Lord Hadley Blanchard was a young, relatively naïve young man until he fell into the clutches of his avaricious and immoral stepmother, Barbara. After his father's suicide, the resulting scandal leaves Hadley almost penniless, and forces him away from England and to wandering Europe. Sir Richard Fisk, whose political ambitions is the guiding force behind Hadley's fall from grace, provides a small income to him as long as he spied on the 'Pretender' to the English throne, James, while he resides in Italy. After seven years of a dissolute, hedonistic lifestyle, Hadley makes plans to return to England to regain his lost title and lands; currently being held in the greedy clutches of Sir Richard.

After the recent death of her father, Mary Elizabeth Edwardes is the richest heiress in England. She is quite happy to lead her peaceful, pastoral existence; but her guardian, who is none other than Sir Richard, decides to arrange a marriage for her that will benefit him financially and politically. To this end, he sends Lady Barbara Blanchard to assist Mary in preparing for society and an advantageous marriage. Barbara's perverse desires have only grown over the years, and she still carries a sexual fixation for Hadley; who had been such an eager pupil to her twisted desires. No one has Mary's interest at heart; only their own wicked ambition and greed at her expense.

Hadley arrives in England, eager to regain his lands and title in any way possible. He immediately resurrects his affair with Barbara. When he meets Mary, however, the young virginal miss quickly captures his attention. He begins the task of courting her to gain her inheritance, only to find himself so drawn to her that he begins wooing her in earnest. I found the scenes spent alone with Hadley and Mary to be full of witty banter and tender moments as their obvious attraction grew. Unfortunately, there are other villainous players in the story who have plans for both Hadley and Mary; and none of these plans are for the two to end up happy and together. Mary especially was left twisting in a fate that she had no real control over.

TREACHEROUS TEMPTATION is a dark and twisted tale of perversion, ambition, and revenge. I quite enjoy the dark, tormented, almost irredeemable hero; and Hadley filled his role as a rake admirably. Mary and Hadley are well fleshed out characters; however, the villains were at turns too twisted or too underdeveloped 'stock' villains. The depraved and evil Lord Barnsley was the exception; I wish there had been more time spent building his truly heinous immorality. I really liked the period setting of the story, even though the vibrant, colorful Georgian era was not deeply developed. Overall, TREACHEROUS TEMPTATION is an engaging story with several twists and turns; well written and quite interesting.

Reviewed by - Naysa Gallups

Book Summary

A reluctant heiress resigned to her fate… Mary Elizabeth Edwardes has one of the largest fortune's in England, but has no desire to leave her quiet country existence… and even less to acquire a husband she cannot choose for herself.

A dissolute nobleman bent on retribution… Trapped in a duplicitous existence since scandal destroyed his fortune and family name, Lord Hadley Blanchard has spent the better part of a decade posing as a disaffected exile while spying and seducing in the service of the English Crown.

A dangerous game of seduction, and intrigue… When summoned from abroad by a former lover, Lord Hadley perceives an opportunity for vengeance at last. By employing the full measure of his seductive charm, he woos the ward of the man who destroyed his life, little knowing that winning Mary's fortune will mean risking his own treacherous heart.

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