Seduce Me at Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas | The Hathaways book 2

Seduce Me at Sunrise by Lisa Kelypas | The Hathaways book 2
September 30th 2008 by St. Martin's Paperbacks
Source: Library

He has tried hard to forget her.
Kev Merripen has longed for the beautiful, well-bred Winnifred Hathaway ever since her family rescued him from the brink of death when he was just a boy. But this handsome Gypsy is a man of mysterious origins—and he fears that the darkness of his past could crush delicate, luminous Win. So Kev refuses to submit to temptation... and before long Win is torn from him by a devastating twist of fate.
Can she remember the man he once was?
Then, Win returns to England... only to find that Kev has hardened into a man who will deny love at all costs. Meantime, an attractive, seductive suitor has set his sights on Win. It’s now or never for Kev to make his move. But first, he must confront a dangerous secret about his destiny—or risk losing the only woman he has lived for...

I did not think it was possible for a romance book--a historical romance at that--to have too much angst but that was before I had to read about Kev Merripen and Winifred Hathaway's love story. I am no stranger to angst when it comes to romance novels but I think that Merripen was the downfall of this story. I couldn't get past his constant battle of wanting to be with Win and not wanting to be for her. After a while, the will-they-won't-they narrative grated my nerves and I fell out of love for this romance. It's a shame because I love a good angsty hero but Merripen was far too much for me. In the end, I got extremely frustrated at the conflict that was placed for the two characters.

Kleypas was able to redeem this book because of her impeccable characterization of the Hathways. I love how present each of the siblings was in this story and the little bits we got of Cam and Amelia really warmed my heart. This, in my opinion, is what stopped me from not finishing this book: I have become so invested into the lives of these siblings that I will trudge through this book of them. It's not to say that I didn't like Win, however, but I liked her far more than I liked Merripen. In the two years she was gone, Win grew up into a more assured woman who was able to fight for what she wanted. I'm happy that she's happy regardless of how I felt about her love interest.