Now then, The Poet Recusant finds Rebecca and Jack - surprise - happily married and on their honeymoon in Rome, Italy. Following the events of their first meeting at the GetAway Resort, Jack AKA William stayed away for about a year, choosing instead to stay with the ailing Father Daniel, his mentor and lifelong friend. As he mentally and physically healed from the ordeal and gave Rebecca the time and space to do the same, Father Daniel encouraged him to reach out to Rebecca. But all this time, he stayed in Father Daniel's house while the two nuns caring for the aging priest, Sisters Connie and Bernadette, wondered what William's deal was with Father Daniel. However, once the two lovers do reconnect, there is no separating them. That is, until Rome.
Jack/William is now a changed man, eschewing his previous life as an assassin for the life of a homebody with his beloved wife, who is writing a book about their ordeal (conveniently leaving the mystery man/hero out of the story as much as possible). One day, Jack is out getting breakfast and a group of armed, uniformed men burst into the hotel room, taking Rebecca. Naturally, she assumes the Italian police have found them and she goes willingly, but what she soon realizes is that it was all a ruse and she now finds herself in the clutches of a dangerous man, Don Peter Dantori. Apparently, Dantori had asked Jack to assassinate the Archbishop in Rome and didn't appreciate Jack's recent change in vocation. Taking Rebecca seemed the easiest way to force his compliance, but apparently these guys just don't know or understand la Poeta. But they will.
Rebecca struggles to remain composed, but soon realizes she is in a very precarious position. Not only are Dantori's men vile and lecherous, for the most part, but the Don himself considers his position to be that of a King, expecting her to literally grovel at his feet for food and to be debased by him, all the while he is whispering lying pleasantries to her. She knows she will have to allow him to break her just a little bit if she has any hope of surviving, but what of Jack and what they want him to do? Will he go back to his old ways to save her, and even now, is he still alive and free?
Once again, Rebecca is in a terrible position, only this time, she does seem more of a damsel in distress than before, awaiting Jack's rescue. Once again, Jack is methodical as he watches and waits, seeking out the men who took his wife and taking drastic measures to ensure her safe return. It's rather a bit like reading Taken, although he doesn't enumerate his certain set of skills. There is also lots of jumping back and forth in the story, either between Jack's actions, the exchanges between Dantori, Rebecca and his men, and even the time before Jack and Rebecca reconnected when he and Father Daniel and the nuns were together. You get to see more insight into Father Daniel's relationship with Jack/William and the nuns as they grow to appreciate "the boy," as Father Daniel always calls him.
I didn't find The Poet Recusant nearly as exciting as The Poet, although it has its share of action, bloodletting, and danger. That said, it's still a good read, I just found Rebecca a bit more self-loathing and doubtful at times. I'm not sure where their story will go, but you can be sure it will include blood, bandages, repentance, and action.
