Reviewer: Wendy Rucci
Title: Don't Tempt Me
Author: Loretta Chase
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-163266-2
Release Date: June 2009
Genre/Sub-genre: Historical Romance
Year/Setting: Regency England
Overall Rating: 4.0
Sexual Content Rating: Subtle
Language (Profanity/Slang) Content Rating: None
Violent Content Rating: Negligible
Loretta's Website/Blog: www.lorettachase.com
Don’t Tempt Me is the story of Zoe Octavia and her childhood "friend" Lucien de Grey. Zoe, always mischievous as a child, becomes friends with Lucien when she is five years old and he is ten. Zoe’s family helped to raise Lucien and his brother when their parents were killed when Lucien was only ten. When Zoe is twelve and traveling with her parents, she is kidnapped and sold into a harem. While Zoe’s family searched for her with no success, Zoe eventually is able to escape after being in a harem for twelve years.
Once Zoe has made her way home, she has to contend with how people have come to view her. She is known as the "harem girl," and her old friend Lucien has decided to try and help rid her of that reputation. Determined to find a suitable husband for Zoe, and trying to salvage her reputation, Lucien doesn’t immediately realize his own feelings for her. When he does realize his feelings, he tries his best to resist her.
Don’t Tempt Me was a very interesting Historical Romance. Zoey and Lucien were strong characters who were well suited to each other. Zoey is strong-willed and she and Lucien have a lively and clever friendship which leads to romance, once they realize that what they felt all those years ago has changed and matured into real romance.
The harem backstory was done tastefully and didn’t dwell on bad situations. While there was some sadness, the book also showed how Zoe had overcome her twelve years in captivity, and how she did it as a competent, intelligent woman. I enjoyed the banter between the main characters and the squabbling with the secondary characters made for many humorous moments.
Don’t Tempt Me is a very well written story which keeps your interest and a love story a little different than most romances of this sort.
Wendy
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