Customer Reviews

To Tempt a Bride

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Camille Croft has been in love with Eric Ford, her brother's friend, ever since she first met him. And she's not very good at hiding it, either. To her, in her own view a lumbering, large and plain woman who doesn't know how to behave in Society, he is the most handsome man she has ever seen. But, despite his kindness towards her, he treats her like a little sister.

Eric, though he does his best to hide it, is in love with Camille too. He won't act on his feelings, however, because he suffers from recurring bouts of malaria and, as he sees it, there is no guarantee that he will live a long life. He can be struck down by an attack at any time, and although he's recovered each time so far, it's not guaranteed. He feels that it wouldn't be fair to Camille to let her tie herself to a husband who could be an invalid, or worse.

Enter Nell Baynes, a woman every bit as beautiful as Camille feels herself plain - and Nell's cousin and guardian, who begins a courtship of Camille. Jealousy finally prompts Eric to tell Camille how he feels about her - but with about 150 pages of the book left to go, what kind of spanner is going to be thrown in the works?

This would, in my opinion, have been a much better book without the dramatic plot and the involvement of the secondary characters, Nell and her cousin. There was more than enough material for Layton in dealing with Eric's fears about his illness and Camille's lack of self-confidence and, instead of introducing irrelevant and uninteresting characters, she could have spent more time showing the development of Eric and Camille's friendship and Eric's growing realisation of his feelings for Camille. I would have enjoyed the book far more had Layton developed the plot in that way.

Nevertheless, as always it was good to see characters from previous books, though as in each case Layton seems to focus on Drum and Rafe and their spouses, with brief glimpses of Gilly and Damon. While Ewen Sinclair, one of my favourite characters from the series, does make an appearance in this book, it's almost entirely offstage, and Hathaway Wycoff is only mentioned. More of these two in future books, Layton! Although, since Gilly's younger sister Betsy seems to be of marriageable age now, I suspect that her story is about to come - and if that's the case, we'll have to see more of Ewen. Or so I hope!

As a fan of Edith Layton's other work, her latest book does not dissapoint. I found the main characters and their relationship fascinating, and the story was full of the passion, poetry, and sense of humor I've come to expect from this writer. This is one temptation you should indulge!

Here is another literate, lyrical romance from one of the masters of the Regency-set historical, with a hero to sigh over. Layton has always been a favorite, and this book is no disappointment.

I was excited when I bought Edith Layton's latest historical "To Tempt a Bride," but after finishing it I can't help but wonder where the "tempting" comes in? Eric Ford has apparently been in love with Camille, his friend's sister, for a long time; but his struggles with malaria and the ten year age difference over her, stop him from showing Camille his feelings for her. Ok, that sounds like a romance, but the problem with this book was the lack of chemistry between the protagonists. If Eric is in love, and Camille feels the same, I expected love scenes, longing, or something to indicate how they felt. There was none of that, and the fact that I had to wait until almost the end for a sex scene did not help matters. The story seems more about the relationship Camille develops with the mysterious Nell, than a romance. If you like tepid regencies, "To Tempt a Bride" is for you, but if you are looking for a good romance, skip this one.

Edith Layton continues to write fun and well developed characters for her romance stories. I again enjoyed her book immensely. Her stories are the traditional romance with a bit of danger thrown in to keep the reader interested.

Camille knows the first time she sees her good friends older brother that this is the man she desires. But, he seems content to just be her protector while attending the balls of the ton. But, is this how he really feels? About the time that they figure out what they both want she is kidnapped. Will he be able to find her? Well of course it is a romance story, but the real story is how that takes place along the way.

If you want a fun lighthearted romance story that is well written this one is for you.

As an avid fan of Layton's for years, I was really looking forward to this novel but it was a disappointment. It was a longer and less interesting version of False Angel, an earlier novel which I can wholeheartedly recommend.

Like other reviewers I found this story rather tepid, less than riveting and the secondary characters more intriguing than the leads. This is my second book by this author (predecessor TO WED A STRANGER being my first) and I've decided that Edith Layton is simply not an author that I will seek out again.

Camille Croft is a hearty, sturdy yet pretty-in-her-own-way country girl who is enjoying her first Season in London. While she's become moderately popular among London's young men, she has eyes for only one. Eric Ford, one of her brother Miles' best friends. A former soldier, he's so handsome and masculine and Camille adores him but tries (often unsuccessfully) not to show it. She feels she is no match for all the true beauties in Society and that Eric could have his pick of any one of them. Why would he want her? But his steadfast and warm friendship gives her hope for more.

For his part, Eric is quite taken with Camille, but his continuing bouts with malaria and his being ten years her senior keep him from acting on his attraction (though men married much younger women routinely in those days, so I don't get the big deal on that issue). And when stranger Nell Baynes is added to the mix things become even more confused.

Is Nell the damsel in distress that she appears? Against her family's wishes, the kind hearted Camille takes Nell under her wing, but soon wonders if it is to her own detriment when it seems Nell may have her eye on Eric. And since Nell is so beautiful, how could he resist? Has Camille unknowingly sabotaged her own happiness in being kind to a stranger - one who may well not be what she seems?

This was an okay story and Camille and Eric are appealing characters, but the romance between them seemed more fond friendship than passionate attachment. As others have pointed out, the secondary characters (Nell and her cousin Mr. Bartlett) were often more intriguing that then leads and the pace was on the slow side. Many reviews have used the word "tepid" to describe this story and that sounds about right to me.

The malaria fever he first caught in India returns so Eric Ford leaves a London dance he was attending to walk home. Camille Croft, who has loved him since childhood, informs her brother Miles and Eric's brother-in-law that before he left he looked very ill. They chase after Eric because they are concerned and want to insure he gets home all right. Near his home, a man offers Nell for a night to Eric. Needing to lie down, he takes out his wallet, but the man hits Eric and steals his money just as Camille and her brother arrive. As Eric recovers, Nell stays with Camille.

Eric knows he is too old and too ill for Camille, but he begins to fall in love with her. Nell's cousin attorney Dana Bartlett courts Camille in front of a jealous Eric. When he feels fully recovered, Eric decides to tell Camille he loves her. They agree to marry. At the party where they plan to announce the upcoming nuptials, Nell poisons Eric. She abducts Camille and takes her to Lord Dearborne, a nasty individual seeking revenge against Eric and others for exiling him years ago.

RITA award winner Edith Layton known for her "C," Regencies provides her fans with a fine romance focusing on a warm male protagonist falling in love with a caring woman whom he always treated like his little sister. The support characters add depth to understanding how Camille and Eric feel about life and each other. Though the final abduction of the heroine adds unneeded suspense, readers will be glad to have read a wonderful tale.

Harriet Klausner

The only reason I gave this book 3 stars instead of 2 is because Edith Layton is normally one of the most dependable and satisfying Regency authors. The plot was interesting enough, but there simply isn't any chemistry between the main characters; in fact, the villains of the piece are far more intriguing and better drawn. I found myself nodding off after the first two chapters due to lack of interest. If you are a Layton fan, save your money on this one, and reread one of her earlier books.

"To Tempt a Bride" is a follow-up to "To Wed a Stranger" and while it is not as compelling a read as "To Wed a Stranger," it was still a rather enjoyable read.

From the very first time she met him, Camille Croft has been in love with the dashing Eric Ford. And how she wishes that he would reciprocate her feelings. But Camille, while she realizes that she's attractive enough, knows that she's no beauty. And then there is also the insurmountable fact that Camille is too brisk, honest, forthright and outdoorsy to be considered as one of the season's reigning originals (the type of young lady she believes that Eric admires). So that while Eric may stand a friend, Camille really has little hope that he will see her as anything other than the younger sister of a good friend. But as the season progresses Camille begins to hope that Eric may be starting to see her in her whole new light. That is until fate throws an intriguing new obstacle in her path in the shape of Nell Baynes, a beautiful young damsel that Eric rescues from danger. Will Eric fall in love with the elegant and bewitching Nell? And how will Camille cope if he does?

While both Camille and Eric were nice enough characters (esp Camille -- how could anyone fail to take Camille with all her fears and unrequited feelings to heart, especially when she's always trying to do the right thing?), what really made this novel interesting was Nell Baynes. Nell is a bit of a mystery for about a quarter of the book, after which who she is and what she is is revealed for the reader's edification. The relationship that develops between Nell and Camille was a rather interesting one, and I thought that Edith Layton did a rather good job of contrasting these two young women who were of similar ages but who were so different in temperament and who had such different dreams and expectations. This made the few 'real' conversations that Nell and Camille had really interesting and compelling. So that while the story of how Camille and Eric finally work their way to each other and happiness was a sweet one, honesty forces me to admit that if were not for Nell, "To Tempt a Bride" may have been a bit of a bland read.