Thursday 29 November 2007

"Tempting Harriet" by Mary Balogh

Tempting Harriet by Mary Balogh 1994

Description from back of book:
She had resisted scandalous seduction once before. That was six years ago, but it seemed six centuries. She was no longer young, innocent, and impoverished Miss Harriet Pope. She was Lady Harriet Wingham, beautiful and wealthy widow of a kindly, if elderly, baron. And the libertine lord who had almost taken her virtue now bore the title of the Duke of Tenby. Tenby, though, was as breathtakingly handsome and as amorously expert as ever. He still wanted Harriet not as a wife but as a mistress - and Harriet could not keep from wanting him. She had no desire once, but denial was so much more difficult the second time around, and Harriet wondered if she could safely surrender her body without giving her heart to this man who clearly had none...

This book has certain echoes of the future "More than a Mistress" - Tenby thinks he can get her out of his system by making her his mistress - but "More than a Mistress" is sweeter and the relationship between Jane and Jocelyn is more intense than the relationship between Tenby and Harriet. Nonetheless, this is an enjoyable book, although not Balogh's best.

RATING:

1/2

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING:

No comments:

RATING RUBRICS

OVERALL RATING

(or less)
Seriously. Don't waste your time. The author could spell and put together a sentence, but not a whole lot else.

This book might be worth reading, but it had some major flaws. Perhaps there were a lot of anachronisms, or plot elements that were not resolved. Perhaps the heroes were one-dimensional. Perhaps the love story was not believable. Perhaps the writing style left a great deal to be desired. Perhaps the plot was so complex that you got laden down with it about halfway through. These books are worth reading if you're really, really bored, but I wouldn't buy them at full-price.

This is a good book. There is a strong story line, the book is well written, and there aren't too many anachronisms. Still, there is something missing. Perhaps there are holes in the story. Perhaps one of the heroes is insanely annoying. Perhaps there are unrealistic elements in the plot. All in all, worth reading, and perhaps even buying, but there are better ones to be had.

This is an excellent book. Strong characters, good reader connection. The book is well written, interesting, and stays true to the time period. The heroes are engaging and three-dimensional. These books are worth having on your shelf.

These are books that are phenomenal, above and beyond the call of duty. They have everything that exists in a four-star rating, plus that extra little something that just throws them over the top. These books are worth having in hard-cover.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING

(or below)
There is very little to no sex in this book. What little that exists is not the least bit graphic. There is very little, if any, innuendo.

There is a small amount of sex in this book (one or two scenes). The scenes are loving and not incredibly graphic.

There is a moderate amount of sex and innuendo in this book. It is moderately graphic, but consensual and not violent.

There is a lot of sex and innuendo in this book. The sex is quite graphic, but not violent. The innuendo is quite coarse and descriptive.

This book is inappropriate for children. There is a good deal of graphic sex, some of which may be violent or non-consensual. The innuendo is very coarse and descriptive, and found quite frequently. The sex is the over-riding purpose of this book.

Historical Romance Novel Reviews

Thursday 29 November 2007

"Tempting Harriet" by Mary Balogh

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