Customer Reviews

Don't Tempt Me

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is an excellent romance, a good solid read with an interesting story. The focus of the book is Lucien. In his own words, he's lost everyone he ever loved. So Don't Tempt Me is really the story of his emotional recovery, how he emerges from the shell he's locked himself into and regains control of his life. He does this with an uninhibited free spirit, in the form of Zoe. The pacing is good, the 'danger' setup not really needed but well placed as a pressure point to force Lucien's emotional development, the details are the sort Chase is known for. She sets the times with well placed references and beautiful descriptions that feel natural, not like a list of research details.

What holds me back from perfection was actually Zoe. She's a well characterized heroine, she's consistent in her inner thoughts, her motivations, her thought process - you feel like you know her and she is different than those surrounding her. She's plausible for her backstory, she's what Lucien needs to drive his story forward. The problem is Zoe's backstory itself. To me, it set up for a very dark tale. Because her experience (having been kidnapped for 12 years) is so recent, I expected a great deal more to play out with her family and within herself. Zoe reads like she came back two years ago, maybe even five, and has readjusted with her family and culture. She hits the ground running, without the disorientation or emotional upheaval that a 12 year abduction would seem to warrant. She does have some emotional highs and lows, but they're muted and controlled against the scope of what she went through. Additionally there is a toss away character in the beginning - the person that brings her home - who is never heard from again. What was his motivation? How was he involved? What are her feelings about it? This book would be much stronger if events began with Zoe's escape and followed her home in her shoes, through her eyes. Because the book is about Lucien and his eyes tell the story, her experience seems off, too easily resolved and processed. Zoe's tale is too big to be a sideline to Lucien's. She understands so simply and without undue grief why her family acts the way they do - which hits the only false note.

It's hard to explain without spoilers or recapping plot points. As a romance from Lucien's point of view, this is a great one. Loretta Chase is one of the absolute best. I just wish I could lift Zoe out of the book and give her room to breathe in her own story. Or have her experiences occur to her at a greater distance of time than they did. It distracted me, wondering why there was so little fallout from her storm, why she was so easily his umbrella.

Lucien de Grey, the Duke of Marchmont has an interesting history with Lord Lexham's daughter, Zoe Octavia. When a ten-year-old Lucien lost his parents, his father's best friend, who happened to be Lexham, took him and his brother Gerard into his home. Lucian and Gerard were quite welcomed into the Lexham brood. But the child who makes the most impression on Lucian, is five-year-old Zoe Octavia. Zoe was there always annoying Lucien and getting into trouble. She had a bad habit of running away and not doing what she is told. And because of that unfortunate trait, Zoe Octavia goes missing for years. When she was twelve, her parents take her on a tour of the eastern Mediterranean. It is public knowledge that Zoe bolted from her parents and was kidnapped, lost forever, never to be found again. Lexham spent years trying to find his youngest daughter, but failed. Lucian grew up, trying to forget the young girl that found her way into his heart. Twelve years later, Zoe Octavia is found and Lucien's life will change in so many ways.

The Lexham family, especially that of her sisters, don't know what to make of this young woman who was held captive and part of the harem in the palace of Yusri Pasha. Zoe was able to escape and now her parents have welcomed her back with open arms. But in the eyes of society, Zoe is ruined. They need to hire a tutor to teach her the ways of British society. And that is where Lucien comes in. Lucien has no choice but to accept because he owes Lexham so much. He will help Zoe find a husband and teach her the acceptable ways of a proper British lady.

Zoe Octavia knows how to navigate her way around people, especially Lucien. She wouldn't mind marrying him. She tells him of her skills at lovemaking and is very knowledgeable about the ways between a man and a woman. Everyone around her seems shocked by her blatant words. Lucien is at his wits end because Zoe constantly does what she wants to do without any concern for her safety and well being. She refuses to listen to him and tries to handle him. He will not be handled by some blonde goddess whose kisses are sweet and is willing to enjoy more pleasures in parks and secluded carriages with him.

Zoe wants Lucien and she definitely knows he wants her. She will try her best to tempt the man who always held her heart, waiting for her to return to him.

Loretta Chase is a master storyteller and she has done it again with Don't Tempt Me. Her words and characters are amazing to read. This is one historical romance you will not want to miss especially with Zoe Octavia, who has one of the best names for a heroine I have read in years. It is great to watch Lucien, who is so set in his ways, become so topsy turvy because of Zoe. Lucien walks through life bored that is until Zoe comes along and makes him feel again.

The way Zoe and Lucien interact is oh, so good. It was so fun to watch Lucien become jealous because Zoe's father thinks she should meet more single men. Lucian can't stand it and decides to claim her in one hot and scorching love scene in a carriage.

Zoe Octavia is a character you will not soon forget and Don't Tempt Me is one of my favorite historicals I have read this year. Don't miss out on this wonderful book. It is a very tempting read.

Oh, that Loretta Chase! She did it again! May the Gods bless her for giving us another wonderfully delightful story. I swear she does dialogue better than any other romance writer out there. Don't you just love it when a book makes you laugh out loud (and I mean with the author, not at the author)? Don't you just love it when you really feel like the hero and the heroine are meant to be together?
The previous review sums up the plot very well; poor Zoe Octavia was abducted at 12 years old and spent the next dozen years learning the ways of the harem into which she was sold. With her gone, poor Lucien de Grey has lost everyone who ever really mattered to him and becomes that stereotypical cold, bored, haughty handsome Duke that all the ladies love. When Zoe returns to England Lucien agrees to help her family launch her back into society. No easy feat considering she knows much more about erotic tricks and sensual arts than she does about how to carry on proper conversations in English drawing rooms. So Lucien has his work cut out for him, and sets about in earnest to do what he has promised. And Zoe sets about in earnest to restore her good name and not shame her family. But neither of them counts on the delicious chemistry between them getting so out of hand, so often, and well...
This book has a number of things going for it. To begin with, there can't be enough said about how much fun it is to see two characters with such zingy chemistry. Love that. Also, for all that they can behave irrationally when their hormones are pumping through them- it's believable irrationality. Neither of them does the stupid insipid stuff, no grand misunderstandings that could have been cleared up in one quick conversation but neither hero nor heroine are clever enough to have. No, no, none of that in a Loretta Chase novel (thank you very much, Ms. Chase). Also, the characters' actions keep things interesting. Their choices and their maturity made me care about what happens to them. I liked these two. I enjoyed their background stories and the way they grew and came to care for one another.
Was it a perfect book? No. Was it my favorite Chase book? No (Lord Perfect and Mr. Impossible take those honors). I would have liked to see a little more at the end. Why do romance novels frequently end in what feels like such an abrupt manner? What this is is simply another super fun and engaging book from an author who is such a refreshing find amidst a sea of dud writers. Can't wait (but will clearly have to) for the next one! Maybe something with that enigmatic Lord Winterton?

I was getting really excited about this book and absolutely loved it until about 3/4 of the way through. Both hero and heroine are great characters, its extremely well written and very witty, great dialogue, excellent scene setting and period detail and some very moving insights into their backgrounds and past history but for me there was not enough tension between the two characters to make a really great love story. They were obviously made for each other, they were attracted to each other, they got married, they acknowledged their love. There were not ever really any serious obstacles in their path. The drama/tension is provided by a rather unbelievable baddie who never really threatens either the heroine or the relationship. Thus the declaration of love when it eventually comes lacks any kind of emotional punch. Not very satisfying in the end although it seemed so promising at the start.

I'm a Loretta Chase fan, but this was disappointing. Very unbelievable storyline. A girl enslaved in a harem for years - still a virgin - and not psychologically scarred?

I really liked "Lord Perfect," and I can't wait to read Olivia and Peregrine's story. I hope their story is better than this book.

I am going to have to agree with what a lot of the people are saying here. This book starts off with a bang, you feel yourself getting completely drawn in from page 1, her writing is excellent and witty as always, her characters are likable and humorous at times.....and yet, mid way through, the book loses steam. Really, the first 1/4 of the book, you think this is going to be one fantastic keeper of a romance novel but it derails into something that falls short of this authors talent, the last 50 pages I was mostly bored, I kid you not. To top it all off, the ending really was a disappointment. I felt mostly dissatisfied and let down.

Many have already gone over the plot so I won't go on and on about it, but lemme just say the love scenes weren't as graphic or all that interesting as it could have been considering the supposed experience the heroine had in the harem. Frankly, it was kinda boring.... I thought the author could have done a better job of this.

I am not saying this is a bad book, its actually a good one if you compare it with what other romance writers are printing these days. I guess my expectations were tab too high, because I have such respect and admiration for this gifted author, and so my standards for her books are kinda high. I am sure this is why she's getting the bad reviews here.

Please do try this book, its not a bad romance novel. But her older books were a lot better.

When I first started reading Regency Romance a few months ago, this was the first book I read. For the most part, it was pretty good but I found the heroine's "in the Harem" lines to get old after awhile... it seemed like every other page there was some reference to this fact as if we were too stupid to remember it.

I found the premise that she was part of a Harem but still "chaste" after 12 years to be highly implausible. It was like the author wanted to have the best of both worlds -- a "woman of the world" who was really naive and innocent.

I agree that the dialogue was very good (except for the heroine starting every sentence with "In the Harem"...) and enjoyed the build up to when the main characters finally got together. However, I agree with another reviewer that that happened about 25 percent too soon... It was like the author decided she needed to add some suspense in the end to have some type of plot more than the romance...

The male character in this book was very likable and the descriptive prose was well done and kept me wanting to read further.

Overall, it was a pretty good read but could have been quite a bit shorter without compromising the reader experience.

Loretta Chase doesn't make any mistakes with Don't Tempt Me. It's competent, classic romance. I enjoyed reading Zoe and Lucien's story, even if Zoe Octavia is sometimes a little too impetuous for my taste. (See her sprint into the woods.) Chase neatly avoids pitfalls like the Big Mis, especially in the last quarter of the book, when Lucien is trying his hardest to protect his wilfull wife. (I know, it's her personality, I get it!)
I'm only giving three stars because after I finished the book, I forgot all about this pair until I sat down to write a review. Don't Tempt Me is decent stuff, but it's not Chase at her scintillating, funny, heartbreaking best. Consider picking this one up used.

After a great start, with a very dramatic premise, the plot devolves into petty household scheming. The heroine begins with an escape from a harem and ends up squabbling with her household staff. A total let down. I ended up skimming the last quarter of the book.

I haven't read many Loretta Chase romances, "so many books so little time", but when a friend suggested I give her a try again I thought why not. The story premise of a young woman reintroduced to English society after spending years in a Egyptian harem was just too unique to pass up. What I found was a well-crafted story that hooked me right in and didn't let go until i got to the last page. And even then I didn't want to let go of these people. And for days after, I thought to myself, as I did work around the house, what kind of adventure has Zoe gotten her and Lucien involved in.

What impressed me the most was that though the story opens on Zoe Octavia's return to society and how it affects her family, it goes well beyond this intriguing premise. The angst I felt was great for Zoe because her family was just too concerned with the "scandal" of it all and how this would change their lives. This allowed me to champion Zoe from day one. So when the family friend and Zoe's childhood "unwilling protector" Lucien shows up and professes he as a Duke will be able to pave her way back into society, the sparks begin to fly. I loved the witty banter between these two characters who clearly were destined to be together (come on it is a romance with the all so important HEA) but Zoe DIDN'T come off as angry heroine too stupid to live.

Lucien being used to everyone giving deference to him because of his rank in society is not going to let Zoe embarrass her or her father who has meant the world to Lucien. That Zoe refuses to kowtow to him and his rank only adds to their rollercoaster ride toward that HEA, which is littered with sexual innuendos and a heroine who is comfortable in her sexual self, something the hero is both drawn to and repelled by. The secondary characters are wonderfully drawn out adding to the depth for the development of the hero and heroine's character. They annoy you but you understand why they are needed for the conflict, giving the conflict much more depth. But even when the h/h get their HEA, in great romance tradition, Chase throws even more obstacles in their path. This is especially important to the plot because it allows the reader to see Lucien's transformation thanks to in large part because Zoe isn't the normal English miss.

The writing was a exceptionally crafted blend of dialogue and narrative with neither taking over, and she kept the actions and reactions of the character's antics at the forefront for the reader creating a well-balanced pace almost to the end. The last 20 pages, if there is a fault with this tale, seemed a bit rushed to tie it all together. Though necessary to resolve Lucien's transformation from arrogance to compassion, I would have liked a bit more story at the end, seemed too abrupt.

With so many historical romances out there in the Regency period it was a delight to find one that created a unique plot that set it apart from the herd. Now on to find her backlist because this one wasn't surely a fluke, Loretta Chase is creative storyteller not to be missed, this is a delightful stand alone story.