Review: Story of Beta hero superbly told
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 16, 2013
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a man of sound moral character must be dull and, as such, is often relegated to the role of a friend to the hero or the heroine in a run-of-the-mill romance novel. Not so in Tempting Bella.His apparent dislike of the typical gentlemanly pursuits of gambling, drinking, and bedsport notwithstanding, Sebastian Stanhope is everything a romance hero should be - smart, charming, handsome, honorable, and incredibly exciting... because there's so much more to the man beneath the straight-laced facade than it seems. He prides himself on being in control of his life, doing his duty by his family, his wife, her estate, and his business interests. And it is wonderfully gratifying to 'witness' his orderly existence unraveled by his willful wife.Harboring under misconceptions about her husband, Bella rebels against the arranged marriage and the men who'd brought it about. She struggles to reconcile her impression of Sebastian with the real man she comes to know and hits more than one roadblock.But what I enjoyed most about the story, is the gradual development of love and trust between the hero and heroine. With the initial misunderstanding nearly derailing Sebastian's hopes for contentment in the marriage, the two ultimately find their happiness. Oh, and the last scene in the book made my top ten list of best endings in a romance novel.If you haven't read the first book in the series -Seducing Charlotte (Entangled Scandalous)- you don't have to, but I don't think you ought to deny yourself the pleasure.