Shannon C.’s review of To Taste Temptation by Elizabeth Hoyt
Historical romance released by Grand Central 1 May 08

Somehow, despite the fact that everyone in the blogosphere absolutely adored Elizabeth Hoyt’s Prince trilogy, I had never read her until now. I’m so glad I chose to start here, because the story in To Taste Temptation is wonderful, with interesting, nuanced characters, a captivating plot, and a great love story.

I was mentioning in a discussion on a yahoo group I am on that one of the books I couldn’t finish recently was one involving an American heiress and an English rake. For some reason, that plot device struck me as totally cliched, even though I can’t recall actually having read any books with that premise. And yet I loved the idea of our hero, Samuel Hartley, being an American. Emeline Gordon, our heroine, on the other hand, does not. She finds him extremely gauche, what with his insistence on wearing moccasins and his tendency to flout the rules of polite society whenever he feels like it. And yet, she is intrigued enough to accept his request that she help introduce his sister, Rebecca, into society.

Sam is in England for other reasons entirely from that of introducing his sister to society. He is haunted by memories of the French and Indian war, when his regiment was attacked and slaughtered by Wyandott Indians. He ran from the battle, which has caused many people to consider him a coward and a deserter. He hasn’t answered those allegations until now, and now he wants to find the person he has reason to believe betrayed the regiment and bring them to justice so that he can put his own demons to rest.

I absolutely loved both Emeline and Sam. Sam in particular is the stronger character here, and Hoyt does a good job of portraying the horrors he goes through with his memories of war and what he does to combat his demons. My heart broke for him several times, and at the same time I was relieved that his angst didn’t cripple him.

Emeline is a good character, too, although I confess she didn’t quite work so well for me. I loved that she loved her son, (yet another happy, fulfilled widow YAY!), and when her own issues come out, they were completely understandable, but for a while there I really honestly didn’t get what Sam saw in her. She really had a stick up her arse through a large part of the book. But in the end, when Sam and Emeline come together, their passion is intense and explosive. Further, I believed in their HEA, because their dark moment before the end was fairly bleak and full of emotion.

I also liked the secondary characters. In particular, I loved the glimpses of Sam’s sister, Rebecca, and hope something comes of the crush she develops on a second character. I also really liked Emeline’s fiance. In most books he would have been a complete jackass, but here he was a great character, one I hope we see more of as the series progresses.

The story moves quickly, and I was engaged from first to last, and rooting for them all the way. I’m not entirely sure I was satisfied with the ending, because I wanted a full confession from the villain and not just an assurance that justice would be dealt with, but I suppose that’s where the next books in the series can pick up.

I am glad I decided to give Ms. Hoyt a try. This is definitely a series I will be following.

Grade: B+

     Summary: 

     EVEN THE MOST REFINED LADY
     Lady Emeline Gordon is the model of sophistication in London’s elite social circles, always fashionable and flawlessly appropriate. As such, she is the perfect chaperone for Rebecca, the young sister of a successful Boston businessman and former Colonial soldier.

     CRAVES AN UNTAMED MAN
     Samuel Hartley may be wealthy, but his manners are as uncivilized as the American wilderness he was raised in. Who wears moccasins to a grand ball? His arrogant disregard for propriety infuriates Emeline, even as his boldness excites her.

     TO RELEASE HER PASSION…
     But beneath Samuel’s rakish manner, he is haunted by tragedy. He has come to London to settle a score, not to fall in love. And as desperately as Emeline longs to feel this shameless man’s hands upon her, to taste those same lips he uses to tease her, she must restrain herself. She is not free. But some things are beyond a lady’s control…

      You can read an excerpt here.