Tempt Me If You Can [Mass Market Paperback]

Janet Chapman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 23, 2010

When confirmed bachelor Benjamin Sinclair receives an anonymous letter claiming he has a teenage son, he’s in shock. He tries to track down his first love, but found that she’d disappeared completely, leaving their son Michael with her sister Emma. When Ben finds that once-shy Emma Sands has blossomed into the strong, beautiful owner of a small chain of sporting camps, he signs up as a guest, hoping that in sixteen years he’s changed enough that she won’t recognize him, and he can get to know his son without complication. But Emma would recognize Ben Sinclair anywhere, anytime—and so does Michael. While Michael can’t wait to get to know his father, Emma is more cautious, fully aware that the kind of man who would abandon his pregnant girlfriend and his son is one she didn’t want around. Realizing that he’s falling in love with not only his newly discovered son, but also Emma, Ben becomes determined to find a way to make her love him back.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Benjamin Sinclair, head of an international shipping company in New York, receives a letter stating that he has a 15-year-old son in Medicine Gore, Maine. Ben leaves the family business with his brother and investigates the situation. Mike has been raised by his aunt Emma after her sister Kelly disappeared. The last time Ben was in Medicine Gore, he was protesting logging operations and trying to convince Kelly to move to New York. He tries to go back undercover, but his reputation precedes him: residents believe he caused a deadly landslide and deserted a pregnant girl. Emma knows better, although she is reluctant to lose Mike. Ben has his work cut out for him as he gets to know his son and tries to earn Emma’s trust by proving that he is there to stay, and that the real villain may be one of their own. Readers will be enchanted with Chapman’s love of Maine in her latest romance, a story filled with wit and tenderness. --Patty Engelmann

About the Author

A native of rural central Maine, Janet Chapman lives there in a cozy log cabin on a lake with her husband.  Three cats and a stray young bull moose keep them company.  The author of the hugely popular Highlander time-travel series, she also writes contemporary romances.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Star; Original edition (February 23, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416595449
• ISBN-13: 978-1416595441
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #174,351 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A native of rural central Maine, Janet Chapman lives there in a cozy log cabin on a lake with her husband. Three cats and a stray young bull moose keep them company. The author of the hugely popular Highlander time-travel series, she also writes contemporary romances.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Old Fashioned But Still Solid, March 30, 2010

By 

C. Farley "seafaire" (Bakersfield, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tempt Me If You Can (Mass Market Paperback)

This is one of those books that I feel happy to recommend to a host of different readers. It is a solid outdoors adventure perfect for the injured outdoors-person. It has a great "family feel" to it, so traditional folks like "Grandma" would find it enjoyable. FInally a strong, capable teen character (and very limited sensuality) creates
a sure fire winner for the YA reader. That said, it was a little dry for me. The lead female is capable but almost "stunted" in her ability to interact with a male. Still it was a great adventure story--less of a romance.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tempt Me If You Can, May 14, 2010

By 

M. Nix - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tempt Me If You Can (Mass Market Paperback)

Ben Sinclair just found out that he has a son, so he's heading to Medicine Gore, Maine to meet him. Emma Sands has been raising her nephew Michael by herself since her sister, Michael's mother, disappeared ten years ago. Michael is fifteen now and becoming a fine young man, but Emma knows he could use a father's guidance as well.

As if meeting his son and seeing Emma again after he left town fifteen years ago isn't enough of a shock, Ben learns that the town thinks he's responsible for Emma's father's death. Ben has a lot to prove to his son and to Emma, but someone wants him gone and they'll stop at nothing to keep him from finding out the truth.

Ben has his work cut out for him in Tempt Me if You Can. Not only does he have to win his son over, but Emma, too, and then he has the whole town to face. My heart broke for Emma, though as she faced the possibility of losing Michael and an unknown future for them both. What she has to do and what she wants to do are two different things. Her emotions are tangible. Along with a cast of colorful characters, Tempt Me if You Can has many furry friends who enlighten the story as much as the people do. After the excitement is over, Ben and Emma have a fun and fitting wedding. Tempt Me if You Can is a passionate and emotional love story.

Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars engaging contemporary romance, February 27, 2010

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tempt Me If You Can (Mass Market Paperback)

Shipping mogul Ben Sinclair receives an anonymous letter that claims he sired a son sixteen years ago. Stunned, Ben drops everything to rush to rural Medicine Gore, Maine to learn the truth whether he left Kelly Sands pregnant before she dumped him abruptly.

Arriving in Maine, Ben learns that Kelly vanished a decade ago and her younger sister Emma has raised her nephew Michael. He conceals his identity while registering as a guest at Emma's sporting camp because he fears he will not be welcomed especially with his explosive past. Michael quickly realizes his beloved aunt and his biological father are attracted to one another even as they argue, fuss, and fight. As the adults fall in love, the past explodes in the present.

The second Sinclair sibling story (see The Man Must Marry for Sam's tale) is an engaging contemporary romance that focuses on Ben being unaware until now that he has a teenage son. Although the premise of an unknown offspring is not new (see A Corner of the Universe by Rebbie Macintyre, for instance) the cast makes for a fine tale. Fans will relish the romance between the father and the aunt, manipulated by a clever teen as the past and present collide in Maine with the impact being everyone's future if they survive some late suspense.

Harriet Klausner