Lawson’s review of Tempted by the Night (The Marlowe Series, Book 2) by Elizabeth Boyle
Historical fantasy romance released by Avon 26 Aug 08

Elizabeth Boyle is embarking on a different sort of paranormal path with her Marlowe Family series. A mysterious ring gives its wearer a wish and so far the outcome of those wishes is rather interesting. In His Mistress by Morning, the first book, there’s an alternate reality where the heroine, Charlotte Wilmont, is not a chaste debutante, but a much sought after courtesan. In Tempted, Charlotte’s friend Hermione Marlowe comes across the magic ring and makes her wish. Of course panic ensues, and things are not always what they seem.

From Mistress, we see that Hermione is desperately in love with the Earl of Rockhurst. She dresses in obscure colors to gain his attention, practices the perfect pose to gain his attention, and goes to parties she thinks he will be at to gain his attention. She knows though that Rockhurst doesn’t really notice that she even exists, except as the sister of his good friend Sebastian Marlowe, Viscount Trent (hero of Mistress). Hermione discovers a nondescript ring while at the wedding breakfast of her brother and Charlotte, but she doesn’t make her wish until she’s in Almack’s.

What Hermione wishes is very interesting, as she wants to trail Rockhurst around so she can prove he’s not the debaucher that everyone believes him to be. Of course her wish has a twist though, that would be bad of me to spoil the details of the wish. Hermione, due to her wish, follows Rockhurst out of Almack’s and discovers the true nature of his nightly activities on the town, which his dangerous reputation does a pretty good job of hiding.

Rockhurst is rather smart as well as perceptive and discovers he’s being followed, but doesn’t know who the person is. Thus by day he tries to discover the identity of the girl that trailed him and at night he uses her help in his nocturnal adventures. The deception can’t last too long and Rockhurst is determined to know the woman who could be the one woman in the world that could be a partner as well as lover in his mysterious lifestyle.

Though Hermione is a bit melodramatic at times, she’s generally a likable character. She’s pretty honest with herself about her actions, especially her tendency for being dramatic. Hermione knows who she wants and does her best to go after him, much like Felicity Langly, but Hermione isn’t as mercenary about it. There’s no desperation in her actions, and when she discovers the truth of Rockhursts life, she acts in a way that’s pretty normal. A bit scared at first, on a mission to discover the source of his life and then when she sees the dangers, she does her best to stay away, though because of her wish she keeps getting sucked in.

Rockhurst is a good hero in that he fits his part in the world well. What and who he has to deal with from time to time can be rather fantastical, but then this is a world where wishes come true, so there better be other things out there that go bump in the night. He is alternately fascinated by and frustrated by his “Shadow” as he calls her, for she refuses to tell her his name. And boy does it get steamy between the two. What could be kind of discomfiting, is rather sweet, caring and very hot.

The secondary characters of Quince and Milton, who are trying to get the ring out of the hands of humanity, are kinda cute. Both beings of the otherworld, they have an interesting cat and mouse dynamic in the quest for the return of the ring. Hermione has a very interesting, and flighty family, which in turns helps and hurts her. The Marlowe family, aside from Sebastian, have a reputation among society of being on the odd side. Hermione’s mother and her grandiose ideas show the reason that the majority of the family is not seen in a good light by society.

What doesn’t work so well is the fantastical world, for if it has been around for so long, wouldn’t more people have noticed some of the things going on? It is hinted at that there’s a group that fight the things that go bump in the night, but it wouldn’t be confined to one area of the city and only seen by a small number of people. Also, Hermione’s insecurity about revealing her identity to Rockhurst is understood, it gets a bit annoying as Hermione becomes brave enough to face Rockhurst so many times, but she can’t tell him who she really is.

The next book in the Marlowe series should follow Hermione’s brother Griffin, who so far has been obsessed with time travel, so that should prove interesting. Overall, Tempted is an interesting book, with the twists on Hermione’s wish and what Rockhurst has to deal with in his life, and the Marlowes are showing there’s more to them than their reputation.

Grade: B

A Secret Admirer . . .

They say he’s a shameless rake who cares for nothing but pleasure, a rogue who spends his nights in London’s lustiest locales, gambling and carousing until dawn. But Lady Hermione Marlowe refuses to believe that the handsome gentleman she’s loved from afar for so long could be so wicked. If only she had a way to prove to the ton that Lord Rockhurst is as proper as the rest. If only she knew what he really did under cover of the night . . .

A Clandestine Encounter . . .

Lord Rockhurst knows what they say about him, and he doesn’t care. Let them think his nights are filled with craven debauchery. Only he knows his true purpose, his dangerous goal. But when a mysterious woman falls into his arms—and thereby saves his life—Rockhurst will struggle to save his secret. Who is this creature with such tempting curves and an enticing touch? Rockhurst can only wonder how he can trust her . . . for he knows he cannot resist her.

Read an excerpt (scroll down).

Other Books in this series: