It Takes Two to Tumble

It Takes Two to Tumble (Seducing the Sedgwicks #1)

By  Cat Sebastian

ISBN: 9780062821577

304 Pages

Available in Paperback, Audible, and on Kindle

Synopsis:

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.  

My Thoughts:

It Takes Two to Tumble is the first installment in Cat Sebastian's second M/M historical romance series, Seducing the Sedgwicks. It tells a sweet love story between a stern ship captain and a reserved yet not-so-naïve vicar - it's all very Maria von Trapp. Maria in this case being the lead character Benedict Sedgwick, eldest of the series' titular Sedgwick brothers, who had a very unique upbringing for that time, having been raised in a household with their father, his wife, and his mistress - as well as various other interlopers and stragglers. After he is granted the vicarship of the parish of St. Aelred's, Benedict is happy to have a chance at normalcy in his life and looks forward to a most mundane future, including a marriage with his best friend Alice Crawford. That is, until the arrival of Captain Philip Dacre, the absent master of Barton Hall, a large estate within his parish. 

Captain Dacre is distant and abrasive, tormented by his own difficult childhood, but also by several recent losses: that of his wife, who he didn't so much love as appreciate for her capability at raising their children and keeping order of the household, and more importantly that of a fellow sailor on his ship. who he DID love despite not being willing to admit as much. When he arrives home from sea, his children are completely out of control, having not had a firm hand to guide them in the four years since their mother passed. He finds them in the temporary care of Benedict Sedgwick, who has been roped in to keep them out of serious trouble until a more permanent situation can be managed. He has no idea how to interact with the children, as he had almost always been at sea and had rarely seen them.

Of all the Cat Sebastian books I have read up to this point, the pair in It Takes Two to Tumble undeniably have the best chemistry. The relationship develops slowly at first, with innocent glances and touches, but by the book's halfway point they have moved beyond thoughts and to actions. To some, it may seem as though they moved too fast, but I feel like this just emphasizes the loneliness that the two have been suffering. Philip has been at sea for a year grieving the loss of a loved one that he could share with no other person and Benedict, in trying to keep his feelings in alignment with the teachings of the church, has been denying his true self for much longer than that. They are both burdened with a deep seated need for true companionship and understanding, and as soon as the realization hits that the other person may be the one to fulfill that, the door opens. The turning point in their relationship, when Phillip confessed his preferences by drunkenly telling Benedict about his feelings for his lieutenant, was a straightforward, calculated act of a man who is always in control - who was at that point desperate for a clear answer. He chose to reveal something in a manner that would be received compassionately yet could be explained away if it was not accepted as he hoped it would be.

As I have mentioned previously, I am usually hesitant about romance books that involve children. But of course, for the whole Sound of Music theme to work, children have to be present. I did appreciate the way they were handled in this book. The children were pivotal to the story, in that they initially brought Benedict to the home, and also in how they helped Philip open up and accept his own flaws - some in return gave him the ability to better bond with the children. But the children were somewhat independent and not so heavily present as to make the development of the romance awkward.

It Takes Two to Tumble did have a lot going on in the sidelines. Aside from the parent child relationships, there was plenty of Sedgwick family drama and landowner drama, plus the whole thing where Benedict had Alice the fiancée and that had to be resolved. The writer did manage to wrap that up quite conveniently in a way that may be seen as a little contrived, though no more so than a million other drama tales out there. I liked the Alice character quite a bit - she was well developed and had a strong background. I appreciated the way her storyline was resolved and would consider reading a novella about her were it not for the fact that I believe most of what could be told has been summed up in these pages already.

Overall, I quite enjoyed reading It Takes Two to Tumble. I think that of all the Cat Sebastian books I have read so far, The Lawrence Brown Affair is still my favorite, but this one comes as a close second.

Parent's Guide:

100% not for the kids! This book is adult in nature, with graphic sexual situations. Absolutely 18+