Reviewed by Marieke
TITLE: Temptations Of Desire
SERIES: Desires Entwined, book 3
AUTHOR: Tempeste O’Reily
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 62,235 words
BLURB:
Alexander James Noble is a gender fluid gay man who gave up on finding Mister Right a long time ago. He’s not asking for much, though. He just wants a guy who loves all of him and appreciates his feminine form too.
At the local LGBTQ center where Alex regularly volunteers, he meets Dal Sayer, an officer of the Milwaukee PD. Because he’s been rejected one too many times, Alex doesn’t trust the huge cop and the interest he shows in him, but once Dal sets his mind on something, he goes all out. Pushing aside his preconceived notions, Alex opens up just a little and soon caves.
From their first date—while dealing with his father’s failing health and his parents’ demands for him to settle down and have children—Dal never takes his eyes off his goal of making Alex his. But proving to Alex he isn’t like all the men who couldn’t see him for who he truly was and only wanted to hide him away is harder than he thought.
REVIEW:
I read the other books in this series too, and that’s why I really wanted to read this third one.
Dal first sees Alex in the kitchen of the LGBTQ center where he volunteers as a cook once a week. It’s insta love for Dal, but Alex is not too charmed by Dal at first. Oh, he likes how the hot cop looks, but he doesn’t trust cops. He also can’t imagine Dal being gay, or interested in someone as feminine as him.
When Dal finally gets up the courage to ask Alex out, things go great for them. The date is wonderful. Then the next date, there is a moment where Alex has a little flashback into the past, and Dal starts to see the signs of abuse.
Dal gets his brother Rhys––from the previous book–– to investigate Alex’s past and they find out something happened in the past. All this leads to a happy family reunion for Alex and his twin.
Dal and Rhys’s parents were the biggest problem in this story. They were always okay with Rhys being gay and Dal being bi, but suddenly they were not. Herein lays the one problem I had with this book. The parents behaved very weirdly, especially the father. You do get to find out why, but it still came so out of the blue and with such vehemence that it was unbelievable to me. And because it is a big part of the story, I had to take a bit off of the rating.
The rest of the story is fantastic again, with Alex’s kids and husband. Dal’s ex-girlfriend, who is such a good friend to Dal. The ending especially is so sweet, I almost squealed. I do like fluff, so it’s probably not for those who enjoy lots of angst and heartache.
The writer did an excellent job with the characters, they are likable and perfect. Not perfect in the way that they have no flaws, but in a way that they grab you and complement each other. Alex has a few more ‘flaws’ than Dal, but he’s had a tougher life too. Dal is kind of a sweetheart in a hot package.
The side story about Rhys and Chase is nice too, especially when you’ve read book two in the series. It makes the part where Dal’s father comes around more plausible. The way that part is written was a bit of a let down, though. It is rushed and unfinished in my opinion. It feels as if it isn’t done yet. But that didn’t make the ending any less adorable.
RATING: 
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