Although Tempt the Devil offers brief diversions into subplots surrounding friends and family, an unusually large amount of the text is devoted exclusively to the couple’s emotional and physical relationships (and how they interlink).  They debate the role of a mistress and a wife in London’s society, the importance of proper parenting, and the effects of loyalty and betrayal—all while slowly revealing details about their past lives that influence their current behavior.  Throughout this arrangement, Olivia rewards and punishes Julian emotionally through their physical relationship.

The tone (alternately teasing and cruel) and story (a 30-something courtesan rather than a 20-something innocent) make this historical romance stand out as highly unusual.  An enthralling read, the final chapter does a disservice to the rest of the book when Olivia suddenly becomes clueless about developments that will be entirely obvious to the reader.  Overall, however, Tempt the Devil is a sizzling novel based on Anna Campbell’s refusal to shy away from intimate scenes and painful topics of discussion that turn up the heat and the reader’s level of involvement.