ONCE MORE, MY DARLING ROGUE is Book two in Lorraine
Heath's
Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James series. Drake
Darling,
the hero of this story, was last seen as a young boy going
by the name Peter Sykes in the story Surrender to the
Devil. I don't think reading that previous story is
absolutely necessary to enjoying ONCE MORE, MY DARLING
ROGUE, but reading it would give the reader a better
understanding of Drake Darling.
At the start of ONCE MORE, MY DARLING ROGUE, it is
extremely
apparent that Drake Darling and Lady Ophelia Lyttleton
have
a very antagonistic relationship. Ophelia seems to be the
aggressor, constantly needling Drake and delivering put-
downs. It seems a little odd, since one of her best
friends
is a woman who was raised like his sister. Drake has a
tragic and violent past. His father murdered his mother
and
that legacy of violence has haunted Drake all his life. In
spite of being raised thereafter in a home with lots of
love
and affection from the Duke and Duchess of Greystone and
their children, this part of Drake's past is something he
can't mentally shake. It seems somewhat cruel that Ophelia
taunts him. It seems, to the reader and friends and family
of the two, that she treats him with such disdain because
she fears being attracted to him. That is one of the great
things about a Lorraine Heath book -- there are no one-
dimensional characters. Everybody has layers.
The story really takes off toward the beginning when Drake
discovers what he later discovers to be a battered and wet
Ophelia down by the river. After taking her back to his
place and discovering who she is, he also realizes that
she
has no memory of who she is. The temptation proves to be
too
much and Drake tells her that she is his housekeeper. His
plan is some light revenge before sending her home after a
day or so. The bulk of the story is the friendship and
attraction that develops between him and "Phee" that makes
him put off enlightening her.
ONCE MORE, MY DARLING ROGUE is very character-driven, and
I
like the two main characters. In spite of his ruse, Drake
is
a very sympathetic character and is not at all sleazy and
is
very conscious of trying to not compromise Phee. He
becomes
so taken with Phee and they develop such a great chemistry
and friendship that he sees her as two people -- the sweet
and sassy Phee that he's recently come to know, and the
cold
and haughty Ophelia who forever treats him like dirt. He
knows the longer he lets the charade go on, the worse it
will be for him, but he falls in love and can't bear to
let
her go.
There are lots of things I love about ONCE MORE, MY
DARLING
ROGUE. First and foremost I love the delicious romance. If
Drake and Ophelia became sexually intimate right away, I
don't think the romance would have the strong impact that
it
does. There is a great sensuality and sexual tension that
arises as they develop a friendship. He sees what his
sister
Grace, as well as her other friends, do. Underneath the
wall
she puts up to keep others at a distance, Ophelia is a
woman
who is very caring -- especially to animals. I also loved
seeing favorite characters from Lorraine Heath's
Scoundrels
of St. James series, like Jack Dodger and William Graves.
These characters made great cameos without cluttering up
the
story. I also loved the mystery of what happened to
Ophelia
to make her lose her memory. This mystery element adds a
great extra dimension to the story and provides
excitement.
ONCE MORE, MY DARLING ROGUE is another gem by Lorraine
Heath
that pulls at the heart-strings. This a great story for
anyone who likes a romance with some heat, an exciting
mystery, and great characters. This is a romance that is
sure to delight and make you want to go back and read, or
re-read, the Scoundrels of St. Jamesseries. I eagerly
await the next installment in this Scandalous Gentlemen
of
St. James series!
They are England's most eligible bachelors, with the most
scandalous reputations. But for the right woman, even an
unrepentant rogue may mend his ways . . .
Born to the street but raised within the aristocracy,
Drake
Darling can't escape his sordid beginnings. Not when Lady
Ophelia Lyttleton snubs him at every turn, a constant
reminder he's not truly one of them. But after rescuing
her
from a mysterious drowning, he realizes she doesn't
remember
who she is. With plans to bring her to heel, he insists
she's his housekeeper—never expecting to fall for the
charming beauty.
While Ophelia might not recall her life before Drake, she
has little doubt she belongs with him. The desire she
feels
for her dark, brooding employer can't be denied,
regardless
of consequences. So when Ophelia's memory returns, she is
devastated by the depth of his betrayal. Now Drake must
risk
everything to prove she can trust this rogue with her
heart
once more.
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