Customer Reviews

Temptation

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

It goes against all of my instincts to give any Jude Devereaux book a less-than-stellar review, but I just can't recommend this book for the purpose it pretends to have.

This is not a romantic book, at least not in the traditional man-woman way. The storyline is enjoyable enough - an intelligent, attractive woman who is clearly ahead of her time meets a cranky, handsome man, who is clearly behind the times. As a story of personal growth, the book works. Temperence learns that in order to give, you have to take a little; James learns...well, I'm really not sure what James learned. He seems strangely dishonorable, disdainful and a whole lot of other "dis"-es I can't come up with right now. This is a book about Temperance and her journey, and James is almost an afterthought, more of a plot device to move Temperance along than anything else. I've rarely read a book where I wasn't remotely interested in the main male character, but this has the dubious distinction of being the most memorable example of that so far.

I could count on one hand the romantic or intimate scenes between the two characters, and even those felt stilted and awkward. Temperence and James would make good friends (or heaven forbid, brother and sister), but lovers? Not that I could see. After reading the book twice, I still don't have a clue why either of them are supposedly attracted to the other. There was no build-up, no feeling that these two had any passion for each other. When they do get together, it's forgettable (apparently for them too), uncomfortable and unsettling and James is insulting. It just felt wrong, for reasons I can't articulate.

I agree wholeheartedly with the reviewer who felt the ending was jarring and unsatisfying - none of the characters act remotely like they did throughout the rest of the book. I won't spoil it, but when I saw the date written on the last chapter, I actually said, "HUH?" out loud. I still don't get it, and plan on dumping this book off at the nearest reseller to make sure I don't read it again by mistake.

Buy this book if you are interested in one woman's experience in the early days of the women's equality movement, but save your money if you are looking for a passionate or tender romance with characters you know are destined to be together. You won't find it here.

...we are very happy to have Jude Devearux back with another great wonderful book. Ms. Deveraux cut back on her writing schedule in order to spend more time with her new son. I wish her every happiness, even though I have missed seeing as much of her wonderful books of late.

Apparently, Ms. Deveraux has decided to not include the wonderful Montgomery/Taggert family in her sagas. They were the people who she built all her novels around until a couple of years ago. I kept waiting and hoping she would spring them out at the last minute or we would at least see a Montgomery across a crowded room. Who knows, maybe Agnes was a Taggert... anyway, on to the story.

Temperance was a woman with a cause and purpose. To help women in need get away from their worthless husbands and build new lives for themselves. She was a woman in 1909 who had built her own independant life after her father died. Imagine Temperance's surprise when her mother comes back from holiday with a real Scotsman in tow, Angus, who says she is to become a dutiful daughter and go live in the highlands. Temperance is a bit long in the tooth, but perhaps he can pursuade some man to marry her so she can take her proper place in society and do the only thing a well-brought up woman is supposed to do-marry and have children and be happy with her lot in life.

Temperance is understandably very annoyed with the high-handed attitudes of her new papa and sets out to get her own way in the end. Go she must to Scotland, after all, she doesn't have her own money. But Temperance manages to make Angus eat his words about what a dutiful daughter should be. After several months of her dutiful daughter routine drives him close to the brink of sanity, Angus decides to pack her off to his nephew's house to become his housekeeper and find him a bride. And here is where the fun begins.

Temperance must learn some lessons of living she did not get in New York salvaging women's lives. Temperance thinks she knows everything about what happens between men and women. A woman must stand firm and resist a man's foolish ways. But Temperance has never met a man like James.

Read this book if you are a fan of Jude Deveraux's works over the years. Read this book if you are a lover of romances and have yet to discover Jude Deveraux's wonderful sense of humor and of the absurd. Then go back and read all of Ms. Deveraux's other wonderful books-for the first or fiftieth time.

Booklist is quoted as saying Jude's latest "Temptation" is "typically formulaic but nonetheless satisfying story..." When I read "typically formulaic," I worried it really meant, "boring." After reading Temptation, I think a more apt description would have been --classic Jude Devereaux! Her latest novel is a wonderful, rich historical romance that is sure to please. Her characters walk out of the book and in to your head. I wanted to kick Agnus, shake hands with Temperance, and jump James (what woman wouldn't want to?).

Like many others, I'm enjoying the latest outpouring of romantic suspense novels. However, it seems like that's all the popular authors are writing these days. I enjoy reading them, but I also like having a romance to turn to that's not filled with twisted minds, blood, horror, and hate. Personally, I'm glad there are still talented and popular authors willing to write the classic romance. Thank you Jude for your latest "temptation!"

When her father died fifteen years ago, then teenager Temperance O'Neil learned how society mistreated women due to their codependency on men. Now in 1909, Temperance has become a major figure in the women's rights movement. However, her life changes when her mother marries Scotsman Angus McCairn. Her stepfather demands Temperance accompanies them back to Edinburgh until he finds her a husband. Angus forces Temperance's agreement by threatening to cut off her funds and tossing her out of her home.

Six months later, Angus understands what his wife meant by watching out for an agreeable Temperance, who has caused trouble in the Highlands. He offers her a deal. If she can find his nephew a wife while acting as a housekeeper to the barbaric James, Angus will support her return across the Atlantic. As she tries to teach the beast how to cherish a woman, Temperance and James fall in love. However, she ultimately realizes he will never want a wife, especially a modern day woman like Temperance.

TEMPTATION is an exciting historical romance that centers on the early twentieth century women's rights movement. The story line is filled with excitement, action, and insight into the plight of females. Temperance is a fine lead player and James acts more like an injured beast. The support cast augments the tale by vividly bringing to life the role of men and women in the United States in 1909. Jude Deveraux provides sub-genre fans with a non-stop thriller

Harriet Klausner

Oh my goodness! _Temptation_ just proved to me why I love romance! I've been going through my reading life finding books that were stale and uninteresting, but this one reminded me why I love books so much and spend almost all of my time reading them. If you have read a book lately that you only liked a little, _Temptation_ is just the thing you need to put some zing back into your life. Please, just read it!

Temperance O'Neil is a women's rights worker in 1909. Although it is stated often, there is some doubt in the reader's mind that Temperance actually does anything other then smile for the cameras and make speeches. Anyway, this particular night is the night that her mother will be coming home after a long vacation, and Temperance can't wait to tell her everything. As she arives home and bursts through the door, Temperance gets an unexpected surprise. In other words, she finds her mother in the arms of a stranger, and they're kissing in the front hall.

Mrs. O'Neil explains to Temperance that while she was in the Highlands, she met and married this man who is Angus McCairn. Now, Angus is a chauvanist pig (or at least he seems this way) and he is horrified that Temperance is helping other women out there to become independant. He insists that she come back with him and her mother to Scotland. When Temperance refuses, Angus resorts to blackmail. If Temperance doesn't come with them, she will be cut off without a cent. Because all of Temperance's deeds are funded by her inheritance left behind by her dead father and she has no other source of income, Temperance has no choice but to accept. But this doesn't mean that she has to do it willingly.

In Scotland, Temperance is a woman with a mission-- she must drive Angus crazy. And that she does. Angus decides that this cannot go on much longer, and he decides to make a deal with Temperance. If she goes out to the wilderness, acts as the housekeeper for his nephew James, and finds him a bride, Angus will let Temperance go back to New York and he will even give her an allowence.

Well, Temperance has no choice but to go, and go she does. James is the laird of the clan McCaird, but the estate is in a shambles and Temperance finds out one rainy night (this is after she walked ten miles in a thunderstorm to get to the house). The house is covered in a foot of dust and there is no furniture anywhere. Temperance knows that if she is ever going to get a sane woman into the house and make her think about becoming mistress of the house that it will have to be cleaned. So clean it she does, all the while learning the fascinating history of the place. It seems that the happy family was torn apart a few generations ago by a maniac spender and a hopeless gambler. But, Temperance slowly bring happiness and cleanliness back into the house and she and James fall in love. But, there is a secret in the family history, and it has the power to destroy even the strongest of loves. Will James and Temperance survive to see if they will find true happiness?

Oh my, what can I say that will make you want this book? How about that Jude Deveraux is back into her forte of historical romance. Or how about that both the heroine and the hero go through a change and it's not just one of them. Or how about that it's just amazingly good. All of these are true. Temperance was definitely a woman to wish to meet. Although in the begining she is a little snobish, she goes through a drastic change and by the end of the book, she is a wonderful person with a caring, giving heart. I also loved the fact that she was getting up there in age (she's twenty nine- not your typical girl "fresh from the school rooms"). It was so cute to hear about her wrinkles. James, well, he's a guy you need to form your own opinion about. Some people will call him stubborn and a little blind to the ways of the world, but he too goes through a drastic change. Another thing that added to this book was the wonderful side characters. Even though they didn't have the fucos of the story on them, they were still as well developed as the main characters.

Jude Deveraux has an amazing talent. Each of her books come alive, and _Temptation_ is no exception. Scotland is one of my all time favorite settings, and Jude Deveraux definitly did it justice with this book. You can close your eyes and see the dramatic cliffs of Scotland and you can almost smell the land. Her plot was unique and had a lot of lovely twists and turns. It kept the reader involved and it will keep you on your toes. Oh, the ending is lovely too... definitely a tear jerker. I will agree with another reviewer that it was rather short, but it was still lovely, and the things that happened in it were all that mattered. So, believe me, this is a book not to be missed. I'd highly recomend it to anyone.

I disagree with the reviews that give this book a low rating.
Honor is the word that I choose to use in reference to the behavior of both James and Temperence. She sacrificed her homeland for family loyalty to her mother by going to Scotland. Then she once again gave over to being unselfish to go to the "castle" to work as housekeeper. She did what she had to do to try to regain her own life. While she had her career on hold, she worked to make the world a better place, in particular for the oppressed women. She brought joy and dignity to the people who had lacked anything fun in their lives.
At the end of the story, she had to choose whether to allow others to continue to control her path in life or follow her heart.
I really liked this whole story and highly recommend it.
No book Jude Deveraux has written has yet to disappoint me.

Jude Deveraux is my favorite author and this is a pretty good book. A lot of people who criticize this book seem to be doing so b/c they were expecting to see the same thing they've been seeing. Some very famous authors I won't mention comply to such readers' wishes and produce the exactly same books over and over again.

I like Ms. Deveraux b/c she's always willing to try something different. Unlike most people who've written here, I really enjoyed and admired her recent works. For example, An Angel for Emily was very unique. It had many revolutionary elements, but people who couldn't understand things beyond their five senses didn't understand the book at all and criticized her mercilessly. *sigh*

I didn't enjoy this book as much as Angel for Emily, but people who criticize the ending of this book and the timing of the ending, etc., don't seem to really understand Temperance's character. They seem to want the old, boring and typical fairy resolution that doesn't incorporate the inner-workings of this particular character.

I say it's a cross between romance and mainstream novel b/c what Temperance goes through to finally join with James is much more realistic than what you would see in a typical formular romance. If you've been in love, wouldn't you say that the reality is much more rockier than what's in a typical fairy tale? To me, this book is more realistic b/c Temperance goes through so many heartaches, disappointments, jealousy, etc.

I agree with some of you that James doesn't seem to be that romantic or interesting. However, we all fall in love with people who are not stella nice, romantic or interesting. So, maybe even that is more realistic here than in a typical romance.

Anyway, I really want to applaud Ms. Deveraux for producing a more-realistic and unique book that has a definite positive theme and message than just whipping out a formula book based on hot lust and romance only.

I really liked the ending. (Spoiler) She knew who she was, what she wanted (ultimately) and didn't fall blindly into the "temptation" of marriage just b/c she was in love. I think it's a book with multiple important messages that we should all keep in mind, especially if you are the type who is likely to fall into the "temptation" of marriage at the first opportunity.

I finished this book last night and was struck with surprise at its unconventional ending. I'll have to say, if you haven't read the book and don't want to know what all the controversy is about for this book, don't continue reading this review. Anyway, back to our sheep. I have read countless books which were mildly amusing throughout, with good and bad moments, but I never know until the end whether I'm going to throw it across the room in disgust. Do you have any idea what I'm talking about? I'll characterize it as follows: Woman of "strong character" falls for infuriating man. Woman is "taught a lesson" by having exceedingly proud, know-it-all run her through a series of humiliating exercises to batter her self confidence down to the point where she gladly accepts his dominance and follows him to the altar. After all, "all's fair in love and war" right?

This is not a book where that happens.

Temperance O'Neil may have some problems with her character, but throughout the story her intentions are always good and her results are even better (don't argue about reality, just read). It is a book with elements of self-development, but it's mainly about how someone falls in love with someone else and as an added bonus, manages to hold on to their sense in the midst of romance. Ms. Deveraux even underlines this in some very simple passages: "-she remembered herself saying to women, 'Didn't you think of that before you married him?'...The answer the women gave was always the same: 'No, I was in love and didn't think of anything past 'I do'."

True, the romantic scenes in this book are not as intense or as developed as some of Ms. Deveraux's other works, but it is an interesting read with a lot of the characteristics that go into this type of story (read synopsis above, but remove the cynicism). In many ways it reminds me of the western romances (no, not the kidnapped by Indians spiel), but say, a book by Maggie Osborne, where there's a lot of personal development on the part of the female characters. Temptation probably won't make you pine after the hero, but it'll let you respect yourself in the morning.

Once again Jude Devereaux comes through with another well crafted story. I read some of the other reviewer comments about how this is not the Romance they were looking for. The writing is a little different for a Jude Devereaux novel but that same great character development and story building that I've come to expect of a Devereaux book are all here. The ending is not a surprise but the twists and turns to get to the happy ending are a little different and make a good read. I enjoyed it page after page until the end. It's too bad the book ended. The big brown library cart (UPS) just delivered another Devereaux novel from Amazon as I was writing this - I can't wait.

RUN RUN TO THE BOOKSTORE AND BUY THIS BOOK! OR BETTER YET ORDER IT NOW FROM AMAZON! THIS IS AN AMAZING LOVE STORY! VERY ROMANTIC! THE HERO IS A HUNK! THE ENDING IS SOOO BEAUTIFUL! THIS IS WHAT ROMANCE SHOULD BE ABOUT! GREAT CHARACTERS, GREAT PLOT, BEAUTIFUL TOUCHING HAPPY ENDING! THIS IS HER BEST BOOK YET AND WORTH EVERY PENNY I SPENT! THIS IS A KEEPER!