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Liked It “I stayed up until 3:30am reading this book on Friday. It was just that good. Certainly not a book that is light and fluffy, but so excellent that you feel as though you have eating a ten course meal instead of a sweet, tasty cupcake. Erith is not what I would call a nice guy. He's selfish and...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “This book didn't engage my interest even though I like sex scenes and healing from abuse. A third of the way into it, I starting skimming, reading only the dialog just to see how it ends and even then I was disappointed.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“This book didn't engage my interest even though I like sex scenes and healing from abuse. A third of the way into it, I starting skimming, reading only the dialog just to see how it ends and even then I was disappointed.”
Dawn sends Seasons Greetings to all! wrote this review Friday, November 6 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I tried 3-4 times to finish this book and even made it 2/3s of the way through before giving up. I did not like either of the leads nor their constant bickering. And I couldn't get over the fact that the heroine chose to become the hero's mistress (and demanded he pay a lot for the privilege) yet didn't feel the need to treat him with much kindness. Not that he was all that likable...”
Lea AAR wrote this review Saturday, March 28 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“ I stayed up until 3:30am reading this book on Friday. It was just that good. Certainly not a book that is light and fluffy, but so excellent that you feel as though you have eating a ten course meal instead of a sweet, tasty cupcake. Erith is not what I would call a nice guy. He's selfish and blunt and doesn't work too hard to observe social niceties. He lives for his own desires, and goes where he wants to go, always drifting, and leaving nothing behind that he regrets despite the many mistresses that he's cast aside. He's abandoned his children, out of grief when his wife died, but abandoned all the same for sixteen plus years. He's had more mistresses than he could count, and he doesn't have honorable intentions towards our heroine, Olivia. The interesting thing is that his behavior is consider more socially acceptable than Olivia. It's one of the hypocritical aspects of society that never fails to irritate me. A woman is no good when she is forced to take lovers to support herself. Yet a man can have as many lovers as he wants and no one blinks an eye, as long as he's semi-discreet and doesn't marry a woman who has a past.
gatadelafuente wrote this review Tuesday, February 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I must admit it took me a long time to warm up to Erith. I felt he was a selfish man who didn't really understand what loving was, or he forgot when he lost his wife at a young age. He thought that his desire to give Olivia pleasure and trinkets was a act of generosity to be thanked for. He doesn't understand that his actions could make things even worse for Olivia when he decides he's had his fill of her. On the other hand, I loved Olivia from the beginning. I find it heartbreaking that a woman would have to sell her body for a living. The thought of it just sticks in my craw. But I would never hold that against a woman. Olivia was a strong, capable, likable person. She hated men, and she had a lot of reason to hate men. Yet you never get the impression that she's deliberately cruel or even thoughtless. What was done to her was pretty lousy, and it was done by a person who should have taken care of her and cherished her. And even Erith, who declared his love, had to almost lose her to do the right thing by her. That's why I just about washed my hands of him. But the truth is, we don't really get to choose who we love. We are ordained by fate to love people, more than we want to. That's what happens to Olivia and Erith. He didn't want to fall in love again after his wife died. He just wanted to exhaust his obsession and lust for Olivia, who he hears is the greatest courtesan of all time and who he must have because of her reputation, but he does end up falling for her. And that's not the end of his journey, for this man has to learn that love is about giving up one's self and putting another person's needs first. That's what true love is. It's not just giving when it's easy or when it costs little. Love is giving up things that a person considers most important for the person who is loved.
Dark and compelling, this is a book that isn't a fun read. But it's a wonderful story that will stay on the mind, challenge the reader to explore different kinds of characters whose motivations aren't pure or demure, and don't exist in the pretty ballrooms and sitting rooms of a Jane Austen novel. These characters live on the fringe of that same society, where the light is dimmer, and their choices are drearier. Perhaps Olivia could have been Emma, or Elinore, or Jane, or Lizzy, yet she doesn't get to live in protected circumstances or genteel poverty. Instead she's a woman who received a very poor hand of cards to play, and did the best she could under the circumstances. And Erith is no Darcy or Captain Brandon. But still, I am glad that Ms. Campbell told us their story.”
“Very mature book. A very different style than what I am used to, but enjoyable none the less. There's no denying the chemistry between the two main characters. ”
Robyn A wrote this review Saturday, January 31 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Great book!!!”
Joanne B wrote this review Thursday, March 5 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Joyfully Recommended for December 2008
gnat65 wrote this review Sunday, December 21 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Olivia Raines is one of the most famous courtesans England has ever known. Every man who has ever tasted her charms has come away from her feeling nothing but complete satisfaction. Looking for another benefactor, Olivia strives to keep her demeanor passive without giving in to the utter feeling of helplessness that she feels each time she has to find a new lover. Looking bored and anything but inviting, Olivia notices Julian Southwood, the Earl of Erith and if his eyes are any indication, he has noticed her as well. Olivia is tired of being a fallen woman and while Erith wants her to be his mistress, she knows they will never suit. She has learned too often and too hard that men are not to be trusted – least of all men who buy her favors. She doesn’t count on Julian Southwood being the one man in which she forgets herself and falls in love.
The Earl of Erith, Julian Southwood, is back in England for his daughter’s wedding. Having spent the time abroad since his wife’s death, he has returned to London to reconnect with his children. When he sees Olivia Raines across the room, Erith knows right then and there that she will be his next mistress. Convincing her of that fact takes a bit longer, but Erith prevails. The terms are negotiated and Erith finds himself with a mistress, albeit a reluctant one. When he follows Olivia to a secret appointment, he finds out just what makes this beautiful, but often emotionless, woman tick. Now all he has to do is convince her that he is unlike any one else she has ever known.
While Olivia was gentle born, her status as a highly regarded and sought after courtesan closed doors to her that would have been open had she been anyone else. Erith, still feeling guilt over his wife’s death, fled the ton and in doing that, he alienated his family. All too late, both characters realize that while they love each other, their love can never be seen and accepted in London society. I could feel the love Erith felt for Olivia, even when he was being a ‘blockhead’… his terms, not mine. Olivia was harder to grasp, but the more I read, the more I could see the emotional toil life had taken on her. It shaped her into the untrusting, and often times secretive, woman that she was.
Third time is definitely the charm! Anna Campbell’s third novel, Tempt the Devil, allows her talent as a writer of historical romance to shine. Amid the glittering ballrooms and streets of London, Anna Campbell took me back to a time when society dictated what was proper and what was not. Tempt the Devil evoked in me such intense emotions that at times I felt I was right there in the novel. I cried – quite possibly more than Olivia - and several times I even fought despair. I got angry with Erith when he would run off at the mouth and wound with his thoughtless words. But most of all, I smiled when, amidst all the chaos that was their lives, Olivia and Erith found true love. Anna Campbell is definitely an author to watch and I have no choice but to Joyfully Recommend Tempt the Devil. It was simply stunning.
**Talia Ricci for Joyfully Reviewed**”
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