15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A GEM OF A REGENCY ROMANCE - NOT TO BE MISSED!, March 17, 2009
This review is from: Tempted By His Kiss (Mass Market Paperback)
Lord Cade Byron is a recluse. His days fighting in the Peninsula are over due to the injuries he sustained while being tortured by the French spy Le Renard. His days are filled with pain and regret. Regret because during his torture by Le Renard and his henchmen, his fiancé's family was brutally murdered and she was tortured, raped and killed right before his eyes.
Three years later, he languishes in his state - in a drunken stupor or dispensing heavy doses of laudanum - trying to keep the pain of his shattered leg at bay and the demons of his nightmares away.
In the middle of a blizzard, Meg Amberley arrives at Cade's estate seeking shelter from the snowstorm. Cade adamantly refuses to give her asylum as all he wants is solitude. Meg convinces him to give her and her maid shelter. Unfortunately for Cade, the blizzard lasts for days with the roads quite impassable and Meg is forced to remain for two weeks at his home, unable to travel on to her aunt's in Scotland.
Meg cajoles the taciturn Cade to come down and dine with her; after many rebukes and growling on his part he concedes. After a few dinners, chess games and walks, Cade is taken with the intelligent, outspoken and beautiful Meg. During a walk after being cooped up in the house, Cade kisses Meg. He is horrified and flees into the house because he still feels tremendous guilt over the death and torture of his fiancé.
TEMPTED BY HIS KISS is a marvelous Regency - with a touch of mystery and plenty of romance. Reminiscent of Jo Goodman, Eloisa James and Mary Balogh, Tracy Anne Warren creates a magnificent story, while building the relationship between Meg and Cade - who are supposedly "engaged". Cade insists she's in London during the season to catch a husband, after she cries off their engagement. All he wants to do is return to his life of solitary confinement, as he is still caught up in terrible self-recriminations and guilt over his fiancé's death. However, once in London with his family Cade begins to realize how much he has missed them and how much he enjoys Meg's company. His attraction for Meg is quickly mounting, as he can't keep his hands off his "fiancé".
With a touch of espionage, as Cade immediately recognizes Le Renard as the man who tortured him and not the revered war hero, Lord Everrett returning for the Ton's accolades.
With a fabulous cast of carachters, (Cade's brother's are all sexy and intriguing), great dialogue and witty repartee, beautiful balls and plenty of sensual romance (Cade succumbs to Meg's allure as the two have clandestine, midnight, steamy rendezvous in Meg's bedchamber!), and including a cleverly disguised villainous spy - this is a not to be missed Regency romance!!! I loved this book and will be eagerly awaiting to read about Cade's libertine brother, Jack who has his own story coming out in September 2009 - SEDUCED BY IS TOUCH.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Decent but not as good as the second novel, December 7, 2009
This review is from: Tempted By His Kiss (Mass Market Paperback)
I actually read
Seduced By His Touch first not knowing it was part of a trilogy (the third book is due out January 1, 2010) and really liked that book -- it was unusual for a romance novel to have a readable plot along with the romance.
So I was very curious to read the first book. Though it is a solid effort, it was not as good as the first and had I actually read it first, I might not have continued on with the series. The premise of their "fake engagement" is so weak, in my opinion that it virtually spoiled the rest of the story. I found myself thinking "THAT is how little it takes to 'compromise' a womans' virtue? Amazing everyone wasn't married by the age of 10 if that was all it took"
The second novel starts out with the marriage of Cade and Meg but they are given very little "face time" in the second novel so you don't know what they are like at all or the turmoil they went through to get to that point. In fact, in the second novel, Meg almost seems like your normal mousy Regency-era wife.
However, since this book is completely about Meg and Cade's romance it was interesting to have the "gaps" from the first book filled in. However, while the author stayed away from some of the repetitive patterns in Meg and Cade's relationship, there also just didn't seem to be quite the "spark" or "conflict" that provided some suspense about the end. Everything was a bit of a forgone conclusion -- even if the characters themselves pretended not to know.
It was still a decent read and once again, Meg's character is not the "norm" for what you would expect females of that era to be... though Cade tends to be your typical "brooding" type who begrudgingly falls in love.
All in all, while enjoyable, it just didn't have the same quality of the second book. I would still recommend reading it as an introduction to the series. However, it isn't quite as special as a stand-alone story as the second book is.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally!!! A great RECOMMENDED new release! 4.5 Stars, March 17, 2009
This review is from: Tempted By His Kiss (Mass Market Paperback)
I was so excited to get several HR new releases at once only to be really disappointed when I began reading them. I couldn't even get through them..I will eventually but I was craving a good book. I was so happy when I picked up this book and discovered I was unable to put it down. The hero and heroine truly needed one another and watching them love one another was so enjoyable. Fate brings the injured and physically and emotionally battered hero together with the lonely heroine. The hero believes he is incapable of loving another because of his history and the heroine realizes his heart is unavailable. And yet, the two cannot stay away from one another. The story is strong from the beginning on. The end was a little bit typical in it's climax, but still very enjoyable overall, and a recommended read. I can't wait to read the rest in this series!!!!
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