Provoked was good and set a solid foundation for the story arc and the relationships between all the characters. But Beguiled is step up a notch further with an exquisite romantic development between David and Murdo.
It had been a two years gap since they last meet each other at the ending of Provoked, but only a 2 minutes gap for me. Their unexpected reunion seems rather charming with them being nice and social towards each other. I can see both men had grow much since their last bitter parting. Murdo seems less sarcastic and more genuine. I wish I can get into his head and know what is running through his mind. Instead of his tendency push and provoke David, this time around he is more caring, more accepting of David's reservation. To me, Lord Murdo is a force to be reckon with and David is a putty in his hands.
David is still as honorable as ever and I like that he still stay true to his beliefs. Despite the society pressure, he still stand firm to remain single and hurt Elizabeth's feeling, the young woman he met previously. David is so admirable that he still feel protective and guilt over her demise. Although the idea of a woman feel like a third wheel in the story, I find that I actually intrigue with her's story and hope she can find her own happiness. It might even come in the form of a certain radical.
Beside the swoony romance that took place, there is a hint of danger with the cloak and dagger stuff that David engage with in order to save a certain damsel in distress. Too bad Murdo always not being told what the hell is happening, but man, he is so quick on his feet and responded perfectly to all the crazy on goings.
I still have much pending books to read, but I can't help other than to read the whole trilogy in one go. This Enlightenment series might just turned out to be my favorite historical M/M romance. Hopping off the next one.
