Antara Cinta Dan Benci (Between The Devil And Desire (2008) - Plot & Excerpts
Sooo disappointed with this one, in the first book Jack's sounded like a mysterious character, I found myself very intrigued with his past..Compared to Luke's story, Jack's story was rather bland for my taste, probably since I didn't like the heroine (even her son Henry couldn't give a positive point for the heroine) and I couldn't feel their chemistry at all, plus the tragedy with the boys just made my stomach hurled. Hope Frannie's story won't be as bad Between the Devil and DesireI began re-skimming this 1/3/14 to write up the synopsis and then halfway through just ended up rereading the whole second half, word for word I was so enjoying it. My memory recalled a rather low opinion of this second book in the Scoundrels of St James series, but by the end I was wondering how I could have ever thought that. So I suppose 4-stars is still appropriate.NOTE: This is more a detailed plot summary than a review. I write these so I can remember what happened in any given book, especially those in a series. But if anyone else finds this helpful - awesome.The book kicks off with the reading of the Duke of Lovingdon’s will. The only two people in attendance are the young and now widowed Duchess (Olivia) and Jack, who has no idea why he’s been summoned - having only really met the Duke once. Though the Duke and Olivia’s marriage was not a love-match, Olivia still loved her husband and especially their son - the Duke’s heir - Henry. So Olivia is horrified to discover that the Duke has only left her an annual allowance and left everything else, including guardianship of Henry, to Jack. The only additional detail of import is that should Henry reach his majority or Olivia remarry and her husband assume guardianship, “Mr. Dodger will receive one final item - its value immeasurable.”Needless to say, Olivia is both angry and appalled. Her only recourse is to find a new husband, which is limited given society’s constraints around pursuing a suitor while in mourning, at least for the next year. And Jack is a total dick about it, showing little sympathy for Olivia or the circumstances she’s just found herself in, practically gloating over his new fortunes. But perhaps we are supposed to forgive Jack for his dick-ishness given his rough start in life. As we recall from Scoundrels of St. James #1, though Jack brought Luke, James, and Frannie into Feagan’s gang, he was also responsible, albeit unknowingly, for the murder of Luke’s parents. Jack ended up with Feagan after his mother sold him to the house of a Lord who molested and raped him. Jack was able to escape, ultimately finding Feagan. Later, Jack tries to atone for his part in Luke’s parent’s death, but enduring the sexual assaults of the bullies in the prison they shared, before being rescued by Luke’s grandfather. No one knows this history, except Luke, although he shares it with James when he begins to search for the reasoning behind the Duke leaving Henry under his protection. Some more details that help unwind the plot:+ When Jack was rescued from the street by Luke’s grandfather, he lived with Luke for a time until an unknown benefactor gifted him with enough cash for him to open Dodger’s. Until now, he’d always assumed that the benefactor was Luke’s grandfather to get him out of the house.+ Before his death, Jack had only met the Duke once, we he visited Luke’s grandfather. He took interest in the locket he carried which contained a picture of Jack’s mother. He saw the Duke several times after around his club, but never patronizing, just observing.+ Protecting boys is Jack’s self-identified weakness; he wonders if the Duke was at Dodger’s the night he nearly killed a man for inappropriately touching one of the boys that works there.Lord Briarwood, first in line after Henry, is vastly in debt, presumably why the Duke didn’t choose him to guard Henry’s estate. Rupert Stanford is the Duke’s other cousin and second in line after Briarwood. After Briarwood calls on Olivia and learns the results of the will, he travels straight to Rupert. He proposes that they concoct a rumor that Jack abuses the boys that work at Dodger’s, assuming society will take a peer’s word over Jack, or at least use the threat of rumors for the purpose of black-mailing.Following the common romance-novel trope, despite Jack’s dick-ishness, Olivia is unable to contain her attraction to him (ugh!) Conversely, everything about Olivia is attractive to Jack from the onset: her youth and beauty, her regal conduct despite trying circumstances, and most of all, her fierce protectiveness of her son. Interactions between them are frequent as Jack has moved in, much to Olivia’s displeasure. But eventually Jack does some kind things, or at least relatively kind compared to the dick he introduced himself as:+ Having requested he not enter her room, he respects her wishes and leaves her in another bed when he finds her asleep in Henry’s bed after reading to him.+ He enlists Scotland Yard (via James) to investigate the Duke’s other heirs, in case Henry might literally be in danger and in immediate need of a protector.+ He fires the nanny after learning she threatens Henry when Olivia isn’t around.+ He buys Henry a puppy.Olivia also meets Frannie and learns that Jack loves and is loved by others. So at some point she mea culpas, and brings Jack dinner in his library and saying that she’s sorry she’s always assumed the worst of him. But then Olivia falls gravely ill - Graves is called on and her fever put the household on edge for several days. But those days allow Jack to really become father-figure to Henry - he reads to him nightly and teaches him how to dodge on the lawn. When Olivia is finally well enough to leave her bed, she goes to see Henry first, only to find a loving and caring Jack that she has never known telling bedtime stories to Henry. And on this new fragile foundation their friendship grows: Jack disguises her as a boy and brings both her and Henry to schilling-day at the Crystal Palace, and also sneaks Olivia into his club so she can she for herself just what type of business he runs. As Olivia gets to understand and know him better, she starts to fall in love too.Which is when Briarwood shows up - shaming Olivia for her behavior and making good on his blackmail threat. Appalled with herself, Olivia asks for permission to take Henry away to the country, but before they can leave she is kidnapped by Rupert. Simultaneously, James has gotten a lead on Rupert; he just let go his only staff member who spoke of Rupert taking in dozens of boys but never seeing them leave - she always assumed he helped place them. James and Jack investigate, showing up at Rupert’s estate, only for Jack to flash-back - Jack was Rupert’s first victim and the only one to survive. As Jack receives a ransom-note from Rupert for Olivia and meets him in the rookeries, he learns that all the other boys were murdered and buried in Rupert's garden. Thanks to help of the Scoundrels, Rupert is shot and Olivia is saved, but Swindler later confirms - hundreds of children’s bones were found by Scotland Yard on Rupert’s estate. Briarwood was unaware of Rupert’s villainy, but now finds himself in ownership of the estate. Jack offers to buy it from him to create the hospital promised to Graves (thus eliminating Briarwood’s debt). And in the private moments that follow with Olivia his divulges all the details of his haunting past, but also professes his love, offering for Olivia’s hand in marriage. Olivia happily agrees, they have a private ceremony, and Beckwith is notified. Soon thereafter Beckwith returns with the item of “immeasurable” value: a pocket watch that was past from the Duke’s grandfather to the Duke’s father to Jack. Jack questions why it wasn’t being given to the Duke’s son and Beckwith replies that perhaps it has. He then hands Jack a letter from the Duke. Jack reads it in private - it reveals that the Duke’s only love was Emily Dawkins (Jack’s mother) whom he impregnated when he was 17 and she 15. She was dismissed from the household to give birth and raise Jack alone, but never revealed Jack’s father’s identity to protect his station; and the Duke was too cowardly to do anything to help. When Emily learned she was dying, she entrusted Jack to Rupert, having at least known him but not knowing the villain he was. And when Jack escaped but later turned up at Luke’s grandfather’s where the Duke met him and learned him to be his son via the locket, the Duke became his anonymous benefactor and silently observed him the rest of his life, ultimately naming him in his will.But none of this comforts Jack. In fact, he’s almost angrier than ever: his new marriage could be argued invalid - a son can’t marry his father’s widow. But Beckwith has already assured them on his continued secrecy. And Olivia confirms: whether there marriage is legal or not, she will love him and they will raise Henry and any other children in their shared love.The epilogue - notes from Jack’s diary at some untold date in the future - tell of Graves locating his mother from the pauper’s grave she was buried in to put forever at rest beside the man she loved; indeed, her corpse was found with a locket containing the Duke’s photo. And ultimately he comes to peace with the Duke - though he’ll never publically claim him, without him he’d never had Olivia and Henry in his life.Also, interesting side note: Olivia is the sister of that asshole Duke who was beating his wife - i.e. Catherine Mabry’s best friend Winnie from Scoundrels of St James #1.
What do You think about Antara Cinta Dan Benci (Between The Devil And Desire (2008)?
Jauh lebih bagus drpd buku yg pertama. Jadi semangat nih lanjut yg ke-3.
—ashley_389
Loved it the heroine is a little annoying but i still love the book.
—Lakkywolf
