Customer Reviews

Tempted All Night

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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).

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.

I'm sorry to say I disagree with the other reviewers. Tempted All Night is merely average, certainly not worthy of the 5 stars they give this. I think that the dearth of good historical romances these days brought out the positive reviews. Yes, this is slightly better than the boring pap flooding the market, but Tempted All Night is not the masterpiece they're making it sound. I found Phaedra to be a very average heroine. She is a carbon copy of so many other female characters I've read over the years. Tristan is better drawn, but certainly nothing special. These characters don't stand out as original in the romance genre. The plot is somewhat compelling...I enjoyed the mystery. However, I didn't like the S & M overtones, as though Phaedra can only like sex when she's being bound or controlled. Yuck. Liz Carlyle is a pretty good writer. But, this is not staying on my keeper shelf. It's going to the used book store tomorrow.

A Russian businessman in London is stabbed in the back, stumbles through door of a curio shop, and collapses dead at the feet of Lady Phaedra Northampton. Phaedra professes to know nothing of the man, but the British Foreign Office wants to question her because of the man's possible spy connections. The Earl of Hauxton, a top gun at the British Home Office, would ordinarily investigate such matters that involved a member of the British aristocracy. Unfortunately, he is on his deathbed and so entrusts the task to his idle and womanizing son Tristan, Lord Avoncliffe.

Despite outward appearances, Tristan has a good mind and good instincts and, in interviewing Phaedra, he suspects she is hiding something (which she is, just not anything treacherous). Phaedra definitely intrigues him, and not just about her possible connection to the dead Russian. There is something incongruous about the drably dressed and bookish Phaedra and the very feminine and passionate woman he senses just beneath. So, scoundrel that he is, he steals a kiss upon leaving. And, fool that she is, Phaedra lets him. And so begins a moving tale of love and intrigue, with a most unlikely pairing. For Phaedra is strangely intent on remaining single, and Tristan avoids marriageable young misses at all costs...that is, until now.

This is a good book with a first-rate cast, including some returning characters from Carlyle's first novels who have now grown up. The story is stirring, provocative and intense...yet not without levity. There are compromised state secrets, an unsolved murder, a lethal enemy, a missing friend, and - most profoundly - Phaedra's heartwrenching history and its aftermath. And through it all is a sprinkling of humor, some sparkling discourse, and a wonderful flirtation between the leads. Tristan is a treasure of a hero and his chemistry with Phaedra is perfect. There is an odd moment or two when, at a dangerous brothel known for its horrific sexual practices, Phaedra and Tristan jokingly/longingly discuss the sex toys and pornography on display. Also, the bondage scenes between them are sometimes a bit clinical, as Phaedra works through her hang-ups, with Tristan in the role of shrink. But this is more than made up for by their relationship as a whole...which is super. And the ending is extremely cute and very romantic.

The heroine of this book, among other things, ruined Tempted All Night for me. Lady Phaedra Northampton creates a poor impression from the very start, making snap judgments about others' intelligence and congratulating herself on her own intellectual superiority. This includes Zoe Armstrong, a character whose own book is, I'm sure, in the works, but who for now gets to play Phaedra's sidekick. For some reason, Zoe takes it upon herself to befriend Phaedra even though she's such a downer. Zoe is fun and flirtatious and likes pretty clothes. This, in Phaedra's book, means she is stupid and frivolous. Even when Phaedra condescends so far as to admit that Zoe might, just might, be smart enough to join her in her lofty, lonely erudition, Phaedra is still so judgmental, so uptight, so full of herself, such a prig. Zoe, in contrast, is just a nice human being, and Phaedra really doesn't deserve her as a friend.

Nor does she deserve the hero of the story, Tristan Talbot. Instead of being snide in thought alone, Phaedra calls him an idiot to his face the minute she meets him. She puts me in mind of a bitter unpopular girl despising all the pretty cheerleaders and jocks - a jealousy that all the more glaringly shows up her immaturity for drawing such superficial distinctions in the first place. If she weren't enough of a cliché already, she also has a really bad whore/Madonna complex. She's the proper, repressed, bluestocking heroine hiding from society because she's ashamed of her "strong passions." Her dowdiness is a deliberate façade, a retreat from life and her sexuality. She can put herself down all she wants, but could she not offend other people while she's at it, please? Her false modesty really got on my nerves, the poorly hidden conceit that even though she *gasp* wears glasses, and gray dresses, and is cursed, CURSED I tell you, with big boobs, she's better than everyone else around her. She's the most passive aggressively judgmental heroine I've ever seen

I kept waiting for Phaedra to get a wake up call, or to improve upon closer acquaintance perhaps, but even the eventual revelation of her sob story, as tragic as it was, couldn't help flesh her out into a relatable character. Rather it made her seem just a little unhinged into the bargain. Her traumatic past allegedly provides the motivation for her actions throughout the book, the secret rescue mission that she's on while in London trying to avoid going to parties, dressing nicely, and enjoying herself. The explanation is pretty flimsy, and even less satisfactory in light of the acts of stupidity to which it drives Phaedra - skulking around a whore house run by a crazy Russian spy and capering about dangerous areas of the city at night. And I'm supposed to believe she's smart. The only proofs of her intelligence are vague references to reading a lot, and, of course, her own assertions.

Phaedra's oblivious, misguided bleeding heart places her in Tristan's path, because, at the bequest of his dying father, a top government official, he's investigating the same crazy Russian spy's brothel. Tristan is a very well developed character. His troubled relationship with his father is particularly moving. Tristan puts on a kind of Scarlet Pimpernel show - more fool Phaedra for falling for it - but the depth to his character is clear and compelling. The espionage plot, in contrast, is very threadbare, contrived, and awkward, especially when Phaedra just has to get involved, i.e. get in the way. Even though I like Tristan well enough, he can't carry the whole book, hampered as it is by its flawed plot, cookie cutter villain, and annoying heroine, on his muscley shoulders. The romance, of course, suffers as well as a result - especially when Phaedra, in addition to her pathetic attempts at saving someone who doesn't want saved, decides the role of martyr suits her just fine as well. So she has to push Tristan away for the usual stupid reasons - he doesn't know what he wants, he doesn't really love her, she is unworthy. It's such a load of drama and nonsense. I wash my hands of it. This review has, obviously, been little more than Phaedra bashing, but seriously, I couldn't stand her. If you can put up with her, though, Tempted All Night might have a better chance with you than it did with me.

I really ended up enjoying this book. It was by no means perfect, or even a favorite Carlyle, but I was pleased. I liked how I didn't really know what was going on at first. We (the reader) found out what Phaedra's involvement in the murdered Russian was at the same time as Tristan did. It was a definite change of pace from the more introspective characters.

Phaedra was a well written character. I liked how she was mature and not as needy as a lot of other romance heroines. I enjoyed watching Tristan have to be the one to ask when he'll get to see her again. Her `let's keep it casual' attitude toward Tristan was a nice change of pace. I didn't have a problem with the kinks Tristan found out she had, but I thought it got a little too clinical at times. I wish it would have been a bit more engaging and a little less dry. I was also surprised by her aggressiveness toward Tristan when I found out about her past tragedy. The tragedy was unexpected. Usually I can predict what so-called past tragedy an author is going to assign to a character, but this one was different. I can honestly say I don't think I've ever seen it used before.

I did have a minor nitpick about Phaedra's characterization though. She makes a comment about not being sure that Tristan was the drunken gentleman she met in the beginning of the book. It says that she couldn't be sure because she didn't have her glasses on. Later Phoebe mocks her to Zoe (Phaedra's friend) and says Phaedra only wears her glasses to look smarter than everyone else and only needs them to read. Throughout later parts of the story she goes without her glasses and doesn't have any problems seeing. I found it odd that she would comment to herself on her need for her glasses but then never really need them.

Tristan was an interesting character. I have to say, I have a weakness for characters that are thought to be empty-headed but are really very clever. It always makes me feel as though I'm in on the joke. I thought Tristan was a lot of fun. He was up for whatever anyone wanted to throw at him. If you wanted to fight, he'd fight. If you wanted to make out, he was ready. If you wanted to think he was an idiot, he was more than happy to let you. He just seemed so casual and willing to go with the flow. It made him fun to read about. I wasn't really impressed with his willingness to make out with every set of lips that crossed his path (even if most of them ended up being Phaedra in one form or another) but it was in the beginning of the story and it's just a personal dislike. It was easy to get past.

I liked that Tristan never resolved things with his father. I thought that was more realistic than a sudden father-son bonding moment where they forget all their past troubles. I would have thought less of Tristan if he would have made up with his father when his father was never sorry about how he treated his mother.

I found it odd that Phaedra had so much freedom. I know that her mother focused on Phoebe mostly, but it really seemed a little unbelievable. I kept forgetting that Phaedra was 21 and was startled whenever it was brought up. On one hand it was nice that she acted so mature. I can't even remember how many books I have given up on because the characters acted too immature and irritated the life out of me. On the other hand I really don't think that she acted 21. Maybe her past made her grow up in a hurry. I don't know... It was just a jarring note whenever it was mentioned.

Overall it was a good book. I had some minor nitpicks, but they were easily ignored. I would say it was a good representation of Liz Carlyle's work. The world building isn't too detailed, but the characters caught my attention enough that it didn't matter to me. The prose isn't nuanced and doesn't really give a flavor of the time period, but there's something to be said for to the point prose. I'll be on the lookout for the next one in the series.

I could hardly wait to finish this book, not because I felt the story or characters, but because it was boring. I hung in there until about midway through hoping Carlyle could pull all the elements together. No such luck. Although I enjoyed Carlyle's earlier books, I find her more recent romances to be tedious. The spy story was poorly woven into the romance. The character's lives and choices never felt quite believable. And I find the use of other characters from earlier novels did nothing to advance the plot.

Awash in regency romances that have become fare too formulaic of late, like Temptation and Surrender: A Cynster Novel, reading Tempted All Night was like grabbing a life-line! Yes, we've met a few of the principal character's relations before, but this book ads to the previous books it alludes to rather than merely standing on them. For once, the love scenes were FAR from formulaic and the plight of Lady Phaedra Northhampton brought tears to my eyes when it was revealed. I looked forward to reading this again every time I was forced to put it down. A good, solid read for summer.

In 1830 London Lady Phaedra Northampton's quest to locate a missing woman Millie abruptly halts when Gorsky the Russian she sought to obtain information from is dead with a knife in his back. Rake Viscount Tristan Talbot also searched for the same dead Russian as a death bed wish he gave to his estranged father who begged him to complete his last Foreign Intelligent Office mission.

When Phaedra and Tristan meet, the attraction has both shocked though she denies the feelings having given up on attraction following a scandal. Tristan fears his reaction because he is the son of a failed marriage between his dying dad and a mom his father refuses to speak about. They have a common goal to solve the murder of the Russian, but differing hidden agendas; hers is to find the missing female from her village and his to please his father. Love is a hindrance to each.

This exhilarating early nineteenth century amateur sleuth romantic suspense thriller grips the audience due to the baggage both lead characters carry as they investigate their connected cases and fall in love. Phaedra has a past that makes it difficult for her to trust while Tristan wants to reconcile with his dad. Fans will enjoy their antics as both are used to hanging out with their servants rather than the Ton. Love is a pain in the butt for this pair, but the desire is overwhelming.

Harriet Klausner