The Templar’s Seduction by Mary Reed McCall
The final book in the Templar Trilogy (Beyond Temptation and Sinful Pleasures) by Mary Reed McCall is the story of Sir Alexander de Ashby, who starts off in a spot of trouble. Alex is heading north to the Highlands of Scotland to hide away from the world and his less than noble past. He’s caught by an English Earl attempting to sell Templar treasure and is sentenced to hang.
The Earl offers an exchange however. Alex can go if he impersonates the late Earl of Marston, convince the inhabitants of the lord’s castle on the Border he’s Marston, so that he can relate weaknesses back to the Englishman. If he doesn’t, Alex’s friend Sir John, who was also captured, will suffer for every mistake Alex makes.
Alex makes it into the castle and has a hard time convincing Marston’s widow, Lady Elizabeth, but he manages to and falls in love with her. He feels guilty about deceiving her, especially after he learns the trials she has been through to defend her home against both English and Scottish sieges.
Elizabeth is wary at first, she doesn’t believe it is truly her husband, but she is convinced after Alex tells her things that she thinks only her husband would know. She continues with her life, but now with her husband back in it. Unfortunatly, others are still plotting to take Beth’s castle and her hand, with whatever force necessary.
Alex is definitely a flawed character. He’s always been out for survival of himself and thinks of no other, and runs away from the noble cause, even as a Templar. It is definitely an uphill battle to show any sort of redeeming characteristics in such a person, but McCall makes it work. As Alex falls for Beth, he feels guilty and ashamed about how he’s deceiving an honest, intelligent, and caring woman for his own survival.
Beth is all of those things, but even when her instincts are telling her something, she ignores them and believes what she wants to hear. When Alex finally faces up to his crimes, she takes the choice she thinks is necessary to be able to continue with Alex by her side. It seems a little desperate to me, considering she’s been strong and independent enough to defend her castle from various attacks by different groups of people.
Using the Templars as a plot point, I think, is what made this book special. They’re a mysterious group and one does have to wonder about what happened to them after the mass arrests and imprisonments in France. What happened if some of them escaped, especially with the treasures and secrets the Templar Knights where rumored to keep. I’m a sucker for a what if? story.
Though I felt this story was well written, had good characters, and a different premise, there was that little spark that was lacking for me. It took me a couple of days to get through this book. There was enough good things there for me to want to finish it, but it just took a bit longer than I expected.
Grade: C
