Review: Treacherous Temptations
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 26, 2013
Fans of historical romances do not want to miss Victoria Vane's Treacherous Temptations. With just a hint of intrigue, it is a deliciously sensual romance between an innocent young woman and a rather debauched nobleman. A truly delightful story that is fast paced with a beautifully developed cast of characters that I greatly enjoyed.Mary Elizabeth Edwardes is an heiress to a vast fortune and her unscrupulous guardian, Sir Richard Fiske, has decided it is time for her to marry. Content to live in obscurity at her country home, Mary is a fish out of water in London but she knows she must follow Sir Richard's dictates. Inexperienced with men, but far from naive, she is quite intelligent, resigned to her fate and no match for the seductive and worldly Lord Hadley Blanchard.Following the scandal that stripped him of his fortune and title, Hadley has been living abroad for several years. His years working as a spy have not quenched his desire for revenge nor his need to reclaim his family's estates and clear his family's name. When fate steps in and lends a hand in his quest for vengeance against Sir Richard, Hadley eagerly begins his seduction of the innocent Mary. But the seducer becomes the seduced when Hadley begins to fall for the beguiling beauty.A stellar cast of villainous characters fully rounds out this fast paced story. Barbara, Hadley's stepmother, is depraved, cunning and manipulative. Sir Richard is greedy, corrupt and calculating. Lord Barnesley plays a small but key role in the Barbara and Richard's wicked plan to gain control of Mary's fortune.Ms. Vane always does a stellar job of redeeming her male characters and Lord Hadley is no exception. It is easy to sympathize with Hadley once we learn the truth about his past. By the time he returns to England, Hadley has begun to have second thoughts about his activities, and he no longer thinks the end justifies the means. His transformation from dissolute rake with a fervent need for revenge to a caring man who puts Mary's welfare before his own is incredibly moving and heartwarming.A novel with depth and substance, an intriguing plot and some very steamy lovemaking, Treacherous Temptations is another captivating romance from Victoria Vane. A little darker than her previous works, this beautiful story of betrayal, redemption and love is not to be missed by anyone who enjoys well-researched Historical romances.I received a complimentary copy for review.