Search - The Art of Duke Hunting (Royal Entourage, Bk 2)

This story was at best annoying and at worst frustrating, yet it was sprinkled periodically with poignant scenes. How does an author make this work? She doesn't; it just turns out to be a rather average tale. It's a strange chemistry. Esme and Roman worked, but why do their best parts always have to be at the end? What didn't work for me was the overused curse plot that surrounds Roman's family. And this story was built entirely around this curse. It colored everything Roman did and felt and believed in. It made their marriage of convenience frustrating when it was obvious they could have really made a go of it. Esme's part in the curse felt thrown in, and when she finally made the big reveal, it was immaterial at that point. The ending was rather lukewarm, but at least certain facts about Roman's family were explained. Ultimately, I was able to finish this story, unlike the first one (The Duke and the Deep Blue Sea). However, it was far from satisfying. For me it was a lackluster 3 stars.