THE DEVIL'S TEMPTATION

Author: Kimberly Logan ISBN: 0061239194 3/2007 HISTORICAL Publisher: AVON
Time Period: 1818 London

I must solve a dastardly crime. But how can I resist...? A debauched ball, packed with London’s seediest revelers, is no place for the decent young woman I’ve tried so hard to be. But if I’m to avoid my mother’s shameful mistakes—and the very scandal that led to her still-unsolved murder—I, Lady Maura Daventry, must be willing to hunt everywhere for the truth about her killer. But I never expected I would encounter the devil himself: the Earl of Hawksley, a wickedly charismatic rakehell who has set ton tongues wagging by bedding women all over London…and whose father was the prime suspect in the murder of his married lover—my mother. But new evidence seems to suggest another culprit was responsible—and the only man offering to assist me in my hunt is the fascinating, surprisingly tender, and dangerously seductive Hawksley, who, alas, grows more intriguing to me by the hour. I have heard the stories of his grand indiscretions. But I never dreamed I would become one… Lady Maura Daventry

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Kimberly Logan is back with the next installment in her Daventry sister's trilogy, THE DEVIL'S TEMPTATION. Although it stands alone, I would suggest reading the first book, SINS OF MIDNIGHT, just to be able to understand how this story began and I think it will definitely help with your enjoyment of this book.

I thought SINS OF MIDNIGHT was a great book, but, I have to admit that THE DEVIL'S TEMPTATION is even better! Kimberly Logan outdid herself this time with a passionate romance between the handsome yet troubled Gabriel, Earl of Hawksley, and the strong but vulnerable Lady Maura Daventry.

Gabriel and Maura instantly ignite the pages of this terrific historical. The past that ties them together is a dangerous one—the present is even more perilous. Maura's mother was supposedly the mistress of Gabriel's father. When Maura tries to find the writer of a threatening letter to her mother, Gabriel is constantly on her trail trying to find out what she's up to. Gabriel knows that Maura is up to something, and although he shouldn't allow himself to care so deeply for a woman whose mother nearly destroyed his life, he finds himself doing so anyway. Gabriel has no idea that what Maura has can literally change his life.

Maura can't help falling for Gabriel, but no matter how strongly she feels for him, she doesn't want her life to mirror her mother's. There is already so much gossip surrounding her, the last thing she needs is to be involved in a relationship with the son of one of her mother's assumed paramours. Still, Maura cannot deny the passion that they share together, and she knows in time that she will have to trust him in order to find out the truth about what happened to her mother the night of her death.

In my opinion, Kimberly Logan's writing has matured since her last book. Her writing style seems more sophisticated, her voice is definitely that of a regency writer, and when you put all of that together, the outcome is one excellent book!

I guarantee that you are going to love this book, whether you read the previous book or not! I loved Gabriel and how he looked after Maura. Maura was a great heroine. I don't want to give any more of this wonderful story away, you simply must read Kimberly Logan's THE DEVIL'S TEMPTATION.

Julie Kornhausl