Tainted By Temptation
Katy Madison

Avon Books /HarperCollins Publishers
January 25, 2011/ ISBN 978-0-06-201734-5
Historical Romance / Victorian England
Amazon

Reviewed by Linda Young

Velvet Campbell is on her way to her new position as governess to a young girl. She is weak and tired from months of hunger and trying to get respectable employment and to get away from the gossip mongers who have destroyed her reputation. This was her last chance at keeping herself out of the brothels for work. However, from what she has learned of her new employer’s reputation it was as tainted as hers, and then some. Although he had been cleared, all the rumors and gossip suggested that he had killed his wife. There was no evidence that he had thrown her off a cliff at his estate. He had been cleared, and no charges had been brought against him. Now she was on her way to work for him. Did he really do it? All these things went through her mind as she struggled to walk to the estate when no one was waiting for her in town, when the coach she was traveling on dropped her off.

Lucian Pendar had been shunned by the people in town. Everyone believed the rumors that he had killed his wife. He was known for his temper and feared by those in his employ. Those who see his face look away due to the scars on his face left by his dead wife. His butler finds Velvet on the front steps of the estate, collapsed in the mud and rain. She is frail and weak, but he sees the beauty in her face. But, as she shows signs of fatigue and a weak stomach, along with other signs, he believes her to be with child. Her reputation points to being a loose woman. He is drawn to her and thinks she would make a suitable mistress. However, she acts the innocent and virtuous governess. Are the rumors true or false?

Can these two lost souls discover each other’s secrets and find redemption? Did Lucian really kill his wife? What other secrets are hidden within the estate and the town? Will Velvet be able to resist the temptations and desires she feels for Lucian?

I found this book captivating from the first page to the last. I loved it. The passion and the intrigue kept me on my toes throughout the book. The story has a dark Jane Eyre feel to it. I loved it because it has romance, mystery, and that hot tension between Lucian and Velvet. It’s well worth the read.

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