41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's worth staying up to finish...., February 17, 2009
This review is from: Tempted All Night (Mass Market Paperback)
Perhaps Liz Carlyle's 'Tempted All Night' should be retitled 'Tempted to Stay Up All Night and Finish the Book.' That's the effect it had on me.
Briefly, it's the story of Phaedra, a very correct English lady burdened by a dark secret, and Tristan, the ne'er-do-well son of an English lord. Surely a stock set up. But not in Carlyle's able hands. Phae is trying to find her maid's missing sister who has gone on the game and Tristan is completing a mission for his estranged father. They agree to work together, but the plot is just a format for the wonderful chemistry between the protagonists. And, Carlyle, as we all know, made an 'A' in chemistry.
These are real, fleshed out characters, who meet and are strongly attracted to each other. But each carries a heavy burden from the past - not the usual silly misunderstandings that romance novels once gloried in - but real, human mistakes and regrets. Their repartee zings and their romance is hot and a bit more erotic than I was expecting from Carlyle. So be warned.
For the last few years several of my favorite romance/women's novelists have lost their edge; I sadly now have very few sure buy authors, but Carlyle is holding her own. Three cheers for Phae, Tristan, and Liz!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A pleasurable read with wonderful leading characters - though darker and more risque than I had expected! (3.5 stars), February 17, 2009
This review is from: Tempted All Night (Mass Market Paperback)
Tempted All Night is a very enjoyable read, though I was a little surprised by certain aspects of the book. There are some very dark undertones (sexual slavery) and some surprises that I wasn't quite expecting (bondage-domination ... which led to inconsistencies IMO - see spoilers for details), however it's a good historical romance read for a lazy afternoon. (Note: I haven't read Carlyle's latest books that involve overlapping characters but this was not an obstacle).
There are a lot of things that could be included in the following descriptions but that I would have to term spoilers. For those readers who like to know some things beforehand (like me, lol), I have included the spoiler details in the comments section. At first I had written them at the bottom of the review (clearly marked!!) but they were edited out by Amazon, so now they are easily avoidable for those who don't want to read them, and easily accessible for those who do.
CHARACTERS, Tristan and Phaedra ("Phae"):
Tristan Talbot (30) is a rake of the first order - he's a shameless flirt who literally beds every willing woman he meets. This wastrel devil-may-care facade, however, does hide a more serious side (still waters run deep type of thing) and Carlyle does a good job of writing this believably and making his feelings for and reaction to Phaedra read authentically. He's intelligent, witty, honorable, tender, passionate, sometimes deliciously possessive and jealous (his reaction at the card-game will have you grinning), and all in all completely sigh-inspiring - give me a Tristan any day!
Tristan is technically Lord Avoncliffe, since he's the son of the Earl of Hauxton, but he does not have a good relationship with his father and doesn't like to go by his title. His mother was of Mediterranean peasantry and though Hauxton married her, their marriage was not a happy one and ended in Tristan's youth. Though he's legitimate, one would almost think he wasn't by how he's treated by his extended family, his father, and society.
Lady Phaedra Northampton (21) is a great heroine - somewhat reserved but caring, intelligent, witty, likeable, and very easy to root for - all you want is for her to finally be happy. (I did find parts of her story/character very puzzling, but that's covered in the spoiler section at the end.) She's 21, though I found that I often had to remind myself that, since I felt she was written much older. I always love unusual heroines or the quiet-wallflowers, and Phaedra is this type - although 21 is hardly firmly on-the-shelf (even then!), she is the farthest thing from a social-butterfly, considers herself a bluestocking and unfashionable, hides behind plain gray gowns and spectacles, and is often wonderfully forthright and tart.
I felt that she was a good counterbalance to Tristan's wildness and their relationship was very believable; they have an intellectual and emotional/physical connection, are both wildly passionate and heartbreakingly tender with one another - it's really quite sweet (and I'm not the maudlin/corny type).
COMMENTS:
~ This book involves a mystery subplot - though action subplot would be more accurate, since there's not really the unknown-villain factor. On the whole it's written well, is interesting, and definitely moves the plot forward, but at the beginning of the book it takes too long for Carlyle to give us a picture of what is going on (that Missie is missing, Phaedra is looking for her, their connection to the first dead man, etc.).
~ The secondary characters are three-dimensional and well-written; not every relationship is tied up with a pretty bow at the end, and this gives a further feeling of authenticity to Carlyle's story and her hero and heroine's relationship.
~ A better proofreader was needed: there were typos, words missing or out of order, and consistency mistakes (at one point Tristan's title is raised to that of Earl Avoncliffe, before returning once more to Viscount).
~ I think that Tristan's proposal could have done with just the ring - leave the diamond and purple velvet handcuffs behind! That was too much for me, frankly ...
~ We don't know Phaedra's deep, dark secret for so long and maybe I'm just impatient, but I was annoyed by this; I kept on having to stop myself from skimming forward to find out what it was. Then, what the secret actually was didn't fit with other things in the story ... (click on the "Comments" link to read spoiler).
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really enjoyable read., March 15, 2009
This review is from: Tempted All Night (Mass Market Paperback)
I picked this book because of the good reviews it had gotten. I was not disappointed. I really enjoyed this book, even with the more erotic tone. I had not seen bondage in her works before, but it was not excessively done. I also thought it was strange that Phaedra, the heroine, was only 21 and acted way older. I guess with everything that happens to her at such a young age, only 15, it would make her mature very quickly. I really liked her character, and thought Tristan was a really good counterpart to her.
Also, I thought the epilogue was so touching, especially after the secret is revealed and we understand why she became a bluestocking. I really liked Tristan, I just did not like the mention of the other women he had bedded in the beginning. However, some authors do that, but throughout the book, the reader comes to see how deeply he comes to fall for Phaedra. It was really touching and well done of the author. I look forward for more, and can't wait for Zoe's story.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192250339_.gif){kind=small}
