reading this trilogy in order because the plots from each book do build upon themselves and because we see Lord Black and the Duke of Sussex with their lovely women, there are slight spoilers in this one. I look forward to the next future work of Ms. Featherstone.

*This book was provided to me through NetGalley.

I'd like to say thank you to Charlotte for her sweet words.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, this series only got better. I wasn’t awed by the first book, I really enjoyed the second book, and I loved – LOVED – this book. I’m not normally one for a story where the hero/heroine have a history (I don’t normally appreciate flashbacks, and the beginning of the couple’s love affair that I really don’t get to sink into) but her blindness has such a big role that it feels like they have to break apart to be put back together.

Ian is a jerk. He’s a womanizer, arrogant, selfish – you name it, he’s it. But he still loves her. Elizabeth is beautiful, gracious, and confident – and she refuses to let him take her hard-earned happiness away from her.

When she meets a man (handsome, successful, and uncaring of her disability) Ian decides he can’t let her go. I loved that she is able to move on, meet someone and flirt and be willing to explore the possibility of someone else. And I loved that she calls Ian on all his flaws, and forces him to prove that he’s worthy of her. I wasn’t sure whether he could really pull that off, with such a great potential love in Sheldon.

Their chemistry? Off. The. Charts. He seduces her; he reminds her of all that they shared, and what they can share. He needs to prove to her that she is enough for him, and that he truly loves her, with or without sight.

My only negative comment is that some of this story is happening at the same time as the previous one, and even having read it, I was still trying to slot the two HEA’s together in terms of events. I’d say that you need to read the other two books as well, as there is one overarching plot that just wouldn’t make sense without having read the other stories.

Definitely worth reading.

[Nabilah · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 52%. Too long and too repetitive. I thought the story would be more exciting. At 52%, the couple still hasn't gotten together. Where's the steam??

[Lucy Dosch (EBookObsessed) · Rating 4 out of 5]

See more at EBookObsessed.com

The final chapter of the Brethren Guardian, focuses on Iain Sinclair, the Marquis of Alynwick. The Brethren are decedents of the Templer Knights charged with hiding several religious treasures, including the Holy Grail.

Iain is an unrepentant womanizer and rake…or is he? Iain is about fight a duel for being caught in a compromising situation with the wife of Lord Larabie. Being caught in the compromising position was all part of the plan. He and his fellow Brethren believe Lady Larabie knows the villain, Orpheus, and will introduce Iain to the man who has been a danger to them, their families and the secrets they hide. But as possible death looms over his head, there is only one thought that fills him. He wants to see Elizabeth again and apologize for the wrongs he did to her a dozen years ago. He also wants her to know that she is always in his thoughts and if he survives the night, he wants to start anew with her. When he walks into the room and sees Elizabeth’s hand on the arm of the Earl of Sheldon, he looses his head and attacks him and drags Elizabeth out of the room. He then learns what he fears most, that Elizabeth has no desire to forgive him or to ever see him again.

Lady Elizabeth York might have lost her sight, but she has not lost her mind. It is one thing to be young and innocent and allow yourself to be seduced, used and tossed away by a cad like Iain Sinclair, but she is almost 30 and does not intend to be fooled again by his tempting touches and sensual murmurs. If only she can get her treacherous body to agree.

As the fight for Elizabeth’s affections begins, the hunt for Orpheus heats up. The real question will be does Orpheus fall into the hands of the Brethren or will the Brethren fall into the trap set by Orpheus.

I was unaware when I chose this book that it was the third of a series, but I had no trouble catching up with the happenings of the series. I was simply intrigued with the idea of a sightless heroine and how that would be addressed. With all the reading that I do, I am always amazed when a story can keep me in the dark until the final reveal. Every time I thought I had Orpheus nailed down…not him!! Who is lying? Who can be trusted? This story twists and turns so much, and admitted in the end, I was bug-eyed…screaming “What!!” I did not see that coming. Very well done!!!

Elizabeth was a remarkable heroine. Even though blind, she was headstrong and independent. Iain’s inner monologue was amazing in his feelings for Elizabeth and his true desire to make up for his past actions and how much he loved and admired her and how desperately he wanted a future with her.

Here’s the catch – Iain is not much of a sharer of his feelings, and every time Iain got near Elizabeth he turned into a drooling beast in heat. Don’t get me wrong, many of Iain’s attempts as seducing Elizabeth left me fanning myself to cool down, but story wise, Iain would have been better off declaring at the beginning that he intended to seduce her into an offer of marriage. Poor, blind Elizabeth was trying so hard not to be made a fool again and be used and tossed aside by a master scoundrel, she kept pushing him away and getting more angry. If only he started his seduction with the forewarning that he wanted a lifetime with her, things wouldn’t have been so frustrating for both Iain and the audience.

When they finally got to the point of discussing what had happened between them in the past and how it affected both their lives, it was heartbreaking, and when Iain finally confesses to Elizabeth and kissed her goodbye knowing that in finally confessing the truth, he would loose her forever, I was teary eyed.

With the exception of Iain’s dog in heat attempts at seduction, this a well written, captivating story.

Received an ARC from netgalley.com, courtesy of Harlequin Books. Thank you.

[Farrah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review also appears on my blog at http://www.thegoldenruleof666.blogspo...

Not as good as I hoped it would be...
The idea sounded so good, but it just didn't turn out the way I hoped it would.

The one saving grace of the book is that I was fond of Elizabeth. I liked her strength and ability to survive all she's been through. I especially loved how she handled herself during the action of the last part of the book. It was admirable how she protected herself despite her blindness.

But everything else fell flat.

For one, though I admired Elizabeth's strength, I also though she was overly stubborn. For example, her brother wouldn't let her help with Brethren Guardian business other than discussions because of her blindness. She got all offended-but it makes perfect sense to disallow a blind woman from going into a dangerous situation. She could very easily get hurt, or someone else could get hurt trying to protect her. But she went around being all angry at her brother for keeping her safe-even though he promised to tell her everything that happened. I got very frustrated with her.

I didn't like Iain either. For one, the first scene of the book is Iain thinking about how much he dislikes the woman he was just sleeping with. Not a great first impression. However, I could understand the reason why he put up with the woman. But it got worse. A little while later he has a sudden epiphany that he never stopped loving his lover from years ago (Elizabeth). And suddenly, after years of supposedly pining for her, he decided he has to win her back after having a near death experience. It just didn't seem realistic to me. After all these years, now he decides to try to make up for his despicable actions of the past. I didn't by the near death experience epiphany. It wasn't done well enough for me to believe he was a changed man. Then later he starts trying to woo Elizabeth back. But he was such a jerk about it. The first thing he does is yank her away from a man she was walking with and try to kiss her at a party. But, I ask you, what right did he have to get all jealous and possessive. And he continues like this. He had no right to act as if he owned her. If he had tried to woo her, I would have adored him, despite his past actions. But he just stuck a claim and stubbornly hung on to it, even though Elizabeth had wanted nothing to do with him. He was a jerk the whole time, and I just couldn't like him.

The plot itself was interesting, but that wasn't the focus of the book. About 95% of the book was Iain and Elizabeth's screwed up relationship. The meager 5% was the actual story of what happened. That actual story of deceit and intrigue was good, but there wasn't much of it.

My last problem is how misleading the summary is. I'm okay with summaries that don't reveal the main plot, but this was over the top. The whole summary is about a secret diary and the "veiled lady" and how the mystery drew the lovers together. Honestly, the diary was only mentioned for about 5 pages about three-quarters into the book. Within them, the entire arch is introduced and solved and then promptly forgotten about. I think if the story had actually followed the idea of this lovers' mystery bringing Iain and Elizabeth together, I would have liked this book so much more. But it wasn't, and I ended up being disappointed.

Temptation & Twilight isn't terrible.But it wasn't good. It had some redeeming qualities that kept me interested but the parts I didn't like ruined the whole book for me.

Sorry to say this,but: 2/5

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy

[Kristin Anders · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Brethren Guardians series rating: N/A (haven't read them all)

"Temptation & Twilight" is the third and final book of the Brethren Guardians series and can be read as a stand alone novel.

How are the sex scenes?

88% of this book has no sex, but there are many crude references to it. The 12% is moderately descriptive.


How are the story lines?

Wonderful. Orpheus is about trying to murder the Brethren Guardians, Ian is seducing a married woman to obtain secrets for the Brethren and Elizabeth is being courted by another gentleman while Ian is trying to convince her to court him.


Would you read it again?


I plan to buy the series and read the first two, maybe not the last one again, though.



Summary

Ian Sinclair, Marquis of Alynwick and laird to the clan Sinclair (also a fellow Brethren Guardian), believes he is going to hell. Elizabeth York, elder sister to the Duke of Sussex, agrees but for a far more specific reason.

Caught in bed with a married woman, Ian is forced to duel her husband for sake of the Brethren. His dying-yet-not-mortally-wounded wish is to be taken to Elizabeth, or "Beth", as he calls her. If it takes the rest of his life, Ian will gain her love. If it takes Elizabeth's last ounce of strength, she will resist him.


Review

"Temptation & Twilight" by Charlotte Featherstone is a historical romance set in London and I enjoyed the story immensely.

Ian Sinclair is the typical historical hero - a devilishly handsome scoundrel, seducer of innocents and partial drunk who truly believes his soul is destined for the deepest pits of hell. The product of a dysfunctional family, his emotions are non-existent allowing him to feel no remorse or guilt for most sins he's committed.

Elizabeth Sinclair is the most unheard of, extraordinary heroine - considered the ton's angel, yet still unwed at twenty-nine and completely blind with a curvaceous figure. Let me repeat: completely blind with a curvaceous figure. And she's the heroine.

"Temptation" focuses on Ian's winding and bumpy road to redemption. He decides he has greatly wronged Elizabeth (and he did) twelve long years ago and vows to win her love and forgiveness. Elizabeth will have none of it, for she refuses to trust a man capable of what he did to her. She sticks to her decision too, avoiding Ian when she can and dismissing him when she can't. Ian is persistent, chasing her throughout most the novel and warding off her suitor for the rest of it. Elizabeth makes Ian work for her love but this doesn't come off as vengeful, because she's truly trying to not like him. She doesn't want to want him and everything she does reflects that beautifully. It's great to see a heroine who doesn't fall for a hero because he's pretty. This especially can't happen to Elizabeth because she can't see him.

Featherstone writes Elizabeth Sinclair as a intelligent, highly capable blind woman. Elizabeth has constant inner-dialogue about living blind, but since she doesn't...(more)

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I seriously feel like I have been waiting forever to know the story of Elizabeth York and Iain Sinclair, which is why I hate that I have to give it only 4 stars! Now don't get me wrong, Elizabeth and Alynwick's love story alone gets 5 stars, the emotion between the two of them was off the pages amazing. That said, I was not enthralled, like I thought I would be, by the rest of the rest of the story. I have enjoyed the mystery surrounding the Brethren Guardians, but this final installment lacked a little something for me, I didn't devour it like I did the previous books.

Since reading the first installment of this series I have been totally intrigued by Alynwick,the Mad Marquis! He is such a bad boy and oh how I love bad boys, but he has broken Elizabeth's heart and she she is way too smart to ever let him in again, right? When possibly faced with his death, Alynwick can deny no longer that Beth is his one true love and soul and he vows he will stop at nothing to have her back, he needs her. Oh, she really gives resisting him the old college try, but really, who could? I also have to mention that because Beth is blind Iain tends to describe what he is doing to her, which of course gives he awesome dirty talker status!!

We meet some intriguing new characters in this installment and finally learn the true identity of the evil Orpheus and the reason behind his hatred of the Brethren. All in all I truly enjoyed this book and series, as I have with everything Ms. Featherstone pens and I cannot pimp her books enough! They are truly amazing!

Alynwick....



***This book was provided to me as an ARC by Netgalley

[Milica's Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dok sam čitala prve dve knjige ove trilogije, jedva sam čekala da pročitam Elizabetinu i Iainovu priču. I nisam razočarana.

They were the most beautiful vows in the world, whispered in her ear and confirmed by his passion. Before she drifted off to sleep in his arms, she felt his fingers roaming gently over her once more. In large letters, starting at the base of her neck and on down her spine, he wrote something that made her grip the pillow and bite her lip. Not even the kiss he placed on the curve of her bottom gave her the joy, the euphoria of that one word, traced on her skin with his fingertip.
Mine.
“I have loved you, Beth, and only you, for so long. I will love you for eternity, and into the next lifetime, and the next after that. I will always find you, my Veiled Lady, in whatever incarnation you might be, because my soul will know its mate. It will always come home, to reside with you.”

♥

Konačno je rešena misterija - otkriveno je ko je Orfej i neke tajne iz prošlosti su isplivale. Uživala sam, lepa ljubavna priča.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great story for readers who love the friends turned lovers theme, and second chances themes.

Beth was a wonderful heroine who struggles throughout the tale with her love for Alynwick and her desperation not to give in to her feelings for him again. She had given her heart to him once, only to have it crushed. Now shes older and much, much wiser. She's not about to fall victim to his lies again.

The hero, Alynwick, was extremely sexy. His character was so passionate and emotionally driven by his love for Beth, and so tortured knowing he cannot be with her. I couldn't get enough of how the hero--a seemingly cold hearted alpha male--would do anything for the woman he loves, and for a chance to earn her love and forgiveness.

Although I really enjoyed Alynwick's character, the Duke of Sussex is still my fav in the series ;)

[Keri · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Sigh*...This was such a great read! Awesome ending to a great trilogy. It would be hard to pick a favorite couple from the three, as they were all solid good reads. Iain and Elizabeth though had it a bit tougher going with their history and her blindness. CF more than did a good job of making me feel that Iain had atoned for what he had done to Beth. The last couple of pages had tears coming to my eyes. I do hope we get to see a new trilogy with Sheldon as one of the heros...because he is certainly nummy enough to be one.

[Isalys B.]

The covers for this series are so pretty **sigh**

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review:
I found this book on NetGalley, and I just had to request it. I don’t read that many historical romances, but I am a sucker for when one of the characters has a disability to overcome, because it makes them just that more real, so when I saw the heroine was blind, I had to have it. It didn’t hurt our hero is a rake, and is there anything better than a reformed rake, especially a Scottish one? Lol! Although, this is the third book in the series, I have not read the first 2 books, I think it would be beneficial to read the first two books, but I don’t think it is necessarily a requirement. It’s basically a secret society of gentleman that has to stay secret and battle an unknown villain, we’ve all read this concept before, and so you can slide into pretty easily without the first two books but of course you are missing some details. Now that also being said, I really really enjoyed this book and this authors writing style so I highly recommend checking out the first two books, I know I will be.

Elizabeth, is our heroine and such a strong one at that. She starts off a strong confident woman, sure she has a disability, but she is content with herself. She is aware that it isn’t likely she will ever marry and have her own children and sure she wishes that wasn’t the case, but she has come to terms with it. Now, all of the sudden she has the attention of not one but two men, one who could be her perfect match, who shares all of her interests and doesn’t seem to mind her blindness. The other is the man who nearly destroyed her 12 years ago, when she was young and venerable, the one who she has turned her heart against ever since. Now, she is confronted with choices she never thought she would have to make, now she has thoughts she never thought she’d have again and vulnerabilities she thought she had buried 12 years ago. We take this emotional journey with Elizabeth and its heart breaking at times. Too see her break down and for her fears and insecurities due to her blindness surface is heart rendering and I think C. Featherstone did an excellent pulling the emotion from Elizabeth and making the reader feel each emotion that Elizabeth is feeling. When Elizabeth is breaking you are breaking with her, going through it with her and you can’t pull away. Featherstone sucks you and keeps you there connected to her characters. When Elizabeths hopes and fears are swirling around and her confusion is at its peak you are routing for her and hoping she’ll make the best decision, you want her to get her happily ever after with the right man for her whoever that may be.

Iain is a hulking brute of highland deliciousness, of course raised by unfeeling, unwanting parents he is an unfeeling lush of a man. An unrepentant rake that has exactly one regret in life, which he won’t even acknowledge to himself until he is facing death on the field of “honor”. His one regret is Beth, even after 12 years she still holds his heart and he has realized he is willing to do anything to win her back. He knows how badly he messed up all those years ago and he knows it won’t be easy but he is willing to do the work and prove that he can be a better man. With a lot of reformed rakes we don’t really see the hero really working for it he kind of skates by on his good looks and charm, you don’t actually see him trying to change, but I really felt Iain’s desire to change and better you see it and his desire to win Elizabeth back. He was willing to put in the work. As she was pushing him away, he’s like yeah I deserved that, but damn it I’m going to weather the storm because you’re worth it and I’ll still be here through everything you throw at me. Iain manages to pull a few moves that really pull at the heart string I want to go into them but that would spoil the moments in the book so I’ll leave them for you to discover, but damn C. Featherstone, you can really pull the romance out of an Alpha. But worry not ladies Iain maintained his highlander alpha maleness. He about choked out Sheldon (Elizabeth’s other potential male) more than once, has a fondness for scotch and is not above seducing our fair Elizabeth with great skill. He is still a man’s man at heart!

You quickly get caught up in the story within the first couple of pages, I knew right away that I was going to enjoy this book and settled right in to be kept up late. The sensuality and chemistry between Iain and Elizabeth about scorched the pages, it was that sizzling. I wished I could jump into the pages and take Elizabeth’s places for just one scene it was that damn hot. But the story never got lost, we actually had the hunt for Orpheus who was our resident bad guy, as well as our sub-plot of the “Veiled Lady” which Iain agrees to help Elizabeth solve. The Veiled Lady actually takes up less of the plot then the blurb suggests and the main hunt is for Orpheus, which will take you on many twists and turns before the mystery unfolds. Added to the Veiled Lady and Orpheus there is a Curse, hovering over Elizabeth and Iain’s houses that they have to deal with, just to add a bit of paranormal to this exciting tale. The real story for me tho was between Elizabeth and Iain, at times their dialogue was poetic , other times exciting as they clashed wills, but whatever was going on between these two, it was not boring that is for sure. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good romance; it has everything you could want: intrigue, sensuality, excitement, mystery, and a Highlander to boot.

One thing that did drive me slightly batty was the math, and I may be completely off base here. So if someone else read this book and interpreted this differently call me on my shit. Math was never my strong suit. Ok so here it is… Elizabeth is “nearly 30” so to me that would make her about 28, 29 years old. Iain left her and broke her heart 12 years ago, this was mentioned several times if I recall. So this would put her around 17ish when he left her. It was also mentioned a couple of times that she lost her sight completely a couple of months after he left, this timing actually becomes very important. So we know that she is completely blind within a couple of months of his leaving. However, it is also mentioned several times that she is 19 when she goes completely blind. So was she 17ish or was she 19 it doesn’t add up, unless I wasn’t reading right which is possible but I doubt it, but if I was, someone call me on it. I mean it doesn’t really matter, but I am always doing the math in my head when authors do this, I say either state their ages outright so you know, we know and there is no room for interpretation or error or completely leave it out because you get people like me who go nutty trying to figure it out for no reason at all. And yes I know I’m being obsessive compulsive but I can’t seem to help myself. :-/

Rating:
4.5

[Katherine 黄爱芬 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sebagai penutup The Brethren Guardians series, novel ini lumayan lebih baik drpd novel-novel sebelumnya.

Iain Sinclair adalah marquis playboy yg tersohor sbg "Pendekar Ranjang", tapi gara-gara hal inilah Iain hrs berduel dgn suami orang krn meniduri bini orang lain. Sbg salah satu anggota Brethren, Iain ini emang yg paling ceroboh dan slebor, hanya demi info ttg keberadaan Orpheus, musuh Brethren, dia nyaris mencelakakan dirinya.

Iain ini bikin saya ngakak karena pikirannya yg mesum mulu tapi selalu terarah pada Elizabeth York alias Lizzy, adik dari Adrian, Duke of Sussex (buku ke-2: Pride & Passion). Lizzy sudah mengalami kebutaan total yg sudah dijalaninya sejak remaja. Iain adalah cinta pertama sekaligus kekasih pertama Lizzy, yg merengut keperawanannya juga menghancurkan masa depannya. Jadi Lizzy gak percaya bhw Iain masih cinta mati kepadanya. Lizzy terus mempersulit hidup Iain dgn ketajaman lidahnya, tetapi Lizzy tidak kuasa menolak rayuan Iain yg buaya darat kaliber berat. Nah, bagian ini juga bikin saya ngekek karena Iain ini perayu ulung yg sanggup bikin The Nun juga klepek-klepek kalau dicumbu rayu oleh Iain.

Penyelidikan Iain membuahkan hasil yg setimpal, walaupun dia sempat nyaris bergelut dgn Sheldon, rival kompetitornya utk mendapatkan kembali hati Lizzy. Walaupun begajul, Iain ini ternyata pencemburu berat juga hehehe....

Sayangnya klimaks ceritanya kurang menegangkan bagi saya, terlalu cepat usai padahal plot ceritanya di novel ini kebanyakan bertele-tele dan terlalu banyak repetisi. Bagi yg mau tahu rahasia apa yg membuat Brethren berseteru dgn Orpheus, sebaiknya membaca buku ke-2 terlebih dulu. Yuk, selamat membaca.

[Kitcatscratch · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a book style for everyone. As readers of historical romances know, there's a lot of variations in overall styles and themes within it. A Heyer fan may not be a Kinsale fan but to an outsider, they all fall under the same category.

Having said that, I gave this 2 stars and yet I felt it was mostly because it simply was not a style of writing I particularly care for. The prose was incredibly flowery. The H and h really had nothing in common except physical attraction despite the H's internal dialogue of how he felt for her beneath the superficial.

I think the prose can be summed up with this excerpt:

But it had always been like that, him watching her, studying her from afar and absorbing everything she said, every look, every word, as though she were water and he a lowly sea sponge.

Sea sponge. That's a first for me. So if very flowery, romantic prose is your thing, then this can be a pleasant and romantic interlude. For me, I confess I thought to check out this author because of the covers of some of her books Sinful: Epilogue. No seriously, where does this guy exist?

[Phoenix77 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Temptation & Twilight was slightly disappointing to me, with it taking me twice as long as it normally does to finish. I believe most of my disappointment comes from expecting a lot from this storyline and only finding half of what could have been. The book opens approximately two weeks prior to the end of the previous book, so right away I was frustrated that I had to re-read events that I’d already seen. True, now we were seeing those same moments in the thoughts of Ian Sinclair and Elizabeth York, but the last book had closed on such a cliffhanger that I wasn’t motivated to take that step backward. I just wanted to continue from where we had been.

Ian has been working on the mystery of Orpheus, figuring out his true identity and his motivations for striking at the Brethren. To get close to Orpheus he is using his incredible skills at seduction to begin an affair with the perfectly horrid Lady Georgiana, an acolyte of Orpheus who promises to facilitate a meeting between them all. Ian has spent years separating his heart from his affairs with women; however seeing his fellow Brethren finding women who complete their souls has made his own heart vulnerable. After facing down death in a duel for the honor of woman he hates, Ian realizes that there has only been one woman whom he truly loved and he would give anything to make her his again.

Elizabeth has been fighting through conflicting emotions as the mystery of Orpheus has forced her to interact with Ian Sinclair more than she is comfortable with. Twelve years ago she and Ian had a fiery relationship that to her had been true love. When Ian chose to end the affair, Elizabeth was left devastated and alone in her grief as she could never reveal what had happened or be left ruined. Along with that pain she also had to deal with a degenerative disorder that was slowly robbing her of her sight. Without the means to see how someone views her and fearing the lies that she cannot detect in a person’s words, the safer option for Elizabeth was to build up strong emotional walls and only trust the few people who had been closest to her in the ensuing years, mainly her brother the Duke of Sussex. Ian’s reappearance in her life throws off this safe place she has created; his constant attacks on her heart at war with her own mind that reminds her of his betrayal before that will probably come again.

This was mostly a book of introspection. Both characters spend page after page just remembering their previous relationship, remembering what had been so special between them, what they had each lost when the affair had come to an end, and how that experience had made them into the beings they were. Elizabeth is the worst offender in this area. Her feelings of betrayal and pain are a constant whenever she interacts with Ian, and she convinces herself that hanging onto those feelings are the only way that she can remain strong. She keeps such a wall around herself that the few times that Ian manages to break through she immediately lashes out, reinforcing the walls again, and the dance around their true emotions continues. Ian too remembers his actions of twelve years before, but to him they are a source of shame that he is trying to outrun and make amends for. He uses his sexual prowess to break down Elizabeth’s defenses without allowing her to know all of the conflicts in his own heart. He remains a selfish creature for most of the story, rarely thinking about how Elizabeth felt to be left behind but more thinking about what he would do to get her back. His reluctance to emotionally strip himself bare to her almost costs him that happiness he has sought from the beginning.

The resolution to the mystery of Orpheus was at once predictable and sadly anticlimactic. Only within the last chapters of Temptation & Twilight do we finally get to the same moment that had ended Pride & Passion, with Elizabeth kidnapped by Orpheus and at his mercy as she realizes before anyone who he really is and most likely what his motivations are. With only the slightest of spoilers, let me say that I had his identity pegged about mid-way through book two, and I hated that all of the mystery was wrapped up within a matter of pages. It was too rushed, there was no satisfaction to his comeuppance, and it was facilitated by a new character to the series rather than by the Guardians themselves. All the build-up of the Brethren being these incredible men, broken and rebuilt by their fathers into perfect guardians to the ancient secrets of the Templars, ultimately came to nothing.

I did come away from this story feeling that Ian and Elizabeth had embarked on a new beginning to their relationship. With the youthful mistakes, the lies and deceit, all falling away to reveal two people desperately in love with one another. No longer do they fear the unknown of a life together, but they embrace that future that will be built with their strengths, and that their pain and heartache had not been in vain, but had allowed them to get past the barriers that had grown for too long between them. The author closed the series with this new beginning for Ian and Elizabeth, but there is also the feeling that all three of the Brethren are much improved from sharing their hearts and that secret part of themselves with women willing to take on those risks. It was a series I will look back on with enjoyment to have read it.