A Tale of Two Lovers by Maya Rodale

Title/Author: A Tale of Two Lovers by Maya Rodale
Publisher/Date published: May 1st 2011 by Avon
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "He is notorious.
Lord Simon Roxbury is a godsend to gossip columnists everywhere. This notorious rake has recently been caught in an extremely compromising position by none other than The London Weekly's Lady of Distinction. Rumor also has it that Lord R received an ultimatum: be wed or be penniless.
She is scandalous.
As A Lady of Distinction, Lady Julianna Somerset typically reports on other people's scandals, but soon she finds herself embroiled in a very public battle with an irate Lord Roxbury — one that leaves her reputation in tatters and her position at The Weekly on the line.
Together they're... respectable?
With no other choice available, these two enemies unite in a marriage of convenience to rescue both their reputations and secure his fortune. With their rivals intent on revealing the charade, Lady Julianna and Lord Simon inevitably surrender to temptation. It may just be a love match after all..."

I had some issues with this book. It's just that I was disappointed a bit by it. See, I love romances where hate turns to passion which leads them to discover they are actually falling in love. I think it's my Pride and Prejudice loving heart that always brings me back to this. And after reading the summary, I expected this from the book. And it just didn't get there.

Julianna and Roxbury are interesting characters in their own right. But, well, after the first kiss behind a potted plan (if I remember correctly), the tension was just gone. If Rodale could have just held on to that passion and the wonderfulness that was in that scene, the book would have been a lot better for me.

It was all a bit too easy and then they started making it hard for seemingly no reason. Julianna was contrary for the sake of being difficult and Roxbury didn't confront her about it and I'm not really sure why. It just lacked something for me.

The story did get some smiles from me, mainly for the boxing scene with the Writing Girls. It was an enjoyable read, just not what I was hoping for and it left me feeling a bit disappointed.

My rating: 2,5 stars