Review: Seduction & Scandal

Reviewed by Jen
 

Isabella is a woman who fears passion. It destroyed her mother and compromised her childhood. Now she is living with her uncle and cousin Lucy and hopes for nothing more than a life a safety and security. She is dating a staid gentleman and hopes for a simple marriage.  But then she meets the Earl of Black. There is an instant, burning pull between them. For some reason that Isabella is unaware of, Black pursues her relentlessly. And no matter how much her head wants him out of her life, her body and heart have other ideas.

Black is a member of the Brethren Guardians... descendants of the Knights of the Templar, charged to protect ancient relics that could corrupt the world. He doesn't want the responsibility. The only thing he does want is Isabella. But he can't ignore his oath, so while he pursues her, he works with the other men in his order to track down the relics that have gone missing.

I had a bit of a hard time getting into the Templar stuff, but there was a lot of sexy in the story to keep my interest in the interim. The tension between Isabella and Black is fantastic and it was a great payoff, albeit in increments. And did I mention that Isabella is also a lady novelist? Her seductive story is interspersed throughout the book and I sure did enjoy it. Obviously, there are parallels between her longing for Black with the characters in her book and it all wraps up nicely in the end.

There are a lot of mysteries tied in the Templar storyline, and as the book progressed it did grow on me some. There are many threads left unresolved, but the love story is put to bed. And the author promises to answer the remaining questions in Lucy's book Pride & Passion. I will definitely be reading that. 4 stars.

*ARC Provided by NetGalley

Seduction & Scandal

by Charlotte Featherstone

Release Date: June 21, 2011

Publisher: HQN Books