TEMPTING THE MARQUESS – Sara Lindsey
Weston Family Series – Book 2
Signet Eclipse
ISBN-13: 978-0-451-23044-7
June 2010
Historical Romance

Pembrokeshire, Wales and London, England – 1798

Olivia “Livvy” Weston’s fondest dream is to find her own hero instead of just reading about them in her beloved novels. After finding the journal of Laura Traherne, the deceased wife of Jason Traherne, Marquess of Sheldon, she jumps at the chance to travel to Wales with her Aunt Kate, the marquess’s stepmother, to visit the widower. There she hopes to have an adventure to cherish the rest of her life, and maybe find a love of her own. Livvy fancies that Traherne is as romantic and dashing as is depicted in his wife’s journal.

Jason Traherne prides himself on his elusiveness and has grown quite accustomed to being alone, and beyond the minimal staff he keeps and his son, he is not ashamed to turn company away at his door. His stepmother Kate, however, is another story. With the holidays around the corner, it seems she’s intent on celebrating a Welsh Christmas, and she’s brought along her niece as well, who is probably as insipid as any young debutante. But what Jason isn’t prepared for is the rush of desire he feels for Olivia Weston, who is determined to get under his skin any way she can. If he’s not careful, Jason may decide that being around Livvy is an addiction he will not be able to ignore.

With Sara Lindsey’s second installment in her Weston Family series, she brings to the table the story of Olivia and Jason, two individuals who seem unlikely for each other, yet manage to work. TEMPTING THE MARQUESS is an apt title for that is exactly what Olivia is determined to do to Jason. It helps to have read PROMISE ME TONIGHT (February 2010), the first book in the series and Olivia’s sister’s tale. In it we find that Livvy, the matchmaker of the family, is responsible for bringing her sister and brother-in-law together because they couldn’t quite do so themselves. She prides herself on that accomplishment and quickly turns her head to making a match for herself. In TEMPTING THE MARQUESS, she realizes that Jason will probably not be her future husband, but she yearns to be the recipient of his ardent desire, just like his wife before her.

But what amounted to her crush on the man before meeting him turns into something less so when she encounters Jason’s obstinacy, rudeness, and the utter lack of charm he displays for his visitors. It seems his self-imposed exile in the Welsh country has leached any kindness or charm from his personality. Before too long, she’s questioning her decision to travel to Wales with her aunt. If it weren’t for his obvious love for Edward, his sickly young son, Livvy would think that Jason did not know the meaning of affection or emotions.

TEMPTING THE MARQUESS is a pleasing addition to the Weston Family series. Whereas I was aggravated with Isabella’s machinations in PROMISE ME TONIGHT, Olivia, while not exactly her sister’s opposite, is a slight contrast in that she isn’t trying to trap Jason, but only wants to have a Great Romance of her own. To that end, she’ll conceal the fact that she’s read Jason’s wife’s personal journal and knows of some of the intimacies and love between them. Livvy knows it is wrong, but when she finally begins getting to know the man beneath the rough façade, she puts off telling him about the diary until it’s almost too late. It’s not an earth-shattering secret, but one that surely violates his privacy. In that regard, I thought it highlighted Olivia’s immaturity that she felt she could just go ahead and invade someone’s personal thoughts, but honestly, who would be able to refrain from reading an old journal if you came across one?

Having said that, I did find TEMPTING THE MARQUESS to be an entertaining read and recommend that it be added to your summer reading queue.

Amy Cunningham