The Reluctant Husband

Goddess-Blessed #2

by Eliot Grayson

Is their marriage a blessing…or a curse?

Tom Drake wants nothing to do with his patron goddess. Her blessing has always been little more than a cruel curse. But when he finds himself disowned, disgraced, and on the verge of homelessness, he knows he can no longer afford to ignore her demands. He must marry. Sadly, his one marriage prospect is a pragmatic, stubborn man who only seems to value him for his blessing…and his body…

Mal Leighton will stop at nothing to save his beloved cousin’s life, even if it means marrying Tom—and using him for his blessing—to do it. Theirs would be a mutually beneficial marriage of convenience. Love was never part of the equation. He’ll just have to somehow learn to ignore his overwhelming attraction to his dangerously charming and seductive new husband.

As weeks pass, Tom and Mal find there’s often a fine line between love and desperation, passion and pride—and what exists between them is infinitely more complicated than their simple marriage of convenience was ever meant to be. Can they set aside their painful pasts and misconceptions to take a chance on the love match they never expected to find?

This is an M/M romance set in an alternate-universe Regency. It contains the ideal number of carriages, duels, and redeemed villains, but beware of pagan goddesses who like to micromanage. It is the second book in a series, but it can be read as a standalone. Tom's previous dastardly deeds can be found in The Replacement Husband.

Genres: Historical, Fantasy, M M Romance, Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Magic, Historical Romance

194 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 7, 2019

About the author

Eliot's a lifelong Southern California girl, right down to the flip-flops and backyard garden. When she's not writing her next book, you can find her reading, drinking tea, or (more likely) catering to the demands of her kids and ancient, cranky cat.

Steamy books with delicious tension, heart-wrenching pining, and a hefty dose of action and adventure have always been her jam as a reader. Guess what she writes?

You can catch up with her on Facebook in her reader group, Eliot Grayson's Escape from Reality, or sign up for her newsletter at eliotgrayson.com.

Reviews

[the kevin (vaguely alive) · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 75%

Wow OKAY

I didn’t really like the first book, but Tom was pretty much an irredeemable one dimensional villain in it. I was very curious how he could be made into a likable protagonist based on that. I thought it’d take the whole book and a really great second MC to pull it off.

Funny enough, he was immediately sympathetic to me. Once I learned about his history and his curse and his attempts to just be allowed to live, and even fix his mistakes for others…pls, poor baby. He deserves happiness.

And then Mal walks in. What a horrible piece of trash person. He is cruel and mean and cold and awful to Tom, despite allegedly loving him and seeing all these soft moments of Tom and knowing far more about him than anyone ever has. He knows his motivations and attempts to escape his curse, how can he not get it!! He’s so stuck on himself. Ugh. He just uses Tom as an emotional punching bag constantly - he even says that to himself! “oh look here’s tom, i can be mean to him because i am feeling bad” (paraphrased) how romantic

I rage-DNFd right after Tom makes a beautiful heartfelt happy confession of love and Mal is unbelievably cruel about it. It’s unreal. I don’t think there’s enough pages left for the amount of groveling I would need Mal to do to redeem his asshole self. I am so mad about this. Unreal. How can Mal go all “tom is so hot I’m so obsessed i love him he’s so sad and tortured so I’m gonna make it worse x10000” go fall in a mineshaft asshole

The whole goddess curse (sorry, blessing) is a choice. A real Choice. Tom has to “yield” aka bottom for another man otherwise he and anyone associated will be cursed. Wow. There’s some pieces here that separately aren’t terrible, but together is a mega yikes. It would make a fantastic setup for a dark romance/erotica, but this is definitely not it.

At least this book, unlike the first, has more goddess presence/effect? Even though it is absolute trash.

Overall, fuck this. Honestly, I want Will to heal and to run away with Tom and them be happy forever. I’m going to pretend that happened. And that a witch cursed Mal to shrivel into the raisin he has for a heart. A moldy raisin. Not even ants will touch him.



Read more reviews on my blog: 
https://horsetalkreviews.blogspot.com/

[Kazza · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Mouth wide open* Tom Drake was horrid in book #1. How in hell does he get goddess-blessed and redeemed? Colour me cautious....
4.5 Stars

Well. Took me a little while to get to The Reluctant Husband - I went via The Replacement Husband, natural choice reading book one first, then I went and skipped this one (book #2) and went straight to book #3, Yuletide Treasure. Eliot Grayson made me fall for someone who I wasn't sure I could. Poor Owen was left heartbroken initially, until Tom's brother stepped in in The Replacement Husband and I was crotchety at Tom Drake. But he redeems himself here. I fell for Tom, with his heart in knots and eventually on his sleeve, no one believing in him, including himself, how could I not? Malcolm Leighton needed to be set straight and learn to think before saying the things he did to Tom - I wanted to bop you Mal. Honestly, I have things like GAH!!!! and oh no you didn't!!!! in my notes, but you pulled your shit together and I'm glad Tom found his way and his happiness.

The Goddess-Blessed series is endearing, sexy, addictive alt-historical reading where two men can marry and have a happily ever after - after some emotional acrobatics, of course.
Blog review at-

[Ninni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so sure I would't like this one when I started reading. Because Tom. The villain from book one. But I was too curious to not read it. And omg, was I wrong 😅 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Ariana (mostly offline) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3,75 stars*

The second instalment of this series definitely had what book 1 was lacking – crackling chemistry and in-depth characters.

We met Tom as the unreliable and pretty horrible brother of Arthur in book 1, you know the one who let Owen down in the worst possible way. As always it is very gratifying to see a villain redeem himself.

Tom does that and more. And he gets quite a bit of nasty stuff thrown at him – quite a lot coming in the form of verbal abuse by Mal. I cringed on many occasions when Mal lashes out at Tom, and mostly he simply takes it. Because in his eyes he isn’t worth anything to anyone.

Mal certainly isn’t the knight in shining armour to save Tom from his dishonorable and sad fate. Or is he? The attraction between the men is there from the first scene which was really well done and immediately got me on board with these two.

Their love/hate relationship is explosive and partly painful to watch as each man falls for the other but would never even dream of admitting it to themselves. However, they do express their feelings when they have sex with each other (which reminds me a bit of what happens between Owen and Arthur in book 1). And I felt their pain and desire, too. I really rooted for Tom and felt thoroughly sorry for him and what made him the man he is.

Some plot developments left me with questions, but there can be no doubt that this was enjoyable and a well written enemies to lovers romance.

[Mug · Rating 4 out of 5]

i imagine these two mmcs as wild dogs that have grown up on the streets and so when they see each other, they bark and bark and bark to the point of foaming at the mouth when really all they want is to lay down next to each other in the sun……..like they really go at it but they’re also lonely and desperate for connection, but have absolutely no idea how to show it, so they just bark at each other instead lmaooooo like literally they’ll want to see the other so bad, so what do they do??? avoid each other instead🤣🤦‍♀️ they’re goofy and stupid and it’s got me kicking my feet up in the air🤭🤭🤭

btw i didn’t read the first book, so i was heavily confused at what tom did at first, betrayed his wife and owen somehow…..eventually, you find out he cheated on them…..probably treated them poorly in other ways, but i couldn’t get a good sense of the damage done and the impact his actions had on others bc it was pretty vague and well, i didn’t hate him……and i’ve seen reviews of the first book talking about how tom was so deplorable, people couldn’t even stomach to read his book…..so i have a very biased and skewed opinion of tom probably……i know he’s supposed to be a terrible person but he’s so baby girl to me😂😂😂 like tom reminds me soooo much of blake from the alpha’s gamble, like yea he kinda sucks and he’s done shitty things but he’s also like a scared rabbit or an easily spooked deer……he’s needs a strong, gentle hand and compassion from someone who cares about him (and just to know someone cares about him in general) like i fear i’ve adopted him into my club of favorite fictional loser men……i actually can’t read book one now bc i can’t chance hating him for even a second.

mal and tom both definitely crossed a line with some of the shit they said to each other lmao like ouchhhhh almost hurt MY feelings💀💀 i love that they’re both secretly yearning for crumbs from each other while simultaneously being cunty af and ruining all their chances🤣🤣🤣🤣 tom’s cuntiness is a defense mechanism but i fear mal was born with cunt deep in his bones and every time he tries to be nice, his body intercepts and course corrects💀

and the whole “goddess blessing” is so fucking funny to me bc the goddess basically assigned tom bottom at birth💀💀💀 she was like ur life will suck and u will receive zero blessings if ur not bottoming😭😭

now is there much meat to this ??? idk i honestly couldn’t tell you, like the vibes were flowing, my brain was off, and i had fun!!! i do love eliot grayson’s writing and it was entertaining af like i couldn’t stop reading…..need more recs for cunts in love fr😩

~~No man could be expected to see Tom like this and do anything but prostrate himself in abject worship.~~

btw this⬆️ is the energy all mmcs need to bring!!!! like hello prostrating yourself in abject worship is the new bare minimum!!!!

[Iz · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25

Ooooh this was amazing. I devoured "The Reluctant Husband": I reached the end, and I still wanted more (much more) from both its protagonists. I didn't think it was possible this time, but Tom managed to redeem himself, beautifully and in such a satisfying way.

Eliot Grayson is SUPERB at redemption arcs: she's got that kind of knack where she manages to make even the most hateful, spoiled, bratty villain, a relatable, believable and wonderfully flawed hero. She did it with Jared, and Blake, and she probably did the same in a few more of her backlist works I still haven't read, and she does it here with Tom too.
And not only that, she also managed to depict BOTH protagonists as deeply complex and realistically flawed; their character development and arcs were so damned relatable and satisfying, even though this is a fairly short and quick book.

I ended up loving both MCs so much; I didn't think I could love Tom, but I did. He's done so pretty horrid things in his life, but he has his reasons (ones that broke my heart), and his regret, his guilt, his atonement, are all sincere, and for that I totally fell for him, and felt for him too. If I had to criticize one thing about this book, it would be that I desperately wanted him to actually talk about his past hurts and wounds. It's just a niggle, but I kept wishing there were a few more chapters left so that he could actually face his past (and he and Mal could have definitely talked a bit more too).

I also loved Mal: he's as flawed as Tom, gruff and hard and quick to assumptions, but he's also scared and grieving, terrified at the idea of losing his cousin, and also, pretty good at figuring out his mistakes and apologizing for them.

I loved them together: their relationship is a mix of all my favourite tropes, from (kind of) arranged marriage and hate-sex with enemies-to-lovers vibes, to (kind of) sub-awakening (my absolute fave trope in the world), light D/s vibes, and catching-feelings-when-you-shouldn't. Their story is fraught with miscommunication and assumptions, mistakes and hurtful words, but I absolutely adored it nonetheless; it's a relationship that felt right and realistic for them, for two deeply flawed and wounded men who are both stubborn and insecure and afraid.

I adored William, and I adored the writing. I also LOVED that we got more information about the world-building and this whole Goddess-blessed aspect; I can't wait to read book three.

TWs/CWs: child abuse (mentioned), homophobia, illness.

[⋆｡°✮ Lucy InTheSky ✮°｡⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This installment is infinitely better than the previous one.

This is Tom's book, the villain Tom who was thrown out of his home while he was trying to seduce Owen yet again, so in this one he's actually living in poverty, he's been completely abandoned and he's on the brink of being homeless.

An interesting story with a bit of an emotional distress and two quite captivating main characters.

I'm giving it 3.9 - 4⭐.

🟣 A wealthy gentleman (former school mate)/Tom, the impoverished gentleman
🟢 Bisexual/gay
🔵 Both around 30 years old
🟡 Enemies to lovers vibe, the tension is there and it doesn't let up almost until the very end
🟠 Marriage of convenience
🟣 Tension, fighting for love
🔵 Main character's complete turnaround, first time loving someone
🌶️ Good smut, descriptive; they do wait until half of the book which was more believable for sure; the sex is good; oral, penetrative, some rimming; t/b

Tom was married to a woman before and he gets a child in this installment, he's been with women and some men and he's never had enjoyable dalliances from what we find out, because he has the mark of the goddess and he's been made to believe that's not a good thing, so he's hiding it all the time, which means having sex in the dark while dressed and from what I read he didn't really bottom much. No letting go, no real enjoyment.

When he's just about to lose his last money in a gambling hell, he meets his former bully and his cousin, the stoic, reserved, held back and harsh Malcolm, who's never really acknowledged Tom while in school, nor did he bully him, but Tom has had a bit of a crush on him.
Malcolm offers Tom money for sex and Tom accepts.

“Bending over says nothing about your worth,” he said, carefully avoiding any word that contained the syllable man. “Or if it does, it only says that you’re worth fucking.”



What I liked about Tom is that he's definitely been bred to be a gentleman, he's no shy maiden, he's a strong man inside and out and he's giving it as hard as he's taking it. He fights back, he grabs back, he doesn't let a man trample all over him even though he's broke and needs the money, so - a strong character.

When Malcolm sees Tom's mark of the goddess, he proposes marriage in order to save his best friend with the blessing the mark brings and Tom reluctantly agrees, because he has no other options. They lay down the ground rules, Tom demanding Malcolm doesn't touch him or claim him in any way and that's exactly what they did.

“You’ll stay the hell away from me,” Tom grated out. “You won’t enter this room. You won’t speak to me unless it’s necessary, and certainly not when there aren’t others present. And if you put your fucking mouth on me again you’ll regret it.”

Tom was considered a rake, a man who quickly moves to another lover, doesn't stay put and doesn't have deep feelings and Malcolm was always defensive, not trusting Tom and definitely not allowing himself to feel anything for the man.
This dynamic went on for quite a while and I was glad the author decided not to just let it up. Malcolm and Tom also didn't just jump into bed and suddenly fell in love, no, it was earned and it was believable. Development of their true feelings for one another was definitely believable, so all the issues I've had in the last installment were taken care of here.

"He must look a sight, bent over and offering himself like this, kneeling in the muck of mud and leaves. Only a whore would want this. Mal would call him that, probably, and Tom almost welcomed it, so long as he fucked him too."



I absolutely loved their sex. It was good, so was the letting go aspect of it for both Tom and Malcolm. Malcolm was so reluctant and Tom faced real emotions of love for another for the first time in his life and I think the author managed to really put into this dynamic everything that Owen and Arthur were missing.

I'd have definitely liked to read the epilogue of Tom and Arthur reconnecting. That was absolutely missing, so was Tom meeting his son.

I also wonder why William has such a prominent role in this book when he's not getting his own story? You'll be angry at Malcom many times over because he's so devoted to William and downright awful to Tom most of the time, but it does give the story good tension topped off with amazing sex where Tom can completely let go and be himself and Malcolm's there to catch him, so for me this was very good.

I liked the main characters, I liked their dynamic and I'm kind of disappointed the series doesn't continue with additional characters and then just connects them all.
The next book has two new main characters and then we're done. Seems a bit of a waste.

[Cadiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

That was a much better laid out jaunt in this alternative Regency universe and a pretty decent redemption story for Tom.

He'd been absolutely dreadful in book one but this book goes into the whys and wherefores of his behaviour on a way which made sense.

I actually ended up feeling a fair bit sorry for him once his secret was revealed. I didn't warm to Mal as quickly as I'd loved Arthur in book one, he was an arse to Tom for a great deal longer than I thought was justified.

As with book one, i felt there were hints that the narrative might have been heading into a light submission kink but it never materialised.

I'd definitely read more from this author though.

[Ollie Z Book Minx · Rating 1 out of 5]

wow. I’m not even sure what cw to put on this but it’s gross. it’s so unbelievably gross. it’s all the awful coercive “hate-and-love are separated by a thin line” tripe I’d expected from Arik and Matt’s book and tbh I only read this one cuz that one was so deftly handled and so NOT that. Mal spends 99% of this treating Tom like utter trash—and don’t get me wrong Tom’s behaviour in book one would’ve merited that treatment from any of the people in book one... but he doesn’t deserve it from Mal and he sure as fuck doesn’t deserve the creepy awfulness of “I love you and therefore can’t bear for you to know as that would make me vulnerable to being hurt by you and just to be doubly sure that won’t happen I must be sure and hurt you as much as possible as often as possible to protect myself.” and the way arousal is mistaken for consent only adds to the horror.

definitely a book where I wish the couple hadn’t ended up together and a book where I have to wonder about the author thinking anything in here is acceptable, much worse that any of it is ROMANTIC. cuz ew.

also... not that grovelling would’ve made it okay but Mal never ever apologises or seems to think that he ought to. he legit tells Tom he loves him ON THE LAST PAGE OF THE BOOK and I’m sposed to believe this is a happily ever after? like there’s an epilogue and Tom v v clearly doesn’t believe that Mal actually loves him cuz he’s steeling himself for Mal to tell him he’s divorcing him six months into their blissful love (seriously, vom) so how tf is the READER supposed to believe in the prospect of a happily ever after???

[⚣Michaelle⚣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure why this author wasn't on my radar before but I've added ALL their books to my TBR now, and I'm following them to make sure I catch new releases...

Because, seriously? I love a good redemption story but I was skeptical that Tom could be redeemed after his actions in the last book; he was a selfish, self-centered philanderer with no qualms about cheating on his fiance Owen, or his wife.

Only, wow. Once his motivations came to light, his internal struggle against his birthright and the disdain he faced from his father for it? While not excusing his behavior, it made total sense. And EG made my heart break for him (several times) as this story progressed.

The writing still has that long-remembered Regency-type het romance feeling, with a bit of a Gothic twist this time around with a dark manor, empty grounds, winter setting and mysteriously sick cousin. So good it's making me think I might dip my toe back in the MF waters again. Maybe. Possibly. If it's by a good author with a strong heroine. Like this one, where our hero this time is Tom, not his strong, handsome, wealthy suitor. Tom stepped up to save the day, to help get Will cured, to deal with a greedy descendant looking to take out Mal and claim his fortune. To embrace his blessed nature and drawn internal strength from it. Such character growth.

Seriously, I'm loving this series. I know there's at least one more but I hope the author gives us SEVERAL more installments in this 'verse.

And I got a better explanation for the "blessings" in this installment, and how they are obtained/earned/etc. so that was it's own blessing - for me! - too.

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time)]

Price drop to $0.99 at Amazon US, 3/18/20

[Ro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book of the Goddess Blessed series, which is Regency with Goddess flair in a time where all marriage is the same – whether same or opposite sex – except for the goddess blessed, who bring all good luck to those they love. In the first book, The Replacement Husband, Tom is a loathsome, awful person and I came into this book fully prepared to keep hating him because how could you not?
The book begins by showing where his behavior has taken Tom – he’s been thrown out of the family, disowned, broke and friendless. His secret, that he has been Goddess marked, is one even his brother doesn’t know because their father abused Tom for it. So much was explained about his atrocious behavior in the first book here and it definitely made Tom more understandable.
Mal runs into Tom accidentally at a gaming club and Tom is desperate enough to offer himself out for money. Except Mal sees the Goddess mark and has this surge of hope that his beloved cousin, who is more a brother than anything, can be saved by Tom and his Goddess blessing. He needs Tom. Mal is the reason I didn’t rate this 5 stars because he repeatedly is so mean to Tom that he fell from my favor more than a few times.
Mirreith, the goddess who’s mark Tom bears, grants good fortune to her chosen but at a price. They are required to yield “…to another in body and soul.” Since his father had tortured him with this fact as being disgusting, (and my heart broke for an eight-year-old Tom crying over the dictionary as he looked up the word his father called him, catamite), he has tried everything to not do so, to disastrous results (book one). “If men or women with her blessing tried to marry one another, or anyone of either sex couldn’t subjugate their strength properly, their luck turned to a curse.” He tried with both Owen and Caroline, to the pain of all of them.
Mal starts off right away being insulting. “Leighton has just relegated him to a status lower than that of a servant by presenting him to Preston, rather than the other way around. It was a calculated insult. It was designed to put Tom in his place.” I was very gratified to see that however low Tom might have fallen, he does still have some sense of self. “Tom held his ground. He had nowhere to go, and nothing to lose, and if Leighton strangled him here in the street it would matter to no one, least of all to him.
William, the cousin Mal is so desperate to save, is so very ill and yet is still gracious and sweet. He is so happy for Mal and Tom when he finds out they are married, although Mal doesn’t tell him why they married. And Mal continues to hurt Tom. Calling him a whore, putting him down and generally acting just like Tom’s father did. “I’ll need to be convincing indeed when not even your own wife could keep up the pretense of loving you long enough to bear your child.” For the life of me I kept wondering why this lovely man, William, was so close with someone who could be so mean.
Tom has so much respect for Mal’s love for William. “No one in his own family would sit this kind of vigil for him, were he in William’s place. His own father had told him early and often how he wished Tom had died at birth…” Tom grows close to William as well, reading to him on the sick bed, talking and willing to do anything to make William well.
The good fortune that comes to those Tom loves doesn’t happen because they are faking the marriage. So they have to move forward and try to make a marriage out of it. Mal has the most distance to cross, as he is the most hurtful. “…(Mal) could wonder why Tom offered such a generous ration of kindness to Will when he could spare not a whit of it for Mal. But he knew damn well why. It was Mal’s own doing. He’d never given Tom the chance to be anything but the callous rake the world believed him to be, sneering at and berating him, seducing and mocking him….He had no one to blame but himself.” Because he is good at knowing himself, Mal redeemed himself somewhat for me. “The knowledge that he himself had destroyed his own changes of any kind of happiness through his own cruelty brought him anything but satisfaction now.”
That it takes an act of honor on Tom’s part to turn things around seemed very fitting to me. By the end, honestly, I was astonished that this author was able to take a character I so loathed in the first book and make me love him and care what happened to him in the second. To me, that is the sign of talent.

[Verdelite · Rating 2 out of 5]

The further the book progressed the more I anticipated the part where Mal would have to grovel because WOW that guy acted so deplorably, he'd have to do some serious grovelling before the HEA... right????

Yeah no, the guy never even apologised. And it was clear from the epilogue that their relationship was still wobbly and they're not really in a HEA spot.

[dix (1001 year old high strung anamoly) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so so good . I loved it !!!

We get to know why Tom behaved the way he did and his redemption. Mal and Tom were freaking hot together !
Fake marriage and enemies to lovers was done exceptionally, it had my whole heart !
And sweet Will, I loved him too.

Angsty, hot and heartwarming....it was a great read !!

[Funzee Shu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story started with Tom who must lived penny by penny after being disgraced by his brother, Arthur and then ‘kicked out' by his wife after being ‘used’ for the needs. One night ‘mistake’ he did with Mal for money had brought him to another problem that soon will affect his destiny, because Mal accidentally know his secret. Mal then offer him a deal, marry him and help him save his dying cousin then he will never get starved again. Tom agreed marrying Mal and once again being ‘used’. But deep inside, Tom longing for someone who could value and see him not only as an ‘object’. And falling for Mal was the last thing he expected to be…

I like this book way much more than the first book. I hate Tom at that time for what he did to Owen, but after knowing his story, the reasons behind all he did in the previous story and the secret he hide, he slowly gained more sympathy from me…
On the contrary, I want to like Mal, but at some part I want to slapped his face more than once for what he did to Tom, and I took Tom’s side almost the entire reading and have the urge to hugs him so many time.

Comparing to the previous book, I must admit that this story feels a bit more engaging and emotional enough to grip me. Really can’t wait for the next book in this series!




*ARC is kindly provided by the Author in exchange of a fair, unbiased and honest review*

[Shelba · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't read the blurb for this book before starting to read it, and I don't know if I would have opted to read it if I knew it was Tom's story.

Tom is definitely not painted in a good light in the first book, between his attitude towards Arthur and his actions against Caroline and Owen. There wasn't really anything that hinted at a softer side. And I think maybe that was a bit of an error kn the author's side. In this book, you do get to see that softer side, and in my opinion, Tom's biggest redeeming feature is that he owns what he did and doesnt make any excuse for it. I'm still not a huge fan, but information given in this book explains some of his actions.

Mal. Now, I wasn't crazy over Owen's wishy ways, or of Arthur in general. The reasons for not liking Tom are rather obvious. But as horrible as Tom was in the first book, he wasn't nearly as deplorable as Mal. Mal aptly describes himself when reflecting that he is "a cruel, thoughtless, selfish bastard". Honestly, anytime he showed any kind of decency, he'd come back twofold with cruelty. I don't know what Tom or the readers were supposed to see in him.

That being said, it is well written. I am just not a huge fan of trying to give asshole characters redemption stories. I still plan on reading the last book, and still plan on not reading the blurb. Here's hoping it will have MCs I can get behind.

[Kirstin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eliot Grayson can write an engaging, emotional roller coaster of a story like no one else. I loved The Replacement Husband and I so love this book as well.

Tom was considered 'the bad guy' in the last book, but is our man after redemption in this story. Writing an unlikeable character into a likeable one is extremely difficult to pull off, yet I fell for Tom without question. He wasn't perfect and he knew it. He wore the persecution of his past like a cloak, finally shedding it in the end.

Mal wanted nothing more than to save his cousin's life, and clung to the belief that marrying Tom would achieve it. When it didn't happen overnight, the tension and panic turned into a wall between them that was difficult to tear down. Tom fought hard, but Mal waivered.

I loved how completely invested I was in the story. I wanted to shake both Tom and Mal and force them into a box to talk it out. I absolutely love caring so much about the outcome. This was so well written and just a lovely, strong story of letting go of the past and finding your happy.

*Galley copy generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Cross posted to http://gaybook.reviews/*

[Rosabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The goddess made me read this. 🤭❤

So when I finished The Replacement Husband I wanted to continue with this series, color me surprised when I found out that the next one is about Tom, FUCKING TOM! In the first book he was the character to hate so my brain went WTF. Still I read some reviews and decided to give it a shot.

It was a good call, if the last book was like pride and prejudice, this was like Wuthering Heights. Everytime the main characters talked it was pure poison and passion, I was hurt all the time by the unfairness of it but both characters had reasons to do what they did.

Tom redeemed himself, something I never thought I would read and in here I hurted a little bit for him. Mal was a powerful no bullshit kind of a man, so he was perfect for Tom who has been scared and faking it all his life.

It was a lovely story, it truly was. Wonderful addition to the series! Loved it! ❤

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even better than book 1! I love a good childhood-bully E2L story, and this one is especially good because it comes with a redemption plot line as well. I love Eliot Grayson's books and I wish she would write more in this vaguely historical, Regency but with a magical twist style ♥️♥️

[thebloggerandthegeek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compared to book one, this book was a huge difference in everything. Here, we see characters with different emotions and the plot was really exciting.

We have Tom who in book one was a complete asshole but in this book, we see someone who struggled with who he is throughout his whole life. A man who was a boy hated by his father, who wasn't understood by his brother, who made the wrong choices in desperation and just overall lost. I cried for Tom, for his feelings, because no one truly loved him - everyone saw a flashy outside, a womanizer but he had feelings - even if he didn't make the right choices. I bleed when the divorce papers were presented and John had the audacity to treat Tom like a leech, or even less. I also did not enjoy Mal's attitude towards Tom. While Mal did love Tom and was extremely attracted to him since chapter one - and even before when they were younger - he was sometimes downright mean and I hated that. I know it was his defense mechanism - especially when Will's health gets worse and he just lashes out - sometimes I hated him. But then, I loved his and Tom's relationship.

This is truly an 'enemies to lovers' kind of deal. We don't have a relationship from day one - we have physical attraction, desperation, loneliness, sadness and then we see romance.

This would've been a five for me but for one thing: while Tom gets happy ever after where he has the person he loves by his side, has people who enjoy his company -Will- and he is happy with himself we don't see him meeting his baby. His baby that while he did not make good decisions it was also part of him and it broke my heart how he was denied of this because he was a womanizer. He did not kill anyone to deserve everything - he just didn't make the right choices on who to love and stay with at the beginning. So, I wished he would have been able to see and carry his baby. While the ending is hopeful and open to the idea, I wanted Arthur to say sorry to him for the beating, I wanted Tom to tell Arthur everything his dad said when he was a baby, I wanted Caroline to see Tom wasn't a bad guy, just someone who didn't accept himself and didn't know how to love because he had never been loved before.

[Jeanny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book with a low expectation because I haven't read book 1 in this series (the summary didn't sound that interesting), and was a bit worried that things would be too confusing. But it turned out I understood everything just fine. I love Tom so much. He tugged all my heart strings with his backstory, and later with how cruel Mal was to him. But I get Mal, too. I understand why he is the way he is. And he makes it up to Tom in the end.

The plot is simpler than the last books I've read and I love it. More often than not I prefer simple plots, where character development is the focus. And in this book I felt for both Tom and Mal, and I really wanted them to be happy together. Their chemistry is believable; both sexy and sweet at the right times. The ending might feel a little abrupt for some, but it works for me.

This definitely won't be the last Eliot Grayson's book that I'll read. :)

[Jenn (not Lily) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story! What a redemption for the irredeemable Tom -- and I utterly adored how quickly Tom realized what Marcus was really up to and flung himself at the solution. I'm not sure who the MC is in book 3, but I certainly hope it's not Marcus!

[VICTO · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an interesting story than the previous one (I’m very Honest ) When I’ve read next book is about TOM I get so excited because I’ve a feeling that he was hiding something behind his evilness, cockiness, wickedness and very charming face because when his wife fainted in the previous book, Owen defines the fear on his face as a kid fear who looked upon his elder brother for guidance to make it all right and then it struck me he’s not a badass that he was trying to show and I was so shocked when HIS SECREAT reveal in this book…

I really really felt for him, his pain, his shame for who he was, his behavior and Now I wasn’t mad at him for hurting Owen in the back story (Because Goddess saved Owen and then HIM).

His deal with Mal Leighton was purely to survive from starving and Mal’s to save his heir, cousin William but they don’t know Goddess isn’t fool (:D). Tom’s offering himself for William’s sake and on that Mal’s jealousy was cute, though Mal was cruel sometime with Tom that I thought he didn’t deserve but no one had knew why Tom was like that in the past and why he had behaved like bewarmer, I wanted to HUG him so bad. I love every paragraph of book, Their love making… Yummy



However What I felt this book lack is Tom and Arthur’s (his elder brother) interaction I wanted to know when Arthur get to know that his brother was hiding a big secret from him for his whole life and because of their father, because in the first book he said to Owen he loves when Tom irritate him because he’s his only brother. I want to know how he get that his brother is Blessed from Goddess and hiding it because he was ashamed from IT and why he was so cruel in the past. A bit interaction would have a big impact on the book because Brothers love would have made the story more interesting.

I have a feeling next book will be about William or Marcus….

I’m waiting :*

[deadrun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, just wow! I devoured both these books back to back in two days. I really enjoyed the first but god damn I fucking love Tom! O_o
Owen was such fluffy little sweetheart in the first book and I liked the character, but Tom... my god he's fascinating and his character determined to stick with me. A mark of a truly enjoyable book, the first was like popcorn it was tasty but when I was done I was ready to move on to the next thing. The Reluctant Husband is still tugging at my thoughts even hours after finishing it. I can tell already this book is going to get a reread and I might have gone a little highlight crazy.

The angst was great, Mal's cruelty towards Tom and Tom's own internalized hatred/oppression kept me engaged and low key wiping the corners of my eyes the entire time. I live for these kind of classic romance novels with boorish alpha love interests I don't know what that says about me, I've stopped trying to analyze my lizard brain years ago and just roll with it now. The steam is smoking hot and just about every trope and kink this book threw at me pressed every single button I have and I loved every second of it.

I want more and I will be stalking this author and can not wait to see what they release next.

Read using kindle unlimited, will be buying both books after I publish this. :D

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh

I don’t quite like this as much as the first. I didn’t like Tom much going in and although this book tries to explain his actions I didn’t quite buy it. On top of that, Mal was so contradictory in his feelings and his treatment of Tom I’m not sure why Tom feels the way he does about him. I didn’t hate it but it was only an ok read. I would love to see Tom and Arthur’s reconciliation though.

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tom Redeemed.

I didn't think the author could take the reprobate Tom from the first book and make me like him. I was wrong. Understanding what Tom his from everyone, what his Father rejected him for, made me feel for Tom. I wish we readers had been given more of Mal's background. That would added another star. When is the third in the series?

[Walford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, but the plot is both convoluted and unconvincing.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eliot Grayson has a unique way of taking seemingly irredeemable characters and just making you break for them. I mean, I cried multiple times for Tom’s hurt, and the first book ended with me being the one wanting to hurt him. But nobody could hurt Tom better than himself, and while it sometimes got frustrating the him and Mal wouldn’t just talk openly with one another, I’m so very happy they eventually worked it out and ended up happily together.

[光彩 · Rating 2 out of 5]

An exercise in redeeming Tom and putting him through the worst sort of emotional torture. Again the plot is a poor excuse to write insta-love porn. I don't really mind that bit. But when the goddess-blessed aspect, so crucial to this book, is essentially "men with the sigil can only bottom or else they suffer horribly", I do have to side-eye it a bit.

[books for breakfast · Rating 1 out of 5]

I regret reading this book