Ooooh this was amazing. I devoured "The Reluctant Husband": I reached the end, and I still wanted more (much more) from both its protagonists. I didn't think it was possible this time, but Tom managed to redeem himself, beautifully and in such a satisfying way.

Eliot Grayson is SUPERB at redemption arcs: she's got that kind of knack where she manages to make even the most hateful, spoiled, bratty villain, a relatable, believable and wonderfully flawed hero. She did it with Jared, and Blake, and she probably did the same in a few more of her backlist works I still haven't read, and she does it here with Tom too.
And not only that, she also managed to depict BOTH protagonists as deeply complex and realistically flawed; their character development and arcs were so damned relatable and satisfying, even though this is a fairly short and quick book.

I ended up loving both MCs so much; I didn't think I could love Tom, but I did. He's done so pretty horrid things in his life, but he has his reasons (ones that broke my heart), and his regret, his guilt, his atonement, are all sincere, and for that I totally fell for him, and felt for him too. If I had to criticize one thing about this book, it would be that I desperately wanted him to actually talk about his past hurts and wounds. It's just a niggle, but I kept wishing there were a few more chapters left so that he could actually face his past (and he and Mal could have definitely talked a bit more too).

I also loved Mal: he's as flawed as Tom, gruff and hard and quick to assumptions, but he's also scared and grieving, terrified at the idea of losing his cousin, and also, pretty good at figuring out his mistakes and apologizing for them.

I loved them together: their relationship is a mix of all my favourite tropes, from (kind of) arranged marriage and hate-sex with enemies-to-lovers vibes, to (kind of) sub-awakening (my absolute fave trope in the world), light D/s vibes, and catching-feelings-when-you-shouldn't. Their story is fraught with miscommunication and assumptions, mistakes and hurtful words, but I absolutely adored it nonetheless; it's a relationship that felt right and realistic for them, for two deeply flawed and wounded men who are both stubborn and insecure and afraid.

I adored William, and I adored the writing. I also LOVED that we got more information about the world-building and this whole Goddess-blessed aspect; I can't wait to read book three.