Review: Pleasures of a Tempted Lady

Reviewed by Jen
 

Ever since we were first introduced to the Donovan sisters in Confessions of an Improper Bride, I knew in my heart that Meg was alive and I had to have her story.  Poor Meg fell overboard into the sea eight years ago and has been presumed dead all of this time.  Her sisters mourned her. So, too, did William, the man she planned to marry.

She never thought she would see him again after she was kidnapped by a cruel pirate. Since he took her, she has been aboard his ship, trying to teach his wife to be a proper lady... that is, until the woman died, sending the pirate further off into the deep end.  Meg managed an escape with the man's young son in tow.  She had to get him away from his father's cruelty, especially since the child's mother had passed away.  She didn't make it far in her little boat. Thankfully, it was William who found her adrift and rescued her and the boy.

Even after so many years, the old feelings come rushing back for the both of them. But her experiences have changed Meg.  She is terrified that the pirate will find her and snatch his son back. He has deep connections in high places and she fears nowhere is safe from his grasp.  And this is what plagues her relationship with Will throughout the book.

William is a pretty great hero.  He did make one misstep (which seemed grossly out of character,) but beyond that, he is damn near perfect. He is strong, stalwart, sexy, understanding, forgiving, protective and loving. He isn't afraid to speak his heart or to go after what he wants in a relationship with Meg. He is great with little Jake. Despite all this, Meg pushes him away over and over again. She thinks she is "protecting him."  Instead, she hurts him and almost ruins her own chances at happiness. It was frustrating.

In the course of the story, Meg is reunited with her family, which gives us an update on the women we have gotten to know in the previous books. It also opens the story for a secondary romance between younger sister Jessica and David, a man who served on Will's ship.  This side story was so good, it was a shame that there wasn't more of it.  Frankly, these two should have gotten their own book --or at the very least a novella. I feel a bit robbed.

I did like the book overall, though my issues with Meg kept me from loving it as much as I hoped to.

Rating: B-

*ARC Provided by NetGalley

Click to purchase: Amazon

Pleasures of a Tempted Lady

by Jennifer Haymore
Release Date: July 31, 2012
Publisher: Forever (GCP)