Lauren Royal: The Art of Temptation

The Art of Temptation: B+
Corinna Chase & Sean Delaney
Sweet Temptation series #3


Although he had a bevy of beautiful admirers, all Sean Delaney cared about was securing a divorce-for his sister, that is. That's why he was impersonating John Hamilton, her famous painter husband. It was the only way the rotter would agree to a divorce. Little did Sean realize that duping Hamilton's dying uncle would require the help of the very woman who could inspire him to get down on one knee... (amazon)

I really liked the premise of this book because I felt that it was really original. Sean Delaney is a hard-working man who was able to work his way “up” the ladder, something shunned by the British ton, yet something unable to ignore because of his wealth.

He also is a man with a heart, one who cares deeply about his family. When his younger sister’s husband proves to be a complete fruitcake, Sean tries to obtain a divorce for her. However, the idiot – who happens to be a very famous artist, refuses to divorce Sean’s sister unless Sean agrees to pose as him (the artist) in front of the douchebag’s very ill uncle.

Sean, wanting to strangle the man, agrees and meets Corinna, the youngest of the Chase sisters. She is an aspiring artist, wanting to get her paintings into the famous art museum, a difficult task that is exponentially harder for her because she is a female. When she meets Sean, he is under the guise of being the famous artist, one whom she adores.

Corinna chooses to paint Sean’s ailing “uncle,” and ends up being in close proximity with Sean. Fireworks go off, it sizzles, and all that jazz. However, what happens when it is revealed that Sean isn’t really the person he claims to be?

I loved Sean Delaney – what a hunky hunk with a huge heart. (Ooh, did you like the alliteration there?) He offers to masquerade as the fruitcake for his sister and when Corinna is in trouble, he immediately offers his assistance. What a gentleman! I also really enjoyed the ending, even though I predicted it down to the T.

It was a good, fast-paced, supremely easy read except for the fact that I really disliked it when Corinna kept on asking Sean for his kisses. It made her sound young, naïve (which she is, but that’s besides the point), and somewhat airheaded. It’s really inconsequential, I know, but for some reason, her asking for his kisses just really irked me. Other than that, this was the last of Royal’s Temptation series, so it had a lot of happiness regarding Corinna’s two older sisters.

Nothing too fancy schmancy – read for light pleasure.

Lauren Royal: Lost in Temptation

Lost in Temptation: C-
Sweet Temptation Series #1

Alexandra Chase & Tristan Nesbitt, Lord Hawkridge

The last time Lady Alexandra Chase saw Tristan Nesbitt, she was a teenager with a hopeless crush. Now, seven years later after meeting again, Alexandra discovers that her feelings for Tristan have not diminished. The one thing that has changed is that Tristan, with his sudden rise in station to Lord Hawkridge, is now a perfectly acceptable suitor. Then Tristan cruelly dashes all of Alexandra's romantic hopes by informing her that they can never wed since the scandal surrounding his sudden inheritance threatens to ruin any woman he marries. Despite what Tristan may think, Alexandra knows he is the only man for her, and she is determined to do whatever it takes to change his mind...

Boring and typical.

Alexandra Chase is beautiful, unoriginal, boring, and perfect. She has been in love with her older brother’s friend, Tristan Nesbitt, Lord Hawkridge, since she was a little girl. To her dismay, he left England to work for his Uncle at a plantation in an island place (Haiti? Jamaica?) Tristan sees Alexandra as the sister of his best friend.

Fast forward five years. He returns with a title because of the death of his uncle – and he comes back with a dark scandal. There are rumors that he murdered his uncle while he was abroad.

So he comes to Alexandra’s home, where she is getting courted. (Sadly, she didn’t get a full Season with the ton because her mother passes away, then her father, then her eldest brother, and then her grandma, all with a six-month interval. So they were in continual mourning for like four years…)

Her older brother, Griffin, needs help with irrigating his vineyard, something their eldest brother wanted to do but passed away before being able to do so. Luckily, Tristan has invented some special pump to irrigate water upwards, defying gravity, and he stays at their home to create the mold and to build it.

There is the forbidden attraction between them two – since Tristan refuses to court Alexandra, even though they both have feelings for each other because of the scandal that is following Tristan (he’s shunned by the ton).

But they are caught in a compromising situation (dang, a lot of these things happened back in the olden days…) while Tristan is sleep-walking and they get married! Alexandra is determined to solve the case of Tristan’s uncle’s death so that Tristan is able to have a clean slate…

If you don’t know what happens in the end, everything gets solved and they live happily ever after. (LOL)

I enjoyed the last book of the series, The Art of Temptation, more than this one. Alexandra is a bit boring and even a little irksome when she is so determined to get Tristan. It’s an admirable character trait – going after something you want – but somehow, it didn’t work well for her.

You can also see the start of Griffin and Rachael’s story (which I already knew how it ended, not that it would have ended any other way). Alexandra’s sisters, Julianna and Corinna, are introduced and play cute roles in setting Alexandra and Tristan up. However, Julianna sounds super nosy (she is described as being so) and I don’t know if I’d like her as a heroine. Corinna, I liked.

Read for not-that-great fluff. You won’t get much else.