Now a wealthy widow, Lady Harriet Wingham faces a passionate temptation in the person of Lord Tenby, the man whose scandalous seduction she had once resisted and who now wants her again--but as a mistress, not a wife.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous, sexy, heartwrenching story!,
This review is from: Tempting Harriet (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)
I first 'met' Archie and Harriet in DANCING WITH CLARA. Harriet was a naive, young, paid companion to Clara. Archie was an heir to a dukedom and Freddie's rakish friend. He was immediately taken with Harriet and twice offered to make her his mistress. Harriet, although very attracted to Archie, refused because she was a virtuous young woman.TEMPTING HARRIET begins six years later. Harriet is now Lady Harriet Wingham, a 28-year-old widow and mother. Archie is still a rake, but he is also the Duke of Tenby. He decides, at 32, to do his "duty" and find himself a wife. He goes to London for the Season to check out the marriage mart. At a ball, he sees Harriet dancing and can't beleive his eyes. Neither can Harriet. She is no longer a naive girl with no experience and is again extremely tempted by Archie. She becomes his mistress, despite the fact that it pricks her conscience. He takes her as his mistress, despite the fact that he loves her and wants to offer her marriage. But he knows he cannot 'lower' himself to marry a mere widow of a baron. I don't want to give anything away. Suffice it to say that what follows is a very emotional, heartbreaking, wonderful, satisfying read. Mary Balogh always writes fleshed-out, 3-dimensional main and secondary characters. This books comes very highly recommended from this reader.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Gem,
By
This review is from: Tempting Harriet (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)
Reading Mary Balogh is like observing a Minuet. Her language is precise, starkly simple, intricate, and stately. Her English is "English", not "American". Her characters are carefully and slowly drawn and, unusual in Romance, have flaws. Tempting Harriet is one of Balogh's best.
Tempting Harriet examines two themes: virtue and family duty. Both moral precepts are almost irrelevant in today's America. When Regency Romance heroines encounter sexual temptation, the girl almost always lustily gives in. She either miraculously avoids pregnancy or he marries her. When love gets in the way of family duty, duty is quickly disregarded. This seems natural to 21st century readers. But such behavior was unthinkable to people living in the early 19th century. Tempting Harriet revolves around the conflicts and agony of living up to the standards of the early 19th century. Balogh meticulously portrays her characters' agonies, loves, and sorrows. The reader is drawn into that long ago world and becomes totally involved in a story which could not occur today. I loved Tempting Harriet and I have never met a Mary Balogh book I didn't like.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Heartwrenching and truly beautiful,
By
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This review is from: Tempting Harriet (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)
Mary Balogh almost cannot write anything short of an excellent story. I loved this book, and rate it among Balogh's best in the Signet regency genre. Tenby and Harriet are wonderful characters, whom I liked from the moment I encountered them in these pages; I gather they previously appeared in `Dancing with Clara,' but since I can't get that book I haven't read it. The story of how Harriet ends up as Tenby's mistress even though he had actually intended to propose to her is beautifully done, and then their first encounter as lovers is so bitter-sweet I nearly cried. They both love each other, but are determined that love cannot come into such a relationship, therefore they make love without emotion, not daring to allow their feelings to show at all.We also have Tenby's grandmother, determined that he needs to make a suitable match (and the daughter of a country parson and widow of a baronet, which is what Harriet is, is by no means suitable for a duke); we have Tenby's own sense of duty which leads him to court another woman despite loving Harriet and having her as his mistress; and thank heavens for the interfering great-aunt! This book came close to being a tear-jerker on many occasions: Balogh is wonderful at angst, star-crossed lovers and seemingly impossible situations. And just when a resolution seems impossible, Balogh pulls a happy ending almost out of the blue. Another thing I like about Balogh's writing is that her characters are all real, human in every way. She never writes people as pure black or pure white: even the suitable wife for Tenby is a woman I felt I could like as a character, rather than being the grasping seeker after a title that this kind of character might have been in a book by another writer. I entirely recommend this book; it's a keeper and will be joining my other well-read Baloghs on my bookshelf.
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