December 29, 2011

Review: The Price of Temptation by Lecia Cornwall 49

by Beverley Kendall • Avon Books, Giveaways, Reviews • Tags: , ,

The Price of Temptation
Author: Lecia Cornwall
Publisher: HarperCollins/Avon
Pub. Date: December 27, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0062018946
Digital Price: $4.99
Print Price: $7.99
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Once wed to England’s most notorious turncoat . . .

Lady Evelyn Renshaw can ignore the disgrace her former husband has brought down upon her. She can even disregard the accusations. But when her life is threatened because of his actions, she realizes a stiff upper lip won’t be enough to keep her safe. So she hires a new footman powerful enough to protect her . . . only to find herself shamelessly intoxicated by his breathtaking masculinity.

Captain Sinjon Rutherford is no footman . . . but there are those who believe him a traitor. The only way to prove his innocence is by playing the part of elegant Lady Evelyn’s servant in order to infiltrate her home and uncover the truth about her suspicious relations. Yet what seems at first an easy deception is anything but, once he meets his alluring new employer and discovers just how tempting a woman in charge can be . . .

Because sometimes passion hides in plain sight.

~*~*~

REVIEW

A hero and heroine both on the wrong side of the law…

Sinjon Rutherford is a fugitive of the Crown; charged with treason and murder. He only wants a shot at redemption by capturing the man truly responsible for the crimes. The Earl of Westlake offers him a chance to prove his innocence if he works as a footman in the home of the notorious traitor Lord Phillip Renshaw. Renshaw is missing, but his wife, Evelyn remains and it’s presumed she knows where her husband is hiding, and where he’s stashed the one item that could turn the war against Napeleon.

There’s no love lost between Evelyn and her husband, yet everyone thinks she knows where he is. In truth she just wants the spies to stop following her, her sisters to stop encouraging her to take a lover, and her name to disappear from the scandal sheets. The only one worth her time is her new footman, Sam, who seems to understand her loneliness and pain. When Evelyn’s life is threatened Sam comes to her rescue, and pretty soon she’s wondering how horrible it would be to engage Sam’s services beyond a simple escort.

Going into this book the words ‘traitor’s wife’ had me already disliking Evelyn. I really wondered if I was going to get behind a heroine that might possibly be in on betraying England.  Let me say that I firmly stand by never judging a book by its cover; in this case even more so. Evelyn is not all she seems, and I quickly fell in love with this heroine. She’s the example of a good woman who has been horribly wronged and public opinion damns her instead of learning the truth, except for Sinjon.

Sinjon relates to Evelyn’s plight because of his own circumstances. He knows what it’s like to be whispered about and considered an enemy. The similarities between the two situations end there, but just that one common link begins to form a bond between the two. Cornwall does a remarkable job of giving readers something new and fresh. Yes, Sinjon is technically a nobleman, but his role as a footman is supposed to make him off limits. Evelyn should be, as she’s technically married. Unfortunately for the pair, they just can’t seem to avoid the turbulent emotions they feel when in close proximity.

The novel’s setting takes readers from London to the French countryside, with plenty of action and intrigue. Ultimately Cornwall threw me off guard, and I couldn’t stop reading until I knew what would become of these two. If you’re looking for a book that surprises and entices—this one is an excellent pick.

Rating: 4 (Very Good)

Heat-Level: 4 (Hot)

Reviewed by Landra

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