Review: It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat Sebastian

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Title: It Takes Two To Tumble (Seducing the Sedgwicks #1)
Author: Cat Sebastian
Genre: Historical m/m romance

Author links: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads
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My rating: 3 Stars

Blurb

Some of Ben Sedgwick’s favorite things:

Helping his poor parishioners
Baby animals
Shamelessly flirting with the handsome Captain Phillip Dacre

After an unconventional upbringing, Ben is perfectly content with the quiet, predictable life of a country vicar, free of strife or turmoil. When he’s asked to look after an absent naval captain’s three wild children, he reluctantly agrees, but instantly falls for the hellions. And when their stern but gloriously handsome father arrives, Ben is tempted in ways that make him doubt everything.

Some of Phillip Dacre’s favorite things:

His ship
People doing precisely as they're told
Touching the irresistible vicar at every opportunity

Phillip can’t wait to leave England’s shores and be back on his ship, away from the grief that haunts him. But his children have driven off a succession of governesses and tutors and he must set things right. The unexpected presence of the cheerful, adorable vicar sets his world on its head and now he can’t seem to live without Ben’s winning smiles or devastating kisses.

In the midst of runaway children, a plot to blackmail Ben’s family, and torturous nights of pleasure, Ben and Phillip must decide if a safe life is worth losing the one thing that makes them come alive.

Review

This was my first book by this author and it was fun and sweet but also a bit messy and overburdened with plotlines/minor characters that didn't get enough development.

It's a historical romance between a brooding, somewhat angry and forbearing sea captain and an easy going, light-hearted vicar who takes care of the captain's unruly children in his absence (after the death of their mother).

Ben and Phillip don't like each other a lot initially, slight antagonism and some misplaced jealousy make things between them tense but they feel great attraction to each other which, it turns, neither can or wants to resist. Their relationship is in many ways a first for for both of them (Ben's acting on his attraction to men and for Phillip it'd the first time for admitting to himself that his relationships with men are borne from more than just easy convenience).

Falling for each other meant and did bring about great changes for both of them, realization for the vicar that all his dreams for normal, simple life are not likely to happen and he found himself in need to completely re-imagine his future. The same was true for the Phillip who suddenly saw himself as a father, a lover, someone settled and living close to the people he loves.

As I said at the beginning I felt there were too many things going on and some of them were only superficially explored. I felt uncomfortable with the way the captain's marriage was presented and Ben's family is unusual and complicated but we didn't get enough details about it.

I don't always like romances with kids but I found Phillip's kids to be quite fun to follow around. Despite the convincing HEA, I kept wondering how they will manage to hide their relationship from his kids.

Overall, I'd describe this queer historical romance as a light read which I enjoyed though I expected more of it.

Purchase links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

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