I wish I knew what did not work for me in this book. The premise is really interesting. The writing has a sophisticated feeling to it. A very tortured hero and a very loving heroine. Danger, mystery, exchanged identities, denied passion, secrets, loyalty, dedication, what is not to love?
I will skip the intro because I skim-read this book too much to do a summary. I even skim-read the supposedly sizzling first sex scene, which was obviously supposed to be one of the climaxes in this book. I found it difficult to connect with either Dougan/Dorian or Farah.
I am usually a sucker for a hero who feels that he does not deserve heroine's affections (cue Derek from [b: Dreaming of You|330721|Dreaming of You (Gamblers, #2)|Lisa Kleypas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348674248s/330721.jpg|679378], for example). Dougan/Dorian however, totally overdid it for my taste. He put Farah on the pedestal and suffered greatly from a monumental sense of inferiority. I found that rather unattractive.
And Farah, oh perfect, loyal, responsible, beautiful, sensible Farah Leigh, aka Dougan's Fairy, who is the Sun, the Moon, the brightest star in the sky, the prettiest rose in the garden and more. I wanted to love her too, but somehow I found her standoffish.
I would definitely read Kerrigan Bryne again. I thought she wrote beautifully. I was just not able to establish connections with the lead characters in this book. My rating is a reflection of my personal feelings about Dougan and Farrah.
On a side note, Dougan/Dorian could not abide others' touch and flipped out when Farrah reached out for him when they had sex the first time. I don't mean to get techincal here But, how is it that he could not tolerate when someone touched him on his arm but intercourse was ok? The last time I checked, there was much touching. Or is this just another "as long as it allows me to have sex I will do anything" kind of male psychology which eludes me? Or I skim-read too much and missed some vital information?