Review: She Tempts the Duke

When his father died, 14 year-old Sebastian was next in line to become the Duke of Keswick. But his power-hungry uncle locked him and his brothers away in the tower, with plans to kill them. He would have succeeded, if young Mary had not overheard his plans and set her young friends free. The boys ran for their lives. Now, more than a decade later, they are back --and ready to reclaim the birthright their uncle thought to steal.

Sebastian spent much of his time away as a soldier and is now horribly scarred. But when they meet again, Mary sees past that. Unfortunately, she is now betrothed to another man, which becomes problematic as she and Sebastian become drawn to each other. It's not the only problem, though. Sebastian's issues extend beyond physical scars. He believes himself a monster and has a hard time letting anyone in. Beyond that, he is so single-mindedly focused on reclaiming his estate, that he is blinded to the other things in life that could give him happiness.

I always enjoy a scarred/ tortured hero. Sebastian's physical and emotional damage makes him so vulnerable, while he presents such a detached and powerful exterior. Mary is loyal and true, fiery and brave. She is a worthy heroine to help him heal and to find joy again. I really enjoyed the love scenes and the way the author dealt with the scars. But I wish that it had not taken Sebastian quite so long to see his own feelings for Mary... feelings obvious to the reader from the very beginning of the story.

It was a little predictable. But between the love story and the danger brought on by the threat of Sebastian's displaced uncle... I still enjoyed the ride. Lorraine Heath also does a great job teasing us with the backstories on Sebastian's brothers, who will have books of their own as she continues the trilogy. Mmmm. More tortured heroes to come. 4 stars.

*ARC Provided by NetGalley

Click to purchase: Amazon

She Tempts the Duke

by Lorraine Heath

Release Date: January 31, 2012

Publisher: Avon